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Logging · head to head

Datadog Logs vs Stackdriver

Datadog Logs logo

Datadog Logs

Logging

Log Management and Analytics

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

Stackdriver

Logging

Google Cloud Operations - Monitoring and Logging

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Stackdriver has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Datadog Logs complex, multi-tiered pricing model based on ingestion, indexing, and storage; can become expensive at scale; Stackdriver stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page
  • They diverge on capability: Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion, Stackdriver covers Log management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Datadog Logs and Stackdriver differ
AttributeDatadog LogsStackdriver
Starting price$0.1/per GB ingested per monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud)Web, Api
Founded20102006

Identical on both: pricing model (usage-based), 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 Datadog Logs

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

Only in Stackdriver

  • Log management
  • Metrics collection
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Error reporting

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.

Datadog Logs

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

Stackdriver

  • Application performance monitoringnot Datadog Logs
  • Log aggregation and analysisnot Datadog Logs
  • Cloud infrastructure observabilitynot Datadog Logs
  • Distributed trace analysisnot Datadog Logs

Where each one falls short

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

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

Stackdriver

  • Stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page
  • Cloud Logging charges $0.50 per GiB ingested, with only the first 50 GiB per project per month free
  • Logs kept beyond 30 days cost an extra $0.01 per GiB per month on top of the ingestion charge
  • Monitoring metric ingestion starts at $0.2580 per MiB, with only the first 150 MiB per billing account free
  • Alerting policies are billed at $0.35 per month for each metric reference in the policy
  • Uptime checks cost $0.30 per 1,000 executions and synthetic monitors $1.20 per 1,000 executions, with only 100 synthetic executions per billing account free
  • Monitoring read API calls cost $0.50 per million time series returned beyond the first million per billing account
  • Log volume is measured before indexing on the actual size of log entries, so verbose logging directly drives cost

Pricing, plan by plan

Datadog Logs

$0.1/per GB ingested per month

No published plan breakdown. See the Datadog Logs review.

Stackdriver

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log management
    • Metrics collection
    • Real-time monitoring

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Stackdriver if

  • You need log management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want metrics collection.
Stackdriver review

Questions people ask

Is Datadog Logs or Stackdriver better?
Neither clearly leads. Datadog Logs starts at $0.1/per GB ingested per month and Stackdriver at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Datadog Logs or Stackdriver?
Stackdriver has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.1/per GB ingested per month for Datadog Logs and Free for Stackdriver.
Does Datadog Logs or Stackdriver run on more platforms?
Datadog Logs runs on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud). Stackdriver runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Stackdriver for free?
Yes. Stackdriver has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Datadog Logs starts at $0.1/per GB ingested per month.
What is Datadog Logs best used for?
Datadog Logs is most often used for centralised log aggregation and analysis, multi-source log correlation with metrics and traces, root cause analysis and troubleshooting, security monitoring and threat detection. Of those, centralised log aggregation and analysis and multi-source log correlation with metrics and traces are not what Stackdriver is typically brought in for.
What can Datadog Logs do that Stackdriver cannot?
Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion, Full-text search, Custom dashboards, Log-based metrics. Stackdriver covers Log management, Metrics collection, Real-time monitoring, Error reporting. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Stackdriver: How much does Google Cloud Observability (Stackdriver) cost?

Google Cloud Observability does not publish fixed subscription prices. The service uses a usage-based pricing model where you pay for actual consumption. Specific rates require visiting the individual pricing pages for Cloud Logging, Cloud Monitoring, Cloud Trace, and Cloud Profiler.

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
Stackdriver: What is the pricing model for Cloud Logging?

Cloud Logging uses usage-based pricing charged per GB of logs ingested and per GB stored, with monthly free tiers included. Storage charges vary by retention period and location.

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
Stackdriver: How is Cloud Monitoring billed?

Cloud Monitoring charges per custom metric time series per month, with a monthly free tier for metrics. Standard monitoring includes basic default metrics at no extra charge.

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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