Elastic APM vs Datadog: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between Elastic APM and Datadog comes down to understanding what each tool does best. This comparison breaks down the key differences so you can make an informed decision based on your specific needs, not marketing claims.
Bottom line: Datadog is our overall pick for monitoring workflows. Pick Elastic APM if you need a free tier to start with.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
We've tested both tools. Here's who should pick what:
Elastic APM
Application performance monitoring for Elastic Stack
Best for you if:
- • Elastic APM is application performance monitoring integrated with the Elastic Stack
- • It traces requests, identifies bottlenecks, and correlates errors with logs and metrics
Datadog
Cloud monitoring, security, and AI investigations for DevOps
Best for you if:
- • Cloud monitoring and security platform
- • Unified observability across infrastructure
| At a Glance |  Elastic APM |  Datadog |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | FreeFree tier available | FreeFree tier available |
Best For | Monitoring | Monitoring |
Rating | 4.2/5 | 4.5/5 |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
Choose Elastic APM or Datadog?
Choose Elastic APM if
Application performance monitoring for Elastic Stack
- Part of Elastic Stack
- Good tracing
- Many agents
Choose Datadog if
Cloud monitoring, security, and AI investigations for DevOps
- Comprehensive platform
- Great visualizations
- 700+ integrations
- Budget matters (Free vs Free)
| Feature | Elastic APM | Datadog |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Freemium |
| User Rating | ★4.2/5 39 reviews | ★4.5/5 1,092 reviews |
| Categories | MonitoringLog Management | MonitoringLog Management |
In-Depth Analysis
Elastic APM
Application performance monitoring for Elastic Stack
Elastic APM's self-managed Free tier is incredibly generous, offering all features at no cost, making it exceptionally fair.
Watch out
Cloud pricing scales with data ingestion/storage
Strengths
- +Part of Elastic Stack
- +Good tracing
- +Many agents
- +Correlate with logs
- +Self-hostable
Weaknesses
- -Resource intensive
- -License concerns (SSPL)
- -Complex setup
- -Learning curve
- -Can be expensive
Key features
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. APM Pro ($35/host) + Infra Pro ($15/host) = $50/host minimum. Most pricing pages only show the APM price
Strengths
- +Comprehensive platform
- +Great visualizations
- +700+ integrations
Weaknesses
- -Complex pricing
- -Can be expensive
Key features
Pricing: Elastic APM vs Datadog
| Plan | Elastic APM | Datadog |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Free Free | Free Free |
| Tier 2 | $95 month Cloud Standard | $15 /host/month (annual) Infrastructure Pro |
| Tier 3 | N/A | $23 /host/month (annual) Infrastructure Enterprise |
| Tier 4 | N/A | $31 /host/month (annual, with Infra) APM |
| Tier 5 | N/A | $40 /host/month (annual, with Infra) APM Enterprise |
Pricing verified from each vendor's public pricing page. Compare in detail on Elastic APM pricing and Datadog pricing.
Who Should Use What?
On a budget?
Both are freemium. Compare plans on their websites.
Go with: Elastic APM
Want the highest-rated option?
Elastic APM: 4.2/5 (39 reviews). Datadog: 4.5/5 (1,092 reviews).
Go with: Datadog
Value user reviews?
Elastic APM: 39 reviews (4.2/5). Datadog: 1,092 reviews (4.5/5).
Go with: Datadog
3 Questions to Help You Decide
What's your budget?
Both are freemium. Pricing won't help you decide here.
What's your use case?
Both are monitoring tools. Compare their specific features to decide.
How important are ratings?
Datadog is rated higher: 4.5/5 vs 4.2/5.
Key Takeaways
Datadog
- Higher user rating: 4.5/5 vs 4.2/5
- Larger review base (1,092 reviews)
- Free tier available
- Our pick for this comparison
Elastic APM
- Choose if you want application performance monitoring for Elastic Stack
The Bottom Line
Datadog is our pick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Elastic APM or Datadog better?
Datadog is rated in our evaluation. Both are freemium.
What are Elastic APM and Datadog used for?
Elastic APM: Application performance monitoring for Elastic Stack. Datadog: Cloud monitoring, security, and AI investigations for DevOps.
What does Elastic APM cost vs Datadog?
Elastic APM is freemium (free tier + paid plans). Datadog is freemium (free tier + paid plans). Visit their websites for detailed pricing.