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Technology · head to head

Alkami vs Datadog

Alkami logo

Alkami

Technology

Digital banking platform for United States banks and credit unions

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Datadog logo

Datadog

Technology

Modern monitoring & security

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Alkami pricing is per registered user with contractual minimums, so institutions with many enrolled but dormant users pay for accounts that never log in.; Datadog consumption-based pricing model makes costs hard to predict and can scale quickly
  • They diverge on capability: Alkami covers Retail digital banking, Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alkami and Datadog actually diverge.

Attributes where Alkami and Datadog differ
AttributeAlkamiDatadog
Starting priceOn request$15/month
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Linux, Windows, macOS
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Alkami

  • Retail digital banking
  • Business banking
  • Digital account opening
  • Payments and money movement
  • Data and marketing
  • Extensibility framework
  • Card controls
  • Multi core integration

Only in Datadog

  • Infrastructure monitoring
  • Application performance monitoring
  • Log management
  • Real user monitoring
  • Synthetic monitoring
  • Security monitoring
  • Network monitoring
  • Serverless monitoring

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Alkami

  • A credit union replacing the weak digital banking bundled with its core contractnot Datadog
  • A community bank that needs commercial entitlements and approvals its core vendor does not providenot Datadog
  • An institution wanting digital account opening and digital banking from one vendor after the MANTL acquisitionnot Datadog
  • A bank competing for deposits online and needing an onboarding funnel that works on mobilenot Datadog

Datadog

  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Alkami
  • Application performancenot Alkami
  • Security monitoringnot Alkami
  • Log analysisnot Alkami
  • Cloud monitoringnot Alkami

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Alkami

  • Pricing is per registered user with contractual minimums, so institutions with many enrolled but dormant users pay for accounts that never log in.
  • Alkami is a channel layer, not a core, so functionality is bounded by what the core exposes, and a poor core integration produces a slow product no amount of channel work fixes.
  • Implementation typically runs six to twelve months and requires institution staff time, which small credit unions consistently underestimate.
  • The MANTL acquisition adds account opening but also another integration programme, and consolidating on one vendor removes leverage to swap a weak module for a best of breed alternative.
  • Buying digital banking separately from the core vendor means you own the integration risk between two suppliers who will each blame the other when something breaks.

Datadog

  • Consumption-based pricing model makes costs hard to predict and can scale quickly
  • Add-on modules significantly increase costs: custom metrics, indexed spans, extended retention
  • No free tier for production monitoring
  • High costs for organizations with large amounts of log data or high-cardinality metrics

Pricing, plan by plan

Alkami

On request
  • Alkami Digital Banking Platform$undefined/year
    • Priced per registered user per month with multi year terms
    • Minimum user commitments typical, so enrolled inactive users are still billed
    • Implementation and core integration charged separately

Datadog

$15/month
  • Infrastructure Monitoring$15/month
    • Host monitoring
    • Basic dashboards
  • APM$31/month
    • Application performance monitoring
    • Trace collection
  • Log Management$0.1/gb
    • Log indexing
    • Search and filter

Which should you pick?

Choose Alkami if

  • You need retail digital banking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want business banking.
Alkami review

Choose Datadog if

  • You need infrastructure monitoring.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want application performance monitoring.
Datadog review

Questions people ask

Is Alkami or Datadog better?
Neither clearly leads. Alkami starts at On request and Datadog at $15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alkami or Datadog?
Alkami starts at On request and Datadog at $15/month.
Does Alkami or Datadog run on more platforms?
Alkami runs on Web, iOS, Android. Datadog runs on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS.
What is Alkami best used for?
Alkami is most often used for a credit union replacing the weak digital banking bundled with its core contract, a community bank that needs commercial entitlements and approvals its core vendor does not provide, an institution wanting digital account opening and digital banking from one vendor after the mantl acquisition, a bank competing for deposits online and needing an onboarding funnel that works on mobile. Of those, a credit union replacing the weak digital banking bundled with its core contract and a community bank that needs commercial entitlements and approvals its core vendor does not provide are not what Datadog is typically brought in for.
What can Alkami do that Datadog cannot?
Alkami covers Retail digital banking, Business banking, Digital account opening, Payments and money movement. Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Application performance monitoring, Log management, Real user monitoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Alkami: Does Alkami replace our core?

No. It is the digital channel and account opening layer on top of a core such as Fiserv, Jack Henry or FIS.

Datadog: How is Datadog pricing structured?

Datadog uses consumption-based pricing tied to data volume ingested, hosts monitored, and products enabled. Infrastructure Monitoring starts at $15/host/month, APM at $31/host/month, and Log Management at $0.10/GB for indexed logs.

Source
Alkami: How is it priced?

Per registered user per month on multi year contracts with minimums, so model your enrolled user count rather than your active user count.

Datadog: Does Datadog offer a free tier?

Datadog offers a free trial but not a permanent free tier for production monitoring. Pricing begins with paid plans only.

Source
Alkami: What did the MANTL acquisition change?

It brought deposit account opening in house, announced February 2025 at $400 million enterprise value, so account opening and digital banking can come from one vendor.

Datadog: What integrations does Datadog support?

Datadog offers 1000+ built-in integrations including AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, Azure, GCP, and most major cloud platforms and services.

Source
Datadog: Can Datadog monitor Kubernetes clusters?

Yes. The Datadog Agent runs as a DaemonSet to provide real-time visibility into pods, nodes, deployments, and control-plane health across major Kubernetes distributions including EKS, AKS, GKE, OpenShift, and others.

Source
Datadog: How can I reduce Datadog costs?

Datadog bills based on indexed logs, custom metrics, and high-cardinality tags. Costs can be unpredictable and may run 2-3x estimates. Prepaying annually can secure 5-15% discounts.

Source
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