I Examined 30+ Cloud Monitoring Instruments: Right here Are My Picks

I’ve spent the final three years writing about IT and cloud safety, speaking to DevOps groups, IT admins, and safety execs about their largest cloud complications. One factor is evident: managing cloud infrastructure with out the correct cloud monitoring instruments is like flying blind.

I’ve heard tales of groups scrambling to diagnose downtime, coping with limitless alerts that lead nowhere, and fighting shock cloud payments. When you’re right here, you’re in all probability dealing with the identical points. You want a cloud infrastructure monitoring software program that doesn’t simply flood you with information however helps you’re taking motion earlier than issues break.

So, I did what I do greatest. I researched. I additionally talked to the individuals who depend on these instruments essentially the most: cloud engineers, DevOps groups, and safety professionals. Their insights helped me separate the really helpful cloud monitoring instruments from the noise.

Whether or not you’re attempting to forestall outages, optimize efficiency and prices, or strengthen safety, I’ve researched 30+ instruments to search out the perfect cloud monitoring instruments for 2025. Right here’s what it’s essential to know.

5 greatest cloud monitoring instruments I like to recommend  

When you individuals ask me, “What precisely do cloud monitoring instruments do?” I wish to hold it easy: they offer you a real-time window into your cloud atmosphere, so that you’re not flying blind.

From my conversations with IT admins and DevOps groups, I’ve discovered that cloud monitoring is all about visibility and management. You don’t simply need uncooked information. You want insights that truly make it easier to take motion earlier than points spiral into full-blown outages.

What makes the perfect cloud monitoring instruments: My standards

To separate the perfect from the remainder, I centered on key elements that outline efficient, dependable, and scalable cloud monitoring. 

• Actual-time efficiency monitoring: Cloud environments are dynamic, and efficiency bottlenecks can escalate rapidly. I seemed for instruments that present real-time visibility into CPU, reminiscence, community site visitors, and storage utilization throughout cloud workloads. One of the best options supply granular monitoring on the occasion, container, and Kubernetes pod ranges to detect anomalies earlier than they affect purposes.
• Clever alerting and automation: Alert fatigue is an actual downside. An excellent cloud monitoring instrument ought to prioritize vital alerts and suppress noisy, low-priority ones. I seemed for platforms that help AI-driven anomaly detection, threshold-based alerting, and auto-remediation capabilities, reminiscent of auto-scaling sources or restarting failed cases with out guide intervention.
• Multi-cloud and hybrid cloud help: Most companies use a number of cloud suppliers, however not all monitoring instruments can deal with that complexity. I prioritized options that natively help AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and hybrid deployments with out requiring extreme configuration. Cross-cloud visibility, unified dashboards, and API integrations have been key elements on this analysis.
• Safety and compliance monitoring: Cloud environments introduce new assault surfaces, so monitoring ought to embody safety posture evaluation, misconfiguration detection, and compliance auditing for frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. One of the best instruments transcend fundamental logs and embody menace detection, id monitoring, and automatic safety coverage enforcement.
• Log administration and distributed tracing: In trendy cloud-native environments, logs and traces present vital insights. I seemed for options that help centralized log aggregation, real-time log evaluation, and distributed tracing to pinpoint bottlenecks in microservices architectures. One of the best platforms combine with ELK Stack, OpenTelemetry, or native log providers like AWS CloudTrail.
• Ease of deployment and integration: A monitoring instrument ought to work out of the field with out requiring hours of setup. I prioritized options with agentless monitoring choices, easy API-based integrations, and help for containerized workloads in Kubernetes environments. The flexibility to combine with DevOps instruments like Terraform, Prometheus, and CI/CD pipelines was additionally a key issue.
• Value optimization and useful resource administration: Cloud payments can spiral uncontrolled with out correct monitoring. I seemed for instruments that supply value analytics, anomaly detection for surprising spikes, and useful resource right-sizing suggestions to eradicate wasted cloud spend. One of the best platforms present predictive insights that assist IT groups optimize resource allocation earlier than prices escalate.

With this in thoughts, I explored 30+ cloud infrastructure monitoring options and located the highest 5 that ticked off many of the bins. Whereas they won’t be good in each sense, they carry some distinctive strengths to the desk. 

The listing under incorporates real consumer critiques from the cloud infrastructure monitoring software program class. To be included on this class, an answer should:

• Monitor the efficiency of cloud-based purposes or providers.
• Visually map or show sources and cloud infrastructure.
• Determine irregular exercise or efficiency.
• Present greatest practices to make sure optimum efficiency.

*This information was pulled from G2 in 2025. Some critiques could have been edited for readability.  

Datadog is a type of instruments you could’t ignore when on the lookout for cloud monitoring options, it’s in every single place, and for good motive. It provides real-time dashboards, deep observability, and stable integrations, making it a robust selection for cloud infrastructure monitoring.

One of many largest advantages I see is how a lot visibility it offers in cloud environments. The flexibility to deploy Datadog throughout multi-cloud and on-premise environments and get detailed insights into infrastructure, community site visitors, and software efficiency is a big plus. 

Based mostly on my analysis and actual consumer suggestions, deploying Datadog is simple, because of its easy agent set up and in depth pre-built integrations.

I would say one of many largest benefits is its big selection of integrations. It connects seamlessly with NGINX, Kubernetes, Docker, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and CI/CD pipelines. For incident administration and alerting, it syncs with ServiceNow, Slack, Microsoft Groups, Jira, and different instruments, so alerts and points get directed to the correct individuals in actual time.

And I extremely worth how its options work collectively. The tight integration between logs, metrics, software efficiency monitoring (APM), database monitoring (DBM), profiling, real-time consumer monitoring (RUM), and Synthetics means one can simply bounce between completely different information factors with out switching instruments or piecing insights collectively manually. Whether or not you might be troubleshooting an software slowdown or investigating an infrastructure difficulty, all the things flows seamlessly, making the entire expertise way more environment friendly.

One other factor I admire essentially the most is Datadog’s alerting system. It’s extremely versatile, permitting customers to set alerts primarily based on customized circumstances. When you tune it proper, it makes an enormous distinction in decreasing alert fatigue.

However not each instrument is ideal and Datadog additionally has some quirks. The most important ache level I’ve heard from customers? The associated fee. Many have identified that it will get costly quick, particularly for rising groups or large-scale deployments. Whereas the pricing is usage-based, it rapidly provides up. So, whereas it’s nice, it’s not low cost.

One other difficulty I’ve noticed is the overwhelming UI. Whereas it’s highly effective, it may be loads to absorb, particularly when you’re new to cloud monitoring. Navigating the interface and organising customized dashboards can really feel clunky at occasions.

That being stated, Datadog stands out because the gold commonplace for cloud monitoring instruments. Would I like to recommend it? Completely, however with a caveat. When you’re a big enterprise or a DevOps crew managing a fancy cloud atmosphere, Datadog’s visibility and automation can prevent time and forestall expensive outages.

However when you’re a small crew or engaged on a good finances, you would possibly end up watching your monitoring prices as carefully as your cloud efficiency metrics.

What I dislike about Datadog:

• From what I noticed, it’s highly effective however not low cost. The pricing is usage-based, and when you’re monitoring a big infrastructure, the prices can skyrocket earlier than you even notice it.
• Based mostly on my analysis, whereas Datadog provides tons of information, navigating the dashboard may be intimidating, particularly for brand new customers. Some customization choices really feel a bit clunky.

What G2 customers dislike about Datadog: 

“Generally, the UI could be very overwhelming, particularly at the start. So many buttons and options make the platform very advanced to make use of, so the training curve is a bit arduous at the start. When you be taught to make use of it, it’s actually easy and intuitive.” 

– Datadog Evaluation, Diego P.

In the case of cloud monitoring options that “simply work” out of the field, LogicMonitor stands out to me. It provides automated discovery of cloud sources, pre-configured monitoring templates, and built-in integrations with AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and hybrid infrastructure.

On the similar time, if the default setup isn’t sufficient, there’s loads of room to customise. In reality, what actually units it aside for me is its flexibility. LogicMonitor offers groups the flexibility to fine-tune nearly each side of their monitoring setup.

You’ll be able to customise dashboards, create customized monitoring scripts, modify alert thresholds, and combine with third-party instruments like ServiceNow, Slack, and PagerDuty. The flexibleness permits groups to scale and adapt LogicMonitor to their particular wants whereas nonetheless benefiting from its ease of deployment, for my part.

However customization comes with a tradeoff, each by way of value and complexity. From what I’ve gathered, whereas LogicMonitor makes customization potential, it doesn’t all the time make it simple. Organising superior customized monitoring requires time and experience, and the UI isn’t all the time intuitive.

LogicMonitor upgraded its UI in late 2023, however customers have blended emotions about it from what I discovered. Whereas some discover it an enchancment, whereas others really feel it has added pointless friction to their workflow. 

And like Datadog, value is one other issue that continuously comes up when evaluating LogicMonitor. From what I’ve gathered, it’s not essentially the most budget-friendly possibility available on the market. In fact, it replaces a number of monitoring instruments, consolidating observability right into a single platform. For bigger enterprises, this may justify the price, however for smaller groups with easier wants, it may be tough. 

Regardless of these limitations, LogicMonitor is a robust contender in case your crew wants deep customization and is prepared to put money into fine-tuning.

What I dislike about LogicMonitor:

• From my commentary, the UI redesign is a blended bag. Whereas some customers discover it an enchancment, others say it provides pointless friction to workflows
• I agree that LogicMonitor is undeniably an amazing instrument, and that comes with a premium price ticket. Whereas the worth is there for bigger enterprises that want deep customization and hybrid monitoring, smaller groups with easier wants would possibly discover it arduous to justify the price

What G2 customers dislike about LogicMonitor:

“The brand new interface stinks. It is quirky. Hiding Datasources beneath LogicModules makes it tougher to view the main points.

Most annoying is the navigation of the Useful resource Tree whatever the interface. If a tool is in a number of high-level teams and also you navigate backward, it doesn’t carry you to the folder construction that you just used to navigate down.“

– LogicMonitor Evaluation,  Tad G. 

From what I discovered, IBM Instana has a stable status as a real-time observability and software efficiency monitoring instrument for contemporary hybrid and multicloud environments. It’s easy to deploy with a single Instana agent that routinely displays all the tech stack. 

One other main benefit is how effectively Instana supplies real-time suggestions. In contrast to some monitoring instruments that introduce delays in surfacing points, Instana delivers prompt visibility into latency issues, slowdowns, and repair failures. This makes troubleshooting considerably sooner as a result of groups don’t need to dig via logs manually to pinpoint the issue.

From what I discovered, Instana excels in root trigger evaluation by routinely correlating software points with infrastructure efficiency, making it simpler to trace down the precise element or service inflicting the issue. As an alternative of simply displaying uncooked information, it maps out dependencies between providers, traces transactions throughout distributed techniques, and highlights bottlenecks in actual time.

This stage of automation eliminates a lot of the guesswork, serving to DevOps groups scale back imply time to decision (MTTR) and tackle points earlier than they escalate into full-blown outages, in my opinion

In the case of UI, although, the suggestions is blended primarily based on what I discovered.  Whereas the instrument is simple to make use of, the UI may use some enhancements. Discovering particular options or configuring dashboards isn’t as clean accurately. Additionally, I feel it might present deeper customization in relation to alerts and dashboards. Not having this may be irritating for groups that require deeper customization to match particular workflows. 

One other downside I discovered is there’s an preliminary adjustment interval to rise up to hurry with Instana.  The preliminary complexity could require further coaching or onboarding, which is usually a problem for groups that want an out-of-the-box resolution. 

 General, I would say IBM Instana is a superb selection for real-time software efficiency monitoring.

What I dislike about IBM Instana:

• Whereas Instana is simple to deploy, I spotted totally mastering its options takes time. Superior configurations, integrations, and monitoring guidelines aren’t all the time intuitive, and groups might have additional coaching to unlock the platform’s full potential.
• Based mostly on what I heard from customers, Instana’s alerting system works effectively for fundamental monitoring, but it surely doesn’t supply sufficient granularity for fine-tuned notifications. When you want extremely personalized alert circumstances and thresholds, it might really feel restrictive in comparison with different options.

What G2 customers dislike about IBM Instana: 

“Initial complexity would possibly require further time and coaching for groups to completely exploit the platform’s capabilities. Relying on the dimensions of the deployment, the price could grow to be a big issue for some customers.” 

– IBM Instana Evaluation, Yannick Ok. 

Site24x7 by ManageEngine was a brand new discover for me on this listing. It provides a whole suite of monitoring options, from web sites, servers, and purposes to cloud infrastructure and networks, multi function place.

I actually admire its means to regulate a number of sources concurrently. I feel it is especially helpful for smaller IT groups or organizations that want reasonably priced, all-in-one observability. It reduces instrument sprawl and makes it simpler to trace all the things from a single pane of glass. 

One other power I noticed is how simple it’s to arrange and combine. The onboarding course of is fast. It helps agent-based and agentless monitoring, and as soon as deployed, it routinely discovers new sources and begins gathering information. 

Value-effectiveness can be a significant factor that makes Site24x7 stand out for my part. In comparison with high-end instruments like Datadog, which may get costly quick, Site24x7 provides a way more budget-friendly different. It’s particularly interesting for startups, SMBs, and IT groups that want strong monitoring with out enterprise-level pricing. It could not have all of the superior options of extra premium options, however for many organizations, the price-to-performance ratio makes it a horny selection.

However there are some downsides. The UI, whereas practical, feels outdated, and I feel it may use a refresh. Navigation and configuration aren’t as intuitive or user-friendly as I’d like, making some workflows take longer than vital. Organising dashboards and fine-tuning alerts, particularly, might be extra streamlined.

I additionally observed that it’s tough to get began and arduous to know, particularly when configuring superior monitoring settings. Whereas onboarding is pretty fast, getting essentially the most out of Site24x7 takes effort. As soon as all the things is about up, it runs easily, however tweaking settings and discovering particular options can really feel extra sophisticated than it must be.

No matter these points, Site24x7 remains to be a stable selection for IT groups and companies on the lookout for a flexible, multi-cloud monitoring resolution, particularly for these on a finances. 

What I dislike about Site24x7:

• Whereas the UI will get the job carried out, it isn’t as trendy or polished. Navigation and customization might be smoother, and a few workflows take longer than they need to, primarily based on my observations.
• High-quality-tuning alerts and superior monitoring settings isn’t as intuitive as I’d hoped. Getting began is simple, however totally optimizing the platform takes effort and time.

What G2 customers like about Site24x7: 

“Enhancing consumer settings on Site24x7 is usually a bit cumbersome and fewer intuitive than anticipated, requiring a number of steps that might be streamlined for higher usability.”

– Site24x7 Evaluation, Yuvraj G.

Dynatrace stands out to me for its depth, automation, and AI-driven insights. From what I discovered, it’s a powerhouse for full-stack observability, making it an amazing selection for big enterprises that want deep visibility into advanced infrastructures.

From what I gathered, it’s simple to combine Dynatrace’s observability instruments with current infrastructure, making it a superb match for hybrid and multi-cloud environments. As soon as deployed, the platform supplies real-time insights into software efficiency, infrastructure well being, and safety dangers, all from a single dashboard. It additionally helps groups hold a pulse on system availability, decreasing the chance of surprising outages.

I was impressed by the extent of intelligence it brings to monitoring with its Davis AI, an AI engine, and Grail, its database for storing logs, metrics, traces, occasions, and many others. The Issues app, with AI-driven downside detection, routinely identifies efficiency points and pinpoints root causes with out requiring groups to sift via limitless logs, making troubleshooting considerably sooner.

One other main power is Dynatrace’s request tracing capabilities, which offer deep visibility into service dependencies and transaction flows throughout cloud environments. This enables groups to search out bottlenecks, optimize efficiency, and forestall points from cascading into bigger failures.

However Dynatrace takes time to grasp. Whereas Davis AI simplifies troubleshooting in the long term, the platform’s sheer depth of options can really feel overwhelming at first, requiring coaching and a structured onboarding course of.

Additionally, the pricing construction is a bit obscure. Whereas Dynatrace provides versatile, per-hour pricing for numerous options and functionalities, understanding the general value may be difficult with out a clear grasp of your particular utilization patterns. It might make it tough to foretell bills precisely. And like LogicMonitor and Datadog, you probably have high-volume monitoring wants, the worth can rapidly go up. 

Nonetheless, I would suggest Dynatrace for enterprises that want deep observability, AI-driven automation, and full-stack monitoring. 

What I dislike about Dynatrace:

• I would say Dynatrace isn’t the best instrument to be taught instantly so many options and settings. Whereas automation makes issues simpler over time, navigating and fine-tuning dashboards, metrics, and alerts takes effort to completely grasp.
• Based mostly on what I noticed, Dynatrace’s pricing construction is usually a bit difficult to know, particularly while you’re simply beginning out. The flexibleness of per-hour pricing for various options is nice, however with out a clear understanding of utilization patterns, prices can add up sooner than anticipated. 

What G2 customers dislike about Dynatrace: 

“They know the worth they supply and cost you accordingly, it may be very tough to digest the price of the instrument, and it may be tough to handle your group’s consumption of licensing.”

– Dynatrace Evaluation, Andrew H.

If value is your main concern, or in case you are a small or medium enterprise with a fairly manageable cloud infrastructure, I would recommend going with open-source choices like Prometheus, Grafana Labs, Zabbix, or Nagios. These instruments could require extra guide setup and upkeep, however they provide comparatively good monitoring capabilities with out recurring subscription charges.

Nonetheless on the hunt? Discover our classes of monitoring software program, from software efficiency to community, to search out the correct match to your wants.