Software · head to head
Datadog vs Thunder Client

Thunder Client
Software
Lightweight REST API client built as VSCode extension
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Thunder Client 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; Thunder Client paid plans are billed annually only: Starter is $3 per user per month and capped at a maximum of 10 seats, Business is $7 per user per month with 500 monthly collection runs per user, and Enterprise is $16 per user per month for unlimited runs
- They diverge on capability: Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Thunder Client covers REST Client.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Datadog and Thunder Client actually diverge.
| Attribute | Datadog | Thunder Client |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $15/month | Free |
| Pricing model | Unknown | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Linux, Windows, macOS | VSCode extension, Web |
| Founded | 2010 | 2021 |
Identical on both: 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 Thunder Client
- REST Client
- Environment variables
- Response testing
- VSCode
- GitHub
- Webhook support
- VSCode extension support
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Datadog
- Infrastructure monitoringnot Thunder Client
- Application performancenot Thunder Client
- Security monitoringnot Thunder Client
- Log analysisnot Thunder Client
- Cloud monitoringnot Thunder Client
Thunder Client
- API Developmentnot Datadog
- API Gatewaynot Datadog
- API Testingnot Datadog
- API Documentationnot Datadog
- Microservicesnot 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
Thunder Client
- Paid plans are billed annually only: Starter is $3 per user per month and capped at a maximum of 10 seats, Business is $7 per user per month with 500 monthly collection runs per user, and Enterprise is $16 per user per month for unlimited runs
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
Thunder Client
Free- FreeFree
- REST client
- Collection management
- Local testing
- Pro$8/monthly
- Cloud sync
- Team collaboration
- Advanced features
Which should you pick?
Choose Datadog if
- You need infrastructure monitoring.
- You work on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS.
- You also want application performance monitoring.
Choose Thunder Client if
- You need rest client.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on VSCode extension, Web.
- You also want environment variables.
Questions people ask
- Is Datadog or Thunder Client better?
- Neither clearly leads. Datadog starts at $15/month and Thunder Client at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Datadog or Thunder Client?
- Thunder Client has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for Datadog and Free for Thunder Client.
- Does Datadog or Thunder Client run on more platforms?
- Datadog runs on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS. Thunder Client runs on VSCode extension, Web.
- Can I use Thunder Client for free?
- Yes. Thunder Client 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 Thunder Client is typically brought in for.
- What can Datadog do that Thunder Client cannot?
- Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Application performance monitoring, Log management, Real user monitoring. Thunder Client covers REST Client, Environment variables, Response testing, VSCode.
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.
SourceDatadog: 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.
SourceDatadog: What integrations does Datadog support?
Datadog offers 1000+ built-in integrations including AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, Azure, GCP, and most major cloud platforms and services.
SourceDatadog: 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.
SourceDatadog: 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.
SourceRelated pages
More on Thunder Client
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- Thunder Client vs Hasura
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- Thunder Client vs Asyncapi
- Thunder Client vs AWS API Gateway
- Thunder Client vs Microsoft Azure API Management
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