monsys.ai vs Datadog vs Zabbix: an honest comparison for the European SMB
When Datadog is better, when Zabbix is better, when monsys is better. Includes a pricing example for 20 servers and the features monsys has out-of-the-box that the other two don't.
We're writing this article about ourselves, so we're not neutral. But we try to be honest about when monsys is the better choice — and when it isn't. Read this as the honest comparison you'd want to read from a trusted colleague.
The three platforms in one sentence
Datadog: The Cadillac of monitoring. Fully featured, excellent DX, expensive, US-hosted.
Zabbix: Open source, self-hosted, infinitely scalable, steep learning curve, build the compliance layer yourself.
monsys.ai: Monitoring + supply chain security + compliance evidence in one, EU-hosted, €3/server/month, built for SMBs who must deliver NIS2 evidence without a dedicated security team.
The monsys dashboard — everything on one screen: Trust Score, active servers, open incidents, anomalies, cluster load, recent alerts.
Price: the most-asked comparison point
Datadog
Datadog uses a complex pricing model: per host, per metric, per log, per trace, per user. Realistic estimate for 20 production servers with basic monitoring:
- Infrastructure monitoring: ~$15/host/month = $300/month
- Log management (500 GB/month): ~$400/month
- APM traces: ~$200/month
- Total: ~$900/month (excluding taxes)
For larger environments with more features this can rise quickly to €2,000-5,000/month.
Zabbix
Zabbix itself is free. But:
- Server costs for the Zabbix instance: €50-200/month
- Engineer time for setup and maintenance: initially 40-80 hours, then 5-10 hours/month
- Compliance layer to build: not included, self-service
Realistic total for 20 servers: €100-300/month in server costs + significant engineer time.
monsys.ai
20 servers: (20 - 5) × €3 = €45/month. Everything included: monitoring, supply chain CVE scanning, compliance evidence, evidence packs, AI observability (first app free).
| Datadog | Zabbix | monsys.ai | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 servers, basic | ~€800/month | €100-200/month + time | €45/month |
| Supply chain CVE | Add-on (extra cost) | Self-build | Included |
| NIS2 evidence packs | Not available | Self-build | Included |
| EU hosting | ✗ (US) | ✓ (self-host) | ✓ (Belgium) |
| Setup time | 1-2 days | 1-2 weeks | 30 seconds |
When to choose Datadog (honest)
Datadog is the better choice if:
- You have a development team that needs APM and distributed tracing. Datadog's APM is superior for debugging microservices architectures. monsys has no APM.
- You're already deeply invested in the Datadog ecosystem. Integrations with hundreds of tools, an extensive marketplace, Watchdog AI anomaly detection. If your team uses that daily, migration is a high cost.
- You manage > 500 servers and have a dedicated platform team. At that scale, Datadog's enterprise features (granular RBAC, audit logging, custom dashboards) are worth the investment.
- You don't have to deliver NIS2 evidence. If compliance isn't a priority, don't pay for features you don't need.
When to choose Zabbix (honest)
Zabbix is the better choice if:
- You want full control over your data and infra. Zabbix is open source and self-hosted. You depend on no one.
- You have a large sysadmin team that already knows Zabbix. Existing knowledge is an asset.
- You need custom monitoring outside standard metrics. Zabbix is extremely flexible via templates and triggers.
- You're willing to build the compliance layer yourself. Evidence generation, signed audit packs, NIS2 mapping — build it yourself or buy tools for it.
When monsys is the better choice
monsys is the better choice if:
You're a Belgian/European SMB without a dedicated security team. Most of our customers have one or two people managing IT alongside other responsibilities. Datadog's complexity is a burden, Zabbix's setup time is a burden. monsys is operational in 30 seconds.
You must deliver NIS2 evidence. The Auditor Workbench, signed evidence packs and compliance timeline are built precisely for this. No Datadog equivalent, no Zabbix equivalent without significant custom work.
Per framework, monsys shows which controls are passing, partial or failing — not as a self-declaration, but based on live data from the agents.
You want to track supply chain CVEs without extra tools. OSV.dev scanning of application dependencies + OS packages + container images is included. In Datadog that's an add-on. In Zabbix you build it yourself.
Recommendations aggregate every layer (OS, container, app deps) into one prioritised list — sorted by CVSS × exposure × EPSS.
You need EU data residency. monsys runs in Belgium, hosted by GoTrust BV. For organisations under NIS2, GDPR or sectoral regulation needing EU data residency, that's a hard requirement.
You're an MSP managing 10-50 clients. The MSP Cockpit, white-label branding, pre-issued EATs, and monthly handover reports are features built for MSPs.
One screen for all MSP clients, with urgency score per tenant.
The features monsys has and Datadog/Zabbix don't
These are features built specifically for the Belgian/EU context that you won't find out-of-the-box in Datadog or Zabbix:
Ed25519-signed evidence packs — Each monthly audit bundle is cryptographically signed and offline-verifiable without a monsys account. Auditors can prove integrity without dashboard access.
Honeypot canaries — Fake credentials (AWS keys, SSH keys, Kube config, Docker auth) placed on every host. One read action = immediate Critical alert. No equivalent in Datadog or Zabbix.
Process DNA fingerprinting — SHA256 hash of every running binary, compared against baseline. Binary-swap detection independent of known CVEs.
Source-side PII redaction for AI observability — IBAN, national registry number, BTW-BE with checksum validation before storage.
Trust Score with centrality weighting — One 0-100 KPI for the boardroom, weighted by the topological impact of each server.
One number for management, six components for the operator — reproducible via inputs_hash.
TOTP-gated Emergency Actions — All destructive actions (network isolation, process kill, kernel update) require TOTP verification + reason + Ed25519 signing.
Where monsys falls short
We're honest about what we don't have:
APM / distributed tracing — monsys has no application performance monitoring. If you want to know why a specific API endpoint is slow, you need Datadog APM or Jaeger.
Log management — monsys does not index application logs. We monitor system metrics and security events, not application log streams. For centralised log management you need Elastic/Kibana, Grafana Loki, or Datadog Logs.
Custom dashboards — Datadog and Zabbix are extremely flexible for building custom visualisations. monsys has fixed dashboards that are good for the use cases they were built for, but not configurable for arbitrary monitoring.
Large ecosystems — Datadog has 600+ integrations. monsys has a REST API and webhooks.
On-premises enterprise — Zabbix runs fully on your infra. monsys offers self-hosting via Docker Compose, but the hub is one stack, not an enterprise-distributed deployment.
The honest conclusion
If your primary need is monitoring for a development team with APM, distributed tracing, and custom dashboards: Datadog.
If you want full open-source control and have a team to manage it: Zabbix.
If you're a European SMB or MSP wanting 30-second monitoring + supply chain security + NIS2 evidence, EU-hosted, without Datadog pricing: monsys.ai.
The three are not fully mutually exclusive. Some customers use monsys for compliance evidence and basic monitoring, and a lighter APM tool for development debugging.
Comparison pages: monsys.ai/en/vs/datadog and monsys.ai/en/vs/zabbix. First five servers free, no credit card: monsys.ai/en/signup.