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Datadog vs Datadog Logs

Datadog logo

Datadog

Software

Modern monitoring & security

From
$15/month
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

  • Each has a real cost: Datadog consumption-based pricing model makes costs hard to predict and can scale quickly; Datadog Logs complex, multi-tiered pricing model based on ingestion, indexing, and storage; can become expensive at scale
  • They diverge on capability: Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Datadog and Datadog Logs differ
AttributeDatadogDatadog Logs
Starting price$15/month$0.1/per GB ingested per month
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Windows, macOSCloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud)

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2010).

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

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

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.

Datadog

  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Datadog Logs
  • Application performancenot Datadog Logs
  • Security monitoringnot Datadog Logs
  • Log analysisnot Datadog Logs
  • Cloud monitoringnot Datadog Logs

Datadog Logs

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

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

Datadog Logs

$0.1/per GB ingested per month

No published plan breakdown. See the Datadog Logs review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Datadog if

  • You need infrastructure monitoring.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want application performance monitoring.
Datadog 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 Datadog or Datadog Logs better?
Neither clearly leads. Datadog starts at $15/month 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, Datadog or Datadog Logs?
Datadog starts at $15/month and Datadog Logs at $0.1/per GB ingested per month.
Does Datadog or Datadog Logs run on more platforms?
Datadog runs on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS. Datadog Logs runs on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud).
What is Datadog best used for?
Datadog is most often used for infrastructure monitoring, application performance, security monitoring, log analysis. Of those, infrastructure monitoring and application performance are not what Datadog Logs is typically brought in for.
What can Datadog do that Datadog Logs cannot?
Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Application performance monitoring, Log management, Real user monitoring. Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion, Full-text search, Custom dashboards, Log-based metrics.

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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