Cast AI vs Elastic vs Lacework FortiCNAPP vs Datadog: Which AI Research and Development tool is Best in 2025?

Cast AI is a leading platform designed to automate and optimize the performance of applications running on Kubernetes, a popular system for managing containerized applications in the cloud. Founded to tackle the growing challenge of rising cloud costs and complex infrastructure management, Cast AI provides tools that automate resource allocation, monitor usage in real-time, and ensure compliance with security standards. Cast AI recently secured $108 million in a Series C funding round to advance its Application Performance Automation technology.

Elastic is a company that helps businesses use data better through tools for search, security, and monitoring. It’s known for Elasticsearch, a powerful search engine that’s part of the Elastic Stack, which also includes Kibana for visuals, Beats for data collection, and Logstash for processing logs. Founded in 2012, Elastic serves over 17,000 customers, including big names like Uber and Microsoft, and is traded on the NYSE as ESTC. It’s great for e-commerce, IT, and healthcare industries, focusing on real-time insights with AI and scalability.

Lacework FortiCNAPP is a Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) developed by Fortinet, designed to provide comprehensive security for cloud environments. It combines multiple security capabilities, including Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), Kubernetes Security (KSPM), Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM), Cloud Workload Protection Platform (CWPP), policy as code enforcement, application security, infrastructure as code security, and cloud detection and response, along with Fortinet's FortiSOAR and FortiGuard capabilities. It simplifies and strengthens cloud security by offering unmatched visibility and context, helping organizations manage risk, detect and respond to threats quickly, and maintain compliance across complex, multi-cloud environments.

Datadog is the end-to-end simplified visibility and security platform for your cloud applications. Datadog's SaaS platform automates and integrates network monitoring, container monitoring, infrastructure monitoring, log management, database monitoring, and other features to provide real-time security and observability for users' entire technology stack.