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Datadog vs Harvest

Datadog logo

Datadog

Software

Modern monitoring & security

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Harvest logo

Harvest

Software

Time tracking software for teams that care about where their time goes

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Harvest 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; Harvest the free plan is one seat and two projects, so it suits a solo freelancer and nothing larger
  • They diverge on capability: Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Harvest covers Time tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Datadog and Harvest actually diverge.

Attributes where Datadog and Harvest differ
AttributeDatadogHarvest
Starting price$15/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Windows, macOSWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Founded20102006

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), 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 Datadog

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

Only in Harvest

  • Time tracking
  • Expense tracking
  • Invoicing
  • Project budgets
  • Team capacity
  • Detailed reports
  • Mobile apps
  • Browser extension

Both cover

  • Slack

What people use each for

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

Datadog

  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Harvest
  • Application performancenot Harvest
  • Security monitoringnot Harvest
  • Log analysisnot Harvest
  • Cloud monitoringnot Harvest

Harvest

  • Time tracking against projects and clientsnot Datadog
  • Turning tracked time into invoicesnot Datadog
  • Expense capture alongside billable hoursnot Datadog
  • Team capacity and utilisation reporting on the paid plansnot Datadog
  • Feeding billed time into QuickBooks or Xeronot 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

Harvest

  • The free plan is one seat and two projects, so it suits a solo freelancer and nothing larger
  • Team reporting and unlimited projects require the Teams plan at $9 per seat per month
  • Profitability reporting, timesheet approvals and custom reports need Enterprise at $14 per seat per month
  • SAML single sign-on is Enterprise only
  • QuickBooks, Xero and Stripe integrations are withheld from the free plan

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

Harvest

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Harvest 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 Harvest if

  • You need time tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want expense tracking.
Harvest review

Questions people ask

Is Datadog or Harvest better?
Neither clearly leads. Datadog starts at $15/month and Harvest at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Datadog or Harvest?
Harvest has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for Datadog and Free for Harvest.
Does Datadog or Harvest run on more platforms?
Datadog runs on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS. Harvest runs on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
Can I use Harvest for free?
Yes. Harvest 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 Harvest is typically brought in for.
What can Datadog do that Harvest cannot?
Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Application performance monitoring, Log management, Real user monitoring. Harvest covers Time tracking, Expense tracking, Invoicing, Project budgets. Both handle Slack.

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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