Dynatrace vs Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability)(2026)
Dynatrace is better for teams that need best ai-driven root cause analysis. Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability) is the stronger choice if excellent deployment/change tracking. Dynatrace is paid (from $74/mo) and Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability) is paid (from $100/mo).
Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.
By Bikram Nath
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Dynatrace
Dynatrace provides full-stack observability with automatic AI-powered dependency mapping (Smartscape), root cause analysis (Davis AI), and security vulnerability detection in one unified platform.
Starting at $74/mo
Visit DynatraceLightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability)
Lightstep (now ServiceNow Cloud Observability) provides distributed tracing and change intelligence — correlating deployments and incidents with performance degradation in real time.
Starting at $100/mo
Visit Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability)How Do Dynatrace and Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability) Compare on Features?
| Feature | Dynatrace | Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | paid | paid |
| Starting price | $74/mo | $100/mo |
| Full-stack APM | ✓ | — |
| AI causation (Davis) | ✓ | — |
| Infrastructure monitoring | ✓ | — |
| Digital experience monitoring | ✓ | — |
| Security analytics | ✓ | — |
| Log management | ✓ | — |
| Automatic dependency mapping | ✓ | — |
| Distributed tracing | — | ✓ |
| Change intelligence | — | ✓ |
| Deployment correlation | — | ✓ |
| Service health snapshots | — | ✓ |
| OpenTelemetry support | — | ✓ |
| Metrics + traces unified | — | ✓ |
| Alerts | — | ✓ |
Dynatrace Pros and Cons vs Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability)
Dynatrace
Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability)
Should You Use Dynatrace or Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability)?
For most teams, Dynatrace is the better default: it offers best ai-driven root cause analysis and is paid (from $74/mo). Choose Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability) instead if excellent deployment/change tracking matters more than very expensive. There is no universal winner — the right pick depends on your budget, team size, and whether you value best ai-driven root cause analysis or excellent deployment/change tracking more.
Choose Dynatrace if…
- •Best AI-driven root cause analysis
- •Automatic topology mapping
- •Single platform for everything
Choose Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability) if…
- •Excellent deployment/change tracking
- •OpenTelemetry founding member
- •Service health snapshots