Datadog vs Splunk Observability Cloud — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Datadog starts at $18/mo. Splunk Observability Cloud uses custom pricing — request a quote to compare.
See price history: Datadog · Splunk Observability Cloud
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- Datadog (Per Usage) — Datadog bills on usage — host on top of a paid plan starting at $18/mo. The plan includes an allowance; anything beyond it is metered.
- Splunk Observability Cloud (Per Usage) — Splunk Observability Cloud bills purely on usage — Quote-based via sales — Entity, Ingest, or Workload pricing models. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
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.
Splunk Observability Cloud is Cisco-owned enterprise observability with three quote-based pricing models: Entity (per-host, predictable), Ingest (per data volume, unlimited searches), and Workload (aligned to search patterns). Includes Infrastructure Monitoring, APM, Digital Experience Analytics, Log Observer, and IT Service Intelligence in one platform. No public list prices — all deals go through sales. 14-day free trial available. Acquired by Cisco in 2024.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Datadog monthly | Datadog annual | Splunk Observability Cloud monthly | Splunk Observability Cloud annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Free / — | Free | Free | — | — |
| Entry paid | Infrastructure Pro / — | $18 | $15 | — | — |
| Enterprise | Infrastructure Enterprise / — | $27 | $23 | — | — |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Datadog is worth it if… infrastructure teams (10+ engineers) that need APM + logs + metrics + synthetics + RUM in one platform — the observability default at mid-market and enterprise scale. Infrastructure covers hosts; APM, Logs, RUM, Synthetics, Database Monitoring each priced separately per module.
Splunk Observability Cloud is worth it if… Splunk Observability Cloud is ideal for large enterprises already running Splunk for security who want unified security + observability data in one platform. Best if you can absorb quote-based procurement and have Cisco as a strategic vendor.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose Datadog over Splunk Observability Cloud if…
Choose Datadog if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, from $18/mo).
- You match the profile Datadog is built for: infrastructure teams (10+ engineers) that need APM + logs + metrics + synthetics + RUM in one platform — the observability default at mid-market and enterprise scale.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Splunk Observability Cloud if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, a free entry tier).
- You match the profile Splunk Observability Cloud is built for: ideal for large enterprises already running Splunk for security who want unified security + observability data in one platform.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Datadog | Splunk Observability Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Entry price | $18/mo | Custom pricing |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Per Usage |
| Verification | Pricing under review | Pricing under review |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 27, 2026. Tracked daily.
Frequently asked questions
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Common questions about Datadog and Splunk Observability Cloud
- How much does Datadog cost in 2026?
- Does Datadog have a free plan?
- How often does Datadog change prices?
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- How much does Splunk Observability Cloud cost in 2026?
- Does Splunk Observability Cloud have a free plan?
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