Artificial intelligence is no longer just a research experiment. Companies are now running large AI models to serve customers, improve products, and automate work. But while AI delivers value, it also comes with a hidden challenge: cost. The more you scale AI models, the harder it becomes to track usage and control spend.
This is where many teams use tools like Datadog. Datadog is popular for monitoring applications, cloud infrastructure, and logs. It helps engineers track performance, uptime, and system health. However, when it comes to AI cost monitoring and optimisation, Datadog falls short. Businesses running expensive AI workloads often find themselves paying high bills with little clarity on where the money is going.
If you are looking for a Datadog alternative that focuses only on AI cost monitoring and optimisation, then WrangleAI is built for you.
Why Datadog Is Not Enough for AI
Datadog is strong for cloud and application monitoring, but AI workloads behave very differently. Here’s why:
- AI has unpredictable cost patterns – Running a single query on a large language model can cost 10 times more than a standard API call.
- Costs are tied to tokens and usage, not just cloud servers – Datadog can monitor servers and containers, but it does not track token usage or AI-specific billing.
- No AI-first optimisation features – Datadog can show dashboards, but it does not give insights into how to cut AI spend or optimise prompts.
- Complex to set up for AI teams – AI engineers want quick insights on costs, not enterprise-level cloud dashboards with heavy overhead.
In short, Datadog is excellent for cloud monitoring, but when you are running AI workloads, you need something built with AI in mind.
What Makes WrangleAI Different
WrangleAI is designed as the only AI-first monitoring and optimisation platform. Instead of trying to be a tool for everything, it focuses on one mission: helping businesses understand and cut AI costs.
Here is what sets WrangleAI apart as the best Datadog alternative:
- AI Usage Tracking – Track every model, token, and request to see where your money is going.
- Real Cost Insights – Understand which teams, apps, or prompts are driving spend.
- Optimisation Suggestions – Get smart ways to reduce usage without lowering quality.
- Simple Setup – Start monitoring AI costs in minutes, without needing complex cloud integrations.
- Built for Scale – Whether you are running a small AI pilot or processing millions of tokens daily, WrangleAI scales with you.
Benefits of Choosing a Datadog Alternative
When you choose WrangleAI over Datadog for your AI workloads, you gain several direct benefits:
1. Clarity on AI Spend
Instead of cloud metrics, you see actual AI usage by model, API, and team. This clarity helps you understand if costs are justified or wasted.
2. Faster Decision Making
WrangleAI gives you real-time visibility so you can adjust usage quickly. No waiting for end-of-month invoices to discover overspend.
3. Cost Optimisation Built In
Unlike Datadog, which shows data without suggesting savings, WrangleAI points out optimisation opportunities. This means lower bills without sacrificing performance.
4. AI-Native Design
Everything in WrangleAI is built for AI. You do not need to bend cloud dashboards into tracking AI costs. The platform speaks the language of AI workloads.
Who Needs a Datadog Alternative for AI?
WrangleAI is the right fit for companies that:
- Run large language models or generative AI in production
- Use APIs from OpenAI, Anthropic, Cohere, or custom models
- Spend thousands each month on AI workloads
- Need to reduce AI bills without losing speed or quality
- Want a simple, AI-native tool instead of repurposing a cloud platform
If this sounds like your company, then WrangleAI is the best Datadog alternative you should consider.
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Comparison: WrangleAI vs Datadog
| Feature | Datadog | WrangleAI |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Monitoring | Yes | No |
| AI Usage Tracking | Limited | Yes |
| Token-Level Insights | No | Yes |
| AI Cost Optimisation | No | Yes |
| Easy Setup for AI Teams | No | Yes |
| Built for AI Workloads | No | Yes |
Datadog is a generalist platform for cloud and apps. WrangleAI is a specialist tool for AI cost monitoring. If AI is central to your business, WrangleAI is the clear choice.
Real-World Impact of AI Cost Monitoring
Consider this scenario: A company builds an AI assistant for customer service. In the first month, they expect to spend $2,000 on AI usage. At the end of the month, the bill shows $9,000. Why? Because the assistant was generating long answers and customers were making more queries than planned.
With Datadog, the company could monitor the server load. But it would not tell them why AI costs ballooned.
With WrangleAI, the company would see exactly which prompts and models caused the overspend. They could shorten responses, optimise prompts, and save thousands the next month.
This is the power of having an AI cost monitoring tool designed for the job.
Why WrangleAI is the Best Datadog Alternative
If you are searching for a Datadog alternative to control AI costs, WrangleAI gives you everything you need in one platform:
- Full visibility of AI usage
- Actionable insights to cut spend
- Simple setup without cloud complexity
- Purpose-built design for AI workloads
Instead of forcing a cloud monitoring tool to track AI spend, WrangleAI gives you exactly what you need from the start.
Final Thoughts
AI is powerful, but it comes with unpredictable costs. Businesses that scale AI without monitoring often waste huge amounts of money. Datadog is useful for infrastructure, but not enough for AI workloads.
WrangleAI is the best Datadog alternative if your goal is to wrangle your AI costs. It is focused, AI-first, and built to help you save money while scaling AI safely.
If you want to gain control over your AI spend and make smarter cost decisions, WrangleAI is the tool you have been looking for.
FAQs
Why should I look for a Datadog alternative for AI?
Because Datadog is built for cloud monitoring, not for tracking the unique cost patterns of AI workloads like GPUs and inference pipelines.
What makes WrangleAI different from Datadog?
WrangleAI is designed only for AI cost monitoring and optimisation, giving accurate, actionable insights that cloud-first tools cannot provide.
Can WrangleAI replace Datadog completely?
If your main focus is AI workloads, yes. For general cloud monitoring, Datadog works, but for AI-specific costs, WrangleAI is the better fit.
Who should use WrangleAI?
AI startups, enterprises, and teams running GPU-heavy models who need to cut waste, track usage, and optimise costs in real time.
Does WrangleAI help reduce AI costs?
Yes. WrangleAI not only monitors costs but also provides optimisation suggestions to help reduce unnecessary AI spending.
