Datadog vs New Relic
Datadog is cloud-scale monitoring and observability platform for infrastructure, applications, and logs, while New Relic is full-stack observability platform with APM, infrastructure, logs, and browser monitoring. The biggest difference up front: New Relic is free, while Datadog starts at $15/host/mo. Datadog is built for engineering teams running complex, multi-service infrastructure at scale, whereas New Relic targets engineering teams wanting all-in-one observability.
| Feature | Datadog | New Relic |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| APM | ✓ | ✓ |
| Alerting | ✓ | — |
| Browser | — | ✓ |
| Dashboards | ✓ | — |
| Infrastructure | — | ✓ |
| Infrastructure Monitoring | ✓ | — |
| Log Management | ✓ | — |
| Logs | — | ✓ |
| Synthetics | — | ✓ |
Pricing: New Relic is completely free (Free 100 GB/mo), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Datadog starts at $15/host/mo, but Free for up to 5 hosts with basic metrics. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.
Feature gaps: Datadog offers Alerting, Dashboards and Infrastructure Monitoring that New Relic lacks. New Relic brings Browser, Infrastructure and Logs that Datadog does not have. Both share APM.
Team fit: Both tools target enterprise teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.
Where each tool shines: Datadog's biggest strengths are: most comprehensive monitoring platform available. 750+ integrations covering virtually every technology. New Relic's biggest strengths are: includes apm as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows. includes infrastructure as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows.
Watch out for: With Datadog, users commonly note that pricing is complex and gets very expensive at scale. With New Relic, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.
choose Datadog if
- You need a tool built for engineering teams running complex, multi-service infrastructure at scale
- You specifically need Alerting and Dashboards
- You care about 750+ integrations covering virtually every technology
- The free tier works for you: free for up to 5 hosts with basic metrics
choose New Relic if
- You need a tool built for engineering teams wanting all-in-one observability
- Budget is a hard constraint — New Relic is free, Datadog is not
- You specifically need Browser and Infrastructure
- You care about includes infrastructure as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows
- The free tier works for you: free 100 gb/mo
frequently asked
What is the difference between Datadog and New Relic?
Datadog is cloud-scale monitoring and observability platform for infrastructure, applications, and logs, while New Relic is full-stack observability platform with APM, infrastructure, logs, and browser monitoring. The biggest difference up front: New Relic is free, while Datadog starts at $15/host/mo. Datadog is built for engineering teams running complex, multi-service infrastructure at scale, whereas New Relic targets engineering teams wanting all-in-one observability.
Should I use Datadog or New Relic?
New Relic is the free option; Datadog charges $15/host/mo but may offer more polish. Here is how they compare.
When should I choose Datadog over New Relic?
Choose Datadog if You need a tool built for engineering teams running complex, multi-service infrastructure at scale; You specifically need Alerting and Dashboards; You care about 750+ integrations covering virtually every technology; The free tier works for you: free for up to 5 hosts with basic metrics.
When should I choose New Relic over Datadog?
Choose New Relic if You need a tool built for engineering teams wanting all-in-one observability; Budget is a hard constraint — New Relic is free, Datadog is not; You specifically need Browser and Infrastructure; You care about includes infrastructure as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows; The free tier works for you: free 100 gb/mo.
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