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Alluvio AppResponse vs Instana Dynamic APM comparison

Riverbed and Instana are both solutions in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category. Riverbed is ranked #48 with an average rating of 8.0, while Instana is ranked #20 with an average rating of 7.8. Riverbed holds a 0.2% mindshare in APM, compared to Instana’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Riverbed users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of Instana users who would recommend it.
Alluvio AppResponse
Read 17 Alluvio AppResponse reviews
  • 473 Views
  • 197 Comparison Views
93% willing to recommend
Instana Dynamic APM
Read 14 Instana Dynamic APM reviews
  • 2,201 Views
  • 1,679 Comparison Views
84% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 24, 2024

Alluvio AppResponse and Instana Dynamic APM are two robust APM solutions. Instana Dynamic APM seems to have the upper hand due to its extensive feature set, despite a higher price point, compared to Alluvio AppResponse’s user-friendly approach.

What features are offered by Alluvio AppResponse in comparison to Instana Dynamic APM?

Alluvio AppResponse offers detailed network insights, packet analysis, and ease of use. Instana Dynamic APM is known for its auto-discovery capabilities, granular metrics, and extensive integrations. Alluvio's simplicity is contrasted by Instana’s advanced features, making it more functional overall.

What areas of improvement can be found in Alluvio AppResponse in comparison to Instana Dynamic APM?

Alluvio AppResponse could improve its reporting tools and integration options. Users suggest Instana could enhance performance and simplify complex features. Alluvio's simplicity is both an advantage and a limitation, while Instana users focus on refining existing capabilities.

How is the ease of deployment and customer service of Alluvio AppResponse in comparison to Instana Dynamic APM?

Alluvio AppResponse is noted for straightforward deployment and strong customer support. Instana Dynamic APM offers responsive customer service and detailed documentation despite a more complex deployment process. Alluvio is favored for ease of deployment, while Instana's customer service is highly regarded despite deployment complexity.

What setup costs and ROI can be seen with Alluvio AppResponse in comparison to Instana Dynamic APM?

Alluvio AppResponse is seen as a cost-effective solution with good ROI, particularly for smaller budgets. Instana Dynamic APM has higher setup costs but offers advanced features and increased performance, making it a worthwhile investment. Both products provide good ROI, but budget constraints may lead users to prefer Alluvio.

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To learn more, read our detailed Alluvio AppResponse vs. Instana Dynamic APM Report (Updated: June 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Alluvio AppResponse vs. Instana Dynamic APM
June 2025
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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 Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability
48th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (59th)
Instana Dynamic APM
Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability
20th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category, the mindshare of Alluvio AppResponse is 0.2%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Instana Dynamic APM is 1.0%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability
 

Featured Reviews

Ahmet Kilic - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
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Muhammad Jawwad Hassan - PeerSpot reviewer
A really good GUI that is easy for non-technical users to understand
Our company uses the solution for one of our bank clients. We use App Connect middleware to monitor services and applications such as Docker, Kubernetes, MongoDB, and MS SQL Server. We also monitor the bottleneck for all servers.  We currently have 20 users at one of our branches. We plan to expand…
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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We really like the scalability capabilities."
"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."
"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."
"It provides us with complete visibility of every packet."
"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."
"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."
"Riverbed's product is a superb product."
More Alluvio AppResponse pros
"Visually, it's very good. It provides everything needed for dynamic detection, which is very useful."
"If a key monitored value has crossed a threshold, it sends out an alert. And the solution is able to intelligently find out if something is beyond the range that it normally resides in."
"Sometimes it's able to provide a proper RCA on its own. It's able to correlate different events that occurred and that becomes like an RCA in itself."
"It's great for monitoring services and applications."
"With Instana, the interface and the UI are very simple to use."
"It is user-friendly, but we encounter issues processing input and understanding the graphics, such as seeing a flatline without knowing the cause. When these problems occur, I have to contact my support team to address and fix them. Also, monitoring processing is good."
"The detailing of our application behavior and user experience is most valuable. In case there is an issue, we typically use Instana to figure it out. We can drill down to the application and figure out what's going on and where the issue is."
"We can easily perform root cause analysis using the tool."
More Instana Dynamic APM pros
 

Cons

"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."
"The recent changes in corporate structure may have caused some decrease in support quality."
"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."
"Integration between NPM and APM solutions would improve efficiency. There is no agent on the server site related to AppResponse."
"The reporting models need improvement as most of the time, we have to customize the reports manually."
"The recent changes in corporate structure may have caused some decrease in support quality."
"The pricing is on the higher side of things. If they could lower it, that would be ideal."
"Alluvio AppResponse should improve its ability to expand across multiple operating systems."
More Alluvio AppResponse cons
"Many managers, as well as our customers, used to ask for reports, such as "top X number of queries that are slow," or "top pages that have the highest number of issues." This is something that can be improved by Instana. Currently, they don't have that kind of reporting available out-of-the-box."
"We'd always like to see additional functionalities."
"The auto-remediation features must be improved."
"Sometimes, the issue arises from user changes, such as adjusting firewall settings without proper consideration, leading to compatibility issues within the network monitoring."
"The App Connect middleware does not integrate with or show corresponding sub nodes."
"The configuration of Instana Dynamic APM needs improvement because it requires quite a bit of work."
"While it is already quite good, there is room for improvement in terms of providing better functionality"
"They could improve the product’s dashboards and provide more dashboard options."
More Instana Dynamic APM cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is a little bit high, especially because we have to pay an import tax."
"It is costly for small and medium businesses."
"The solution is no more expensive than other products."
"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."
"It's reasonably priced and manageable, especially for individuals who grasp the significance of application monitoring."
"Its pricing isn't a big pain point. Its pricing seems to be better than some of the other competing products in the market, but they also have some of the features and functionalities that are better than Instana."
"The solution's pricing is comparable to other products."
"The solution is less expensive than one of its competitors."
"The pricing is $1,200 per year which is a bit high compared to other vendors."
"Instana Dynamic APM is more affordable for small and medium-sized companies compared to other vendors."
"Pricing is quite competitive. Dynatrace, AppDynamics, and New Relic were all several times more expensive than Instana, both the on-prem and the SaaS versions. Price-wise they are a lot more competitive than anyone else out there."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Computer Software Company
13%
Energy/Utilities Company
8%
Insurance Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
29%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 Instana Dynamic APM?
The platform’s most valuable feature is the ability to monitor the performance of containers for request and response analysis.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Instana Dynamic APM?
I rate the pricing a seven out of ten. There are no additional costs associated with the product.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Instana Dynamic APM?
Sometimes, the issue arises from user changes, such as adjusting firewall settings without proper consideration, leading to compatibility issues within the network monitoring.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 16% of the time
OP5 Monitor vs Alluvio AppResponse Logo
OP5 Monitor vs Alluvio AppResponse
Compared 15% of the time
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Dynatrace vs Instana Dynamic APM Logo
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Compared 51% of the time
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Splunk AppDynamics vs Instana Dynamic APM
Compared 17% of the time
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Compared 10% of the time
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Compared 8% of the time
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Compared 5% of the time
More Instana Dynamic APM Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability
June 2025
Alluvio AppResponse reportDownload Alluvio AppResponse product report
Buyer's Guide
Instana Dynamic APM
June 2025
Instana Dynamic APM reportDownload Instana Dynamic APM product report
 

Also Known As

Riverbed AppResponse, OPNET SteelCentral AppResponse, ACE Live, OPNET, AppResponse Xpert
No data available
 

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

Instana’s Enterprise Observability Platform, powered by automated Application Performance Monitoring, discovers and maps all services, infrastructure, and their inter-dependencies automatically. Instana ingests all observability metrics, traces each request, profiles every process, and updates application dependency maps in real-time to deliver the context and actionable feedback needed by Dev+Ops to optimize application performance, enable innovation, and mitigate risk to help them add value and efficiency to the pipeline. Learn more at https://instana.com.

Instana
 

Sample Customers

N11.com, OneMain Financial, China Bank, Halkbank, Kaust
Daxko Lifts Fitness Studios Through COVID Regulations with Quick Engineering PivotsAltissia Meets SLAs to Support Student DeadlinesImmocloud Unlocks Observability to Modernize Real EstateEnento Group Boosts Service Reliability with Real-Time Visibility into Application Performance Instana’s Observability for Amazon EKS Helps Yara Deliver Digital Farming Solutions
Buyer's Guide
Alluvio AppResponse vs. Instana Dynamic APM
June 2025
Free Report: Alluvio AppResponse vs. Instana Dynamic APM
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