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Head-to-head · Continuous Profiling Tools

Datadog Continuous Profiler vs Splunk APM

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Datadog Continuous Profiler #2 in Continuous Profiling Tools 9.2/10 From $19/mo (annual) · 14-day trial ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Datadog
Splunk APM #8 in Continuous Profiling Tools 8.3/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Splunk APM

Datadog Continuous Profiler leads on 2 checks, Splunk APM on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreDatadog Continuous Profiler · 9.2/10
  • Most featuresDatadog Continuous Profiler · 2 of 2

Datadog Continuous Profiler scores higher on our rubric for continuous profiling tools: 9.2 against 8.3 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #8.

Datadog Continuous Profiler offers source map support; Splunk APM doesn't publish it. Datadog Continuous Profiler offers continuous alerts; Splunk APM doesn't publish it.

Datadog Continuous Profiler is the better fit for enterprises needing broad production profiling. Splunk APM is the better fit for splunk users needing correlated application profiling.

  • Datadog Continuous Profiler fits best

    Enterprises needing broad production profiling

  • Splunk APM fits best

    Splunk users needing correlated application profiling

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. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Datadog Continuous Profiler 9.2/10 Visit ↗ Splunk APM 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.3
Ranking #2 in Continuous Profiling Tools #8 in Continuous Profiling Tools
Best for Enterprises needing broad production profiling Splunk users needing correlated application profiling
Pricing model Paid Paid
Starting price $19/mo Not published
Free plan — —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Cloud
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Web
Support Email, Live chat, Tickets, Community, Docs Docs
Integrations 4 integrations 100+ integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Datadog Continuous Profiler 2/2 · Splunk APM 0/2
Source map support ✓ (best) Not published
Continuous alerts ✓ (best) Not published
Specs
Deployment Cloud Not published
Language support Java, .NET, Go, Python, Ruby, Node.js, PHP; C, C++, and Rust beta Not published
Profiling types CPU, memory, allocations, live heap, wall time, locks, exceptions, file I/O, socket I/O, goroutines Not published
Data retention 8 days Not published
Our review
Pros
  • Profiles CPU, memory, locks, wall time, allocations, and I/O
  • Correlates traces with profiles and supports line-level analysis
  • Integrates with Datadog APM, dashboards, agents, and monitors
  • AlwaysOn Profiling supports Java, .NET and Node.js.
  • Correlates traces, profiling, metrics and logs.
  • OpenTelemetry-native instrumentation with distributed tracing.
Cons
  • Starts at $19 per profiled host monthly with annual billing
  • Month-to-month pricing rises to $23 per profiled host monthly
  • C, C++, and Rust support is listed as beta
  • The App & Infra bundle starts at $60 per host monthly.
  • Listed pricing uses annual billing.
  • Cloud deployment may not suit teams needing another model.
Our verdict

Datadog Continuous Profiler analyzes application behavior in production for engineering teams that need ongoing visibility into performance. It covers CPU, memory, allocations, live heap, wall time, locks, exceptions, file I/O, socket I/O,…

Read the review →

Splunk APM is a cloud-based application performance monitoring service for engineering, DevOps and SRE teams operating distributed applications, microservices and monoliths. It combines distributed tracing, full-fidelity span collection,…

Read the review →
  1. Datadog Continuous ProfilerContinuous Profiling Tools 9.2From $19/mo (annual) · 14-day trial
  2. Splunk APMContinuous Profiling Tools 8.3Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Datadog Continuous Profiler — where it wins

    • Profiles CPU, memory, locks, wall time, allocations, and I/O
    • Correlates traces with profiles and supports line-level analysis
    • Integrates with Datadog APM, dashboards, agents, and monitors

    Where it doesn't

    • Starts at $19 per profiled host monthly with annual billing
    • Month-to-month pricing rises to $23 per profiled host monthly
    • C, C++, and Rust support is listed as beta

  • Splunk APM — where it wins

    • AlwaysOn Profiling supports Java, .NET and Node.js.
    • Correlates traces, profiling, metrics and logs.
    • OpenTelemetry-native instrumentation with distributed tracing.

    Where it doesn't

    • The App & Infra bundle starts at $60 per host monthly.
    • Listed pricing uses annual billing.
    • Cloud deployment may not suit teams needing another model.
  • Datadog Continuous Profiler9.2/10 · From $19/mo (annual) · 14-day trial

    Broad production profiling with Datadog integrations, starting at $19 per host monthly.

    Visit DatadogFull verdict →
  • Splunk APM8.3/10 · Paid

    A strong fit for Splunk users who need profiling tied to traces, metrics and logs.

    Visit Splunk APMFull verdict →

More comparisons

All continuous profiling tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update