Datadog
Usage-based, modular per-product
New Relic
Free tier / usage-based (per GB + users)
Datadog is a broad, modular observability platform with best-in-class breadth across infrastructure, logs, and APM. New Relic offers full-stack observability with a simpler, consumption-based pricing model and a free tier. Datadog wins on breadth and polish; New Relic wins on pricing simplicity.
Pick Datadog if you want the broadest, most polished observability platform with deep integrations across your stack.
Pick New Relic if you want full-stack observability with simpler, consumption-based pricing and a free tier.
Datadog and New Relic are two leading observability platforms that help teams monitor and troubleshoot their systems, and they are close competitors. Datadog is known for its enormous breadth and polish — hundreds of integrations spanning infrastructure metrics, logs, APM, real-user monitoring, security, and more — sold as modular products you combine. New Relic offers comparable full-stack observability but is known for a simpler, consumption-based pricing model (you pay for data ingested plus users) and a generous free tier.
On price, Datadog uses modular, usage-based pricing per product that can get complex and expensive, while New Relic charges for data plus users with a free tier. The choice is mostly maximal breadth and polish (Datadog) versus simpler, consumption-based pricing (New Relic).
We compare breadth, pricing model, APM, dashboards, and scale.
| Quick facts | Datadog | New Relic |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Limited | Yes |
| Pricing model | Modular per-product | Data + users |
| Breadth of products | Best-in-class | Strong |
| Pricing simplicity | Complex | Best-in-class |
| Best for | Breadth + polish | Simpler pricing |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | D Datadog | N New Relic |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure monitoring | Best-in-class | Strong |
| APM / tracing | Best-in-class | Best-in-class |
| Log management | Best-in-class | Strong |
| Integrations | Best-in-class | Strong |
| Dashboards & visualization | Best-in-class | Strong |
| Simple, predictable pricing | Limited | Best-in-class |
| Free tier | Limited | Best-in-class |
| Scales to large orgs | Best-in-class | Strong |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed 2026-06-26.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
Datadog has unmatched breadth and polish, but its modular, usage-based pricing can get complex and expensive at scale.
New Relic's pricing is simpler and it has a free tier, but some teams find Datadog's breadth and integrations a step ahead.
For maximum breadth Datadog wins; for pricing simplicity New Relic wins.
The average person juggles a dozen subscriptions and forgets at least one. Subkept is a privacy-first subscription tracker: add Datadog, New Relic, and everything else, then get renewal reminders, price-hike alerts, and a clear monthly total, with no bank connection, ever. Free for up to 5 subscriptions, no time limit.