Datadog APM Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Datadog APM pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $27 per per host per month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: No free tier available
- Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
- Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training
Datadog APM's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- 1-day metric retention
- Up to 5 hosts
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- 15-month retention
- 1000+ integrations
- Out-of-box dashboards
Free Plan Limits
| Limit | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
|---|---|---|
| hosts | 5 | Unlimited/Higher |
| retention | 1 | Unlimited/Higher |
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like 15-month retention or 1000+ integrations
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Datadog APM branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs Pro Plan Comparison
| Free $0 | Pro $18/user/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 2 included | 3+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Datadog APM branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Small deployments | Teams monitoring systems |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Datadog APM free?
Yes, Datadog APM offers a forever free plan with 2 core features included. However, there are limits on hosts, retention that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Datadog APM's free plan?
Datadog APM's free plan includes: 1-day metric retention, Up to 5 hosts. Key limits include hosts: 5, retention: 1.
03 What's NOT included in Datadog APM's free plan?
The free plan excludes: 15-month retention, 1000+ integrations, Out-of-box dashboards. You'll also have Datadog APM branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Datadog APM's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like 15-month retention or 1000+ integrations, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $18/user/month.
05 Is Datadog APM's free plan really free forever?
Yes, Datadog APM's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.
Get Datadog APM pricing updates
We'll notify you when pricing changes or new free features are added.