Unbiased Platform Comparison
Datadog vs. Grafana vs. New Relic vs. Elastic
We've implemented all of them. Here's our honest, bias-free comparison to help you decide which observability platform is right for your needs.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare the leading observability platforms across key criteria. All data based on our real-world implementation experience.
| Criteria | Datadog | Grafana | New Relic | Elastic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | Unified platform, deep integrations | Cost-conscious, flexibility | Developers, simplicity | Search + observability |
| Pricing Model | Per host + custom metrics | Per user/series | Consumption-based | Per GB ingested |
| Typical Monthly Cost* | $$$ | $ | $$ | $$ |
| OpenTelemetry Support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of Setup | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| APM Capabilities | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Log Management | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Infrastructure Monitoring | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Customization | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Learning Curve | Medium | Medium-High | Low | Medium |
| Vendor Lock-in Risk | Medium-High | Low | Medium | Low |
| Enterprise Features | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
*For 100 hosts, 50 services, moderate data volume
Decision Framework
Use this framework to determine which platform best fits your organization's needs.
Choose Datadog If:
You want a unified platform with minimal integration work
You need extensive out-of-box integrations (600+)
Budget is less important than time-to-value
You value AI-powered insights and automation
Your team prefers managed cloud service
Typical customer: Mid-to-large enterprises prioritizing speed and completeness
Get Datadog Quote
Choose Grafana If:
Cost optimization is a priority (40-70% savings vs. Datadog)
You want OpenTelemetry-native observability
Your team has strong technical skills
You need flexibility and customization
You're committed to avoiding vendor lock-in
Typical customer: Platform engineering teams, cost-conscious companies
Get Grafana Quote
Choose New Relic If:
Developer experience is your top priority
You want simple, predictable consumption-based pricing
Your team wants minimal configuration
You need fast time-to-value with auto-instrumentation
You prefer modern, developer-friendly UI
Typical customer: Developer-centric organizations, startups to mid-market
Get New Relic Quote
Choose Elastic If:
You need both search and observability in one platform
You have heavy log analytics requirements
You want SIEM capabilities alongside observability
Open-source foundation is important
You prefer self-managed or hybrid deployment
Typical customer: Companies with search + security + observability needs
Get Elastic Quote
Total Cost of Ownership Comparison
Real-world TCO for a typical mid-market company (100 hosts, 50 microservices, 500GB logs/day)
Datadog
$60K
per month
• Infrastructure: $25K
• APM: $20K
• Logs: $15K
Grafana
$18K
per month
70% SAVINGS
• Grafana Cloud: $8K
• Prometheus/Mimir: $6K
• Loki: $4K
New Relic
$35K
per month
• Data ingest: $25K
• User seats: $10K
Elastic
$28K
per month
• Observability: $15K
• Log storage: $8K
• APM: $5K
*Estimates based on our implementation experience. Actual costs vary by usage patterns and contract terms.
Still Not Sure Which Platform to Choose?
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