A like-for-like comparison of Datadog Synthetics and New Relic Synthetics — what each one monitors, what it costs at the entry tier, and where each one falls short.
Pricing and intervals
Datadog Synthetics: trial only, Per 10k API test runs from $5/mo, checks as often as every 1 min.
New Relic Synthetics: free tier available, Standard (per user) from $49/mo, checks as often as every 1 min.
Datadog Synthetics — strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
Full observability stack (APM, logs, metrics, RUM)
Deep integration with cloud infra and Kubernetes
Very large ecosystem of dashboards and integrations
Weaknesses
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
New Relic Synthetics — strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
Unified with New Relic APM, RUM, and logs
Free tier includes 100 GB ingest per month
Scripted browser checks with real Chrome
Weaknesses
Per-user pricing model is punishing for shared use
Data-cap billing can spike unexpectedly
Not designed for SEO or marketing-site monitoring
Which should you pick?
Choose Datadog Synthetics when You already run Datadog for APM and want synthetic checks in the same pane of glass.
Choose New Relic Synthetics when You already run New Relic APM and want synthetic checks tied to the same account.
Facts last verified 2026-06-28 (Datadog Synthetics) and 2026-06-28 (New Relic Synthetics) against each vendor's public pricing page.