New Relic vs Datadog: pricing
Observability pricing · Pricing snapshot: June 2026
On headline entry cost, Datadog has a clearer fixed entry price (APM from $31/host/mo (annual)) while New Relic is usage-based. New Relic bills per gb / usage (100 GB/mo free, then $0.40/GB + per-user) and Datadog bills per host (APM from $31/host/mo (annual)). 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.
New Relic vs Datadog side by side
| Factor | New Relic | Datadog |
|---|---|---|
| Company | New Relic, Inc. | Datadog, Inc. |
| Pricing model | Usage-based: per-GB ingested (all telemetry) + per-user (Full Platform / Core) | Per-host (Infra & APM) + per-GB ingested (Logs) + per-session (RUM); modular, products billed separately and stacked |
| Primary billing | Per GB / usage | Per host |
| Headline price | 100 GB/mo free, then $0.40/GB + per-user | APM from $31/host/mo (annual) |
| Free tier? | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier detail | Free forever: 100 GB ingest/month + 1 Full Platform user + unlimited basic users. | Free plan: Infrastructure for up to 5 hosts with 1-day metric retention; 14-day free trial of the full platform. |
| Covers | APM, Infrastructure & metrics, Log management, RUM, Distributed tracing, Error tracking | APM, Infrastructure & metrics, Log management, RUM, Distributed tracing, Error tracking |
Sources: New Relic, Inc. pricing · Datadog, Inc. pricing.
Per-signal rates
Where the two overlap, here is the rate each charges per signal:
| Signal | New Relic | Datadog |
|---|---|---|
| APM | Standard: $99/user; Pro: $349/user (annual) | $31/host/mo |
| Infrastructure & metrics | Counted in the shared ingest meter | $15/host/mo |
| Log management | 100 GB free, then $0.40/GB (Original) or $0.60/GB (Data Plus) | $0.10/GB ingest + $1.27/M events indexed (15-day) |
| RUM | Counted in the shared ingest meter | RUM $1.50/1K sessions; Session Replay +$1.80/1K |
| Distributed tracing | Counted in the shared ingest meter | Bundled in APM |
| Error tracking | Included for Full Platform users | Add-on (usage-based) |
Cheaper for small vs cheaper for scale
Small / starting out: Both have a free tier, so try each. On headline cost, Datadog has a clearer fixed entry price (APM from $31/host/mo (annual)) while New Relic is usage-based.
At scale: New Relic (generous free tier: 100 gb/mo + 1 full user, free forever) versus Datadog (single pane of glass across infra, apm, logs, rum and more). Remember New Relic bills per gb / usage and Datadog bills per host, which flips the answer depending on whether you scale by hosts, by data volume or by team size.
Verdict
On headline cost alone, Datadog has a clearer fixed entry price (APM from $31/host/mo (annual)) while New Relic is usage-based. But price is only part of the story. Read each full breakdown - New Relic and Datadog - and model your real workload in the cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is New Relic or Datadog cheaper?
On headline entry cost, Datadog has a clearer fixed entry price (APM from $31/host/mo (annual)) while New Relic is usage-based. But the two use different models - New Relic bills per gb / usage and Datadog bills per host - 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.
New Relic vs Datadog: which for a small team?
For a small team, lean to whichever has the more usable free tier and lower entry price. New Relic: Free forever: 100 GB ingest/month + 1 Full Platform user + unlimited basic users. Datadog: Free plan: Infrastructure for up to 5 hosts with 1-day metric retention; 14-day free trial of the full platform.
New Relic vs Datadog: how do the billing models differ?
New Relic: Usage-based: per-GB ingested (all telemetry) + per-user (Full Platform / Core). Datadog: Per-host (Infra & APM) + per-GB ingested (Logs) + per-session (RUM); modular, products billed separately and stacked. 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.
More comparisons
Last updated: 2026-06-21