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Keep Datadog. Add the proof.

Datadog tells your engineers why an agent was slow or wrong. Runfile proves to an auditor exactly what it did. Most teams need both, running side by side on the same OpenTelemetry data.

The short answerKeep Datadog for debugging. Add Runfile for the audit.

See them side by sideBook a design-partner call
01 — Different jobsUse both

Two tools, two different jobs.

What each is built for, and when to reach for which.

Datadog LLM ObservabilityPart of the Datadog platform

Built to debug.

“Why is my agent slow, or wrong?”
Bought by
Platform engineering
Records
Traces, latency, errors and cost
Kept for
About 15 days by default
RunfileThe agent system of record

Built to prove.

“What exactly did this agent do, and can you prove it?”
Bought by
CCO · Internal Audit
Records
The agent execution graph, sealed
Kept for
Up to 7 years, on locked storage

Choose Datadog for

  • Latency, errors and cost across your whole stack
  • Live dashboards and alerts for on-call engineers
  • Monitoring agents next to the rest of your infrastructure

Choose Runfile for

  • A record nobody can quietly change, including us
  • Evidence mapped to the rules you answer to
  • A package your auditor can verify offline
02 — Head to headHonest verdicts

Side by side, honestly.

Eight things teams ask about. Where Datadog is the better choice, we say so.

What you needDatadogRunfile
Find out why an agent is slow or failingYesIts core job: traces, latency, errors and cost.NoNot what we do. Keep Datadog for this.
Live dashboards and alertsYesReal time, across your whole stack.NoRunfile records. It doesn’t page anyone.
Every step of the run, in orderPartlyTraces of each step, kept for weeks by default.YesThe full execution graph, including approvals and refusals.
Proof the record hasn’t changedNoNo cryptographic proof that nothing was edited or removed.YesHash-chained, signed daily and anchored in a public log.
Kept for yearsPartlyShort by default. Longer retention costs extra.YesUp to 7 years on locked storage.
Each event linked to the rule it satisfiesNoNo link between events and controls.YesMapped to the frameworks you answer to.
Checked by an outsider, offlineNoNo independent verification.YesAn offline verifier and a public anchor.
A package to hand the auditorNoDashboards, not deliverables.YesSigned PDF, raw event log and verifier, together.

Based on each vendor’s public product information. Products change, so check with them for current details.

03 — Better togetherNothing to rip out

Run them side by side. Change nothing.

Runfile reads the same OpenTelemetry data Datadog already gets. Your Datadog setup stays exactly as it is.

StartYour AI agentsAlready sending OpenTelemetry to Datadog
Same OTel data
UnchangedDatadogEngineers keep debugging exactly as today.
Same OTel data
AddedRunfileSeals every run into evidence an auditor can check.

Questions about this comparison

Can’t we just keep our Datadog data for longer?

Longer retention changes how long you keep the data, not whether you can prove it’s unchanged. An auditor asking about a run from last March needs both, plus a link to the control it satisfies.

Do we have to change our instrumentation?

No. If your agents already emit OpenTelemetry, Runfile reads the same data. LangGraph and the OpenAI Agents SDK are supported natively.

Does Runfile replace Datadog?

No. We don’t do dashboards, alerts or latency hunts, and we don’t plan to. Your engineers keep Datadog; your auditors get Runfile.

Other comparisons

CompareRunfile vs Vanta & DrataCompareRunfile vs Langfuse & LangSmithOverviewAll four kinds of tool
§ Next step

See it running
next to Datadog.

A 30-minute call with your platform and Internal Audit leads. We’ll show Runfile running next to Datadog on the same agents.

Book a design-partner callSee a sample evidence package