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Datadog vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Datadog logo

Datadog

Software

Modern monitoring & security

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint logo

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Software

Enterprise endpoint security built into Microsoft 365

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; Microsoft Defender for Endpoint pricing not published on public websites; quote required from Microsoft sales
  • They diverge on capability: Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint covers Threat & vulnerability management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Datadog and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint actually diverge.

Attributes where Datadog and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint differ
AttributeDatadogMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint
Starting price$15/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Windows, macOSWindows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Founded20101975

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 Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

  • Threat & vulnerability management
  • Attack surface reduction
  • Next-gen protection
  • EDR
  • Auto investigation
  • Microsoft Threat Experts
  • Threat analytics
  • Secure score

Both cover

  • SOC2
  • HIPAA
  • FedRAMP

What people use each for

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

Datadog

  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
  • Application performancenot Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
  • Security monitoringnot Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
  • Log analysisnot Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
  • Cloud monitoringnot Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

  • Enterprise endpoint security across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS via Plans 1 or 2not Datadog
  • Small and medium-sized businesses using Microsoft Defender for Business as alternativenot Datadog
  • Organisations using Microsoft 365 E5 which includes Defender for Endpoint Plan 2not 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

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

  • Pricing not published on public websites; quote required from Microsoft sales
  • Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 and Plan 2 do not include server licenses; additional licensing required for server protection
  • Specific feature differences between Plan 1 and Plan 2 require consulting Microsoft documentation

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

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint 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 Microsoft Defender for Endpoint if

  • You need threat & vulnerability management.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
  • You also want attack surface reduction.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint review

Questions people ask

Is Datadog or Microsoft Defender for Endpoint better?
Neither clearly leads. Datadog starts at $15/month and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Datadog or Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?
Datadog starts at $15/month and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint at On request.
Does Datadog or Microsoft Defender for Endpoint run on more platforms?
Datadog runs on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
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 Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is typically brought in for.
What can Datadog do that Microsoft Defender for Endpoint cannot?
Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Application performance monitoring, Log management, Real user monitoring. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint covers Threat & vulnerability management, Attack surface reduction, Next-gen protection, EDR. Both handle SOC2, HIPAA, FedRAMP.

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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