datadog-vs-splunk-enterprise

Datadog markets itself as an IT infrastructure management tool, while Splunk Enterprise is security information and event management software. Despite this, both pieces of software are designed to collect large amounts of data produced by business applications. This data can then be used for data visualization and analysis.

Datadog and Splunk Enterprise are both favored by mid-sized companies and large enterprises. Datadog is slightly more popular with mid-sized businesses while Splunk is more popular with larger enterprises. Mid-sized companies likely appreciate Datadog’s high level of customization while larger businesses enjoy Splunk’s robust logging features.

Features

Datadog and Splunk Enterprise both offer strong data capture and analysis features. Because they specialize in slightly different markets, however, they have a few standout features that set them apart.

Datadog offers a high level of customization for its users. It has a flexible API and custom dashboards that are easier to engage with compared to the competition. Datadog is also a lightweight piece of software that doesn’t place heavy demands on servers.

Splunk Enterprise provides robust logging capabilities. Users can create custom rules and search logs using the software’s query language. Splunk Enterprise also offers a variety of online training documents written both by the company and by its online community. Lastly, Splunk Enterprise can set up detailed custom alerts to inform users about any errors or anomalies in data.

Limitations

Though Datadog and Splunk Enterprise both provide good data capture feature functionality, they also have a few limitations that are important to consider.

Analytics reports in Datadog are customizable but limited. Some users use a separate BI tool to handle complex analysis of data collected by Datadog. Datadog also charges for logging based on the number of log events. For businesses that log a lot of data, this can get expensive quickly.

Splunk Enterprise logs data well but searching that data can be slow when there is a lot of it. Additionally, while it is possible to create custom dashboards using Splunk Enterprise, the process is clunky and difficult for new users. Lastly, Splunk Enterprise places a greater demand on servers compared to Datadog.

Pricing

Datadog features are purchased individually, allowing users to buy only the ones they need. Additionally, a free trial is available for most features. Datadog feature packages include infrastructure, log management, APM, networks, synthetics, and real user monitoring. Package prices start as low as $5.00 per month and reach up to $31.00 per month.

Splunk Enterprise also offers a free trial for their software. There is only one business package for Splunk Enterprise that includes all its features. The price for the business package is dependent on the business.