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Technology · head to head

Datadog vs Looker

Datadog logo

Datadog

Technology

Modern monitoring & security

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Looker logo

Looker

Spreadsheet & Data

Modern business intelligence platform by Google

From
On request
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; Looker requires annual commitment with no month-to-month billing option
  • They diverge on capability: Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Looker covers LookML Data Modeling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Datadog and Looker actually diverge.

Attributes where Datadog and Looker differ
AttributeDatadogLooker
Starting price$15/monthOn request
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Windows, macOSWeb, Cloud (Google Cloud Platform)
CategoryTechnologySpreadsheet & Data
Founded20102008

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), 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 Datadog

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

Only in Looker

  • LookML Data Modeling
  • Embedded Analytics
  • API Access
  • Version Control
  • Data Actions
  • BigQuery
  • Snowflake
  • Redshift

What people use each for

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

Datadog

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

Looker

  • Business intelligence and interactive dashboards for data-driven decision makingnot Datadog
  • Embedded analytics for integrating BI capabilities into third-party applicationsnot 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

Looker

  • Requires annual commitment with no month-to-month billing option
  • Conversational analytics will incur token overage charges ($3.00 per 1M input tokens, $20.00 per 1M output tokens) after October 1, 2026

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

Looker

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Looker 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 Looker if

  • You need lookml data modeling.
  • You work on Web, Cloud (Google Cloud Platform).
  • You also want embedded analytics.
Looker review

Questions people ask

Is Datadog or Looker better?
Neither clearly leads. Datadog starts at $15/month and Looker at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Datadog or Looker?
Datadog starts at $15/month and Looker at On request.
Does Datadog or Looker run on more platforms?
Datadog runs on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS. Looker runs on Web, Cloud (Google Cloud Platform).
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 Looker is typically brought in for.
What can Datadog do that Looker cannot?
Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Application performance monitoring, Log management, Real user monitoring. Looker covers LookML Data Modeling, Embedded Analytics, API Access, Version Control.

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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