# Datadog Synthetic Monitoring: Pricing & Alternatives (2026) > How Datadog Synthetics pricing works in 2026, with worked cost examples, plus the best Datadog Synthetic Monitoring alternatives and how they're priced. Source: https://loadster.com/compare/datadog-synthetic-monitoring-alternatives/ Datadog Synthetic Monitoring is a capable product, and its pricing page is refreshingly specific: there's a price per batch of test runs, and a FAQ explaining how runs are counted. The hard part is turning those numbers into a monthly bill, because every location, device, step, and retry multiplies the count. This page lays out Datadog's synthetic pricing as of September 2026, explains how test runs add up, and works through a few realistic examples. Then it ranks the leading Datadog Synthetic Monitoring alternatives, with a focus on how each one's pricing compares. Loadster, our own product, prices synthetic monitoring differently, so here's a fact-based comparison from the team behind Loadster. Prices and limits come from each vendor's own pricing page and documentation, cited in the footnotes. ## Datadog Synthetic Monitoring Price List Datadog sells synthetic monitoring as several separately priced products, each billed per batch of test runs per month.[^1] | Datadog product | Billed annually | On-demand | |---|---|---| | API Testing | $5 per 10,000 test runs | $7.20 per 10,000 test runs | | Browser Testing | $12 per 1,000 test runs | $18 per 1,000 test runs | | Mobile App Testing | $50 per 100 test runs | $72 per 100 test runs | | Parallel Testing (CI) | $79 per parallel slot | $114 per parallel slot | These are "starting at" list prices, and Datadog mentions volume and multi-year discounts on the same page.[^1] The on-demand price is about 44% higher for API tests and 50% higher for browser tests than the annual price. API Testing covers HTTP, SSL, DNS, TCP, and ICMP tests.[^1] Datadog's docs also list WebSocket, UDP, and gRPC as API test subtypes, along with multistep API tests that chain requests together.[^2] ## How Datadog Counts API Test Runs Each request to your endpoint counts as one test run, at each location. Datadog's own example: a test running from 3 locations every minute counts as 180 test runs per hour.[^1] Multistep API tests count each step as an individual API test run.[^1] A four-step API flow (get a token, create a resource, read it back, delete it) costs four times as much per execution as a single request. ## How Datadog Counts Browser Test Runs A browser test run covers a transaction of up to 25 steps. A test with 26 to 50 steps counts as 2 runs per execution, 51 to 75 steps counts as 3, and so on.[^1] Each execution is also multiplied by the number of locations and devices you select. Datadog's example is a 51-step test (3 runs) every 15 minutes from 5 locations on 2 devices, which counts as 120 test runs per hour.[^1] Mobile app tests are counted the same way in buckets of 25 steps, multiplied by devices.[^1] ## Retries, Private Locations, and CI Runs A few other details affect the count: * **Retries count.** If you configure retries, each retry is billed as its own test run, so a test with two retries can produce up to three runs.[^3] * **Private locations aren't free to run.** There's no charge to set one up, but runs from private locations are billed the same as managed locations.[^1] * **CI runs share the quota.** Synthetic tests triggered from CI/CD pipelines are included with your API and browser test runs and count toward the same quotas. Running them in parallel requires Parallel Testing slots.[^1] ## Datadog Synthetics Cost Examples Here's what a few common setups would cost at list prices over a 30-day month (43,200 minutes). Real bills could be lower with negotiated discounts, or higher with retries. | Setup | Test runs per month | Billed annually | On-demand | |---|---|---|---| | 1 API test, every minute, 3 locations | 129,600 | $64.80 | $93.31 | | 10 API tests, every minute, 3 locations | 1,296,000 | $648.00 | $933.12 | | 4-step API flow, every 5 minutes, 2 locations | 69,120 | $34.56 | $49.77 | | 1 browser test (up to 25 steps), every 5 minutes, 3 locations | 25,920 | $311.04 | $466.56 | | 1 browser test (30 steps), every 15 minutes, 2 locations, 2 devices | 23,040 | $276.48 | $414.72 | | 5 browser tests (up to 25 steps), every 10 minutes, 3 locations | 64,800 | $777.60 | $1,166.40 | The pattern is clear: API checks are cheap, and browser checks are where the money goes. A single browser test every five minutes from three locations costs about as much per month as five API tests running every minute from the same three locations. ## What Drives Your Datadog Synthetics Bill Four multipliers do most of the work: * **Frequency.** Going from every 5 minutes to every minute multiplies runs by five. * **Locations.** Every extra location adds a full copy of the runs. * **Steps.** Long browser tests cross the 25-step threshold, and multistep API tests pay per step. * **Devices.** Each browser device size you add multiplies the browser runs again. Retries and CI runs add to that on top. ## How to Reduce Datadog Synthetic Monitoring Costs If you're staying on Datadog, a few adjustments can lower the bill without giving up much coverage: * **Run browser tests less often than API tests.** An API check every minute catches outages quickly; a browser transaction every 10 to 15 minutes is often enough to catch broken flows. * **Use fewer locations for browser tests.** Run API checks from many locations to catch regional problems, and browser tests from one or two. * **Keep browser tests under 25 steps.** Split very long journeys or trim steps that don't verify anything. * **Limit device sizes.** Test the device sizes your users actually rely on. * **Be deliberate about retries.** A single retry can reduce false alarms, but each one is billed. * **Commit annually if you're staying.** The on-demand price is 44% to 50% higher. ## Per-Run Pricing vs Flat-Rate Synthetic Monitoring Plans Per-run pricing is flexible: you pay for exactly what you run, and a small API-only setup can be very cheap. The downside is that cost scales with every frequency, location, and step decision, which makes it harder to add a browser check without thinking about the bill. Flat-rate plans take the opposite approach. You pay a fixed monthly price for an allowance of checks, so adding a location or a browser test doesn't change the bill as long as you stay within the plan. Most of the alternatives below sit somewhere between the two: free tiers, flat plans, or lower per-run prices. ## Best Datadog Synthetic Monitoring Alternatives These are ranked for teams leaving Datadog Synthetics mainly over cost or complexity, who still want scripted browser and API checks. ### 1. Loadster Loadster is our own platform: a load testing platform with synthetic monitoring built in. Some of its strong points for Datadog users are flat pricing and real browser transaction checks that don't require code. Loadster's monitoring plans start at $29 per month and include thousands of monitoring cycles with no per-run, per-step, or per-location charges. If you'd rather not commit to a plan, monitors can burn a small amount of pay-as-you-go Fuel instead. Browser Bots drive real Chrome browsers and can be recorded with the free browser extension, much like Datadog's recorder. Playwright Test scripts run as monitors directly, and Protocol Bots handle API checks, including multi-step flows with captured tokens. Monitors run from 8 locations across 5 continents or from self-hosted engines, every cycle keeps a full trace with screenshots, and hosted [status pages](https://loadster.com/manual/status-pages/) are included. The same scripts can also run as [load tests](https://loadster.com/load-testing/) with thousands of bots. The caveats: Loadster has far fewer locations than Datadog, no APM, RUM, or mobile app testing, and no network-level tests like DNS, TCP, or ICMP. **Best for:** Teams who want real browser transaction monitoring with predictable pricing, especially if they also load test. See [Synthetic Monitoring with Loadster](https://loadster.com/synthetic-monitoring/) for details. ### 2. Checkly Checkly is a monitoring platform built around Playwright. Browser checks are Playwright Test scripts, Playwright Check Suites can run an existing test suite as monitors, and checks are managed as code with the Checkly CLI.[^4] The free Hobby plan includes 10,000 API check runs and 1,000 browser check runs per month, and paid plans start at $24 per month with larger allowances and up to 22 public locations.[^5] **Best for:** Developer teams with Playwright suites who want monitors reviewed and deployed from Git. ### 3. Grafana Cloud Synthetic Monitoring Grafana Cloud Synthetic Monitoring has the most generous free tier here: 100,000 API test executions and 10,000 browser test executions per month.[^6] Beyond that, the Pro tier adds a $19 monthly platform fee plus usage, starting at $5 per 10,000 API executions and $50 per 10,000 browser executions.[^6] Grafana counts one execution per location per minute of runtime, so longer checks count as more than one.[^7] Browser checks use the k6 browser module rather than Playwright, and k6 scripts can be reused for load testing in Grafana k6.[^8] **Best for:** Teams already on Grafana, or k6 users who want monitoring from the same scripts. ### 4. New Relic Synthetic Monitoring New Relic is the closest like-for-like swap if you want another full observability suite. Its editions include a monthly allowance of synthetic checks (500 on the free edition, 10,000 on Standard, and 1 million on Pro), and ping monitors don't count against it.[^9] Additional checks cost $0.005 each, whether they're API or browser checks.[^10] Each run from each location counts as one check, regardless of how many steps a browser monitor has.[^9] Scripted browser monitors run in Selenium-powered Chrome or Firefox, and step monitors can be built without code.[^11] **Best for:** Teams who want synthetic monitoring next to APM and logs, but with check-based pricing. ### 5. Better Stack Better Stack combines uptime monitoring with on-call scheduling, incident management, and status pages, and it runs Playwright transaction monitors in a real Chrome browser.[^12] Playwright checks are billed by runtime at $1 per 100 minutes, and paid usage is built around responder licenses at $34 per month ($29 billed annually).[^12] **Best for:** Small teams who want uptime checks, a few Playwright transactions, and on-call from one vendor. ## Should You Switch from Datadog Synthetics? Datadog Synthetic Monitoring does a lot that most alternatives don't. Seriously consider staying on **Datadog Synthetics** if: * You rely on Datadog APM, with synthetic failures linked straight to backend traces * You want real user monitoring and mobile app testing on real devices in the same product[^1] * You need network-level tests like DNS, TCP, UDP, and ICMP alongside your browser tests[^2] Seriously consider **Loadster** if: * Browser checks are driving most of your Datadog Synthetics bill * You want flat monthly pricing instead of counting runs, steps, and locations * You'd like to load test the same user flows before a big launch A free Loadster account comes with 50 units of Fuel, enough to try a few monitors with no credit card required. If you're coming from a simpler uptime tool instead, see our [Pingdom alternatives](https://loadster.com/compare/pingdom-alternatives/) and [UptimeRobot alternatives](https://loadster.com/compare/uptimerobot-alternatives/) roundups. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How much does Datadog Synthetic Monitoring cost? As of September 2026, Datadog lists API tests at $5 per 10,000 test runs and browser tests at $12 per 1,000 test runs per month when billed annually, or $7.20 and $18 on-demand. Mobile app tests are $50 per 100 test runs billed annually, or $72 on-demand. Volume and multi-year discounts are available. ### How does Datadog count synthetic test runs? Every execution at every location counts. An API test running every minute from 3 locations is 180 test runs per hour. Each step of a multistep API test counts as its own API test run. Browser tests count one run per 25 steps, multiplied by the number of locations and devices. Retries count as additional runs. ### Do Datadog private locations cost extra? Datadog says there's no additional cost to set up a private location, but test runs from private locations are billed the same as runs from managed locations. ### Is running Datadog synthetic tests in CI/CD extra? Running synthetic tests in CI/CD pipelines is included with your API and browser test runs, and the runs count toward the same quotas. Tests run sequentially unless you buy Parallel Testing, which Datadog lists at $79 per additional parallel slot per month billed annually, or $114 on-demand. ### What are the best Datadog Synthetic Monitoring alternatives? Loadster is a strong fit for real browser transaction monitoring on flat monthly plans, and it can load test with the same scripts. Checkly suits developer teams who want Playwright checks managed as code, Grafana Cloud has the most generous free tier, New Relic fits teams who want another full observability suite, and Better Stack bundles uptime checks with on-call and status pages. ### Is there a cheaper alternative to Datadog Synthetics? It depends on how you monitor. Tools with flat monthly plans can be much cheaper for frequent browser checks across several locations. Loadster's monitoring plans start at $29 per month with no per-run charges, and Checkly and Grafana Cloud publish free tiers that include both API and browser check runs. Datadog can still be worth it if you rely on its APM and RUM integration. [^1]: [Datadog's Synthetic Testing and Monitoring pricing](https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/?product=synthetic-testing-and-monitoring) lists the API, browser, mobile, and Parallel Testing prices, and its FAQ explains how API, multistep, browser, and mobile test runs are counted, private location billing, and CI/CD usage. [^2]: [Datadog's Synthetic Monitoring docs](https://docs.datadoghq.com/synthetics/) list the API test subtypes (HTTP, SSL, DNS, WebSocket, TCP, UDP, ICMP, gRPC) and the multistep API, browser, and mobile test types. [^3]: [Datadog's Continuous Testing troubleshooting docs](https://docs.datadoghq.com/continuous_testing/troubleshooting/) explain that configured retries count as individual test runs. [^4]: [Checkly's Playwright Check Suite docs](https://www.checklyhq.com/docs/constructs/playwright-check.md) describe running an existing Playwright test suite as monitors, and the [CLI docs](https://www.checklyhq.com/docs/cli/cli-vs-terraform-pulumi.md) cover managing checks as code. [^5]: [Checkly pricing](https://www.checklyhq.com/pricing/) lists plan prices, check run allowances, and locations. [^6]: [Grafana Cloud pricing](https://grafana.com/pricing/) lists the free tier's synthetic monitoring executions and the Pro tier's platform fee and per-execution prices. [^7]: [Grafana's synthetic monitoring invoice docs](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana-cloud/cost-management-and-billing/understand-your-invoice/synthetic-monitoring-invoice/) define a test execution as a test running in one probe location, per minute of run time. [^8]: [Grafana's k6 browser check docs](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana-cloud/testing/synthetic-monitoring/create-checks/checks/k6-browser/) describe the browser module, and [Grafana's announcement of k6 browser checks](https://grafana.com/blog/monitor-the-full-end-user-experience-k6-browser-checks-in-synthetic-monitoring-are-generally-available/) covers reusing the scripts for performance tests. [^9]: [New Relic's synthetic monitor limits](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/synthetics/synthetic-monitoring/getting-started/monitor-limits/) lists included checks per edition, the ping monitor exception, and how checks are counted. [^10]: [New Relic pricing](https://newrelic.com/pricing) lists the price of additional synthetic checks. [^11]: [New Relic's types of synthetic monitors](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/synthetics/synthetic-monitoring/getting-started/types-synthetic-monitors/) describes scripted browser monitors and no-code step monitors. [^12]: [Better Stack pricing](https://betterstack.com/pricing) lists responder licenses and Playwright minutes, and [Better Stack Uptime](https://betterstack.com/uptime) describes Playwright monitors running in a real Chrome browser.