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Logging · head to head

Rootly vs Datadog Logs

Rootly logo

Rootly

Logging

AI-native incident management with automation, on-call, and root cause analysis

From
$20/user-month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Datadog Logs logo

Datadog Logs

Logging

Log Management and Analytics

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

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Rootly pricing higher than some competitors for basic features; Datadog Logs complex, multi-tiered pricing model based on ingestion, indexing, and storage; can become expensive at scale
  • They diverge on capability: Rootly covers AI SRE automation, Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Rootly and Datadog Logs differ
AttributeRootlyDatadog Logs
Starting price$20/user-month$0.1/per GB ingested per month
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, Slack, Microsoft TeamsCloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud)
Founded20202010

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Rootly

  • AI SRE automation
  • Alert routing
  • On-call management
  • Incident response
  • Call routing
  • AI meeting bot
  • Status pages

Only in Datadog Logs

  • Log ingestion
  • Full-text search
  • Custom dashboards
  • Log-based metrics
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Rootly

  • Automate on-call and incident response workflowsnot Datadog Logs
  • Run root cause analysis with AI assistancenot Datadog Logs
  • Track and improve Mean Time to Mitigation (MTTR)not Datadog Logs
  • Coordinate response across distributed teamsnot Datadog Logs
  • Learn from post-incident retrospectivesnot Datadog Logs

Datadog Logs

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

Where each one falls short

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

Rootly

  • Pricing higher than some competitors for basic features
  • AI SRE features require separate contact-sales engagement
  • Learning curve for advanced automation features
  • Per-user pricing increases costs as team grows

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

Rootly

$20/user-month
  • Incident Response Essentials$20/user-month
    • Response with Slack integration
    • @Rootly AI Chat
    • AI Similar Incidents detection
  • Incident Response Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • All Essentials features
    • Custom forms and incident types
    • Private incidents
  • On-Call Essentials$20/user-month
    • Alert grouping and routing
    • Live call routing (1 phone number)
    • Schedules and escalation policies
  • On-Call Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • All Essentials features
    • 5 phone numbers for call routing
    • Unlimited schedules

Datadog Logs

$0.1/per GB ingested per month

No published plan breakdown. See the Datadog Logs review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Rootly if

  • You need ai sre automation.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Slack, Microsoft Teams.
  • You also want alert routing.
Rootly 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 Rootly or Datadog Logs better?
Neither clearly leads. Rootly starts at $20/user-month 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, Rootly or Datadog Logs?
Rootly starts at $20/user-month and Datadog Logs at $0.1/per GB ingested per month.
Does Rootly or Datadog Logs run on more platforms?
Rootly runs on Web, Mobile, Slack, Microsoft Teams. Datadog Logs runs on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud).
What is Rootly best used for?
Rootly is most often used for automate on-call and incident response workflows, run root cause analysis with ai assistance, track and improve mean time to mitigation (mttr), coordinate response across distributed teams. Of those, automate on-call and incident response workflows and run root cause analysis with ai assistance are not what Datadog Logs is typically brought in for.
What can Rootly do that Datadog Logs cannot?
Rootly covers AI SRE automation, Alert routing, On-call management, Incident response. Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion, Full-text search, Custom dashboards, Log-based metrics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Rootly: How much does Rootly cost?

Rootly charges $20/user/month for both Incident Response and On-Call Essentials plans. Enterprise plans require contacting sales. Startups under 100 employees with less than $50M raised get up to 50% discount.

Source
Datadog Logs: What pricing options does Datadog offer for log ingestion and processing?

Log ingestion starts at $0.10/GB (annual billing; $0.10 on-demand). Standard indexing costs $1.70 per million events per month (annual; $2.55 on-demand). Flex Storage costs $0.05/million events stored per month (annual; $0.075 on-demand). Flex Logs Starter costs $0.60/million events stored per month (annual; $0.90 on-demand).

Source
Rootly: What is Rootly AI SRE?

AI SRE is an advanced feature that provides automated root cause analysis, alert correlation with system changes, impact analysis, and remediation suggestions. Pricing requires contact with sales.

Source
Datadog Logs: What retention options are available and how does it affect pricing?

Standard indexing offers 15-day retention with options for 3 to 30+ days. Flex Storage supports flexible retention up to 15 months. Flex Logs Starter includes bundled compute for retention of 3-15 months.

Source
Rootly: Does Rootly integrate with Slack?

Yes, Rootly natively integrates with Slack for incident response workflows, allowing teams to manage incidents directly in Slack.

Source
Datadog Logs: Is there a cost to forward logs to external systems?

Yes, log forwarding costs $0.25/GB outbound per destination for routing logs to external systems.

Source
Rootly: Are there discounts for small companies?

Yes, startups under 100 employees or less than 25 employees can get special pricing up to 50% discount. Contact Rootly sales for details.

Source
Datadog Logs: What discounts are available for high-volume customers?

Multi-year and volume discounts are available for customers processing 3B+ events per month.

Source
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