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Traceloop vs Datadog Logs

Traceloop logo

Traceloop

Logging

LLM reliability platform with open-source observability and evaluation

From
Free
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

  • Only Traceloop has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Traceloop free tier limited to 50k spans per month and 24-hour retention, restricting production use; Datadog Logs complex, multi-tiered pricing model based on ingestion, indexing, and storage; can become expensive at scale
  • They diverge on capability: Traceloop covers Open-source SDK (OpenLLMetry), Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Traceloop and Datadog Logs differ
AttributeTraceloopDatadog Logs
Starting priceFree$0.1/per GB ingested per month
Pricing modelFreemium with pay-as-you-go enterprise optionusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsCloud, On-premises, Air-gapped, Python, TypeScript, Go, RubyCloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud)
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: 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 Traceloop

  • Open-source SDK (OpenLLMetry)
  • Multi-provider support
  • Observability platform integration
  • Framework support
  • Monitoring dashboard
  • Evaluation system
  • Deployment flexibility

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.

Traceloop

  • Monitoring LLM application performance in productionnot Datadog Logs
  • Instrumenting LLM apps with minimal code overheadnot Datadog Logs
  • Continuous evaluation and quality scoring of LLM outputsnot Datadog Logs
  • Debugging LLM application issues with full trace visibilitynot Datadog Logs
  • Integrating observability data into existing monitoring stacksnot Datadog Logs

Datadog Logs

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

Where each one falls short

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

Traceloop

  • Free tier limited to 50k spans per month and 24-hour retention, restricting production use
  • Company acquisition by ServiceNow creates uncertainty about future roadmap
  • Requires integration with separate observability platforms for visualization
  • Less feature-rich than dedicated LLM evaluation platforms

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

Traceloop

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 50,000 spans per month
    • Up to 5 seats
    • 24-hour data retention
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Unlimited spans per month
    • Unlimited seats
    • Custom data retention

Datadog Logs

$0.1/per GB ingested per month

No published plan breakdown. See the Datadog Logs review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Traceloop if

  • You need open-source sdk (openllmetry).
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, On-premises, Air-gapped, Python, TypeScript, Go, Ruby.
  • You also want multi-provider support.
Traceloop 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 Traceloop or Datadog Logs better?
Neither clearly leads. Traceloop starts at Free 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, Traceloop or Datadog Logs?
Traceloop has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Traceloop and $0.1/per GB ingested per month for Datadog Logs.
Does Traceloop or Datadog Logs run on more platforms?
Traceloop runs on Cloud, On-premises, Air-gapped, Python, TypeScript, Go, Ruby. Datadog Logs runs on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud).
Can I use Traceloop for free?
Yes. Traceloop has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Datadog Logs starts at $0.1/per GB ingested per month.
What is Traceloop best used for?
Traceloop is most often used for monitoring llm application performance in production, instrumenting llm apps with minimal code overhead, continuous evaluation and quality scoring of llm outputs, debugging llm application issues with full trace visibility. Of those, monitoring llm application performance in production and instrumenting llm apps with minimal code overhead are not what Datadog Logs is typically brought in for.
What can Traceloop do that Datadog Logs cannot?
Traceloop covers Open-source SDK (OpenLLMetry), Multi-provider support, Observability platform integration, Framework support. Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion, Full-text search, Custom dashboards, Log-based metrics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Traceloop: Is OpenLLMetry open-source?

Yes, OpenLLMetry is Traceloop's open-source SDK built on OpenTelemetry standards. It allows teams to instrument LLM applications with just 2 lines of code and send data to 25+ observability platforms.

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
Traceloop: What is the impact of ServiceNow acquisition?

Traceloop is joining ServiceNow, representing a strategic acquisition that will broaden enterprise adoption and integration capabilities. Current operations continue with free and enterprise options available.

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
Traceloop: How many LLM providers and frameworks does Traceloop support?

Traceloop supports 20+ LLM providers including OpenAI and Anthropic, and integrates with frameworks like LangChain and LlamaIndex. It can send data to 25+ observability platforms.

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
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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