Splunk excels at log aggregation and SIEM with deep search capabilities across massive datasets, while Datadog offers superior real-time monitoring, APM, and infrastructure visibility with faster query performance and lower pricing at scale. The choice depends on whether you prioritize comprehensive log analysis or modern observability across distributed systems.
Splunk vs Datadog — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Enterprise log management, SIEM, and data analytics platform for security and IT operations.
Modern observability platform for infrastructure, APM, and real-time monitoring of cloud-native applications.
Primary Use Case. Query Performance (typical 1GB dataset). Starting Monthly Cost (1GB/day ingestion). APM Capabilities. Data Retention (standard tier). SIEM & Threat Detection. Implementation Time (typical deployment)
Choose Splunk if you need comprehensive security information and event management (SIEM), deep log forensics, compliance reporting, or work in heavily regulated industries requiring long-term audit trails. Choose Datadog if you're running modern cloud-native infrastructure, need real-time APM and infrastructure monitoring, prioritize developer experience, or want lower TCO for observability across microservices and containers.
Splunk: 30 days included | Datadog: 15 days (standard tier)
Splunk: 2,000+ apps | Datadog: 600+ integrations
Splunk: 15-60 minutes (depends on alert configuration) | Datadog: N/A
Starting Annual Cost (single user/endpoint)
Splunk: Unlimited (logs, metrics, traces, events, security) | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: Varies by threat rules configured | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: 800+ apps in Splunkbase | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: Heavy (varies, 500MB+) | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: Via SOAR integration (external) | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: 4-8 (managed cloud) | Datadog: 0.5 hours
Splunk: 6 (HIPAA, SOC2, PCI-DSS, FedRAMP, GDPR, ISO27001) | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: 15+ (threat detection, predictive analytics, correlation, clustering) | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: Unlimited (license-dependent) | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: 1 (24/7 enterprise SLA) | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: 120 months (10 years) | Datadog: 15 months
Splunk: 700+ integrations | Datadog: ~600+ integrations
Splunk: 10-30 seconds | Datadog: 1-5 seconds
Splunk: 15-30 minutes | Datadog: 2-5 minutes
Default Data Retention (included in pricing)
Splunk: Sampling-dependent (configurable) | Datadog: 100% of traces stored
Splunk: 12 (HIPAA, PCI, SOC2, NIST) | Datadog: 0 (add-on only)
Splunk: $4,500+ (minimum commitment) | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: Enterprise Security module, threat detection, compliance dashboards | Datadog: SAML, SSO, SOC2 Type II, HIPAA compliance, security monitoring
Splunk: Not applicable (generates alerts) | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: Limited (dashboards only) | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: Full ML for anomaly detection, forecasting, root cause analysis | Datadog: N/A
Splunk: FedRAMP Authorized | Datadog: N/A
Base Monthly Pricing (1GB/day ingestion)
Splunk: 30-365 days | Datadog: 15 days standard
Splunk: 400+ built-in detections | Datadog: 50+ security rules
Splunk: Limited (add-on required) | Datadog: Native support
Splunk: 350+ apps in Splunkbase | Datadog: 600+ integrations
Maximum Data Ingestion Per Day (Enterprise)
Splunk: Unlimited (licensing dependent) | Datadog: Unlimited (licensing dependent)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Distributed tracing and session replay
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Comprehensive with advanced orchestration
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Native distributed tracing
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Built-in with retention policies
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: $32 per host/month
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Most comprehensive with custom parsing
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Advanced features, steeper learning curve
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: $0 - limited (3 hosts max)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Advanced with ML insights
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: $15 per host minimum
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: $15.00 (base) + metered
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 600+ native integrations
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 60% alert reduction via AI
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Yes (full distributed tracing)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Basic (limited schedule management)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: $180+/month (Standard plan)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Full log aggregation and analytics
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 15+ major frameworks
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Monthly/pay-as-you-go
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Machine learning-based pattern recognition
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 35% reduction (typical)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: $15/month (Standard tier)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 450 days (15 months default)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Unlimited with tag aggregation
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 800-1200 (with agent)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 24/7 phone, email, chat
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Method-level with sampling
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Yes, standard in most plans
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Basic anomaly detection
APM (Application Performance Monitoring)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Advanced APM with distributed tracing
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Advanced session replay with pixel-perfect reproduction
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Limited query builder; UI-driven
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 2/10 (plug-and-play)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Infrastructure, APM, logs, metrics, synthetics, RUM
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: SaaS, full on-premise, hybrid
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Available with RUM plan
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 600+ pre-built integrations
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Basic container metrics and logs
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Yes, with distributed tracing
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Yes (anomaly detection, AI Advisor)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: SOC 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP, HIPAA
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: $15-20 per host (estimated)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 3 hops (with manual configuration)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 3+ agents (APM, Infrastructure, Logs)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 4.6/5.0 (2,100+ reviews)
Typical Enterprise Annual Cost (1000 hosts)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: $180K-240K (with logs)
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: 32% faster than legacy APM
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: iOS, Android, React Native
Splunk: N/A | Datadog: Hosts, containers, Kubernetes, cloud services, databases
How to choose between Splunk and Datadog
Splunk vs Datadog — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Splunk vs Datadog. Contains 162 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Splunk vs Datadog — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Splunk vs Datadog.
Which platform is better for security monitoring and SIEM?
Splunk is significantly superior for SIEM use cases with 400+ built-in threat detection rules, compliance frameworks (PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2), and purpose-built security investigative features. Datadog offers security monitoring but lacks comprehensive SIEM capabilities and is better suited for infrastructure security than enterprise threat detection.
Which has better pricing for cloud-native environments?
Datadog is 40-50% cheaper for typical cloud deployments starting at $600-900/month vs Splunk's $1,500-2,000/month for 1GB/day ingestion. Datadog's per-GB consumption model aligns better with variable cloud workloads, while Splunk's licensing structure favors high-volume, consistent data streams.
How do they compare for application performance monitoring (APM)?
Datadog excels with native distributed tracing across 15+ programming languages, automatic instrumentation, and out-of-the-box service dependency mapping. Splunk requires additional paid modules (Splunk APM) and add-ons to achieve comparable functionality, making Datadog the default choice for DevOps teams.
Datadog has a gentler learning curve with intuitive UI/UX, modern dashboarding, and 1-2 week onboarding. Splunk requires 4-8 weeks to master SPL (Splunk Processing Language), a complex query language, making it steeper for new teams but more powerful for experienced analysts.
Which is better for compliance and audit requirements?
Splunk is purpose-built for compliance with configurable retention up to 7 years, pre-built compliance packs for HIPAA/PCI-DSS/SOX, and immutable audit trails. Datadog meets basic compliance needs but requires additional integrations and custom setup for regulated environments like healthcare and finance.
How to Choose Between Splunk and Datadog
Primary Use Case: Splunk has Log aggregation, SIEM, compliance reporting, while Datadog has Real-time monitoring, APM, infrastructure observability.
Consider: Query Performance (typical 1GB dataset)
Query Performance (typical 1GB dataset): Splunk has 2-5 seconds average, while Datadog has 300-800ms average.
Consider: Starting Monthly Cost (1GB/day ingestion)
Starting Monthly Cost (1GB/day ingestion): Splunk has $1,500-$2,000, while Datadog has $600-$900.
APM Capabilities: Splunk has Basic, requires add-ons, while Datadog has Native, full distributed tracing.
Consider: Data Retention (standard tier)
Data Retention (standard tier): Splunk has 30-365 days configurable, while Datadog has 15 days standard, 15-405 days with archive.
SIEM & Threat Detection: Splunk has Enterprise-grade, 400+ use cases, while Datadog has Limited, security monitoring only.
Consider: Implementation Time (typical deployment)
Implementation Time (typical deployment): Splunk has 4-8 weeks, while Datadog has 1-2 weeks.