Datadog vs Grafana Cloud: pricing
Observability pricing · Pricing snapshot: June 2026
On headline entry cost, Grafana Cloud has the lower headline entry cost (Free tier, then Pro from $19/mo + usage). Datadog bills per host (APM from $31/host/mo (annual)) and Grafana Cloud bills per gb / usage (Free tier, then Pro from $19/mo + usage). Both have a free tier. The real winner depends on your host count, data volume and team size. Pricing snapshot: June 2026 - verify current pricing on the vendor's site before relying on these figures.
Data as of June 2026.
Datadog vs Grafana Cloud side by side
| Factor | Datadog | Grafana Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Datadog, Inc. | Grafana Labs |
| Pricing model | Per-host (Infra & APM) + per-GB ingested (Logs) + per-session (RUM); modular, products billed separately and stacked | Usage-based: per active metric series + per-GB for logs/traces/profiles + per active user + flat platform fee |
| Primary billing | Per host | Per GB / usage |
| Headline price | APM from $31/host/mo (annual) | Free tier, then Pro from $19/mo + usage |
| Free tier? | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier detail | Free plan: Infrastructure for up to 5 hosts with 1-day metric retention; 14-day free trial of the full platform. | Free forever: 10K active metric series, 50 GB logs, 50 GB traces, 50 GB profiles, 3 users, 14-day retention. |
| Covers | APM, Infrastructure & metrics, Log management, RUM, Distributed tracing, Error tracking | APM, Infrastructure & metrics, Log management, RUM, Distributed tracing |
Sources: Datadog, Inc. pricing · Grafana Labs pricing.
Per-signal rates
Where the two overlap, here is the rate each charges per signal:
| Signal | Datadog | Grafana Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| APM | $31/host/mo | $19/mo platform + $8 per active visualization user |
| Infrastructure & metrics | $15/host/mo | 10K free, then $6.50 per 1,000 active series |
| Log management | $0.10/GB ingest + $1.27/M events indexed (15-day) | 50 GB free, then ~$0.45/GB |
| RUM | RUM $1.50/1K sessions; Session Replay +$1.80/1K | Usage-based (counts toward signal meters) |
| Distributed tracing | Bundled in APM | 50 GB free, then ~$0.45/GB |
Cheaper for small vs cheaper for scale
Small / starting out: Both have a free tier, so try each. On headline cost, Grafana Cloud has the lower headline entry cost (Free tier, then Pro from $19/mo + usage).
At scale: Datadog (single pane of glass across infra, apm, logs, rum and more) versus Grafana Cloud (very generous free tier (10k series + 50 gb logs/traces/profiles)). Remember Datadog bills per host and Grafana Cloud bills per gb / usage, which flips the answer depending on whether you scale by hosts, by data volume or by team size.
Verdict
On headline cost alone, Grafana Cloud has the lower headline entry cost (Free tier, then Pro from $19/mo + usage). But price is only part of the story. Read each full breakdown - Datadog and Grafana Cloud - and model your real workload in the cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is Datadog or Grafana Cloud cheaper?
On headline entry cost, Grafana Cloud has the lower headline entry cost (Free tier, then Pro from $19/mo + usage). But the two use different models - Datadog bills per host and Grafana Cloud bills per gb / usage - so the real winner depends on your host count, data volume and team size. Compare the per-signal table on this page. Pricing snapshot: June 2026.
Datadog vs Grafana Cloud: which for a small team?
For a small team, lean to whichever has the more usable free tier and lower entry price. Datadog: Free plan: Infrastructure for up to 5 hosts with 1-day metric retention; 14-day free trial of the full platform. Grafana Cloud: Free forever: 10K active metric series, 50 GB logs, 50 GB traces, 50 GB profiles, 3 users, 14-day retention.
Datadog vs Grafana Cloud: how do the billing models differ?
Datadog: Per-host (Infra & APM) + per-GB ingested (Logs) + per-session (RUM); modular, products billed separately and stacked. Grafana Cloud: Usage-based: per active metric series + per-GB for logs/traces/profiles + per active user + flat platform fee. Per-host models penalize dense Kubernetes nodes; per-GB/per-event models penalize verbose telemetry. Model your real usage before deciding. Pricing snapshot: June 2026 - verify current pricing on the vendor's site before relying on these figures.
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Last updated: 2026-06-21