Paessler PRTG – The flexible alternative to Datadog

Choosing between Paessler PRTG and Datadog depends on several factors, such as your specific network monitoring needs, budget, and technical resources available in your organization.

PRTG is ideal:

• If you prefer an all-in-one, easy-to-use solution with minimal setup time.
• If you need sophisticated, customizable visualizations like dashboards and network maps.
• If you want to monitor an unlimited number of remote locations and networks at no extra cost.
• If you prefer high scalability and a software tailored to large, complex environments.
• If you want to get real-time alerting, custom notifications, and automated reporting.
• If you want to have the choice between an on-premises or cloud-based solution.
• If you want a straightforward licensing model at a comparatively low price.

Datadog might be your choice:

• If you prefer a cloud-only SaaS solution and don't require on-premises deployment options.
• If your monitoring needs are primarily focused on cloud-native and container environments.
• If you're willing to invest time in a steeper learning curve for more complex configurations.
• If you're comfortable with a usage-based pricing model that may become costly as you scale.
• If you don't require detailed network monitoring capabilities.

We now better than most: pricing models matter. A lot. PRTG uses a sensor-based approach without those sneaky data volume limits. No surprises on your bill.

This typically saves you serious cash compared to Datadog's volume-based pricing - especially if you're collecting tons of metrics. Let me give you a real example: monitoring 100 servers with 1-minute polling intervals. With PRTG, your cost stays fixed. With Datadog? Well, let's just say your finance team might start asking uncomfortable questions when the bill arrives. I've seen companies cut monitoring costs by 40% after switching. Not insignificant.

Yes, PRTG provides complete cloud monitoring capabilities. It supports major cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, offering similar observability features to Datadog for cloud-native and hybrid environments. PRTG includes specific sensors for monitoring cloud services, virtual machines, and containers.

PRTG includes effective APM features, allowing you to monitor application performance, track user experience, and identify bottlenecks. While Datadog is known for its APM capabilities, PRTG provides comparable functionality within its all-in-one monitoring solution, with sensors specifically designed for application monitoring.

PRTG has a strong heritage in network monitoring and often provides more detailed network insights than Datadog. It offers extensive features for monitoring network devices, traffic, and performance, making it a superior choice for organizations with complex network infrastructures.

Yes, PRTG supports a wide range of integrations and allows you to create custom scripts for unique monitoring needs. While Datadog is known for its extensive integration ecosystem, PRTG offers comparable flexibility in connecting with various technologies and services through its API and pre-built integrations.

Absolutely. PRTG is highly scalable and can monitor distributed networks effectively. It offers features for monitoring remote locations and provides a unified view of your entire IT infrastructure.

PRTG offers several key features for monitoring complex environments: flexible deployment options (on-premises or cloud), a predictable pricing model based on sensors rather than data volume, detailed network monitoring capabilities, and an intuitive interface that simplifies setup and operation. PRTG also provides comprehensive visibility across your IT infrastructure with a unified monitoring approach.

PRTG complements existing monitoring setups, including open-source tools that DevOps teams often use. While PRTG provides comprehensive monitoring on its own, it can also work alongside specialized tools through its API and custom sensors. This flexibility allows organizations to optimize their monitoring strategy by combining PRTG's strengths with specific capabilities from other tools in their technology stack. For example, you can use PRTG for infrastructure monitoring while maintaining specialized open-source tools for specific application metrics, creating a unified monitoring approach that leverages the best of both worlds.

In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive. On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.