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Papertrail vs Datadog Logs

Papertrail logo

Papertrail

Software

Cloud-Hosted Log Management

From
Free
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

  • Only Papertrail has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Papertrail log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month; Datadog Logs complex, multi-tiered pricing model based on ingestion, indexing, and storage; can become expensive at scale
  • They diverge on capability: Papertrail covers Log aggregation, Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Papertrail and Datadog Logs actually diverge.

Attributes where Papertrail and Datadog Logs differ
AttributePapertrailDatadog Logs
Starting priceFree$0.1/per GB ingested per month
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiCloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud)
Founded20112010

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 Papertrail

  • Log aggregation
  • Real-time tail
  • Saved searches
  • System alerts

Only in Datadog Logs

  • Log ingestion
  • Full-text search
  • Custom dashboards
  • Log-based metrics

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.

Papertrail

  • Aggregating syslog and application logs from many hosts into one searchable streamnot Datadog Logs
  • Tail-and-search style troubleshooting during incidentsnot Datadog Logs
  • Long-term log archiving to Amazon S3 for later analysisnot Datadog Logs

Datadog Logs

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

Where each one falls short

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

Papertrail

  • Log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month
  • Usage beyond the plan volume is billed at a 30% higher price per GB and is capped at 200% extra
  • Transferred volume is measured as message length plus 50 bytes of metadata per message, so metadata counts against the quota

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

Papertrail

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Real-time tail
    • Saved searches

Datadog Logs

$0.1/per GB ingested per month

No published plan breakdown. See the Datadog Logs review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Papertrail if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want real-time tail.
Papertrail review

Choose Datadog Logs if

  • You need log ingestion.
  • You work on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud).
  • You also want full-text search.
Datadog Logs review

Questions people ask

Is Papertrail or Datadog Logs better?
Neither clearly leads. Papertrail starts at Free 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, Papertrail or Datadog Logs?
Papertrail has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Papertrail and $0.1/per GB ingested per month for Datadog Logs.
Does Papertrail or Datadog Logs run on more platforms?
Papertrail runs on Web, Api. Datadog Logs runs on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud).
Can I use Papertrail for free?
Yes. Papertrail has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Datadog Logs starts at $0.1/per GB ingested per month.
What is Papertrail best used for?
Papertrail is most often used for aggregating syslog and application logs from many hosts into one searchable stream, tail-and-search style troubleshooting during incidents, long-term log archiving to amazon s3 for later analysis. Of those, aggregating syslog and application logs from many hosts into one searchable stream and tail-and-search style troubleshooting during incidents are not what Datadog Logs is typically brought in for.
What can Papertrail do that Datadog Logs cannot?
Papertrail covers Log aggregation, Real-time tail, Saved searches, System alerts. Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion, Full-text search, Custom dashboards, Log-based metrics. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
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