Compare / Comparison / App monitoring

Datadog vs New Relic

Matt Turley, Continuum. Updated 2026-11-05.

We sell Continuum Keep it running, so we say where the other options fit better. Links to other companies go to their own sites and carry no affiliate codes.

The short answer

Datadog vs New Relic

Neither is better for everyone. Datadog suits teams running multiple hosts that want one platform across infrastructure, APM and logs; per-host pricing makes it harder to estimate for very small apps. New Relic suits teams whose monthly data volume stays within its free allowance and who need one full user.

Datadog vs New Relic at a glance

This page compares Datadog and New Relic using only what the sources below say about each. Where one is the better pick for a situation, we say which and why.

Datadog and New Relic side by side, from the cited sources.
Datadog and New Relic side by side, from the cited sources.
QuestionDatadogNew Relic
What it isDatadog is a monitoring platform sold as separate per-host and usage-based products such as Infrastructure Monitoring and APM. [1]New Relic is an observability platform with a usage-based model priced on data ingest and users. [2]
Confirmed priceInfrastructure Pro $15 per host per month billed annually; $18 on demand [1]; APM (with Infrastructure attached) $31 per host per month billed annually; $36 on demand [1]Free $0 [2]; Standard overage $0.40 per GB beyond 100 GB (sources also show $0.35 and $0.30) [3]
Free planYes, per the sourcesYes, per the sources
SuitsTeams running multiple hosts that want one platform across infrastructure, APM and logs; per-host pricing makes it harder to estimate for very small apps.Teams whose monthly data volume stays within its free allowance and who need one full user.

We read each source on 2026-11-05. Prices and limits change often, so confirm on the vendor's own page before you buy. A figure marked "one source only" was not matched by a second publisher.

When to pick each one

Pick Datadog if it matches your situation

Choose Datadog over New Relic for teams running multiple hosts that want one platform across infrastructure, APM and logs; per-host pricing makes it harder to estimate for very small apps.

What the sources say about Datadog:

  • The pricing page lists Infrastructure Pro at $15 per host per month billed annually, or $18 on demand.[1]
  • The pricing page lists APM at $31 per host per month with Infrastructure Monitoring attached (billed annually), and its FAQ gives standalone prices of $36 for APM, $41 for APM Pro and $47 for APM Enterprise.[1]
  • The APM billing documentation lists $31 per underlying APM host per month and $35 for APM Pro.[4]

Pick New Relic if it matches your situation

Choose New Relic over Datadog for teams whose monthly data volume stays within its free allowance and who need one full user.

Limits and things to check

Datadog

  • Per a third-party summary, every billable APM host requires Pro or Enterprise Infrastructure Monitoring, so a traced host costs roughly $46 per month on the Pro path.[5] One source only.
  • Per a third-party summary, hosts are counted at the peak for the month after discarding the top 1 percent of hours.[5] One source only.

New Relic

  • The free tier is perpetual and includes 100 GB of ingest per month and one full platform user.[2]
  • New Relic sends an alert at 85 percent of the 100 GB cap, and ingest stops past 100 GB until you upgrade or the month resets.[3]
  • Overage rate beyond the free 100 GB is shown as $0.40 per GB on the info page, $0.35 per GB on one pricing-page snapshot and $0.30 per GB on another; these conflict.[3]

Pricing as reported

Datadog

Pricing as reported for Datadog:

  • Infrastructure Free: $0 (5 hosts, 1-day retention (third-party reported)) [5] One source only, so confirm it on the vendor page.
  • Infrastructure Pro: $15 per host per month billed annually; $18 on demand (Per host, per month) [1]
  • APM (with Infrastructure attached): $31 per host per month billed annually; $36 on demand (Requires Infrastructure Monitoring on the host; standalone APM is $36 per host per month billed annually) [1]

New Relic

Pricing as reported for New Relic:

  • Free: $0 (100 GB data ingest per month, one full platform user, unlimited basic users, no credit card needed) [2]
  • Standard overage: $0.40 per GB beyond 100 GB (sources also show $0.35 and $0.30) (Original data beyond the free 100 GB; additional full platform users $99 per month each, up to five, per New Relic info page) [3]

Where Continuum fits

We make Continuum Keep it running. Weigh what we say here with that in mind. The tools above are the better choice when you want software you run yourself; ours is the better choice when you want a person to do or read the work.

Continuum Keep it running (ours)

A monthly retainer where a person handles monitoring, security and dependency patching, and incident triage for an app.[6]

What our own page says:

  • It is a service with a person in the loop, not a self-serve monitoring product.[6]

Limits and things to check:

  • It does not replace an error tracker or uptime tool you want to read yourself.[6]

Pricing as reported for Continuum Keep it running:

  • Keep it running: $500/mo (Keep-alive level) [6]

Suits a founder who wants someone else to watch the app and respond when it breaks.

Details on Continuum Keep it running.

Know what breaks first

Monitoring tells you after a failure. A pre-launch review tells you what is likely to fail. See the Ship Check
Book a call →See all services and prices →
FAQ

Straight answers

Is Datadog or New Relic better?
Neither is better in general. Datadog suits teams running multiple hosts that want one platform across infrastructure, APM and logs; per-host pricing makes it harder to estimate for very small apps. New Relic suits teams whose monthly data volume stays within its free allowance and who need one full user.
Do Datadog and New Relic have free plans?
Datadog and New Relic have a free plan or tier per the sources we read. Check limits on the vendor page.
When were these sources read?
All sources on this page were read on 2026-11-05. Prices and limits change, so confirm on the vendor page before you buy.
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Sources
  1. 1. Datadog pricing, Datadog, 2026-11-05: Datadog's own page
  2. 2. New Relic free tier, New Relic, 2026-11-05: New Relic's own page
  3. 3. New Relic pricing info, New Relic, 2026-11-05: New Relic's own page
  4. 4. Datadog APM Billing, Datadog, 2026-11-05: Datadog's own page
  5. 5. Datadog Pricing 2026 (Activepieces), Activepieces, 2026-11-05: third-party page
  6. 6. Continuum Keep it running on uxcontinuum.com, Continuum, 2026-11-05: Continuum Keep it running's own page
Datadog vs New Relic | Continuum