Software · head to head
Splunk Cloud vs Dynatrace
Dynatrace
Software
Application Performance Management and Observability
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Dynatrace has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Splunk Cloud significantly higher pricing than competitors like Datadog and Elastic; Dynatrace pricing is commitment based: rates require an annual platform level commitment rather than month to month purchase
- They diverge on capability: Splunk Cloud covers Log aggregation, Dynatrace covers AI-powered analytics.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Splunk Cloud and Dynatrace actually diverge.
| Attribute | Splunk Cloud | Dynatrace |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $675/year | Free |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Api |
| Founded | 2003 | 2005 |
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 Splunk Cloud
- Log aggregation
- Real-time analytics
- Machine learning
- Advanced dashboards
- Compliance tools
- Cloud scalability
Only in Dynatrace
- AI-powered analytics
- APM
- Infrastructure monitoring
- Log analysis
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.
Splunk Cloud
- Log monitoringnot Dynatrace
- Application performancenot Dynatrace
- Security analyticsnot Dynatrace
- Troubleshootingnot Dynatrace
Dynatrace
- Full stack application performance monitoring with automatic dependency discoverynot Splunk Cloud
- Kubernetes and container platform observability priced per podnot Splunk Cloud
- Log ingest, processing and query analyticsnot Splunk Cloud
- Real user monitoring and session replay for web applicationsnot Splunk Cloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Splunk Cloud
- Significantly higher pricing than competitors like Datadog and Elastic
- Per-GB ingest costs of $150+/day make budget forecasting difficult
- Extended retention adds substantial additional costs
- Enterprise Security add-on costs $25-45/GB/day on top of base pricing
Dynatrace
- Pricing is commitment based: rates require an annual platform level commitment rather than month to month purchase
- Full-Stack Monitoring is priced at $58 per month per 8 GiB of host memory, so a 64 GiB host counts as eight units
- Infrastructure Monitoring at $29 per host per month excludes code level tracing, which requires Full-Stack
- Session Replay doubles Real User Monitoring cost from $2.25 to $4.50 per 1,000 sessions
- Runtime Vulnerability Analytics and Runtime Application Protection are each charged separately at $13 per month per 8 GiB host on top of monitoring
Pricing, plan by plan
Splunk Cloud
$675/yearNo published plan breakdown. See the Splunk Cloud review.
Dynatrace
Free- FreeFree
- AI-powered analytics
- APM
- Infrastructure monitoring
Which should you pick?
Choose Splunk Cloud if
- You need log aggregation.
- You also want real-time analytics.
Choose Dynatrace if
- You need ai-powered analytics.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want apm.
Questions people ask
- Is Splunk Cloud or Dynatrace better?
- Neither clearly leads. Splunk Cloud starts at $675/year and Dynatrace at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Splunk Cloud or Dynatrace?
- Dynatrace has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $675/year for Splunk Cloud and Free for Dynatrace.
- Does Splunk Cloud or Dynatrace run on more platforms?
- Splunk Cloud runs on Web. Dynatrace runs on Web, Api.
- Can I use Dynatrace for free?
- Yes. Dynatrace has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Splunk Cloud starts at $675/year.
- What is Splunk Cloud best used for?
- Splunk Cloud is most often used for log monitoring, application performance, security analytics, troubleshooting. Of those, log monitoring and application performance are not what Dynatrace is typically brought in for.
- What can Splunk Cloud do that Dynatrace cannot?
- Splunk Cloud covers Log aggregation, Real-time analytics, Machine learning, Advanced dashboards. Dynatrace covers AI-powered analytics, APM, Infrastructure monitoring, Log analysis. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Splunk Cloud: How is Splunk Cloud priced?
Splunk Cloud uses two pricing models: legacy per-GB ingest at $150+/GB/day or newer workload pricing ranging from $3,000 to $400,000/month depending on pack size. Simpler deployments offer ingest pricing with 5GB/day at $675/year.
SourceSplunk Cloud: What is included with Splunk Cloud storage?
Storage is included for a default retention period, typically 90 days for hot/warm data, with extended retention costing extra.
SourceSplunk Cloud: Is Splunk Cloud managed or do I need to manage infrastructure?
Splunk Cloud is a fully managed SaaS offering where Cisco (current owner) handles infrastructure, upgrades, and scaling.
SourceSplunk Cloud: What makes Splunk Cloud expensive compared to alternatives?
Splunk remains the highest-priced major log platform, but offers the most powerful query language (SPL) and the deepest enterprise security ecosystem.
Source