Nagios vs Datadog
Side-by-side from the Top 11 ranking of The 11 Best IT Infrastructure Monitoring Software Tools (2026). Last verified June 19, 2026.
The short answer
Datadog ranks higher on Top 11 (#1 vs #10) for IT teams monitoring server uptime, network health, and application performance. The best unified platform for its ease of use and massive integration library.
At a glance
| Nagios | Datadog | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #10 / The 11 Best IT Infrastructure Monitoring Software Tools (2026) | #1 / The 11 Best IT Infrastructure Monitoring Software Tools (2026) |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 7.3 | 9.3 |
| Best for | Extensible open-source engine | Unified cloud-scale monitoring |
| Pricing | $ (Free, paid edition) | $$ ($15 to $45/host/mo) |
| HQ | Saint Paul, USA | New York, USA |
| Founded | 1999 | 2010 |
Nagios
Monitors anything thanks to a huge library of community plugins.
www.nagios.com/See full entry in The 11 Best IT Infrastructure Monitoring Software Tools (2026)
Datadog
The best unified platform for its ease of use and massive integration library.
www.datadoghq.com/See full entry in The 11 Best IT Infrastructure Monitoring Software Tools (2026)
Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.