Datadog vs n8n: Pricing Comparison (2026)
Datadog starts at $18/mo. n8n starts at $24/mo. Datadog is $6/mo cheaper on the entry tier than n8n.
The dominant cloud observability platform (metrics, logs, traces, APM), publicly traded (DDOG), ~$45B market cap. Positioned as the alternative to New Relic + Splunk + PagerDuty stitched together. Distinctive for its notorious usage-based pricing that has surprised engineering teams with 6-figure monthly bills (Coinbase's leaked contract was ~$65M/year in 2022). Priced by seat + host + volume across 20+ meters. Popular with engineering teams; feared by finance teams.
Open-source workflow automation positioned as the alternative to Zapier and Make for developers who want self-hosting + code-level control. Distinctive for fair-code license (free for internal use, paid for embedded resale) and its JavaScript node execution. Valued $2.3B private (2025 raise). Free when self-hosted; Cloud plans $20-$50/mo (annual). Popular with technical teams whose Zapier bill grew painful and who want to run automations on their own infrastructure.
All plans compared
| # | Plan | Datadog monthly | Datadog annual | n8n monthly | n8n annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Free / Starter | 0 | 0 | 24 | 20 |
| 2 | Infrastructure Pro / Pro | 18 | 15 | 60 | 50 |
| 3 | Infrastructure Enterprise / Business | 27 | 23 | 800 | 667 |
| 4 | Enterprise | — | — | custom | custom |
What each is best for
The dominant cloud observability platform (metrics, logs, traces, APM), publicly traded (DDOG), ~$45B market cap. Positioned as the alternative to New Relic + Splunk + PagerDuty stitched together. Distinctive for its notorious usage-based pricing that has surprised engineering teams with 6-figure monthly bills (Coinbase's leaked contract was ~$65M/year in 2022). Priced by seat + host + volume across 20+ meters. Popular with engineering teams; feared by finance teams.
Open-source workflow automation positioned as the alternative to Zapier and Make for developers who want self-hosting + code-level control. Distinctive for fair-code license (free for internal use, paid for embedded resale) and its JavaScript node execution. Valued $2.3B private (2025 raise). Free when self-hosted; Cloud plans $20-$50/mo (annual). Popular with technical teams whose Zapier bill grew painful and who want to run automations on their own infrastructure.
At a glance
| Datadog | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Entry price | $18/mo | $24/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Per Usage |
| Last verified | August 26, 2026 | August 31, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified August 31, 2026. Tracked daily.