Which is better, Airbrake or Datadog APM?

Airbrake edges out Datadog APM based on user ratings across 52 reviews. That said, the best pick depends on your workflow — Datadog APM may be a stronger fit for specific team sizes or use cases. Review the full comparison to decide.

What are the main differences between Airbrake and Datadog APM?

Key differences between Airbrake and Datadog APM include pricing (Airbrake starts at $29 vs Datadog APM at $31); target audience (Airbrake targets Large Enterprises while Datadog APM serves Freelancers / Consultants). Use the Spotsaas comparison table to evaluate each dimension before deciding.

Do both Airbrake and Datadog APM offer a Free trial?

Yes, both Airbrake and Datadog APM offer a Free Trial.

Who are the typical users of Airbrake?

Airbrake is built primarily for Large Enterprises, Medium Business, Small Business — worth checking against your own team profile before comparing further.

Who are the typical users of Datadog APM?

Datadog APM is built primarily for Freelancers / Consultants, Large Enterprises, Medium Business, Small Business — worth checking against your own team profile before comparing further.

What is the starting price of Airbrake and Datadog APM?

Pricing for Airbrake starts at $29/Month, whereas Datadog APM starts at $31/Host/Month.

What are the best alternatives to Airbrake?

Some top alternatives to Airbrake include Sentry, Bugsnag, Zoho BugTracker, Rollbar, TrackJS.

What are the best alternatives to Datadog APM?

Some top alternatives to Datadog APM include Retrace, Scout APM, New Relic APM, Nastel AutoPilot, AppDynamics.

Airbrake vs Datadog APM Comparison

Last updated: July 14, 2026

Airbrake

4.6(52 reviews)

Starting at $29 /Month

Free Trial
Large Enterprises
Medium Business

Airbrake is a bug tracking system that grew out of the needs of developers working on jquery and other javascript libraries hosted by jquery.com. The goal was to create a bug tracking system that was lightweight and easy…

View Pricing Read Reviews

Datadog APM

4.1(142 reviews)

Starting at $31 /Host/Month

Free Trial
Freelancers / Consultants
Large Enterprises

Datadog APM provides team with visibility into the health and performance of applications across multiple clouds and on-premises environments. Datadog APM helps business get faster visibility into new application availab…

View Pricing Read Reviews

Airbrake leads on user satisfaction with a 4.6-star rating across 52 reviews.

Airbrake vs Datadog APM — at a glance

Feature	Airbrake	Datadog APM
Rating	4.6 / 5	4.1 / 5
Reviews	52	142
Starting price	$29 /Month	$31 /Host/Month
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Free version	No	No
Best for	Large Enterprises, Medium Business, Small Business	Freelancers / Consultants, Large Enterprises, Medium Business
Category	Bug Tracking Software	Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Tools
Platforms	SaaS/Web/Cloud, Mobile - Android, Mobile - iOS	SaaS/Web/Cloud
API	—	Available
Support modes	Business Hours, Online	Business Hours, Online
Certifications	SOC 2, GDPR	SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001
Data residency	Global	Global

Key differences between Airbrake and Datadog APM

Pricing: Airbrake starts at $29 /Month, while Datadog APM starts at $31 /Host/Month.
Target audience: Airbrake is built for Large Enterprises and Medium Business, while Datadog APM targets Freelancers / Consultants and Large Enterprises.
User satisfaction: Airbrake scores higher with a 4.6-star average.
Deployment: Airbrake supports SaaS/Web/Cloud, Mobile - Android, Mobile - iOS; Datadog APM supports SaaS/Web/Cloud.

Airbrake vs Datadog APM — find the better fit before you commit.

Which tool fits your team best

Which is actually cheaper for your team size

Where each product wins, per real buyers

Most Bug Tracking Software tools look identical on paper. This comparison cuts to the differences that matter — pricing structure, team fit, and what real buyers found after signing up.

Biggest differences

Features

Pricing

Buying details

Security

Buyer feedback

Integrations

Product tour

Other options

	Airbrake (52) Talk to an expert Talk to an expert	Datadog APM (153) Talk to an expert Talk to an expert

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Biggest differences

Affiliate Disclosure

Start here before you go deeper into features.

Airbrake

Best for developers needing reliable, real-time error tracking with Slack alerts.

Choose if

You want instant error notifications integrated directly into Slack channels.
Your team values simple setup and streamlined, easy-to-use bug tracking.
You need detailed stack traces and environment info for efficient debugging.

Consider alternatives if

You require a highly customizable or modern user interface experience.
Your organization has a very limited budget and needs lower-cost options.

Datadog APM

Best for deep, real-time monitoring of complex multi-cloud applications.

Choose if

You need powerful end-to-end tracing and root cause analysis dashboards.
Your team requires real-time alerts to respond immediately to issues.
You operate complex distributed systems across cloud and on-premises environments.

Consider alternatives if

You are a small business with limited budget due to high pricing.
Your team lacks capacity to manage complex configurations and data filtering.

Airbrake: Best for developers needing reliable, real-time error tracking with Slack alerts. Datadog APM: Best for deep, real-time monitoring of complex multi-cloud applications.

Description	Airbrake is a bug tracking system that grew out of the needs of developers working on jquery and other javascript libraries hosted by jquery.com. The goal was to create a bug tracking ... Read More about Airbrake	Datadog APM provides team with visibility into the health and performance of applications across multiple clouds and on-premises environments. Datadog APM helps business get faster ... Read More about Datadog APM
Entry Level Pricing	Starts from $29	Starts from $31 , billed annually, with Infrastructure Monitoring attached ($36 on-demand standalone)
Free Trial Availability	Get Free Trial	Get Free Trial
SpotScore What's this? ↗	9.2/10	9.8/10
User Ratings Based on verified Spotsaas reviews	4.58 (52)	4.13 (142)
Best Company Size	Small BusinessMedium Business	200-5000 employeesLarge Enterprises
	Get pricing help	Get pricing help

Where each option fits best

See where each product is strongest, which teams it fits, and what causes buyers to keep looking — before you commit.

Based on buyer reviews and verified product data collected by Spotsaas.

Strengths

Key strengths

Airbrake

No key benefits available yet.

Datadog APM

Datadog APM gives our team clear, actionable insights into application performance, helping us pinpoint bottlenecks and resolve issues faster—so we're always ahead of the curve.
With powerful end-to-end tracing and intuitive dashboards, Datadog simplifies complex performance data, letting administrators identify root causes of problems quickly and accurately.
As an analyst, I appreciate how smoothly Datadog integrates with our existing infrastructure. It reduces setup time significantly and lets us monitor everything from one centralized place.

Best fit

Airbrake

No best-fit guidance available yet.

Datadog APM

200 - 5000 employees
SaaS, Fintech, Martech, Revtech, E-commerce, Gaming, Healthcare, Media and Entertainment, Consulting
DevOps Engineers, Application Developers, Software Engineers, IT Operations Managers, Site Reliability Engineers (SREs), Technical Leads, Application Performance Analysts

Watchouts

Reasons buyers look elsewhere

Airbrake

No alternatives guidance available yet.

Datadog APM

Users may seek alternatives if Datadog APM's pricing becomes prohibitive, especially for smaller teams or startups needing cost-effective solutions with clearer pricing structures.
Organizations requiring deeper customization and flexibility in monitoring configurations might find Datadog APM restrictive and prefer more adaptable platforms.
Teams already invested in specific technology ecosystems (e.g., Microsoft Azure, AWS) may opt for native monitoring tools to ensure seamless integration and simplified management.

Software Demo

Demo

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How do Airbrake and Datadog APM Compare on Features?

Total Features	12 Features	9 Features
Unique Features	No unique features	No unique features
	Get Quote	Get Quote

Compare Airbrake and Datadog APM on pricing

Review starting price, plan structure, and free-trial access side by side so you can see which option fits your budget and buying process.

Pricing Option
Starting From	$29	$31 , billed annually, with Infrastructure Monitoring attached ($36 on-demand standalone)
Pricing Plans	Not Available	APM $31 /Host/Month Get Started Application performance monitoring Distributed tracing APM Pro $35 /Host/Month Get Started All APM features Data Streams Monitoring APM Enterprise $40 /Host/Month Get Started All APM Pro features Continuous Profiler
Pricing Page
	View detailed pricing	View detailed pricing

Other Details

Organization Types supported	Individuals Medium Business Small Business Freelancers Large Enterprises	Individuals Medium Business Small Business Freelancers Large Enterprises
Platforms Supported	Browser Based (Cloud) Mobile - Android Mobile - iOS Installed - Windows Installed - Mac Browser Based (Cloud)	Browser Based (Cloud) Mobile - Android Mobile - iOS Installed - Windows Installed - Mac Browser Based (Cloud)
Modes of support	24/7 (Live rep) Business Hours Online	24/7 (Live rep) Business Hours Online
API Support	Not Available	Available
	Get help choosing	Get help choosing

Security & Compliance

Certifications, data handling, and security controls for IT and compliance evaluators.

SOC 2	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
HIPAA	✗ No	✓ Yes
GDPR	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
ISO 27001	✗ No	✓ Yes
Single Sign-On (SSO)	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Multi-Factor Auth (MFA)	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Data Encryption	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Audit Logs	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Data Residency	🌐 Global	🌐 Global

Airbrake User Reviews & Rating Comparison

User Ratings	4.58 (based on 52 reviews)	4.13 (based on 142 reviews)
Rating Distribution	40 12 0 0 0	77 62 5 3 6
Spotsaas Editor’s POV generated by AI	Buyer sentiment Users generally appreciate Airbrake’s reliability, real-time error reporting, and Slack integration, though some desire improvements in UI and pricing transparency. What buyers like Ease of use Real-time error reporting Integration capabilities Common complaints User interface design Pricing concerns	Buyer sentiment Users appreciate Datadog APM's powerful monitoring and alerting capabilities but note challenges with pricing and complexity for smaller teams. What buyers like Ease of troubleshooting Real-time alerting Integration with existing systems Common complaints Complexity and learning curve Pricing and cost scalability
Pros and Cons	Instant error visibility through Slack integration enabling quick notifications Easy to use with clear and detailed event searches for efficient error tracking Seamless integration with existing systems and codebases User interface could be more appealing and user-friendly API complexity and documentation can be challenging to navigate	Powerful end-to-end tracing and intuitive dashboards for root cause analysis Real-time alerts enabling immediate response to issues Proactive monitoring of complex distributed systems to prevent downtime High volume of data can overwhelm teams lacking proper filtering Pricing can be expensive and scale quickly with usage
Positive Reviews	No reviews available for the product	No reviews available for the product
Negative Reviews	No reviews available for the product	No reviews available for the product
	Read reviews	Read reviews

List of Customers

Customers	No Customers information available.	Samsung Comcast nginx

Media and Screenshots

Screenshots	7 Screenshots	3 Screenshots
Videos	1 Videos	1 Videos

Top Alternatives to Airbrake and Datadog APM in 2026

Alternatives	Sentry 4.43 Bugsnag 4.35 Zoho BugTracker 4.33	Retrace 4.36 Scout APM 4.78 New Relic APM 4.25

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Airbrake or Datadog APM?: Airbrake edges out the other on user ratings (4.6 vs 4.1). That said, the best pick depends on your use case — use the comparison tables above to evaluate each dimension.
Do Airbrake and Datadog APM offer a free trial?: Yes, both Airbrake and Datadog APM offer a free trial.
What is the starting price of Airbrake vs Datadog APM?: Airbrake starts at $29 /Month. Datadog APM starts at $31 /Host/Month.
What are the top alternatives to Airbrake?: Top alternatives to Airbrake include Sentry, Bugsnag, Zoho BugTracker, Rollbar, TrackJS.
What are the top alternatives to Datadog APM?: Top alternatives to Datadog APM include Retrace, Scout APM, New Relic APM, Nastel AutoPilot, AppDynamics.

Airbrake vs Datadog APM Comparison

Airbrake

Datadog APM

Airbrake vs Datadog APM — at a glance

Key differences between Airbrake and Datadog APM

Airbrake vs Datadog APM — find the better fit before you commit.

Airbrake

Datadog APM

Download this Airbrake vs Datadog APM comparison

Biggest differences

Description

Entry Level Pricing

Free Trial Availability

SpotScore

User Ratings

Best Company Size

Where each option fits best

Key strengths

Best fit

Reasons buyers look elsewhere

Software Demo

Demo

Get shortlist help from a software advisor

How big is your team?

How do Airbrake and Datadog APM Compare on Features?

Compare Airbrake and Datadog APM on pricing

Other Details

Organization Types supported

Platforms Supported

Modes of support

API Support

Security & Compliance

Airbrake User Reviews & Rating Comparison

List of Customers

Customers

Media and Screenshots

Screenshots

Videos

Top Alternatives to Airbrake and Datadog APM in 2026

Related Blogs and Articles for Application Performance Monitoring Apm Tools

Frequently asked questions