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Datadog vs Dynatrace Logs

Datadog logo

Datadog

Technology

Modern monitoring & security

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Dynatrace Logs logo

Dynatrace Logs

Log Management

Intelligent Log Analytics and Management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Dynatrace Logs has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Datadog consumption-based pricing model makes costs hard to predict and can scale quickly; Dynatrace Logs log ingest and processing is billed at $0.20 per GiB, separately from retention and from query
  • They diverge on capability: Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Dynatrace Logs covers Log analysis.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Datadog and Dynatrace Logs differ
AttributeDatadogDynatrace Logs
Starting price$15/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Windows, macOSWeb, Api
CategoryTechnologyLog Management
Founded20102005

Identical on both: 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 Datadog

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

Only in Dynatrace Logs

  • Log analysis
  • AI-powered insights
  • Metrics integration
  • Automated root cause
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Datadog

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

Dynatrace Logs

  • Ingesting and processing application and infrastructure logsnot Datadog
  • Querying logs alongside traces and metrics in one platformnot Datadog
  • Log driven alerting within an existing Dynatrace deploymentnot 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

Dynatrace Logs

  • Log ingest and processing is billed at $0.20 per GiB, separately from retention and from query
  • Querying logs is charged in addition to ingest, either pay per query or as bundled queries
  • Log analytics requires the same annual platform commitment as the rest of the Dynatrace platform

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

Dynatrace Logs

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log analysis
    • AI-powered insights
    • Metrics integration

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 Dynatrace Logs if

  • You need log analysis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want ai-powered insights.
Dynatrace Logs review

Questions people ask

Is Datadog or Dynatrace Logs better?
Neither clearly leads. Datadog starts at $15/month and Dynatrace Logs at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Datadog or Dynatrace Logs?
Dynatrace Logs has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for Datadog and Free for Dynatrace Logs.
Does Datadog or Dynatrace Logs run on more platforms?
Datadog runs on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS. Dynatrace Logs runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Dynatrace Logs for free?
Yes. Dynatrace Logs has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Datadog starts at $15/month.
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 Dynatrace Logs is typically brought in for.
What can Datadog do that Dynatrace Logs cannot?
Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Application performance monitoring, Log management, Real user monitoring. Dynatrace Logs covers Log analysis, AI-powered insights, Metrics integration, Automated root cause.

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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