Alluvio AppResponse vs Cisco DNA Center comparison

Riverbed and Cisco are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Riverbed is ranked #56 with an average rating of 8.0, while Cisco is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.2. Riverbed holds a 0.5% mindshare in NMS, compared to Cisco’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Riverbed users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Alluvio AppResponse

Read 17 Alluvio AppResponse reviews

1,209 Views
762 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

Read 43 Cisco DNA Center reviews

7,884 Views
1,892 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Alluvio AppResponse

Cisco DNA Center

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Alluvio AppResponse and Cisco DNA Center are network management solutions with unique strengths. Alluvio AppResponse has an edge in pricing and customer support, while Cisco DNA Center excels in its feature-rich offering.

Features: Alluvio AppResponse includes deep packet inspection for detailed network analysis, real-time performance monitoring, and efficient troubleshooting. Cisco DNA Center offers advanced automation tools, comprehensive analytics, and robust policy enforcement, enhancing overall network management with its extensive feature set.

Room for Improvement: Alluvio AppResponse could improve by incorporating more automation tools, expanding its analytics capabilities, and enhancing network-wide policy management. Cisco DNA Center can benefit from reducing deployment complexity, improving cost-effectiveness, and making user interfaces more intuitive to streamline operations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Alluvio AppResponse is known for its straightforward deployment and responsive customer support, allowing for quick setup. Cisco DNA Center, while offering comprehensive tools, requires detailed planning and possibly longer deployment time due to its wide-ranging features, calling for an initial time investment to leverage its functionalities fully.

Pricing and ROI: Alluvio AppResponse provides a cost-effective solution with positive ROI through efficient troubleshooting. Cisco DNA Center, although initially more expensive, offers long-term ROI with extensive automation and management features, making it a strategic investment for maximizing network efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed Alluvio AppResponse vs. Cisco DNA Center Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Alluvio AppResponse vs. Cisco DNA Center

September 2025

Download the complete report

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Alluvio AppResponse

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

56th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (49th)

Cisco DNA Center

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

11th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (1st), Network Automation (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Alluvio AppResponse is 0.5%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 1.4%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco DNA Center	1.4%
Alluvio AppResponse	0.5%
Other	98.1%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Ahmet Kilic

Network and Security Unit Manager at Bankalararası Kart Merkezi (BKM)

It's a total solution that gives you end-to-end visibility at all levels

I rate Alluvio AppResponse 10 out of 10. If you work for a financial company especially, you probably face problems on the application side. The problem is easy to identify, but you need to determine the root cause. You can solve issues easily via AppResponse because it shows you all the details of your transactions so you can see the real problem in the database, network, software, etc. For example, you can find the solution easily if you create the right dashboard on your site. If you can't find the problem, you can observe or investigate PCAP.

Read full review

Mahir Öztürk

Network Engineer at NGN Bilgi ve İletişim Hizmetleri

Client history has helped resolve past network issues more efficiently

I mostly use the client history feature of Cisco DNA Center. I didn't use the real-time monitoring capability of Cisco DNA Center because I primarily used it for client history regarding issues and problems. I don't use it for real-time monitoring. If there is a problem, I can inspect the situation and see what is happening, which is beneficial.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"You need a packet capture device to perform any type of network monitoring. It helps ensure that network overloads don't happen with alerts allowing for proactive decisions."

"The most valuable feature is performance monitoring."

"AppResponse is a total solution that gives you end-to-end visibility into applications at all levels, from Layer 1 to Layer 7. We can trace all those sections: physical, IP, transport, presentation, application, etc. It gives us the full picture."

"It's a stable product. Riverbed has invested a significant amount of research and development into it, so it's a solid tool overall."

"Riverbed's product is a superb product."

"I have found the AppResponse, which is a packet capture solution, very good. It gives you the ability to drill down back in time. You've got all the packets there. You can troubleshoot it later, not immediately. It's very interesting."

"With some APM solutions, it can take a long time to check a periodic report, but you can get all the necessary details quickly with AppResponse."

"We really like the scalability capabilities."

More Alluvio AppResponse pros

"It enables monitoring of various components such as access points, switch cards, and other elements within the company's solutions."

"DNA Center is scalable."

"The product offers an intuitive and automated way to manage user networks. It gives me an insight into the network health."

"The most valuable features of the solution are all of its security features...It is a highly scalable solution."

"The best feature of Cisco DNA Center is the visibility page, where you can see everything on the dashboard, and you don't have to be a technical person to view the issues."

"Automation helps configure devices without manual intervention, enabling zero-touch provisioning."

"Application Assurance works very well."

"It offers automation, security enforcement, analytics, and integration with other Cisco technologies, making it a key driver for efficient network operations and compliance with security protocols."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

Cons

"If Alluvio AppResponse reduces its cost, it will be more beneficial for customers to monitor their application and network performance."

"The recent changes in corporate structure may have caused some decrease in support quality."

"The AI features should be addressed in respect of the analysis and intelligence that must be supported and delivered in the tool to predigest the large amounts of data."

"Technical support needs to be more responsive."

"The initial setup is straightforward, but you have to know a little about the product. It's not for everybody to just plug and play. If you know how the solution is implemented then it is straightforward."

"Need to bring back the NetFlow module for AppResponse."

"They need to better integrate with products and solutions from different vendors."

"The reporting models need improvement as most of the time, we have to customize the reports manually."

More Alluvio AppResponse cons

"In terms of the clustering part, there are some concerns."

"Requires more focus on the digital side of things."

"From the recent DNA point of view, there are some stability challenges with Cisco, but very minor."

"I would like is to have a small information pointer available. It could be a plus feature that I want to implement. When I hover my mouse over the user interface, it should provide a brief explanation. It would be helpful to have it incorporated into the UI."

"It seems to be a little bit more centered toward wireless than wired. You've got more options you can do wirelessly than you can with the wired switches, but it works for what we need it to do. We would like to see a little bit more about the traffic, and we're looking at what's out there to see about that. We are looking at something that might give us a bit more insight into the actual traffic. If they had the full functionality on the wired side, as they do on the wireless side in terms of being able to view traffic and everything, it would be good."

"Cisco DNA Center was a new technology for us, at the beginning, it was not easy to do, but Cisco did a lot of training with us to a level we could handle everything. The team is managing itself now without the assistance of Cisco."

"There should be an option for automation of template deployment by using the stored data. It is not easy to save configuration information for lots of devices without using other tools. There should be a tighter, better repository of information that can be merged with the templates."

"The tool's deployment is complex. It also needs to improve its GUI."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is costly for small and medium businesses."

"The licensing model is expensive compared to its competitors, but the service it gives to your business, and the data quality, means that it's worth it."

"The price is a little bit high, especially because we have to pay an import tax."

"The solution is no more expensive than other products."

"The tool's licensing may not come across as something that may be friendly for users."

"The price could be better. It's a very expensive tool."

"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive."

"The solution is a little bit expensive but depends a lot on the customer's usage. If you use it in the right place, you can easily pay for it."

"The tool is medium-priced."

"We get a yearly license at the time we buy the product."

"I rate the product's pricing an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap, and ten is very expensive."

"It is an expensive solution."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Performing Arts

12%

Energy/Utilities Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	25

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Riverbed SteelCentral AppResponse?

The most valuable feature of Alluvio AppResponse is the actual response time for measuring performance.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Riverbed SteelCentral AppResponse?

The pricing of Riverbed Alluvio AppResponse is really high. Very few customers buy Riverbed because many do not have the sufficient budget. Its pricing is comparatively higher than SolarWinds. Rive...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Riverbed SteelCentral AppResponse?

The reporting models need improvement as most of the time, we have to customize the reports manually. Additionally, a feature similar to SolarWinds AppStack, which provides a holistic view of the i...

See all answers

What do you like most about Cisco DNA Center?

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco DNA Center?

After evaluating other solutions, we will provide feedback.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?

We have utilized the software-defined access (SDA) feature of Cisco DNA Center. The AI-driven needs enhancements and Integration and unification of visibility and monitoring to include other areas ...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Pico Corvil Analytics vs Alluvio AppResponse

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OP5 Monitor vs Alluvio AppResponse

Compared 9% of the time

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Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 16% of the time

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco DNA Center Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

September 2025

Download Alluvio AppResponse product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

October 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Also Known As

Riverbed AppResponse, OPNET SteelCentral AppResponse, ACE Live, OPNET, AppResponse Xpert

DNA Center

Overview

Alluvio AppResponse provides fast packet capture and storage that feeds intelligent network and application analysis with fast troubleshooting workflows to speed problem diagnosis and resolution. AppResponse delivers full stack application analysis—from packets to web pages - enabling you observe all network and application interactions as they cross the wire, whether they are encrypted or not. Using powerful, flexible network and application analytics and workflows, AppResponse speeds problem diagnosis and resolution, helping you get to answers fast

Riverbed

Cisco DNA Center offers a comprehensive platform for network automation and management, providing detailed analytics, enhanced security, and streamlined operations for both wired and wireless networks.

Cisco DNA Center integrates with Cisco infrastructure to deliver efficient network automation and management, helping organizations improve network visibility, security, and control. It supports AI-driven analytics and automated workflows to enhance operational efficiency and reduce errors. Challenges include compatibility with third-party systems, steep learning curve, and complex deployment. Its interface facilitates centralized control, vital for troubleshooting, policy management, and configuration management, with support for zero-touch provisioning and SD-Access.

What are the key features of Cisco DNA Center?

Robust Analytics: Provides detailed insights into network health with AI-driven analytics.
Centralized Security: Integrates with ISE for comprehensive security management.
Automated Device Management: Simplifies device provisioning and configuration transfers.
Wi-Fi Analytics: Offers deep insights into wireless network performance.
Zero-Touch Provisioning: Streamlines new device deployments with minimal human intervention.
Scalable Segmentation: Efficiently segments network traffic ensuring security and performance.

What benefits should users consider?

Operational Efficiency: Automation reduces potential errors and streamlines workflow.
Enhanced Security: Integration with Cisco ISE bolsters security capabilities.
Network Visibility: Comprehensive dashboards and analysis tools enhance monitoring.
Troubleshooting: Real-time monitoring aids in identifying and resolving issues swiftly.

In sectors such as healthcare, finance, and retail, Cisco DNA Center is utilized for its ability to enhance security and compliance, manage large-scale networks, and provide detailed analytics for better operational decision-making. Its support for location tracking and policy automation ensures efficient network management across diverse environments.

Cisco

Sample Customers

N11.com, OneMain Financial, China Bank, Halkbank, Kaust

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Alluvio AppResponse vs. Cisco DNA Center

September 2025

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