Datadog vs New Relic — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Datadog starts at $18/mo. New Relic starts at $99/mo. Datadog is $81/mo cheaper on the entry tier than New Relic.
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.
New Relic is a full-stack observability platform with 50+ capabilities (APM, infrastructure, logs, RUM, browser, mobile). Best-in-class free tier: 100GB/mo ingest + 1 full-platform user + unlimited basic users. Paid tiers layer per-user fees (Standard ~$99/user/mo, Pro up to $549/user/mo) plus per-GB ingest above 100GB. Enterprise custom.
All plans compared
| # | Plan | Datadog monthly | Datadog annual | New Relic monthly | New Relic annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Free | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Infrastructure Pro / Standard | 18 | 15 | 99 | 99 |
| 3 | Infrastructure Enterprise / Pro | 27 | 23 | 349 | 349 |
| 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.
New Relic is a full-stack observability platform with 50+ capabilities (APM, infrastructure, logs, RUM, browser, mobile). Best-in-class free tier: 100GB/mo ingest + 1 full-platform user + unlimited basic users. Paid tiers layer per-user fees (Standard ~$99/user/mo, Pro up to $549/user/mo) plus per-GB ingest above 100GB. Enterprise custom.
At a glance
| Datadog | New Relic | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $18/mo | $99/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Per Usage |
| Last verified | August 26, 2026 | August 27, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified August 27, 2026. Tracked daily.
Frequently asked questions
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Common questions about Datadog and New Relic
- How much does Datadog cost in 2026?
- Does Datadog have a free plan?
- How often does Datadog change prices?
- What are the best Datadog alternatives in 2026?
- How much does New Relic cost in 2026?
- Does New Relic have a free plan?
- How often does New Relic change prices?
- What are the best New Relic alternatives in 2026?