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Elastic Stack vs Datadog Logs

Elastic Stack logo

Elastic Stack

Software

Search, Observability, and Security Solutions

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Datadog Logs logo

Datadog Logs

Software

Log Management and Analytics

From
$0.1/per GB ingested per month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Elastic Stack self-managed deployment requires licensing based on node count and RAM usage; Datadog Logs complex, multi-tiered pricing model based on ingestion, indexing, and storage; can become expensive at scale
  • They diverge on capability: Elastic Stack covers Log analytics, Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Elastic Stack and Datadog Logs actually diverge.

Attributes where Elastic Stack and Datadog Logs differ
AttributeElastic StackDatadog Logs
Starting priceOn request$0.1/per GB ingested per month
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
PlatformsCloud-hosted, Self-managed, Docker, Kubernetes (ECK)Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud)
Founded20112010

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 Elastic Stack

  • Log analytics
  • Security monitoring
  • Alerting

Only in Datadog Logs

  • Log ingestion
  • Custom dashboards
  • Log-based metrics

Both cover

  • Full-text search
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support
  • Api support

What people use each for

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

Elastic Stack

  • Distributed search and analytics engine for production-scale workloadsnot Datadog Logs
  • Full-text search and vector search with approximate nearest neighbour supportnot Datadog Logs
  • Security event tracking with field-level and document-level access controlnot Datadog Logs
  • Machine learning capabilities including anomaly detection and forecastingnot Datadog Logs

Datadog Logs

  • Centralised log aggregation and analysisnot Elastic Stack
  • Multi-source log correlation with metrics and tracesnot Elastic Stack
  • Root cause analysis and troubleshootingnot Elastic Stack
  • Security monitoring and threat detectionnot Elastic Stack

Where each one falls short

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

Elastic Stack

  • Self-managed deployment requires licensing based on node count and RAM usage
  • Serverless option has pending features including traffic filtering and bring-your-own-key encryption
  • Hosted deployment requires custom resource configuration for cluster management
  • Pricing models differ significantly across Hosted, Serverless, and Self-managed options

Datadog Logs

  • Complex, multi-tiered pricing model based on ingestion, indexing, and storage; can become expensive at scale
  • Ingestion pricing of $0.10/GB can accumulate rapidly for high-volume logging environments

Pricing, plan by plan

Elastic Stack

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Elastic Stack review.

Datadog Logs

$0.1/per GB ingested per month

No published plan breakdown. See the Datadog Logs review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Elastic Stack if

  • You need log analytics.
  • You work on Cloud-hosted, Self-managed, Docker, Kubernetes (ECK).
  • You also want security monitoring.
Elastic Stack review

Choose Datadog Logs if

  • You need log ingestion.
  • You work on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud).
  • You also want custom dashboards.
Datadog Logs review

Questions people ask

Is Elastic Stack or Datadog Logs better?
Neither clearly leads. Elastic Stack starts at On request and Datadog Logs at $0.1/per GB ingested per month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elastic Stack or Datadog Logs?
Elastic Stack starts at On request and Datadog Logs at $0.1/per GB ingested per month.
Does Elastic Stack or Datadog Logs run on more platforms?
Elastic Stack runs on Cloud-hosted, Self-managed, Docker, Kubernetes (ECK). Datadog Logs runs on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud).
What is Elastic Stack best used for?
Elastic Stack is most often used for distributed search and analytics engine for production-scale workloads, full-text search and vector search with approximate nearest neighbour support, security event tracking with field-level and document-level access control, machine learning capabilities including anomaly detection and forecasting. Of those, distributed search and analytics engine for production-scale workloads and full-text search and vector search with approximate nearest neighbour support are not what Datadog Logs is typically brought in for.
What can Elastic Stack do that Datadog Logs cannot?
Elastic Stack covers Log analytics, Security monitoring, Alerting. Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion, Custom dashboards, Log-based metrics. Both handle Full-text search, API, Webhooks, REST.
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