Datadog vs New Relic: Which Monitoring Tool is Better for Your Infrastructure

October 19, 2021

Introduction

Cloud automation and infrastructure monitoring have become essential components of modern-day IT infrastructure management, resulting in the rise of numerous monitoring tools available in the market today. Among these, Datadog and New Relic are two of the most popular monitoring tools. If you are considering which monitoring tool to adopt for your infrastructure, then you are in the right place. This blog post aims to provide an unbiased comparison of Datadog and New Relic, including their similarities, differences, and which tool is suitable for your infrastructure. Let's dive in!

Similarities between Datadog and New Relic

Datadog and New Relic share several similarities in terms of what they do. Both tools offer:

  • Cloud infrastructure monitoring
  • Customizable dashboards to monitor your infrastructure
  • Real-time operations monitoring
  • Ability to measure user experience (UX) performance

Key Differences between Datadog and New Relic

Although they share several similarities, there are fundamental differences between Datadog and New Relic. Here are some of the differences between these two tools:

Pricing

One of the significant differences between Datadog and New Relic is pricing. Datadog offers cost-based pricing, where you only pay for what you consume. On the other hand, New Relic has a subscription-based pricing model. Datadog's pricing model is more flexible and convenient for customers as it reduces costs by aligning your investment with your infrastructure usage.

Agent-Based Architecture

Datadog uses an agent-based architecture, meaning that it deploys an agent on each host. On the other hand, New Relic uses agentless architecture, meaning that it doesn't require deployment of an agent on the host. Datadog's agent-based architecture has unique advantages such as tracking host performance with minimal overhead.

Integration

Datadog and New Relic also differ in terms of their integration capabilities. Datadog has better integration capabilities as compared to New Relic due to its larger community size. Datadog offers more than 400 integrations to popular third-party software while New Relic offers around 200 integrations.

Notification Systems

Both New Relic and Datadog offer notification systems to keep track of infrastructure performance issues. However, notification systems in Datadog are more customizable and flexible as compared to those in New Relic. Datadog allows users to filter notifications based on a wide variety of criteria, making it easy to ensure that only essential notifications are received.

Which Tool is Suitable for Your Infrastructure?

Determining the best monitoring tool for your infrastructure depends on several factors such as organization size, infrastructure complexity, and budget. In terms of pricing and integration capabilities, Datadog is a better option. Additionally, its agent-based architecture and customizable notification systems make it the best fit for complex infrastructures. On the other hand, New Relic is a better option for small to medium-sized businesses with basic monitoring needs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it's essential to choose the right monitoring tool to ensure optimal infrastructure performance. Datadog and New Relic are both excellent monitoring tools, but they differ in several ways. If you are looking for a monitoring tool with customization, flexibility, and great integration capabilities, then Datadog is the best choice. However, for small to medium-sized businesses with basic monitoring needs, New Relic is a great option. So, which tool fits your infrastructure? Let us know in the comments below.

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