Log Management · head to head
Datadog Logs vs Stackdriver
Datadog Logs
Log Management
Log Management and Analytics
- From
- $0.1/per GB ingested per month
- Rated
- -
Stackdriver
Log Management
Google Cloud Operations - Monitoring and Logging
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Stackdriver has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Datadog Logs complex, multi-tiered pricing model based on ingestion, indexing, and storage; can become expensive at scale; Stackdriver stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page
- They diverge on capability: Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion, Stackdriver covers Log management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Datadog Logs and Stackdriver actually diverge.
| Attribute | Datadog Logs | Stackdriver |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $0.1/per GB ingested per month | Free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud) | Web, Api |
| Founded | 2010 | 2006 |
Identical on both: pricing model (usage-based), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Log Management).
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 Datadog Logs
- Log ingestion
- Full-text search
- Custom dashboards
- Log-based metrics
Only in Stackdriver
- Log management
- Metrics collection
- Real-time monitoring
- Error reporting
Both cover
- API
- Webhooks
- REST
- Web support
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Datadog Logs
- Centralised log aggregation and analysisnot Stackdriver
- Multi-source log correlation with metrics and tracesnot Stackdriver
- Root cause analysis and troubleshootingnot Stackdriver
- Security monitoring and threat detectionnot Stackdriver
Stackdriver
- Centralised logging, metrics and traces for workloads running on Google Cloudnot Datadog Logs
- Alerting and uptime checks on cloud servicesnot Datadog Logs
- Running managed Prometheus-compatible monitoring at scalenot Datadog Logs
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Stackdriver
- Stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page
- Cloud Logging charges $0.50 per GiB ingested, with only the first 50 GiB per project per month free
- Logs kept beyond 30 days cost an extra $0.01 per GiB per month on top of the ingestion charge
- Monitoring metric ingestion starts at $0.2580 per MiB, with only the first 150 MiB per billing account free
- Alerting policies are billed at $0.35 per month for each metric reference in the policy
- Uptime checks cost $0.30 per 1,000 executions and synthetic monitors $1.20 per 1,000 executions, with only 100 synthetic executions per billing account free
- Monitoring read API calls cost $0.50 per million time series returned beyond the first million per billing account
- Log volume is measured before indexing on the actual size of log entries, so verbose logging directly drives cost
Pricing, plan by plan
Datadog Logs
$0.1/per GB ingested per monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Datadog Logs review.
Stackdriver
Free- FreeFree
- Log management
- Metrics collection
- Real-time monitoring
Which should you pick?
Choose Datadog Logs if
- You need log ingestion.
- You work on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud).
- You also want full-text search.
Choose Stackdriver if
- You need log management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want metrics collection.
Questions people ask
- Is Datadog Logs or Stackdriver better?
- Neither clearly leads. Datadog Logs starts at $0.1/per GB ingested per month and Stackdriver at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Datadog Logs or Stackdriver?
- Stackdriver has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.1/per GB ingested per month for Datadog Logs and Free for Stackdriver.
- Does Datadog Logs or Stackdriver run on more platforms?
- Datadog Logs runs on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud). Stackdriver runs on Web, Api.
- Can I use Stackdriver for free?
- Yes. Stackdriver has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Datadog Logs starts at $0.1/per GB ingested per month.
- What is Datadog Logs best used for?
- Datadog Logs is most often used for centralised log aggregation and analysis, multi-source log correlation with metrics and traces, root cause analysis and troubleshooting, security monitoring and threat detection. Of those, centralised log aggregation and analysis and multi-source log correlation with metrics and traces are not what Stackdriver is typically brought in for.
- What can Datadog Logs do that Stackdriver cannot?
- Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion, Full-text search, Custom dashboards, Log-based metrics. Stackdriver covers Log management, Metrics collection, Real-time monitoring, Error reporting. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.