Best Datadog APM Alternatives in 2026
The top Datadog APM alternatives are Elastic APM, Middleware and Dynatrace Application Monitoring: 15 application performance monitoring our editors would look at instead of Datadog APM, in our ranking order.
Datadog APM: A broad cloud APM suite with strong tracing and telemetry links, priced per host. Where it falls short: no free plan is available.
Switching from Datadog APM? For most application performance monitoring buyers the best Datadog APM alternative is Elastic APM, built for open, hybrid APM with broad observability. On a budget, Dynatrace Application Monitoring starts at $7/device/mo.
Why People Look for a Datadog APM Alternative
- No free plan is available
- Starts at $31 per APM host per month with annual billing
- Requires the Datadog Agent for telemetry collection in supported environments
- No free plan — 10 of the alternatives below have it
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallElastic APM9.4
Open, hybrid APM with broad observability
Visit Elastic APM - Lowest priceDynatrace Application Monitoring9.2
Paid plans from $7/device/mo
Visit Dynatrace Application Monitoring - Best free optionElastic APM9.4
Has a free plan (Datadog APM has none)
Visit Elastic APM
All 15 Datadog APM Alternatives, Ranked
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.
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Best forOpen, hybrid APM with broad observability
- Better than Datadog APM:
- Free plan
- Editor score 9.4 vs 9.0
A flexible APM for teams that want open deployment and broad observability.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
9.4/10★★★★★Visit Elastic APM -
Best forFlexible hybrid monitoring on a free plan
- Better than Datadog APM:
- Free plan
- Editor score 9.3 vs 9.0
Flexible hybrid APM with broad telemetry coverage and usage-based paid pricing.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
9.3/10★★★★★Visit Middleware -
Best forEnterprise teams needing comprehensive APM
- Better than Datadog APM:
- Editor score 9.2 vs 9.0
A broad hybrid APM platform for enterprise teams that need end-to-end visibility.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Dynatrace -
Best forEnterprise transaction monitoring with hybrid deployment
- Better than Datadog APM:
- Editor score 9.1 vs 9.0
Enterprise transaction monitoring with tracing, analytics, and hybrid deployment.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
9.1/10★★★★★Visit AppDynamics -
Best forAutomatic hybrid observability for enterprises
Automatic hybrid observability with tracing, topology, profiling, RUM, and root-cause analysis.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit IBM Instana -
Best forTeams wanting a mature cloud platform
- Better than Datadog APM:
- Free plan
A cloud APM platform with broad tracing and monitoring, plus a perpetual free tier.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit New Relic -
Best forSelf-hosted teams needing deep observability
- Better than Datadog APM:
- Free plan
A broad self-hosted APM suite for teams that need tracing, metrics, logs, and topology.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit SkyWalking -
Best forOpenTelemetry-focused cloud teams
- Better than Datadog APM:
- Free plan
Cloud APM with correlated telemetry and usage-based Pro pricing.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit Grafana Cloud -
Best foreBPF-based Kubernetes and hybrid APM
- Better than Datadog APM:
- Free plan
A focused Kubernetes and hybrid APM platform with free entry access.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit groundcover -
Best forOpen-source APM with strong trace analysis
- Better than Datadog APM:
- Free plan
A strong open-source APM for teams that want deep tracing and deployment control.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit SigNoz -
Best forBroad hybrid monitoring with perpetual licensing
- Better than Datadog APM:
- Free plan
Broad hybrid observability with flexible annual and perpetual licensing.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit ManageEngine -
Best forOpenTelemetry tracing with self-hosted flexibility
- Better than Datadog APM:
- Free plan
A flexible APM platform for tracing, telemetry search, and self-hosted deployments.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Uptrace -
Best forSelf-hosted APM with remediation workflows
A self-hosted APM platform that connects observability with incident response and remediation.
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
- Distributed tracing
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Pointer -
Best forFull-fidelity tracing in Splunk environments
Deep tracing and telemetry correlation for teams already operating in Splunk environments.
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
- Distributed tracing
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Splunk -
Best forHigh-cardinality telemetry investigation
- Better than Datadog APM:
- Free plan
A strong fit for investigating complex, high-cardinality production telemetry.
- Real user monitoring
- Dependency mapping
- Log correlation
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Honeycomb
Datadog APM Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Datadog APM?
Elastic APM: #1 in our Application Performance Monitoring ranking, with an editor score of 9.4 out of 10. A flexible APM for teams that want open deployment and broad observability.
Is there a free alternative to Datadog APM?
Yes. Elastic APM, Middleware, New Relic APM, Apache SkyWalking and Grafana Cloud Application Observability have a free plan or a free tier (11 of the 15 alternatives on this page).
What is the cheapest paid alternative to Datadog APM?
Of the alternatives here that publish a price, Dynatrace Application Monitoring starts lowest, at $7/device/mo.
Why do people look for Datadog APM alternatives?
No free plan is available; Starts at $31 per APM host per month with annual billing; Requires the Datadog Agent for telemetry collection in supported environments.
How do I switch from Datadog APM?
Export your data from Datadog APM (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Datadog APM.
How to Switch from Datadog APM
- Export your data from Datadog APM (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Datadog APM.
Datadog APM vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Distributed tracing | Transaction tracing | Dependency mapping | Real user monitoring | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Datadog APM | No | $31/unit/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 1 | Elastic APM | Yes | $99/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.4 |
| 2 | Middleware | Yes | $0.30/GB usage-based | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.3 |
| 3 | Dynatrace Application Monitoring | No | $7/device/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.2 |
| 4 | Splunk AppDynamics | No | $6/unit/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.1 |
| 5 | IBM Instana Observability | No | $21.20/unit/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.9 |
| 6 | New Relic APM | Yes | $10/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.8 |
| 7 | Apache SkyWalking | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.7 |
| 8 | Grafana Cloud Application Observability | Yes | $0.03/unit usage-based | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.6 |
| 9 | groundcover | Yes | $30/unit/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.5 |
| 10 | SigNoz | Yes | $49/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.4 |
| 11 | ManageEngine Applications Manager | Yes | $395/yr | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.3 |
| 12 | Uptrace | Yes | $39/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.2 |
| 13 | Pointer | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.1 | ||
| 14 | Splunk APM | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 8.0 | |
| 15 | Honeycomb | Yes | $150/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.9 |
Head-to-Head
- Datadog APM vs Elastic APM
- Datadog APM vs Middleware
- Datadog APM vs Dynatrace Application Monitoring
- Datadog APM vs Splunk AppDynamics
- Datadog APM vs IBM Instana Observability
- Datadog APM vs New Relic APM
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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