Datadog vs SigNoz
SigNoz is the most direct open-source replacement for Datadog's APM: OpenTelemetry-native, built on ClickHouse, with no per-host or per-user fees. If OTel is your standard and cost is the problem, this is the sharpest swap on the list.
The short version
If you're leaving Datadog over cost and lock-in and you're already invested in OpenTelemetry, SigNoz is the natural move — traces, metrics and logs in one platform with pricing that doesn't count hosts or users. Teams report roughly 77% savings versus Datadog at similar data volumes. The trade-off is maturity and operations: SigNoz is younger, and self-hosting means running (and scaling) ClickHouse yourself.
How they compare
| Datadog | SigNoz | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Proprietary SaaS | Open source (MIT) |
| Instrumentation | Proprietary agents (+ OTel) | OpenTelemetry-native, no proprietary agent |
| Pricing basis | Per-host + per-module | Per-GB; no host or user fees |
| Free option | 5 hosts, 1-day | Self-host free (unlimited) |
| Cloud from | ~$15/host + modules | $49/mo, then $0.30/GB, $0.10/M samples |
| Self-host | No | Yes (ClickHouse) |
| Custom metrics | Billed as "custom" (OTel penalty) | All metrics billed the same |
| Breadth | RUM, synthetics, security, 800+ integrations | APM, traces, metrics, logs (focused) |
When SigNoz wins
- You've standardised on OpenTelemetry — SigNoz is built for OTel end to end, with no vendor agent and no custom-metric penalty.
- Cost is the driver — no per-host or per-user fees, and self-hosting is free beyond your infrastructure.
- You want data in-house without running Datadog-scale infrastructure or a four-component open stack.
When to stay on Datadog
- You rely on breadth — RUM, synthetics, security monitoring, database and network monitoring — that SigNoz doesn't cover as deeply.
- You want a mature, fully-managed vendor and don't want to operate ClickHouse or tune retention.
- You need the deepest integration catalog and enterprise support out of the box.
Migration effort
Low to moderate if you already emit OpenTelemetry — you simply re-point your OTLP exporter at SigNoz (cloud or self-hosted). Otherwise, add the OTel SDK/collector in place of the Datadog agent. Historical telemetry doesn't transfer, so rebuild dashboards and alerts and run both in parallel for one release cycle. Wire the cutover into your pipeline so each deploy annotates a release — for example via Buddy's Datadog action during the overlap, then SigNoz's own annotation once you've cut over.