Dynatrace excels in AI-powered root cause analysis with superior automatic baselining, while Datadog offers broader integration coverage (600+ integrations vs 450+) and lower entry-level pricing for small teams. Both are enterprise-grade APM platforms, but Dynatrace's strength lies in predictive analytics for complex environments, whereas Datadog wins on ease of adoption and ecosystem breadth.
Dynatrace vs Datadog — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
AI-powered SaaS application performance monitoring platform with automated root cause analysis
Cloud-native SaaS platform combining APM, infrastructure monitoring, log management, and analytics in unified dashboard.
AI Root Cause Analysis. Pre-Built Integrations. Starting Monthly Price (Small Team). User Interface Learning Curve. Log Ingestion (per GB/day). Session Replay Quality. Multi-Cloud Support Maturity
Choose Dynatrace if you operate complex enterprise environments with thousands of services where predictive AI-driven anomaly detection and automatic baselining justify premium pricing—its Davis AI reduces MTTR by an average of 40% versus manual alerting. Choose Datadog if you need rapid deployment, broad third-party ecosystem integration, and cost-efficiency for mid-market teams; its lower log ingestion costs and shallower learning curve make it ideal for organizations without dedicated observability engineering teams.
Supported Technologies (Languages/Frameworks)
Dynatrace: 100+ with native agents | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: 100K+ enterprise customers | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: Full-stack (hosts, containers, DBs, k8s) | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: 2-4 weeks | Datadog: 5-15 days
Dynatrace: 500+ | Datadog: ~600+ integrations
Dynatrace: Full bytecode line-level | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: ML-based automatic baselines | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: $50/month | Datadog: $15/month
Dynatrace: 450+ integrations | Datadog: 600+ integrations
Dynatrace: 70 metrics | Datadog: 200 metrics
Dynatrace: 12-month commitment | Datadog: Monthly/pay-as-you-go
Dynatrace: $0.10 per metric | Datadog: $0.05 per metric
Dynatrace: AI-driven Davis engine with code-level insights | Datadog: Machine learning-based pattern recognition
Dynatrace: 60% reduction | Datadog: 35% reduction (typical)
Monthly Platform Cost (100GB/month ingestion)
Dynatrace: 95+ languages | Datadog: 15+ major frameworks
Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) Improvement
Dynatrace: 40-60% reduction with AI | Datadog: N/A
Setup Time for Multi-Service Environment
Dynatrace: 2-4 days (automatic) | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: Native, automatic service mapping | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: 4.5 stars (1,200+ reviews) | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: Full transaction tracing | Datadog: Method-level with sampling
Dynatrace: Available but often separate | Datadog: Yes, standard in most plans
Dynatrace: Advanced Davis AI with causality mapping | Datadog: Basic anomaly detection
Dynatrace: 15-30 (with Davis AI) | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: 650+ out-of-box | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: 15-30 days (configurable) | Datadog: 15 days
Dynatrace: 100,000+ EPS per cluster | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: Simplified REST API with UI-first approach | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: $45-65 per host | Datadog: $15-20 per host (estimated)
Dynatrace: Automatic detection up to 4+ hops | Datadog: 3 hops (with manual configuration)
Dynatrace: 700+ pre-built integrations | Datadog: 600+ pre-built integrations
Dynatrace: 1 unified agent (OneAgent) | Datadog: 3+ agents (APM, Infrastructure, Logs)
Typical Enterprise Annual Cost (1000 hosts)
Dynatrace: $540K-780K | Datadog: $180K-240K (with logs)
Dynatrace: 45% faster than legacy APM | Datadog: 32% faster than legacy APM
Dynatrace: 150+ supported technologies | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: Davis AI included | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: Limited to predefined queries and dashboards | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: ~10,000 community members | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: 20-40 hours (minimal) | Datadog: N/A
Total Cost of Ownership (3-year, 500GB/month ingestion)
Dynatrace: $360,000 (6,000 GB × $3/GB × 3 years + support) | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: Logs, metrics, traces, user sessions, synthetics | Datadog: N/A
Required Infrastructure Team Size (100 users)
Dynatrace: 0.25 (mostly monitoring) | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: 5,000+ (proprietary) | Datadog: N/A
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Distributed tracing and session replay
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Comprehensive with advanced orchestration
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Native distributed tracing
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Built-in with retention policies
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: $32 per host/month
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Most comprehensive with custom parsing
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Advanced features, steeper learning curve
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: $0 - limited (3 hosts max)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Advanced with ML insights
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: $15 per host minimum
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: $15.00 (base) + metered
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 600+ native integrations
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 60% alert reduction via AI
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Yes (full distributed tracing)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Basic (limited schedule management)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: $180+/month (Standard plan)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Full log aggregation and analytics
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: $15/month (Standard tier)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 450 days (15 months default)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 500+ auto-instrumented
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Unlimited with tag aggregation
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 800-1200 (with agent)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 24/7 phone, email, chat
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Native support
APM (Application Performance Monitoring)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Advanced APM with distributed tracing
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Advanced session replay with pixel-perfect reproduction
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: SAML, SSO, SOC2 Type II, HIPAA compliance, security monitoring
Default Data Retention (included in pricing)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 100% of traces stored
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 0 (add-on only)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 19,000+ (2024)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Limited query builder; UI-driven
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 2/10 - agent-based, minimal config
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Infrastructure, APM, logs, metrics, synthetics, RUM
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: SaaS, full on-premise, hybrid
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Available with RUM plan
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Basic container metrics and logs
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Yes, with distributed tracing
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Yes (anomaly detection, AI Advisor)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: SOC 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP, HIPAA
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: $28,200-38,400
Base Monthly Pricing (1GB/day ingestion)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 15 days standard
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 50+ security rules
Maximum Data Ingestion Per Day (Enterprise)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Unlimited (licensing dependent)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 450 days (15 months)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Datadog Query Language (DQL) + PromQL support
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 99.99% guaranteed SLA
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 24/7 dedicated support with SLA
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: iOS, Android, React Native
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Hosts, containers, Kubernetes, cloud services, databases
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: $360 (~$15/host × 24 hosts typical)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 15 (upgradeable to 400+)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: Included in all plans
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: 0-1 (for integrations only)
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: DQL, limited SQL
Dynatrace: N/A | Datadog: No (proprietary SaaS)
How to choose between Dynatrace and Datadog
Dynatrace vs Datadog — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Dynatrace vs Datadog. Contains 196 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Dynatrace vs Datadog — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Dynatrace vs Datadog.
Which platform has lower total cost of ownership for a 500-service environment?
Datadog typically costs 30-40% less for large-scale deployments due to significantly cheaper log ingestion ($0.10-0.15/GB vs $1.20-1.60/GB). For a mid-sized company ingesting 50TB of logs monthly, Datadog costs approximately $75,000/year versus Dynatrace at $240,000/year. However, Dynatrace's superior anomaly detection may reduce operational overhead, potentially offsetting some cost differences.
How do the AI/anomaly detection capabilities compare?
Dynatrace's Davis AI automatically establishes baselines and detects anomalies without manual configuration, reducing false positives by 35-45%. Datadog requires manual threshold tuning or uses statistical models, resulting in higher false positive rates (typically 20-30% more alerts). For complex environments with seasonal patterns or irregular traffic, Dynatrace's automatic baselining is substantially more effective.
Which platform is faster to implement for a startup?
Datadog achieves functional observability in 2-3 weeks for most startups due to its simpler UI and 600+ pre-built integrations. Dynatrace typically requires 6-8 weeks of configuration and tuning, plus dedicated training. For time-to-value, Datadog is 50-60% faster, making it better for rapid scaling environments.
Can I use both platforms together in a hybrid setup?
Yes, both platforms can coexist. Many enterprises use Datadog for broad integration coverage and cost-effective log storage while using Dynatrace for critical production services requiring advanced AI-driven root cause analysis. This hybrid approach costs more but optimizes for both coverage and precision, typically used by large financial services and healthcare organizations.
Which is better for Kubernetes and containerized environments?
Both platforms excel in Kubernetes monitoring. Datadog has slightly better out-of-the-box Kubernetes integrations (20+ pre-built dashboards) and faster container-native adoption, while Dynatrace offers superior service mesh observability and automatic dependency mapping for complex microservices. For pure Kubernetes-focused deployments, Datadog is easier; for complex multi-service architectures, Dynatrace's automation provides more value.
How to Choose Between Dynatrace and Datadog
AI Root Cause Analysis: Dynatrace has Dynatrace Davis AI with automatic baselining, while Datadog has Datadog Intelligent Alerting with manual thresholds.
Pre-Built Integrations: Dynatrace has 450+ integrations, while Datadog has 600+ integrations.
Consider: Starting Monthly Price (Small Team)
Starting Monthly Price (Small Team): Dynatrace has $500-800, while Datadog has $231-400.
User Interface Learning Curve: Dynatrace has Steep (6-8 weeks average), while Datadog has Moderate (3-4 weeks average).
Log Ingestion (per GB/day): Dynatrace has $1.20-1.60, while Datadog has $0.10-0.15.
Session Replay Quality: Dynatrace has 60fps with advanced filtering, while Datadog has 30fps standard, 60fps premium.
Multi-Cloud Support Maturity: Dynatrace has AWS, Azure, GCP, on-prem (equal), while Datadog has AWS, Azure, GCP, on-prem (equal).