Logs + metrics + traces. Three camps · the all-in-one (Datadog), the open-source-friendly (Grafana), and the distributed-traces specialist (Honeycomb).
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FACTORS TO WEIGH
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| Factors to weigh | Datadog | Grafana Cloud / Honeycomb |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing at 50 hosts + logs | ~$3000-8000/mo | Grafana $500-1500, Honeycomb $400-1200 |
| Logs retention cost | Premium | Grafana cheaper, Honeycomb trace-focused |
| APM strength | Excellent | Grafana ok, Honeycomb best for event-traces |
| Open source compat | Limited | Grafana native OTel + Prometheus + Loki |
| Incident management | Native (Datadog Incidents) | Grafana OnCall, Honeycomb integrates |
| Vendor lock-in risk | High | Low (OTel + open standards) |
| We recommend | Enterprise + all-in-one | Grafana default, Honeycomb for trace-heavy |
LET'S GET STARTED.
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