Comparison

Apache SkyWalking vs Datadog APM

On the evidence we track, Datadog APM leads this comparison with a composite score of 63/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Apache SkyWalking53
Datadog APM63
Score
Vioscale score
Apache SkyWalking53 / 100medium · 54%
Datadog APM63 / 100low · 48%
Pricing
Free tier
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Model
Apache SkyWalkingopen_source
Datadog APMcommercial
Price level
Apache SkyWalkingfree
Datadog APM
Transparent
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Integrations
Count
Apache SkyWalking14
Datadog APM35
Security
Disclosure policy
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Gdpr
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Iso27001
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Scorecard
Apache SkyWalking7
Datadog APM
Soc2
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Reliability
Status page
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Adoption
Dependent repos
Apache SkyWalking106
Datadog APM
Github stars
Apache SkyWalking24,930
Datadog APM
Activity
Commits last 30d
Apache SkyWalking20
Datadog APM
Release
Cadence days
Apache SkyWalking89
Datadog APM
History
Apache SkyWalking20 items
Datadog APM
License
Spdx
Apache SkyWalkingApache-2.0
Datadog APM
Language
Primary
Apache SkyWalkingJava
Datadog APM
Market
Availability
Apache SkyWalking

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for apm tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Instrumentation
Auto-instrumentation
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Distributed tracing
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Insight
Service map
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Code / continuous profiling
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Database monitoring
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Error analytics
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Real-user monitoring
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
SLO / error-budget tracking
Apache SkyWalking-
Datadog APM
Intelligence
Anomaly / root-cause AI
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Standards
OpenTelemetry support
Apache SkyWalkingOTLP ingest
Datadog APMOTel-native
Core
Language agents
Apache SkyWalking10+ language agents supported
Datadog APM-
Deployment
Hosting
Apache SkyWalkingCloud + self-hosted
Datadog APMCloud only

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Apache SkyWalking

An open-source observability platform combining distributed tracing, metrics, logs, and profiling in one interface. Provides automatic instrumentation across 10+ languages, interactive service topology visualization, database monitoring, and an AI assistant for answering observability questions in natural language.

Independently observed

Datadog APM

Leader

An observability platform providing code-level distributed tracing across web and mobile frontends, backend services, and databases. Correlates traces with logs, metrics, real-user monitoring data, and security signals to enable teams to detect root causes quickly and optimize application performance.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Apache SkyWalking

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Datadog APM

Leader

Pricing not documented yet.

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
iOS
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Android
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
CLI
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM
Self-hosted
Apache SkyWalking
Datadog APM

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Apache SkyWalking

14 total
  • Apache APISIX
  • Grafana
  • OpenTelemetry Collector
  • Amazon Bedrock
  • OpenAI
  • WeChat Mini Program
  • Alipay Mini Program
  • Kafka
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • Redis
  • Envoy
  • DeepSeek
  • Claude Sonnet
Independently observed

Datadog APM

Leader
5 total
  • Google Vertex AI
  • Google Cloud Security Command Center
  • Google Cloud SQL
  • Google Cloud Run
  • Google Cloud Dataflow
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.