OpenLIT: Open Source Alternative to Datadog

OpenLIT is an OpenTelemetry-native LLM observability platform with 2.5k+ GitHub stars — a Datadog alternative for tracing, evaluation, prompt management, and cost tracking.

Compare OpenLIT with New Relic and Dynatrace before you choose your stack.

Key features

Observability

• OpenTelemetry-native architecture
• Distributed tracing for LLM chains
• Real-time monitoring and alerting
• Custom dashboards and metrics
• Integration with existing OTel collectors

Evaluation

• Automated quality scoring
• Regression testing for prompts
• Side-by-side comparison
• Human-in-the-loop annotation
• Custom evaluation metrics

Prompt management

• Version control for prompts
• A/B testing and experiments
• Template management
• Playground for debugging
• Rollback and staging

Cost tracking

• Per-request cost attribution
• Model and provider comparison
• Budget alerts and quotas
• Usage analytics by team/user
• Export to billing systems

OpenLIT vs Datadog

	OpenLIT	Datadog
License	Apache-2.0 (open source)	Proprietary
Data residency	Self-hosted option	Vendor cloud
Privacy	No third-party tracking by default	Vendor analytics pipeline
Customization	SQL and plugin extensibility	Limited to product UI
Cost	Free tier + self-hosting	Usage-based SaaS

Choose OpenLIT if you want open-source code, self-hosting options, and full control over your data and deployment.

Choose Datadog if you prefer a managed proprietary product with vendor support and minimal setup.

Browse more open-source alternatives to Datadog, or explore other tools in Analytics.

At a glance

License	Apache-2.0
Stack	Python, TypeScript, PostgreSQL
Self-hosted	Yes — OpenLIT OSS
Cloud	openlit.io (managed)
Protocol	OpenTelemetry

Self-hosting

git clone https://github.com/openlit/openlit.git
cd openlit && docker compose up

OpenLIT can be self-hosted with Docker. The cloud version provides managed infrastructure and automatic updates.

FAQ

Is OpenLIT a free alternative to Datadog?

Yes. OpenLIT is open source under Apache-2.0. You can self-host it at no software cost — you only pay for infrastructure or optional managed services.

How does OpenLIT compare to Datadog?

OpenLIT gives you source code access, self-hosting, and data ownership. Datadog is a proprietary product focused on managed convenience. See the comparison table above for a side-by-side breakdown.

Can I self-host OpenLIT?

Yes. OpenLIT supports self-hosted deployment, which is a core reason teams choose it over Datadog. Check the Getting started or Self-hosting section for install commands.

Is OpenLIT suitable for production?

OpenLIT is actively maintained with a strong open-source community. Many teams run it in production as a Analytics alternative to Datadog. Review the At a glance table for license and stack details.

What are alternatives to OpenLIT and Datadog?

Browse alternatives to Datadog for more open-source options, including tools compared to New Relic. Explore the full Analytics category for related projects.