Cloudways vs Datadog
Compare Cloudways and Datadog on features, pricing, and buyer fit using the same researched criteria.

Cloudways
Managed cloud hosting — Flexible from $11/mo DigitalOcean Standard; Autonomous WordPress autoscaling separate line.
Best for
- • Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence
- • Agencies running WordPress plus other apps on one Cloudways account
- • Buyers who will actually use hourly Flexible billing and the $11 DigitalOcean Standard floor
Starting from $11.00/user/mo
No free plan
VS
Our verdict
No universal winner. Choose based on which criteria matter most for your team.
Cloudways is better for
- ✓ Starting pricing
Datadog is better for
- ✓ Free plan
- ✓ Integrations
- ✓ Security & admin
Choose Cloudways if: Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence
Choose Datadog if: SRE/platform teams needing unified infra + APM + logs

Datadog
Observability suite — infrastructure, APM, logs, and security signals with consumption/host pricing; Infrastructure Pro from $15/host/mo annual.
Best for
- • SRE/platform teams needing unified infra + APM + logs
- • Cloud-native orgs with AWS/Azure/GCP estates
- • Teams that can model multi-module observability TCO upfront
Starting from $15.00/user/mo
Free plan available
Cloudways vs Datadog at a glance
Criterion-level leaders from verified research.
Scorecard preview
Criterion leaders based on verified research — open the Scorecard tab for evidence detail.
- Starting pricingCloudways
Cloudways
Datadog
- Free planDatadog
Cloudways
Datadog
- User / licence minimumDepends
Cloudways
Datadog
- IntegrationsDatadog
Cloudways
Datadog
- Security & adminDatadog
Cloudways
Datadog
Which It Development is better for you?
Quick picks based on fit — not a universal ranking.
- → Cloudways
Best for starting pricing
Cloudways publishes a lower researched starting floor ($11/mo vs $15/mo for Datadog). Confirm currency, renewals, and add-ons — not a total TCO winner.
- → Datadog
Best for free plan
Cloudways does not research a free plan; Datadog researches a free plan.
- → Datadog
Best for integrations
Datadog leads on integrations (8/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- → Datadog
Best for security & admin
Datadog leads on security admin (7/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
The biggest differences
Where the products diverge most clearly on verified criteria.
Starting pricing
Cloudways winsCloudways
Cloudways publishes a lower researched starting floor ($11/mo vs $15/mo for Datadog). Confirm currency, renewals, and add-ons — not a total TCO winner.
Datadog
Trails Cloudways on this criterion
Free plan
Datadog winsCloudways
Trails Datadog on this criterion
Datadog
Cloudways does not research a free plan; Datadog researches a free plan.
Integrations
Datadog winsCloudways
Trails Datadog on this criterion
Datadog
Datadog leads on integrations (8/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Security & admin
Datadog winsCloudways
Trails Datadog on this criterion
Datadog
Datadog leads on security admin (7/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Which should you choose?
Choose Cloudways if
- Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence
- Agencies running WordPress plus other apps on one Cloudways account
- Buyers who will actually use hourly Flexible billing and the $11 DigitalOcean Standard floor
Choose Datadog if
- SRE/platform teams needing unified infra + APM + logs
- Cloud-native orgs with AWS/Azure/GCP estates
- Teams that can model multi-module observability TCO upfront
Related comparisons
Alternatives to consider

WP Engine
Managed WordPress hosting — Essential Startup from $30/mo annual first-year; Core from $400/mo; Enterprise custom.

Plesk
Hosting control panel for web/server administration — Web Admin Edition from $16.99/mo on VPS licensing.

New Relic
Observability — Free 100 GB ingest + 1 full user; Standard from $10 first full user then $99; data $0.40/GB after 100 GB; Pro $349/full user annual.

Dynatrace
Enterprise observability — Dynatrace Platform Subscription (DPS) annual commit + rate card. Full-Stack list unit ~$58/mo per 8 GiB host; 15-day trial. No per-seat SKU.
How we compare
A short look at the comparison process. Full methodology
1
Collect
Collect official product information, pricing, and product evidence.
2
Normalize
Map evidence to the same category evaluation criteria for both products.
3
Compare
Evaluate both products against identical criteria — ties and depends are allowed.
4
Explain
Show why each product wins, loses, or ties, with evidence behind the outcome.
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- Independent criterion outcomes
- No invented scores or prices
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