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Software · head to head

Consul vs Datadog Logs

Consul logo

Consul

Software

Service discovery, networking, and security

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Datadog Logs logo

Datadog Logs

Software

Log Management and Analytics

From
$0.1/per GB ingested per month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Consul has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Consul namespaces, admin partitions and other multi tenancy controls are Consul Enterprise only; Datadog Logs complex, multi-tiered pricing model based on ingestion, indexing, and storage; can become expensive at scale
  • They diverge on capability: Consul covers Service discovery, Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Consul and Datadog Logs actually diverge.

Attributes where Consul and Datadog Logs differ
AttributeConsulDatadog Logs
Starting priceFree$0.1/per GB ingested per month
Pricing modelopen-sourceusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Mac, CloudCloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud)
Founded20142010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Consul

  • Service discovery
  • Health checking
  • Key/value store
  • Multi-datacenter
  • DNS interface
  • Service mesh
  • Load balancing
  • Configuration management

Only in Datadog Logs

  • Log ingestion
  • Full-text search
  • Custom dashboards
  • Log-based metrics
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Consul

  • Service discovery and health checking across dynamic infrastructurenot Datadog Logs
  • Running a service mesh with mutual TLS between servicesnot Datadog Logs
  • Distributed key value configuration storage for applicationsnot Datadog Logs

Datadog Logs

  • Centralised log aggregation and analysisnot Consul
  • Multi-source log correlation with metrics and tracesnot Consul
  • Root cause analysis and troubleshootingnot Consul
  • Security monitoring and threat detectionnot Consul

Where each one falls short

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

Consul

  • Namespaces, admin partitions and other multi tenancy controls are Consul Enterprise only
  • Audit logging, OIDC authentication and FIPS 140-2 builds require Consul Enterprise, so compliance driven deployments cannot use the free edition
  • Automated backups, redundancy zones, read replicas and automated server upgrades are Enterprise only
  • Long Term Support releases are Enterprise only, so community users must upgrade to stay supported
  • Service mesh and advanced traffic management sit in the Premium Enterprise tier above Standard Enterprise
  • HashiCorp does not publish a Consul rate on its pricing page, which lists per resource prices for Terraform instead

Datadog Logs

  • Complex, multi-tiered pricing model based on ingestion, indexing, and storage; can become expensive at scale
  • Ingestion pricing of $0.10/GB can accumulate rapidly for high-volume logging environments

Pricing, plan by plan

Consul

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Service discovery
    • Health checking
    • KV store

Datadog Logs

$0.1/per GB ingested per month

No published plan breakdown. See the Datadog Logs review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Consul if

  • You need service discovery.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Cloud.
  • You also want health checking.
Consul review

Choose Datadog Logs if

  • You need log ingestion.
  • You work on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud).
  • You also want full-text search.
Datadog Logs review

Questions people ask

Is Consul or Datadog Logs better?
Neither clearly leads. Consul starts at Free and Datadog Logs at $0.1/per GB ingested per month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Consul or Datadog Logs?
Consul has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Consul and $0.1/per GB ingested per month for Datadog Logs.
Does Consul or Datadog Logs run on more platforms?
Consul runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Cloud. Datadog Logs runs on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud).
Can I use Consul for free?
Yes. Consul has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Datadog Logs starts at $0.1/per GB ingested per month.
What is Consul best used for?
Consul is most often used for service discovery and health checking across dynamic infrastructure, running a service mesh with mutual tls between services, distributed key value configuration storage for applications. Of those, service discovery and health checking across dynamic infrastructure and running a service mesh with mutual tls between services are not what Datadog Logs is typically brought in for.
What can Consul do that Datadog Logs cannot?
Consul covers Service discovery, Health checking, Key/value store, Multi-datacenter. Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion, Full-text search, Custom dashboards, Log-based metrics.
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