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Security & Cybersecurity · head to head

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Datadog

CrowdStrike Falcon logo

CrowdStrike Falcon

Security & Cybersecurity

Stop breaches with AI-native cybersecurity

From
$7.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Datadog logo

Datadog

Technology

Modern monitoring & security

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CrowdStrike Falcon falcon Go tier limited to maximum of 100 devices; Datadog consumption-based pricing model makes costs hard to predict and can scale quickly
  • They diverge on capability: CrowdStrike Falcon covers Next-gen antivirus, Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CrowdStrike Falcon and Datadog actually diverge.

Attributes where CrowdStrike Falcon and Datadog differ
AttributeCrowdStrike FalconDatadog
Starting price$7.99/month$15/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWeb, Linux, Windows, macOS
CategorySecurity & CybersecurityTechnology
Founded20112010

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

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 CrowdStrike Falcon

  • Next-gen antivirus
  • Endpoint detection and response
  • Threat intelligence
  • IT hygiene
  • USB device control
  • Firewall management
  • Threat graph
  • Real-time response

Only in Datadog

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

Both cover

  • AWS
  • Azure
  • Google Cloud
  • FedRAMP
  • HIPAA

What people use each for

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

CrowdStrike Falcon

  • Small endpoint deployments via Falcon Go with per-device pricingnot Datadog
  • Mid-market organisations via Falcon Pro or Enterprise with advanced threat detectionnot Datadog
  • Organisations requiring custom managed detection and response via Falcon Completenot Datadog

Datadog

  • Infrastructure monitoringnot CrowdStrike Falcon
  • Application performancenot CrowdStrike Falcon
  • Security monitoringnot CrowdStrike Falcon
  • Log analysisnot CrowdStrike Falcon
  • Cloud monitoringnot CrowdStrike Falcon

Where each one falls short

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

CrowdStrike Falcon

  • Falcon Go tier limited to maximum of 100 devices
  • Falcon Complete Next-Gen MDR requires custom quote; pricing not published
  • Higher tiers (Enterprise and above) feature gatekeeping for threat hunting and identity protection

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

CrowdStrike Falcon

$7.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the CrowdStrike Falcon review.

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 CrowdStrike Falcon if

  • You need next-gen antivirus.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want endpoint detection and response.
CrowdStrike Falcon 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 CrowdStrike Falcon or Datadog better?
Neither clearly leads. CrowdStrike Falcon starts at $7.99/month and Datadog at $15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CrowdStrike Falcon or Datadog?
CrowdStrike Falcon starts at $7.99/month and Datadog at $15/month.
Does CrowdStrike Falcon or Datadog run on more platforms?
CrowdStrike Falcon runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Datadog runs on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS.
What is CrowdStrike Falcon best used for?
CrowdStrike Falcon is most often used for small endpoint deployments via falcon go with per-device pricing, mid-market organisations via falcon pro or enterprise with advanced threat detection, organisations requiring custom managed detection and response via falcon complete. Of those, small endpoint deployments via falcon go with per-device pricing and mid-market organisations via falcon pro or enterprise with advanced threat detection are not what Datadog is typically brought in for.
What can CrowdStrike Falcon do that Datadog cannot?
CrowdStrike Falcon covers Next-gen antivirus, Endpoint detection and response, Threat intelligence, IT hygiene. Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Application performance monitoring, Log management, Real user monitoring. Both handle AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, FedRAMP.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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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