Amazon CloudWatch Logs vs Datadog Logs

Amazon CloudWatch Logs8.0Visit Datadog Logs8.4Visit

Amazon CloudWatch Logs #4 in Log Management Software 8.0/10 From $0.50 ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit AWS

vs

Higher score Datadog Logs #6 in Log Management Software 8.4/10 From $0.10/mo · 14-day trial ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Datadog

• Amazon CloudWatch Logs fits best

  AWS-native teams centralizing operational logs

• Datadog Logs fits best

  Cloud teams needing integrated log intelligence

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. It never changes our verdict. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Amazon CloudWatch Logs 8.0/10 Visit ↗	Datadog Logs 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.0	8.4
Ranking	#4 in Log Management Software	#6 in Log Management Software
Best for	AWS-native teams centralizing operational logs	Cloud teams needing integrated log intelligence
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Not published	$0.1/mo
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Features Amazon CloudWatch Logs 4/4 · Datadog Logs 4/4
Log pipelines	✓	✓
Archive export	✓	✓
Live log tailing	✓	✓
Structured log parsing	✓	✓
Specs
Included ingestion	Not published	Not published
Log retention	Not published	15 days
Deployment options	Cloud	Cloud
Our review
Pros	Centralizes logs from AWS services, applications, and other sources Combines querying, Live Tail, metric filters, and retention controls Routes, transforms, masks, and exports log data across AWS services	Pipelines parse, enrich, process, and route logs from varied sources Correlates logs with metrics, traces, and security signals Live Tail, archiving, rehydration, and AI-powered insights are included
Cons	Usage-based pricing varies by Region and does not use fixed plans Its strongest ecosystem fit is centered on AWS services Cost comparison is less direct without a fixed entry plan	Cloud-only deployment limits on-premises use cases Usage-based pricing can require separate ingestion and indexing costs No free plan is available
Our verdict	Amazon CloudWatch Logs is a managed AWS service for collecting, centralizing, storing, searching, filtering, and analyzing logs. It is aimed at teams operating AWS resources, applications, and other sources that need one place for… Read the review →	Datadog Logs is a cloud log-management service for development, operations, security, and infrastructure teams. It collects logs from hosts, containers, cloud environments, applications, and other sources, then supports processing,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Amazon CloudWatch Logs — where it wins

  • Centralizes logs from AWS services, applications, and other sources
  • Combines querying, Live Tail, metric filters, and retention controls
  • Routes, transforms, masks, and exports log data across AWS services

  Where it doesn't

  • Usage-based pricing varies by Region and does not use fixed plans
  • Its strongest ecosystem fit is centered on AWS services
  • Cost comparison is less direct without a fixed entry plan

• Datadog Logs — where it wins

  • Pipelines parse, enrich, process, and route logs from varied sources
  • Correlates logs with metrics, traces, and security signals
  • Live Tail, archiving, rehydration, and AI-powered insights are included

  Where it doesn't

  • Cloud-only deployment limits on-premises use cases
  • Usage-based pricing can require separate ingestion and indexing costs
  • No free plan is available

• Amazon CloudWatch Logs8.0/10 · From $0.50

  A broad AWS-native log service with strong routing and analysis, priced by usage rather than fixed plans.

  Visit AWSFull verdict →
• Datadog Logs8.4/10 · From $0.10/mo · 14-day trial

  A capable cloud log service with flexible usage pricing, rich analysis, and no free plan.

  Visit DatadogFull verdict →