Switch From Datadog: Cut Costs and Scale Further With SolarWinds Observability
See it all. Solve it faster. SolarWinds delivers more scalability and lower total cost of ownership than Datadog .Use AI-powered insights to filter noise and gain actionable intelligence for your entire IT ecosystem. Try it free for 30 days.
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Monitor and Observe Everything From Anywhere
Your Hybrid IT
Achieve greater flexibility, scalability, and value with full-stack visibility for your on-prem, hybrid, and cloud-native IT.
AI-Powered Insights
Accelerate performance, optimize costs, and deliver superior customer experience with artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML).
Deployment Your Way
Choose software as a service (SaaS) or self-hosted. SolarWinds adapts to your architecture, not the other way around.
Built for Scale
SolarWinds provides proven enterprise-grade performance across thousands of monitored assets, with no hidden costs.
Ready to Replace Datadog With a Smarter, More Flexible Solution?
84%
of Fortune 500® companies use Solarwinds
31
Awards received in 2023
SolarWinds customers worldwide
How SolarWinds Offers Superior Value
SolarWinds | Datadog | |
|---|---|---|
Flexible deployment (SaaS or Self-Hosted) | SaaS only | |
Full-stack dependence visualization | Not supported | |
Integrated database observability | Not as extensive | |
Extensive support for legacy environments | Limited out-of-the-box support | |
Industry-leading, deep network path visibility | No equivalent to NetPath | |
Dedicated monitoring for WAN/software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) | Basic WAN monitoring; not as extensive | |
Advanced VoIP monitoring via SolarWinds® VoIP & Network Quality Manager | Basic SNMP-based metrics | |
Deep infrastructure monitoring for hybrid IT | Focused on cloud-native and virtual environments | |
Easy, comprehensive network configuration management | Complex setup and configuration, with scripting often required | |
Native integration with SolarWinds Service Desk | Requires third-party solution integrations | |
Modular and transparent pricing—no surprises | Can be opaque and complex, especially at scale or with add-ons | |
24/7 phone and chat support for all customers | Requires purchase of higher support packages | |
Own and store your data as long as you need (Self-Hosted option) | Requires purchase of higher support packages |
Product specifications and other information set forth herein have either been made accessible by suppliers, manufacturers, or publications or gathered from publicly available sources as of the date of this document. Although measures are taken to ensure the accuracy of the information, SolarWinds makes no representations or warranties as to the completeness or accuracy of the information and shall incur no liability for any errors or omissions. (As of September 2025)
SolarWinds vs. Datadog
How does SolarWinds Observability compare to Datadog offerings?
How does SolarWinds Observability compare to Datadog offerings?
While both platforms help organizations gain visibility into complex IT environments, SolarWinds Observability is designed to deliver deeper coverage, greater flexibility, and more proactive insights than Datadog.
- Unified Hybrid Observability, Not Just SaaS: Datadog is SaaS-only and has limited on-premises support. SolarWinds provides complete visibility across hybrid IT—networks, infrastructure, and cloud—through both SaaS and self-hosted deployment options. This flexibility ensures organizations can “observe everything from anywhere” without gaps or forced transitions.
- Proactive AI-Powered Insights vs. Reactive Correlations: Datadog relies heavily on alert correlation, which often surfaces symptoms rather than true root causes. SolarWinds integrates built-in AI and ML with “Root Cause Assist” to identify and resolve underlying issues faster, reducing downtime and improving end-user experiences.
- Consolidation Without Complexity: Datadog emphasizes integrations with third-party tools but often requires stitching together multiple products and add-ons to achieve full coverage. SolarWinds delivers unified observability—network, infrastructure, applications, and digital experience—in a single platform, simplifying tool sprawl while reducing total cost of ownership.
- Enhanced Network and Infrastructure Monitoring: SolarWinds offers advanced capabilities such as network performance monitoring, traffic analysis, and support for SD-WAN and wireless environments—areas where Datadog coverage is limited.
In short, SolarWinds Observability is purpose-built to provide complete hybrid visibility, faster problem resolution, and simplified operations—helping teams shift from reactive firefighting to proactive performance management.
What are the key differences in deployment options between the two?
What are the key differences in deployment options between the two?
SolarWinds offers flexible deployment options, allowing customers to choose between self-hosted or SaaS solutions, with easy integration between the two. Datadog, on the other hand, is a SaaS-only platform that does not offer an on-premises deployment option.
How do their respective approaches to root cause analysis differ?
How do their respective approaches to root cause analysis differ?
SolarWinds uses built-in AI and ML to help customers catch issues early and resolve them faster. Datadog's root cause analysis is described as falling short because it only correlates alerts, which are symptoms, and doesn't drill down to the actual underlying issues. The SolarWinds AI-driven "Root Cause Assist" feature is a key point of differentiation.
Does Datadog support hybrid and on-premises environments?
Does Datadog support hybrid and on-premises environments?
Not effectively. Datadog is primarily SaaS-focused and lacks strong support for on-premises infrastructure. SolarWinds, on the other hand, allows organizations to observe everything from anywhere with full hybrid coverage.
Can SolarWinds integrate with third-party tools like Datadog does?
Can SolarWinds integrate with third-party tools like Datadog does?
Yes. While Datadog has broad integrations, SolarWinds also provides strong integration capabilities and adds advanced network and infrastructure monitoring (e.g., SD-WAN, wireless access points) that Datadog lacks.
How does the cost compare between Datadog and SolarWinds?
How does the cost compare between Datadog and SolarWinds?
Datadog pricing can escalate quickly as monitoring needs grow. SolarWinds offers more predictable cost structures, making it easier for IT teams to manage budgets while scaling.
If my company is cloud native, is SolarWinds still a good choice?
If my company is cloud native, is SolarWinds still a good choice?
Yes. SolarWinds supports cloud-native environments while also offering broader visibility into networks and infrastructure. This ensures that as your architecture evolves, you won’t outgrow your observability solution.