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 wins this matchup. SolarWinds is our overall Monitoring pick. Hookdeck is our free Monitoring pick. Pick Elastic APM if you need a free tier to start with.
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:
Elastic APM
Application performance monitoring for Elastic Stack
Best for you if:
- • You want part of Elastic Stack
Datadog
Cloud monitoring, security, and AI investigations for DevOps
Best for you if:
- • You want comprehensive platform
| At a Glance | Elastic APM | Datadog |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free Free plan | Free Free plan |
Category | Monitoring Log Management | Monitoring Log Management |
Rating | 4.0/5 G2 4.0 14 reviews | 4.4/5 G2 4.4 726 reviews |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
Watch out for | Cloud pricing scales with data ingestion/storage | APM requires Infrastructure Monitoring on the SAME hosts: you cannot buy APM alone. Most pricing pages only show the APM price |
Choose Elastic APM or Datadog?
Choose Elastic APM if
- You want part of Elastic Stack
- You want good tracing
Choose Datadog if
- You want comprehensive platform
- You want great visualizations
- Budget matters (Free vs Free)
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
- Pro: Part of Elastic Stack
- Pro: Good tracing
- Pro: Many agents
- Pro: Correlate with logs
- Pro: Self-hostable
Weaknesses
- Con: Resource intensive
- Con: License concerns (SSPL)
- Con: Complex setup
- Con: Learning curve
- Con: 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. Most pricing pages only show the APM price
Strengths
- Pro: Comprehensive platform
- Pro: Great visualizations
- Pro: 700+ integrations
Weaknesses
- Con: Complex pricing
- Con: 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.
Key Takeaways
Datadog
- Larger review base (726 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 wins this matchup. SolarWinds is our overall Monitoring pick. Hookdeck is our free Monitoring pick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Elastic APM or Datadog better in 2026?
Datadog wins this matchup. SolarWinds is our overall Monitoring pick. Hookdeck is our free Monitoring pick. Pick Elastic APM for monitoring workflows (main strength: part of Elastic Stack). Pick Datadog for monitoring workflows (main strength: comprehensive platform).
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's paid plans start at Free (Cloud Standard). Datadog's paid plans start at Free (Infrastructure Pro).
What's the main difference between Elastic APM and Datadog?
Elastic APM's main strength: part of Elastic Stack. Datadog's main strength: comprehensive platform.