Datadog vs Instana:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Datadog had more branded searches than Instana among application performance monitoring worldwide. Datadog had about 246,000 branded searches, while Instana had 74,000. Datadog made up 39.5% of all application performance monitoring searches we track, and Instana accounted for 11.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about application performance monitoring, Datadog appeared in three of the five answers and Instana in none.
Who do people search for more?
Datadog, about 3 searches for every 1 for Instana
Who does AI mention more?
Datadog, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Instana in 0
Who does AI recommend more?
Datadog, the only one of the two named
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Top application performance monitoring in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Datadog was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Instana did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Dynatrace4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
New Relic4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Grafana4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- Datadog3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Sentry2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Elastic2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
AppDynamics1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Splunk0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Instana0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about application performance monitoring
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which application performance monitoring platform should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best application performance monitoring platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best application performance monitoring platform for an engineering team?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“application performance monitoring”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“apm tools”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.
Is Datadog or Instana more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Datadog and Instana by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine application performance monitoring we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Datadog, Instana. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Datadog | Splunk | Dynatrace | Instana | New Relic | AppDynamics | Sentry | Elastic | Grafana |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 34.3% | 28.1% | 15.4% | 5.7% | 12.6% | 2.5% | 0.52% | 0.92% | 0.02% |
| Nov 2025 | 39.5% | 26.5% | 14.5% | 1.3% | 14.5% | 1.9% | 0.55% | 1.1% | 0.02% |
| Dec 2025 | 37% | 30.4% | 13.6% | 1.5% | 13.6% | 2.2% | 0.62% | 0.99% | 0.01% |
| Jan 2026 | 40.6% | 27.2% | 14.9% | 1.3% | 12.2% | 2% | 0.58% | 1.1% | 0.02% |
| Feb 2026 | 41.8% | 28% | 15.4% | 1.4% | 10.3% | 1.7% | 0.55% | 0.92% | 0.02% |
| Mar 2026 | 40.1% | 26.9% | 17.9% | 1.3% | 9.9% | 2% | 0.77% | 1.1% | 0.01% |
| Apr 2026 | 41.7% | 27.9% | 15.3% | 1.4% | 10.2% | 1.7% | 0.86% | 0.91% | 0.02% |
| May 2026 | 43.9% | 24.1% | 16.1% | 1.2% | 10.8% | 2.2% | 0.8% | 0.96% | 0.02% |
| Jun 2026 | 40.8% | 27.4% | 15% | 1.3% | 12.3% | 1.6% | 0.73% | 0.73% | 0.02% |
| Jul 2026 | 44.3% | 24.3% | 16.3% | 1.2% | 10.9% | 1.5% | 0.75% | 0.79% | 0.02% |
| Aug 2026 | 44% | 24.1% | 16.2% | 1.8% | 10.8% | 1.4% | 0.82% | 0.79% | 0.02% |
| Sep 2026 | 39.5% | 21.7% | 14.5% | 11.9% | 9.7% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.58% | 0.01% |
How has the Datadog and Instana comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Datadog was ahead of Instana in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Datadog’s share of searches among application performance monitoring worldwide moved from 34.3% to 39.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 246K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Instana’s share of searches among application performance monitoring worldwide moved from 5.7% to 11.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40.5K to 74K.
How did search popularity change for application performance monitoring worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Instana overtook New Relic to rank 4th among application performance monitoring worldwide, with 11.9% of the searches.
In September 2026, Datadog lost share of searches among application performance monitoring worldwide, from 44% to 39.5%.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Datadog’s and Instana’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Other head-to-heads among application performance monitoring
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