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Head-to-head · Synthetic Monitoring

Checkly vs Datadog Synthetic Monitoring

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Checkly #1 in Synthetic Monitoring 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Checkly
Datadog Synthetic Monitoring #4 in Synthetic Monitoring 8.9/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Datadog

Checkly leads on 1 check, Datadog Synthetic Monitoring on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreCheckly · 9.4/10
  • Free planonly Checkly
  • Free trialonly Datadog Synthetic Monitoring
  • Most featuresDatadog Synthetic Monitoring · 4 of 4

Checkly scores higher on our rubric for synthetic monitoring: 9.4 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #4.

Checkly offers free plan; Datadog Synthetic Monitoring doesn't.

Checkly is the better fit for broad synthetic coverage with a free entry plan. Datadog Synthetic Monitoring is the better fit for observability teams needing synthetic breadth.

  • Checkly fits best

    Broad synthetic coverage with a free entry plan

  • Datadog Synthetic Monitoring fits best

    Observability teams needing synthetic breadth

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Checkly 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Datadog Synthetic Monitoring 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.9
Ranking #1 in Synthetic Monitoring #4 in Synthetic Monitoring
Best for Broad synthetic coverage with a free entry plan Observability teams needing synthetic breadth
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $24/mo $5/unit/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — 14 days
Deployment Cloud Cloud
Platforms Web Web
Support Email, Live chat, Community, Docs · 24/7 Email, Phone, Docs
Compliance SOC 2, GDPR, SSO/SAML, 2FA SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS
Integrations 20 integrations 9 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Checkly 0/4 · Datadog Synthetic Monitoring 4/4
Browser checks Not checked yet ✓ (best)
API checks Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Transaction checks Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Journey checks Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Specs
Locations Not checked yet Not checked yet
Fastest schedule Not checked yet 1-minute
Our review
Pros
  • Covers browser, API, network, SSL, DNS, and scheduled-job checks
  • Supports monitoring as code with CLI, Terraform, and Pulumi
  • Offers global and private locations with programmable alerting
  • Covers API, browser, mobile, and network testing
  • Connects failed synthetic tests with APM traces
  • Supports private locations, Terraform, and CI/CD integrations
Cons
  • Private locations and 22 public locations start with the Team plan
  • The free Hobby plan limits alerting to email, Slack, and webhooks
  • Enterprise pricing is customized rather than published as a fixed tier
  • No free plan is available
  • Usage-based pricing spans different test-run units
  • Monthly pricing costs more than annual pricing
Our verdict

Checkly is a cloud monitoring platform for developers, SREs, and QA teams. It covers websites, APIs, services, DNS records, TCP endpoints, TLS certificates, scheduled jobs, and network paths from global locations. Browser and Playwright…

Read the review →

Datadog Synthetic Monitoring simulates API requests, browser interactions, mobile-app flows, and network checks to monitor availability and performance. It is designed for development, operations, and engineering teams that need proactive…

Read the review →
  1. ChecklySynthetic Monitoring 9.4Free plan
  2. Datadog Synthetic MonitoringSynthetic Monitoring 8.914-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Checkly — where it wins

    • Covers browser, API, network, SSL, DNS, and scheduled-job checks
    • Supports monitoring as code with CLI, Terraform, and Pulumi
    • Offers global and private locations with programmable alerting

    Where it doesn't

    • Private locations and 22 public locations start with the Team plan
    • The free Hobby plan limits alerting to email, Slack, and webhooks
    • Enterprise pricing is customized rather than published as a fixed tier

  • Datadog Synthetic Monitoring — where it wins

    • Covers API, browser, mobile, and network testing
    • Connects failed synthetic tests with APM traces
    • Supports private locations, Terraform, and CI/CD integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan is available
    • Usage-based pricing spans different test-run units
    • Monthly pricing costs more than annual pricing
  • Checkly9.4/10 · Free plan

    Broad synthetic monitoring coverage with a free plan and paid features for growing teams.

    Visit ChecklyFull verdict →
  • Datadog Synthetic Monitoring8.9/10 · 14-day trial

    Broad synthetic coverage with deep Datadog observability and usage-based pricing.

    Visit DatadogFull verdict →

More comparisons

All synthetic monitoring comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update