Softwr

Technology · head to head

Postman vs Datadog

Postman logo

Postman

Technology

The API platform for building and using APIs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Datadog logo

Datadog

Technology

Modern monitoring & security

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Postman has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Postman free plan limited to single user as of March 1, 2026, making it unsuitable for teams without paid plans; Datadog consumption-based pricing model makes costs hard to predict and can scale quickly
  • They diverge on capability: Postman covers API client, Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Postman and Datadog actually diverge.

Attributes where Postman and Datadog differ
AttributePostmanDatadog
Starting priceFree$15/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, LinuxWeb, Linux, Windows, macOS
Founded20142010

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology).

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 Postman

  • API client
  • Automated testing
  • Mock servers
  • Documentation
  • Monitors
  • Workspaces
  • Version control
  • API design

Only in Datadog

  • Infrastructure monitoring
  • Application performance monitoring
  • Log management
  • Real user monitoring
  • Synthetic monitoring
  • Security monitoring
  • Network monitoring
  • Serverless monitoring

Both cover

  • Jenkins
  • Slack
  • PagerDuty

What people use each for

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

Postman

  • API testingnot Datadog
  • API documentationnot Datadog
  • API monitoringnot Datadog
  • Team collaborationnot Datadog
  • API developmentnot Datadog

Datadog

  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Postman
  • Application performancenot Postman
  • Security monitoringnot Postman
  • Log analysisnot Postman
  • Cloud monitoringnot Postman

Where each one falls short

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

Postman

  • Free plan limited to single user as of March 1, 2026, making it unsuitable for teams without paid plans
  • Only 25 collection runs per month and 1,000 API calls/month on free tier
  • Removed local-only Scratch Pad mode in 2023, forcing cloud account creation and sync
  • Requires Postman account and internet connection for most features
  • Cloud-first architecture with mandatory syncing to Postman's cloud servers
  • No CI/CD integration or advanced security features on free plan

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Postman

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 user
    • 25 collection runs/month
    • 1,000 API calls/month
  • Team$14/month
    • Team collaboration
    • Shared workspaces
    • API mocking
  • Professional$29/month
    • Team features
    • Advanced security
    • SSO
  • Enterprise$49/month
    • Professional features
    • Custom integrations
    • Priority support

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Postman if

  • You need api client.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want automated testing.
Postman review

Choose Datadog if

  • You need infrastructure monitoring.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want application performance monitoring.
Datadog review

Questions people ask

Is Postman or Datadog better?
Neither clearly leads. Postman starts at Free and Datadog at $15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Postman or Datadog?
Postman has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Postman and $15/month for Datadog.
Does Postman or Datadog run on more platforms?
Postman runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux. Datadog runs on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Postman for free?
Yes. Postman has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Datadog starts at $15/month.
What is Postman best used for?
Postman is most often used for api testing, api documentation, api monitoring, team collaboration. Of those, api testing and api documentation are not what Datadog is typically brought in for.
What can Postman do that Datadog cannot?
Postman covers API client, Automated testing, Mock servers, Documentation. Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Application performance monitoring, Log management, Real user monitoring. Both handle Jenkins, Slack, PagerDuty.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Postman: What is the cost of Postman?

Postman has a free plan limited to 1 user, 25 collection runs/month, 1,000 API calls/month. Team plans start at $14/user/month for Basic. Professional at $29/user/month, and Enterprise at $49/user/month.

Source
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
Postman: Can I use Postman offline?

Postman requires an internet connection to sync collections to the cloud. Since 2023, the Scratch Pad local-only mode was removed. Users must sign in with a Postman account, and collections sync to cloud by default. Offline work is possible but limited without cloud sync features.

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
Postman: Does Postman have team collaboration?

Team collaboration is not available on the free plan (limited to 1 user). Team plans start at $14/user/month and include shared workspaces, real-time collaboration, and team management features.

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
Postman: What are the free plan limits?

Free plan allows: 1 user only, 25 collection runs per month, 1,000 API calls/month, and 1,000 mock server calls/month. No CI/CD integration or advanced security features.

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
Postman: Does Postman work with other development tools?

Postman integrates with Git repositories, offers a Node.js runner (Newman) for automation, and connects with popular CI/CD platforms. Teams using git-native workflows may prefer alternatives like Bruno.

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

Related pages

More on Postman

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