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Software · head to head

Datadog vs Mailgun

Datadog logo

Datadog

Software

Modern monitoring & security

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mailgun logo

Mailgun

Software

Email delivery built for developers

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; Mailgun free plan caps at 100 emails per day

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Datadog and Mailgun actually diverge.

Attributes where Datadog and Mailgun differ
AttributeDatadogMailgun
Starting price$15/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Windows, macOSWeb
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Mailgun

Nothing recorded that Datadog does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Datadog

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

Mailgun

No use cases recorded yet. See the Mailgun review.

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

Mailgun

  • Free plan caps at 100 emails per day
  • Basic plan starts at $15/mo for 10,000 emails then overages from $1.80 per 1,000; Foundation and Scale plans discount overage rates but still meter every email beyond the included volume
  • Foundation ($35/mo) and Scale ($90/mo) plans are free for the first month only, then bill at full price

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

Mailgun

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Mailgun 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 Mailgun if

Nothing in the data separates Mailgun from Datadog on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Mailgun review

Questions people ask

Is Datadog or Mailgun better?
Neither clearly leads. Datadog starts at $15/month and Mailgun at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Datadog or Mailgun?
Datadog starts at $15/month and Mailgun at On request.
Does Datadog or Mailgun run on more platforms?
Datadog runs on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS. Mailgun runs on Web.
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 Mailgun is typically brought in for.
What can Datadog do that Mailgun cannot?
Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Application performance monitoring, Log management, Real user monitoring.

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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