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Datadog APM VS Google StackDriver

Compare Datadog APM VS Google StackDriver and see what are their differences

Datadog APM logo Datadog APM

Datadog APM is one of the powerful tools that allows deep visibility into your application with out-of-the-box performance dashboards for web services, queues, and databases to observe requests, errors, or latency.

Google StackDriver logo Google StackDriver

Stackdriver provides monitoring services for cloud-powered applications.
  • Datadog APM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-20
  • Google StackDriver Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11

Datadog APM features and specs

  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    Datadog APM provides end-to-end visibility into application performance, monitoring everything from front-end services to back-end queues. This ensures that users can identify and address issues at any layer of the application stack.
  • Unified Platform
    It integrates seamlessly with other Datadog products. This unified approach allows users to correlate data across logs, metrics, and resources, enabling more efficient troubleshooting and performance optimization.
  • Scalability
    Datadog APM is designed to scale effortlessly with growing data and traffic, making it suitable for organizations of various sizes and industries.
  • Real-time Monitoring and Alerts
    Provides real-time performance monitoring with customizable alerting capabilities, allowing teams to respond quickly to potential performance degradation or outages.
  • Broad Integration Support
    Supports a wide range of integrations with popular cloud providers, platforms, frameworks, and third-party tools, allowing for greater flexibility and ease of implementation in diverse IT environments.

Possible disadvantages of Datadog APM

  • Pricing Complexity
    Datadog's pricing model can become complex and potentially expensive, especially for organizations that scale their usage or require numerous integrations and extended features.
  • Learning Curve
    For new users or smaller teams, there may be a substantial learning curve due to its extensive features and capabilities. Time and effort are required to fully leverage the platform's potential.
  • Data Storage Limitations
    Retention periods for APM data may be limited, which could necessitate additional solutions or costs if long-term data storage is required for compliance or extended analysis purposes.
  • Complex Setup
    Initial implementation and configuration can be complex, especially for organizations with unique or intricate IT environments. It may require dedicated time and resources to achieve optimal setup.
  • Resource Intensive
    Datadog APM agents can be resource-intensive, and depending on the application's architecture, may impact system performance on monitored hosts.

Google StackDriver features and specs

  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    Google StackDriver provides extensive monitoring capabilities for applications running on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), and even on-premises systems. This centralized monitoring offers seamless integration and a unified view of the health of your entire infrastructure.
  • Integrated Logging
    StackDriver includes powerful logging capabilities that allow you to collect, analyze, and visualize logs from various sources. Its integration with Google Cloud Logging allows for easy search, alerting, and insights.
  • Alerting and Incident Response
    StackDriver comes with advanced alerting features that notify you of any issues in real-time. It supports multiple channels like email, SMS, and third-party services, helping you respond proactively to incidents.
  • Auto-Generated Dashboards
    StackDriver provides auto-generated dashboards for various GCP and AWS services, making it easier for users to start monitoring their cloud resources immediately without extensive configuration.
  • Integration with Other Google Services
    Being a part of Google Cloud, StackDriver seamlessly integrates with other Google services such as BigQuery, Cloud Storage, and Google Kubernetes Engine, among others, providing more robust data analysis and visualization capabilities.

Possible disadvantages of Google StackDriver

  • Cost
    The pricing for StackDriver can become expensive, especially for large-scale applications with a significant number of resources and logs. Costs can quickly escalate based on usage, making budgeting a challenge.
  • Complexity
    While StackDriver offers a comprehensive set of features, the platform can be complex to set up and configure correctly, particularly for newcomers or smaller teams without dedicated DevOps resources.
  • AWS Integration Limitations
    Although StackDriver supports AWS, the integration is not as deep as it is with GCP. Some advanced features and metrics may not be available for AWS resources, limiting its effectiveness for multi-cloud environments.
  • Learning Curve
    The extensive functionality of StackDriver comes with a steep learning curve. Users may require significant time and training to fully leverage all the features and to set up effective monitoring and alerting systems.
  • Data Retention Limitations
    StackDriver's data retention policies might be restrictive for some use cases. By default, log data retention is limited, and extending the retention period can incur additional costs, affecting long-term analysis and auditing.

Analysis of Google StackDriver

Overall verdict

  • Google StackDriver is considered a good solution for operations management within the Google Cloud ecosystem. It offers comprehensive monitoring and logging capabilities, making it an advantageous choice for organizations already utilizing Google Cloud services.

Why this product is good

  • Google StackDriver, now known as Google Cloud Operations Suite, is generally regarded as a robust tool for monitoring, logging, and debugging applications running on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and on-premises. It integrates seamlessly with other Google Cloud services, providing a unified view of your resources. Its features like real-time monitoring, alerting, and metric visualization help in maintaining application performance and reliability.

Recommended for

    Google StackDriver is recommended for organizations using Google Cloud Platform looking to leverage integrated monitoring and logging solutions. It is especially beneficial for DevOps teams, system administrators, and developers who need detailed insights and alerting for GCP-hosted applications. Businesses seeking a unified monitoring solution for hybrid environments that include both cloud and on-premises systems will also find it beneficial.

Datadog APM videos

Setup Datadog APM in One Minute

Google StackDriver videos

Google Stackdriver Monitoring | Walkthrough, Thoughts, and Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Datadog APM and Google StackDriver)
Business & Commerce
47 47%
53% 53
Monitoring Tools
17 17%
83% 83
Tool
100 100%
0% 0
Log Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Google StackDriver seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Datadog APM mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Datadog APM yet. Tracking of Datadog APM recommendations started around Aug 2021.

Google StackDriver mentions (1)

  • 10 Best Cloud Monitoring Tools for 2025
    Formerly Stackdriver, Google Cloud Operations Suite offers monitoring, logging, and diagnostics for applications on Google Cloud Platform. It provides real-time insights and integrates seamlessly with other Google Cloud services. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Datadog APM and Google StackDriver, you can also consider the following products

eG Enterprise - From application performance to user experience to infrastructure usage, get performance answers from a single console. Troubleshoot fast with actionable insights.

Devo - Devo delivers real-time operational & business value from analytics on streaming and historical data to operations.

Netflow Network Forensics - Netflow Network Forensics is an application monitoring tool that monitors packets and analyzes traffic activity for intrusion or malware detection.

Komodor - The Kubernetes native troubleshooting platform

Sematext - Troubleshooting just got easier.

AppDynamics - Get real-time insight from your apps using Application Performance Managementโ€”how theyโ€™re being used, how theyโ€™re performing, where they need help.