Software · head to head
Sentry vs Datadog
Sentry
Software
Application monitoring platform built by developers for developers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Sentry has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Sentry spending caps stop event ingestion when reached, eliminating visibility during critical moments; Datadog consumption-based pricing model makes costs hard to predict and can scale quickly
- They diverge on capability: Sentry covers Error tracking, Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Sentry and Datadog actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), 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 Sentry
- Error tracking
- Performance monitoring
- Release tracking
- Alerting
- Issue assignment
- Breadcrumbs
- Source maps
- GitHub
Only in Datadog
- Infrastructure monitoring
- Application performance monitoring
- Log management
- Synthetic monitoring
- Security monitoring
- Network monitoring
- Serverless monitoring
- AWS
Both cover
- Real user monitoring
- Slack
- PagerDuty
- SOC2
- HIPAA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Sentry
- Error monitoringnot Datadog
- Performance trackingnot Datadog
- Debug production issuesnot Datadog
- Release managementnot Datadog
- User monitoringnot Datadog
Datadog
- Infrastructure monitoringnot Sentry
- Application performancenot Sentry
- Security monitoringnot Sentry
- Log analysisnot Sentry
- Cloud monitoringnot Sentry
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Sentry
- Spending caps stop event ingestion when reached, eliminating visibility during critical moments
- Complex configuration required for filters, sampling rules, issue grouping, and alert policies
- Difficult to configure custom alerts and alert content without creating email inbox bloat
- Error grouping is imperfect with noise and filtering issues causing incorrect error prioritization
- Weak for distributed tracing across microservices compared to dedicated APM tools
- UI dashboard is less customizable than alternatives like Datadog APM for complex monitoring needs
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
Sentry
Free- Developer (Free)Free
- 5K errors per month
- 1 user seat
- 30-day data retention
- Team$26/month
- 50K errors per month
- 5M transaction spans
- 90-day data retention
- Business$80/month
- Higher quotas
- Extended retention
- Advanced filtering
- Organization$199/month
- SSO integration
- Audit logs
- Advanced security
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 Sentry if
- You need error tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages.
- You also want performance monitoring.
Choose Datadog if
- You need infrastructure monitoring.
- You work on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS.
- You also want application performance monitoring.
Questions people ask
- Is Sentry or Datadog better?
- Neither clearly leads. Sentry 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, Sentry or Datadog?
- Sentry has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Sentry and $15/month for Datadog.
- Does Sentry or Datadog run on more platforms?
- Sentry runs on Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages. Datadog runs on Web, Linux, Windows, macOS.
- Can I use Sentry for free?
- Yes. Sentry has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Datadog starts at $15/month.
- What is Sentry best used for?
- Sentry is most often used for error monitoring, performance tracking, debug production issues, release management. Of those, error monitoring and performance tracking are not what Datadog is typically brought in for.
- What can Sentry do that Datadog cannot?
- Sentry covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Release tracking, Alerting. Datadog covers Infrastructure monitoring, Application performance monitoring, Log management, Synthetic monitoring. Both handle Real user monitoring, Slack, PagerDuty, SOC2.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Sentry: Does Sentry have a free tier?
Yes. The free Developer tier includes 5,000 errors per month, one user seat, 30-day retention, and 50 session replays per month.
SourceDatadog: 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.
SourceSentry: How much do Sentry's paid plans cost?
Team plan starts at $26/month (annual) or $29/month (monthly) with 50K errors and 5M spans included. Business plan is $80-89/month. Organization plans start at $199/month with SSO and advanced compliance features.
SourceDatadog: 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.
SourceSentry: What programming languages does Sentry support?
Sentry supports over 30 languages and frameworks including JavaScript, Python, Go, Ruby, Java, .NET, PHP, Node.js, and mobile platforms including iOS, Android, and React Native.
SourceDatadog: What integrations does Datadog support?
Datadog offers 1000+ built-in integrations including AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, Azure, GCP, and most major cloud platforms and services.
SourceSentry: Does Sentry support self-hosting?
Yes. Sentry can be self-hosted, and the open-source version is available for deployment in on-premises environments.
SourceDatadog: 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.
SourceSentry: How does Sentry billing work if I exceed my quota?
Sentry offers spending caps that stop ingestion when reached, meaning you lose visibility exactly when you need it most. You can pre-purchase reserved capacity at 20% discount or pay per event on-demand when exceeding included allotment.
SourceDatadog: 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.
SourceSentry: What integrations does Sentry support?
Sentry integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Slack, PagerDuty, most CI/CD pipelines, and many other developer tools.
Source