Datadog vs OpenObserve: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Datadog and OpenObserve side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below, Datadog leads on a free plan. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Datadog
Cloud monitoring, security, and AI investigations for DevOps
Best for you if:
- • You want a free tier before you commit
OpenObserve
Open source, petabyte-scale observability for logs, metrics, and traces at a fraction of the cost.
Best for you if:
- • You want significantly lower storage costs (up to 140x compared to Elasticsearch)
| At a Glance | Datadog | OpenObserve |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan, paid from $18/host/mo, billed yearly Infrastructure Pro plan | Not published |
Category | Monitoring Log Management | Monitoring Log Management |
Rating | 4.4/5 G2 4.4 726 reviews | n/a |
Free plan | Yes | No |
Watch out for | APM requires Infrastructure Monitoring on the SAME hosts: you cannot buy APM alone. | Audit Trail is 2% of monthly spend. |
Choose Datadog or OpenObserve?
Choose Datadog if
- You want a free tier before you commit
- You want comprehensive platform
- You want great visualizations
Choose OpenObserve if
- You want significantly lower storage costs (up to 140x compared to Elasticsearch)
- You want high performance and scalability, capable of handling petabytes of data
In-Depth Analysis
Datadog
Cloud monitoring, security, and AI investigations for DevOps
Datadog is the most comprehensive observability platform, infrastructure monitoring, APM, logs, RUM, security, and 750+ integrations in one place.
Watch out
APM requires Infrastructure Monitoring on the SAME hosts: you cannot buy APM alone.
Strengths
- Pro: Comprehensive platform
- Pro: Great visualizations
- Pro: 700+ integrations
Weaknesses
- Con: Complex pricing
- Con: Can be expensive
Key features
OpenObserve
Open source, petabyte-scale observability for logs, metrics, and traces at a fraction of the cost.
OpenObserve's Pay As You Go model offers a fair and transparent pricing structure, especially for ingestion at $0.50 per GB and querying at $0.01 per GB, which can be competitive for high-volume users.
Watch out
Audit Trail is 2% of monthly spend.
Strengths
- Pro: Significantly lower storage costs (up to 140x compared to Elasticsearch).
- Pro: High performance and scalability, capable of handling petabytes of data.
- Pro: Open-source nature allows for community contributions, security audits, and full control.
- Pro: Unified platform for logs, metrics, and traces simplifies observability.
- Pro: Supports open standards and protocols for vendor-neutral integration.
Weaknesses
- Con: Pricing for advanced features like AI Assistant and AI SRE Agent is currently in preview, future costs are not fully detailed.
- Con: Requires some technical expertise for self-hosting and managing storage buckets.
Key features
Plans and prices: Datadog vs OpenObserve
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Datadog |
| datadoghq.com/pricing read Oct 26, 2026 |
| OpenObserve |
| openobserve.ai/pricing read Oct 22, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Datadog pricing and OpenObserve pricing.
Key Takeaways
Datadog
- Has a free plan
OpenObserve
- Choose if you want open source, petabyte-scale observability for logs, metrics, and traces at a fraction of the cost
What the data shows
On the data below, Datadog leads on a free plan. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
- Only Datadog has a published user rating (4.4/5 from 726 reviews); OpenObserve has none we can show.
- Datadog starts at $18/host/mo, billed yearly; OpenObserve has no public paid plan price on file.
- Only Datadog has a free plan.
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Datadog and OpenObserve compare in 2026?
On the data below, Datadog leads on a free plan. We do not name an overall winner for this pair. Only Datadog has a published user rating (4.4/5 from 726 reviews); OpenObserve has none we can show. Datadog starts at $18/host/mo, billed yearly; OpenObserve has no public paid plan price on file. Only Datadog has a free plan.
What are Datadog and OpenObserve used for?
Datadog: Cloud monitoring, security, and AI investigations for DevOps. OpenObserve: Open source, petabyte-scale observability for logs, metrics, and traces at a fraction of the cost.
What does Datadog cost vs OpenObserve?
Datadog's cheapest paid plan is Infrastructure Pro at $18/host/mo, billed yearly; it also has a free plan. OpenObserve has no public paid-plan price on file. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 26, 2026.
What's the main difference between Datadog and OpenObserve?
Datadog's main strength: comprehensive platform. OpenObserve's main strength: significantly lower storage costs (up to 140x compared to Elasticsearch).