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Logging · head to head

Azure Monitor vs Dynatrace

Azure Monitor logo

Azure Monitor

Logging

Azure's Monitoring and Diagnostics Service

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Dynatrace logo

Dynatrace

Logging

Application Performance Management and Observability

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Azure Monitor billed per GB ingested across three separate log plans, Auxiliary, Basic and Analytics, so the plan chosen changes the rate as much as the volume does; Dynatrace pricing is commitment based: rates require an annual platform level commitment rather than month to month purchase
  • They diverge on capability: Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Dynatrace covers AI-powered analytics.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Azure Monitor and Dynatrace actually diverge.

Attributes where Azure Monitor and Dynatrace differ
AttributeAzure MonitorDynatrace
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Founded20102005

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Logging).

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 Azure Monitor

  • Log collection
  • Metrics collection
  • Alerts and notifications
  • Custom dashboards

Only in Dynatrace

  • AI-powered analytics
  • APM
  • Infrastructure monitoring
  • Log analysis

Both cover

  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support
  • Api support

What people use each for

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

Azure Monitor

  • Collecting logs and metrics from Azure resourcesnot Dynatrace
  • Alerting on metric thresholds and log queriesnot Dynatrace
  • Application performance monitoring through Application Insightsnot Dynatrace
  • Long-term log retention for compliancenot Dynatrace
  • Querying operational data with KQLnot Dynatrace

Dynatrace

  • Full stack application performance monitoring with automatic dependency discoverynot Azure Monitor
  • Kubernetes and container platform observability priced per podnot Azure Monitor
  • Log ingest, processing and query analyticsnot Azure Monitor
  • Real user monitoring and session replay for web applicationsnot Azure Monitor

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Azure Monitor

  • Billed per GB ingested across three separate log plans, Auxiliary, Basic and Analytics, so the plan chosen changes the rate as much as the volume does
  • Only the first 5 GB a month of Analytics logs is free per billing account
  • Retention beyond the base period is charged per GB per month, up to 2 years interactive and 12 years long term
  • Log queries and search jobs are billed per GB scanned, so investigating an incident costs money
  • Alert rules are billed per time series for metrics and by execution frequency for logs
  • The pricing page shows placeholders rather than rates until a region and currency are chosen

Dynatrace

  • Pricing is commitment based: rates require an annual platform level commitment rather than month to month purchase
  • Full-Stack Monitoring is priced at $58 per month per 8 GiB of host memory, so a 64 GiB host counts as eight units
  • Infrastructure Monitoring at $29 per host per month excludes code level tracing, which requires Full-Stack
  • Session Replay doubles Real User Monitoring cost from $2.25 to $4.50 per 1,000 sessions
  • Runtime Vulnerability Analytics and Runtime Application Protection are each charged separately at $13 per month per 8 GiB host on top of monitoring

Pricing, plan by plan

Azure Monitor

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log collection
    • Metrics collection
    • Alerts and notifications

Dynatrace

Free
  • FreeFree
    • AI-powered analytics
    • APM
    • Infrastructure monitoring

Which should you pick?

Choose Azure Monitor if

  • You need log collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want metrics collection.
Azure Monitor review

Choose Dynatrace if

  • You need ai-powered analytics.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want apm.
Dynatrace review

Questions people ask

Is Azure Monitor or Dynatrace better?
Neither clearly leads. Azure Monitor starts at Free and Dynatrace at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Azure Monitor or Dynatrace?
Azure Monitor starts at Free and Dynatrace at Free.
Does Azure Monitor or Dynatrace run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Azure Monitor for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Azure Monitor best used for?
Azure Monitor is most often used for collecting logs and metrics from azure resources, alerting on metric thresholds and log queries, application performance monitoring through application insights, long-term log retention for compliance. Of those, collecting logs and metrics from azure resources and alerting on metric thresholds and log queries are not what Dynatrace is typically brought in for.
What can Azure Monitor do that Dynatrace cannot?
Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Metrics collection, Alerts and notifications, Custom dashboards. Dynatrace covers AI-powered analytics, APM, Infrastructure monitoring, Log analysis. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Azure Monitor: How does Azure Monitor billing work?

Billing is based on data volume ingested into Azure Monitor. Additional charges apply separately for alerts, notifications, web tests, and data export. Activity log and platform metrics are automatically collected with an Azure subscription.

Source
Dynatrace: What is the pricing model for Dynatrace monitoring?

Dynatrace uses commitment-based platform subscription pricing with a minimum annual commitment at the platform level. You pay no per-capability or per-user fees. All capabilities are included day one and draw from your commitment at published rates.

Source
Azure Monitor: What savings are available with Azure Monitor?

Capacity reservations offer up to 36% savings compared to standard pay-as-you-go pricing when you commit to reserved capacity upfront.

Source
Dynatrace: Is there an overage charge if I exceed my commitment?

No, there are no overage penalties. Excess usage continues at the same per-unit rates published on the rate card. The more you commit upfront, the deeper your discount.

Source
Azure Monitor: Is there a free tier for Azure Monitor?

No dedicated free tier exists. Activity log and platform metrics are automatically collected with an Azure subscription, but detailed monitoring requires additional configuration and associated costs.

Source
Dynatrace: What is the cost for monitoring application infrastructure?

Application monitoring costs $7/month per host ($0.01/hour) for Foundation & Discovery, $29/month per host for Infrastructure Monitoring, or $58/month per 8 GiB of host memory for Full-Stack Monitoring.

Source
Dynatrace: How much does log ingestion and querying cost?

Log Analytics pricing is $0.20/GiB for ingestion, then either $0.0007/GiB-day for retention with bundled queries (10-35 days retention included), or pay-per-query at $0.0007/GiB-day retention plus $0.0035 per GiB scanned.

Source
Dynatrace: Is there a free trial available?

Yes, Dynatrace offers a 15-day free trial plus a sandbox environment for hands-on exploration at no cost.

Source
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