Head-to-head
Checkly vs Datadog Synthetics
Short answer: pick Checkly if: Your team writes Playwright scripts and wants synthetic API + browser checks in code. Pick Datadog Synthetics if: You already run Datadog for APM and want synthetic checks in the same pane of glass. Pick Lemwatch if you want uptime, page changes, SEO, security and speed checked in one tool — free for 10 sites, then $19/mo.
Pricing, check intervals and category fit — verified against each vendor's public pricing page.
Side-by-side snapshot
| Metric | Checkly | Datadog Synthetics |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid tier | $40/mo · Team | $5/mo · Per 10k API test runs |
| Free tier | yes | trial-only |
| Min check interval | 10s | 30s |
| Category | synthetic | apm |
Verified facts: Lemwatch vs Checkly
Sourced from Checkly's public pricing and docs.
Entry paid
$40/mo
Team
Free tier
Yes
Min check interval
10s
Last verified
2026-06-28
Checkly strengths
- Playwright-native synthetic checks — great for E2E API flows
- Monitoring-as-code via CLI and Terraform
- 10-second check interval on Team tier
Where it falls short
- Aimed at engineers; agency/marketing use cases are secondary
- No visual change detection for marketing pages
- Priced per check run — high-frequency monitors get costly
Choose Checkly when
Your team writes Playwright scripts and wants synthetic API + browser checks in code.
Lemwatch advantage
Lemwatch pairs uptime with SEO, visual diffs and status pages in a single per-site price — no scripting required.
Verified facts: Lemwatch vs Datadog Synthetics
Sourced from Datadog Synthetics's public pricing and docs.
Entry paid
$5/mo
Per 10k API test runs
Free tier
Trial only
Min check interval
30s
Last verified
2026-06-28
Datadog Synthetics strengths
- Full observability stack (APM, logs, metrics, RUM)
- Deep integration with cloud infra and Kubernetes
- Very large ecosystem of dashboards and integrations
Where it falls short
- Bill shock is common — usage-based pricing across many SKUs
- Overkill for teams that just need website monitoring
- SEO/content monitoring not part of the platform
Choose Datadog Synthetics when
You already run Datadog for APM and want synthetic checks in the same pane of glass.
Lemwatch advantage
Lemwatch delivers site-level uptime, SEO and visual checks at a flat monthly price with no metered-per-run surprises.
Where Lemwatch fits
Both Checkly and Datadog Synthetics focus on synthetic/apm. Lemwatch bundles uptime, SEO indexation, Core Web Vitals, security headers and visual diffs — free for 10 sites, no credit card, then $19/mo.