Datadog vs Papertrail Pricing (2026)

Price is one row. To weigh the features too, use our feature comparison template →

Which one is cheaper?

Papertrail is the cheaper option, starting at $5/mo vs $18/mo for Datadog.

Can I use either one for free?

Datadog has a free plan. Papertrail doesn't — though they do offer a free trial.

How do they charge?

Both use a usage-based model, so the comparison is straightforward — it comes down to features and limits at each price point.

Which one is a better deal?

Depends on what you need. Datadog: At $18-27/host, Datadog sits firmly in the premium tier of observability — more expensive than open-source stacks like Grafana + Prometheus, and pricier than New Relic's per-user model for many team sizes. They're not chasing budget buyers; they're targeting mid-market and enterprise engineering orgs that want a single pane of glass and are willing to pay for it. Papertrail: Sitting in the mid-to-premium range for log management, especially once overage kicks in at a 30% markup — that's a real penalty for teams that underestimate their volume. This setup targets teams that want predictable, straightforward pricing over the complexity of feature-tiered competitors, but it can bite unpredictable or bursty workloads.

Still deciding? See the best Datadog alternatives or the best Papertrail alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.