Datadog vs WorkOS — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Datadog starts at $18/mo. WorkOS starts at $125/mo. Datadog is $107/mo cheaper on the entry tier than WorkOS.
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.
- WorkOS (Unknown model) — WorkOS bills on a fixed plan from $125/mo, so the listed price is what you pay regardless of volume.
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.
Enterprise-ready authentication + user management, positioned as the alternative to building SSO/SCIM/directory sync from scratch. Distinctive per-connection pricing model — $125/mo per SSO connection (vs Clerk's bundled 1 free SSO on Pro). AuthKit free for first 1M users. Popular with B2B SaaS that need to close enterprise deals requiring SAML, SCIM, and audit logs — the "unlock enterprise revenue" tool.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Datadog monthly | Datadog annual | WorkOS monthly | WorkOS annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Free / AuthKit Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Infrastructure Pro / SSO | $18 | $15 | $125 | $125 |
| Mid tier | — / Directory Sync | — | — | $125 | $125 |
| Pro / power | — / Audit Logs | — | — | $125 | $125 |
| Enterprise | Infrastructure Enterprise / Custom Domains | $27 | $23 | $99 | $99 |
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.
WorkOS is worth it if… B2B SaaS companies (Series A-Series D) that need to add enterprise features (SSO, SCIM, audit logs, admin portal) to their product — particularly to close enterprise deals that require SAML/OIDC. Startup tier covers small SaaS; Enterprise for high-volume with custom pricing.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose Datadog over WorkOS 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 WorkOS if…
- You're comfortable with WorkOS's from $125/mo entry point.
- You match the profile WorkOS is built for: B2B SaaS companies (Series A-Series D) that need to add enterprise features (SSO, SCIM, audit logs, admin portal) to their product — particularly to close enterprise deals that require SAML/OIDC.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Datadog | WorkOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $18/mo | $125/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | — |
| Verification | Pricing under review | Pricing under review |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 26, 2026. Tracked daily.