Which is better, Datadog APM or Retrace?

Retrace edges out Datadog APM based on user ratings across 57 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 Datadog APM and Retrace?

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

Do both Datadog APM and Retrace offer a Free trial?

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

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.

Who are the typical users of Retrace?

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

What is the starting price of Datadog APM and Retrace?

The starting price of Datadog APM is $31/Host/Month. Pricing for Retrace is unavailable.

What are the best alternatives to Datadog APM?

Some top alternatives to Datadog APM include Scout APM, Germain APM, eG Enterprise, Zenoss, New Relic APM.

What are the best alternatives to Retrace?

Some top alternatives to Retrace include New Relic APM, eG Enterprise, Instana, ManageEngine Applications Manager, Dynatrace.

Datadog APM vs Retrace Comparison

Last updated: August 21, 2026

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

Retrace

4.4(57 reviews)

Starting at Contact for pricing

Free Trial
Individuals
Medium Business

Retrace is a suite of application performance monitoring tools that empower development teams to find, understand and fix inefficiencies at the source. It has deep hands-on experience with APM tools, and goal has been to…

View Pricing Read Reviews

Retrace leads on user satisfaction with a 4.4-star rating across 57 reviews.

Datadog APM vs Retrace — at a glance

Feature	Datadog APM	Retrace
Rating	4.1 / 5	4.4 / 5
Reviews	142	57
Starting price	$31 /Host/Month	Contact for pricing
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Free version	No	No
Best for	Freelancers / Consultants, Large Enterprises, Medium Business	Individuals, Medium Business, Small Business
Category	Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Tools	Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Tools
Platforms	SaaS/Web/Cloud	SaaS/Web/Cloud
API	Available	—
Support modes	Business Hours, Online	Business Hours
Certifications	SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001	SOC 2, GDPR
Data residency	Global	US

Key differences between Datadog APM and Retrace

Pricing: Datadog APM starts at $31 /Host/Month. Retrace pricing is not publicly listed.
Target audience: Datadog APM is built for Freelancers / Consultants and Large Enterprises, while Retrace targets Individuals and Medium Business.
User satisfaction: Retrace scores higher with a 4.4-star average.
Deployment: Datadog APM supports SaaS/Web/Cloud; Retrace supports SaaS/Web/Cloud.

Datadog APM vs Retrace — 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 Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Tools 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

	Datadog APM (153) Talk to an expert Talk to an expert	Retrace (58) Talk to an expert Talk to an expert

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Datadog APM vs Retrace: Biggest differences

Affiliate Disclosure

Start here before you go deeper into features.

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.

Retrace

Best for developer-focused application performance monitoring and troubleshooting.

Choose if

You are a small to medium software development or DevOps team focused on app delivery.
You need a streamlined, intuitive interface that simplifies identifying and fixing app inefficiencies.
You want expert-backed APM functionality that enhances troubleshooting productivity and application optimization.

Consider alternatives if

You require broad IT operations monitoring beyond application performance metrics.
Your team includes non-technical stakeholders needing simplified dashboards and easy accessibility.

Datadog APM: Best for deep, real-time monitoring of complex multi-cloud applications. Retrace: Best for developer-focused application performance monitoring and troubleshooting.

Description	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	Retrace is a suite of application performance monitoring tools that empower development teams to find, understand and fix inefficiencies at the source. It has deep hands-on experience with ... Read More about Retrace
Entry Level Pricing	Starts from $31 , billed annually, with Infrastructure Monitoring attached ($36 on-demand standalone)	Not Available
Free Trial Availability	Get Free Trial	Free Trial available
SpotScore What's this? ↗	9.8/10	8.3/10
User Ratings Based on verified Spotsaas reviews	4.13 (142)	4.36 (57)
Best Company Size	200-5000 employeesLarge Enterprises	Small businessesMedium businesses
	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

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.

Retrace

No key benefits available yet.

Best fit

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

Retrace

No best-fit guidance available yet.

Watchouts

Reasons buyers look elsewhere

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.

Retrace

No alternatives guidance available yet.

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How do Datadog APM and Retrace Compare on Features?

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

Compare Datadog APM and Retrace 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	$31 , billed annually, with Infrastructure Monitoring attached ($36 on-demand standalone)	Not Available
Pricing Plans	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	Not Available
Pricing Page
	View detailed pricing	View detailed pricing

Datadog APM vs Retrace: 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	Available	Not Available
	Get help choosing	Get help choosing

Datadog APM vs Retrace Security & Compliance

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

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

Datadog APM User Reviews & Rating Comparison

User Ratings	4.13 (based on 142 reviews)	4.36 (based on 57 reviews)
Rating Distribution	77 62 5 3 6	35 20 3 0 0
Spotsaas Editor’s POV generated by AI	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	Buyer sentiment Users appreciate Retrace’s expert-backed, streamlined approach to application performance monitoring but note a learning curve and limited scope beyond developer teams. What buyers like Ease of troubleshooting Reliability of monitoring Intuitive user interface Common complaints Limited feature breadth Initial learning curve
Pros and Cons	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	Streamlines troubleshooting and optimization to enhance productivity Expert-backed and reliable APM functionality Intuitive interface that removes obstacles to improving application delivery Narrow focus on APM limits broader IT operations capabilities Primarily designed for developers, limiting accessibility for other teams
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

Datadog APM and Retrace Customers

Customers	Samsung Comcast nginx	No Customers information available.

Media and Screenshots

Screenshots	3 Screenshots	5 Screenshots
Videos	1 Videos	4 Videos

Top Alternatives to Datadog APM and Retrace in 2026

Alternatives	Scout APM 4.78 Germain APM 4.61 eG Enterprise 5	New Relic APM 4.25 eG Enterprise 5 Instana 4.53

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Datadog APM or Retrace?: Retrace edges out the other on user ratings (4.4 vs 4.1). That said, the best pick depends on your use case — use the comparison tables above to evaluate each dimension.
Do Datadog APM and Retrace offer a free trial?: Yes, both Datadog APM and Retrace offer a free trial.
What is the starting price of Datadog APM vs Retrace?: Datadog APM starts at $31 /Host/Month. Retrace starts at Contact for pricing.
What are the top alternatives to Datadog APM?: Top alternatives to Datadog APM include Scout APM, Germain APM, eG Enterprise, Zenoss, New Relic APM.
What are the top alternatives to Retrace?: Top alternatives to Retrace include New Relic APM, eG Enterprise, Instana, ManageEngine Applications Manager, Dynatrace.

Datadog APM vs Retrace Comparison

Datadog APM

Retrace

Datadog APM vs Retrace — at a glance

Key differences between Datadog APM and Retrace

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

Datadog APM

Retrace

Download this Datadog APM vs Retrace comparison

Datadog APM vs Retrace: 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 decision help from a software advisor

How big is your team?

How do Datadog APM and Retrace Compare on Features?

Compare Datadog APM and Retrace on pricing

Datadog APM vs Retrace: Other Details

Organization Types supported

Platforms Supported

Modes of support

API Support

Datadog APM vs Retrace Security & Compliance

Datadog APM User Reviews & Rating Comparison

Datadog APM and Retrace Customers

Customers

Media and Screenshots

Screenshots

Videos

Top Alternatives to Datadog APM and Retrace in 2026

Related Blogs and Articles for Application Performance Monitoring Apm Tools

Frequently asked questions