Amazon CloudWatch vs Splunk AppDynamics comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Splunk are both solutions in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.1, while Splunk is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.2. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 1.3% mindshare in APM, compared to Splunk’s 3.6% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Splunk users who would recommend it.

Amazon CloudWatch

Read 48 Amazon CloudWatch reviews

4,548 Views
2,410 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Splunk AppDynamics

Read 259 Splunk AppDynamics reviews

13,654 Views
10,377 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Amazon CloudWatch

Splunk AppDynamics

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 23, 2025

Splunk AppDynamics and Amazon CloudWatch compete in the application and infrastructure monitoring domain. Splunk AppDynamics appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive application performance insights.

Features: Splunk AppDynamics offers stack trace visibility, transactional awareness, and business transaction breakdowns. It provides in-depth monitoring, a user-friendly interface, and detailed application performance insights. Amazon CloudWatch focuses on infrastructure and AWS service monitoring with efficient log management, metric insights, and integration with AWS services.

Room for Improvement: Splunk AppDynamics could enhance the interface and integration for full-stack monitoring, including network layers. Amazon CloudWatch could improve real-time dashboarding, cross-service monitoring, and effectiveness outside AWS ecosystems.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Splunk AppDynamics supports on-premises, hybrid, and private cloud environments, with acknowledged excellent customer support despite needing improved documentation. Amazon CloudWatch integrates seamlessly with AWS, although support can be slow for issues outside core AWS services.

Pricing and ROI: Splunk AppDynamics is a premium option with significant ROI through performance problem resolution, appreciated in complex environments but noted for high costs. Amazon CloudWatch is affordable with a pay-as-you-go model, appealing for AWS-invested companies, though potentially costly with extensive data usage.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon CloudWatch vs. Splunk AppDynamics Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Amazon CloudWatch vs. Splunk AppDynamics

December 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:

ROI

Sentiment score

6.8

Amazon CloudWatch reduces monitoring costs, boosts operational efficiency, is vital for oversight, but not direct revenue, especially for small projects.

Sentiment score

6.5

Splunk AppDynamics boosts productivity, enhances application performance, saves time, and offers cost-effective benefits, improving customer experience and efficiency.

Amazon CloudWatch offers cost-saving advantages by being an inbuilt solution that requires no separate setup or maintenance for monitoring tasks.

Satheesh Papisetty

Digital Services & Engagement Senior Manager at AXA

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon CloudWatch report

Overall, as a production gatekeeper, we achieve at least 50% efficiency immediately, with potential savings ranging from 60 to 70% as well, reinforcing why it is a popular tool in the banking industry.

DevendraKumar1

Technology lead at Infosys

According to errors, exceptions, and code-level details related to their application performance on a daily basis, the application development team tries to help with Splunk AppDynamics to reduce errors and exceptions, which helps the end users get application availability and feel more confident.

Gyanesh Rahatekar

Back office at Reliance Industries Ltd

To understand the magnitude of it, when the company asked to replace Splunk AppDynamics with another tool, I indicated that for the proposed tool, we would need five people to do the analysis that Splunk AppDynamics enables me to do.

Konstantinos Michailidis

Digital Performance Tester at Amdocs

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

7.4

Amazon CloudWatch support is reliable, with varying response times and expertise based on support level, premium ensures faster help.

Sentiment score

7.2

Splunk AppDynamics' support receives mixed reviews; praised for responsiveness but criticized for resolution times and technical expertise.

In recent years, due to business expansion, knowledge levels among support engineers seem to vary.

Satheesh Papisetty

Digital Services & Engagement Senior Manager at AXA

While using their cloud and cloud resources, if you have an issue with CloudWatch, you must pay additional monthly fees to get time from dedicated tech support.

S K Mishra

founder, ceo at Techrev Solutions Pvt Ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon CloudWatch report

AppDynamics is much more helpful.

Eduardo Gallardo

Director of Technical Part at NOS SGPS

We got a contact, an account manager, to work directly with for technical support.

NagadevanMuthusamy

Performance Engineer at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees

They help us resolve any issues raised by our team relating to operations, application instrumentation, or any other issues.

Gyanesh Rahatekar

Back office at Reliance Industries Ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

Amazon CloudWatch excels in scalability and performance, efficiently managing data and adapts quickly to diverse organizational needs.

Sentiment score

7.3

Splunk AppDynamics scales well across environments with ease, though costs and setup size may impact user perceptions.

It is already there as a managed service from AWS.

Azam S M

Infrastructure Lead at Danat Fz LLC

Amazon CloudWatch's scalability is managed by AWS.

Satheesh Papisetty

Digital Services & Engagement Senior Manager at AXA

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon CloudWatch report

We have reached maximum capacity in our tier, and extending capacity has not been cost-effective from Splunk's perspective.

reviewer2674446

Senior Principal, Enterprise Architect at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

I would rate the scalability of Splunk AppDynamics as a nine out of ten.

Konstantinos Michailidis

Digital Performance Tester at Amdocs

I assess how Splunk AppDynamics scales with the growing needs of my organization as good, since we are growing and adding more servers.

reviewer2756163

Development Operations Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.1

Amazon CloudWatch is praised for its reliability and performance, though some note occasional data delays and slowness in low-capacity environments.

Sentiment score

7.8

Users find Splunk AppDynamics stable and reliable, with minor issues resolved by testing, rating it superior to Dynatrace.

I sometimes notice slowness when Amazon CloudWatch agents are installed on machines with less capacity, causing me to use other monitoring tools.

Satheesh Papisetty

Digital Services & Engagement Senior Manager at AXA

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon CloudWatch report

It is necessary to conduct appropriate testing before deploying them in production to prevent potential outages.

reviewer2674446

Senior Principal, Enterprise Architect at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

There are no issues or bugs with the 20.4 version; it is very stable with no functionality or operational issues.

Gyanesh Rahatekar

Back office at Reliance Industries Ltd

Splunk AppDynamics is superior to any alternative, including Dynatrace.

DevendraKumar1

Technology lead at Infosys

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Room For Improvement

Users seek better customization, visualization, and integration in CloudWatch, citing high costs, steep learning curve, and scalability challenges.

Users seek improved integration, easier dashboards, UI enhancements, better monitoring, analytics, usability, AI, pricing, and support in Splunk AppDynamics.

When using third-party dashboards such as Kibana or Grafana and other visualization tools, there should be a way to feed CloudWatch's data and logging capabilities into these visualization tools.

S K Mishra

founder, ceo at Techrev Solutions Pvt Ltd

We are in a process of integrating Grafana, Loki, and Prometheus to have better visualization on Amazon CloudWatch.

Azam S M

Infrastructure Lead at Danat Fz LLC

Maybe Amazon Web Services can improve by providing a library for CloudWatch with some useful features.

Rohit Bhosale

Senior Software Engineer at Carnera

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon CloudWatch report

Splunk AppDynamics does not support the complete MELT framework, which includes metrics, events, logging, and tracing for the entire stack.

reviewer2674446

Senior Principal, Enterprise Architect at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

If AppDynamics could develop a means to monitor without an agent, it could significantly improve application performance and reduce potential problems.

Muhammad Zeeshan Siddiqui

Head of Technology and Services at arwentech

A good integration with Splunk would be very interesting, as Splunk is a good product for logs, and that part is currently missing in Splunk AppDynamics.

Eduardo Gallardo

Director of Technical Part at NOS SGPS

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Setup Cost

Amazon CloudWatch pricing is variable, with costs ranging from $25 to $350, depending on usage and AWS service integration.

Enterprise users find Splunk AppDynamics costly due to licensing and feature fees, requiring budgeting against potential ROI.

Overall, the pricing of Amazon CloudWatch is very expensive.

S K Mishra

founder, ceo at Techrev Solutions Pvt Ltd

Amazon CloudWatch charges more for custom metrics as well as for changes in the timeline.

Satheesh Papisetty

Digital Services & Engagement Senior Manager at AXA

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon CloudWatch report

We completed a three-year deal for Splunk and for AppDynamics, which costs millions of dollars.

reviewer2756163

Development Operations Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

Overall, I consider Splunk AppDynamics an expensive product; it's very expensive.

Per Eklund

Manager, System Scom at Handelsbanken

Customers have to pay a premium price, however, they receive considerable value from the product.

Muhammad Zeeshan Siddiqui

Head of Technology and Services at arwentech

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Valuable Features

Amazon CloudWatch offers real-time data, AWS integration, efficient monitoring, user-friendly interface, and versatile dashboards for enhanced system performance.

Splunk AppDynamics enhances performance monitoring with real-time insights, AI detection, user-friendly dashboards, and deep code analysis.

Amazon CloudWatch allows me to set up and view even historical logs, which is one of the features I find valuable.

Satheesh Papisetty

Digital Services & Engagement Senior Manager at AXA

If there is a CPU spike or system issues, we set alarms to notify us if the system is going down or not reachable.

Azam S M

Infrastructure Lead at Danat Fz LLC

I like its filtering capability and its ability to give the cyber engine insights.

Rohit Bhosale

Senior Software Engineer at Carnera

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon CloudWatch report

We have multiple tools, but end users prefer to use Splunk AppDynamics because their portal navigation is very simple and clear.

Gyanesh Rahatekar

Back office at Reliance Industries Ltd

The real user monitoring and digital experience monitoring effectively track actual user experience with the applications, including page loading, interaction time for both desktop and mobile applications.

Mohammed Hassan

Regional Director at iSecureMind

This is the best feature because, although you can't monitor a whole application at once, Splunk AppDynamics gives you the option that if there is any failure—simple failure regarding anything set up as per our use cases—you will get an alert.

DevendraKumar1

Technology lead at Infosys

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Categories and Ranking

Amazon CloudWatch

Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

13th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Log Management (15th), Cloud Monitoring Software (11th)

Splunk AppDynamics

Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

259

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (6th), IT Operations Analytics (2nd), Mobile APM (1st), Container Monitoring (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category, the mindshare of Amazon CloudWatch is 1.3%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Splunk AppDynamics is 3.6%, down from 5.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Splunk AppDynamics	3.6%
Amazon CloudWatch	1.3%
Other	95.1%

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

Featured Reviews

Azam S M

Infrastructure Lead at Danat Fz LLC

Has provided reliable monitoring and alerting through extensive metric tracking and dashboard configuration

Amazon CloudWatch itself provides a lot of data. However, for visualization, we need to use third-party tools. We are in a process of integrating Grafana, Loki, and Prometheus to have better visualization on Amazon CloudWatch. We are also integrating Grafana with the application itself to get the application data and logs. Alternatively, there is AWS Kinesis and Glue where you can scrape the logs and have visualization, but a more easy option is Grafana. If you want to get a proper visual representation to see what is happening, then you need to integrate a third-party tool. Amazon CloudWatch has all the data, but to see what is happening, you need some third-party tool.

Read full review

DevendraKumar1

Technology lead at Infosys

Has enabled us to detect issues instantly through alerts and monitor every service from a single dashboard

Splunk requires significantly more improvements compared to Splunk AppDynamics, specifically regarding the licensing aspect. Splunk renews licenses every six months, which is inconvenient. It would be better to have a one-year license to avoid needing to update keys constantly, which can only occur on weekends, making it a burdensome task. Although Splunk is better for certain use cases, Splunk AppDynamics is broader in functionality. Specifically, I want enhancements related to creating dashboards not only for logs or minor services but also for configuration levels, allowing us to check configurations immediately without manually opening the entire code when exceptions arise—a feature I wish to see improved in Splunk, although it may not be necessary for Splunk AppDynamics.

Read full review

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Transportation Company

Financial Services Firm

26%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	17
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	24

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	55
Midsize Enterprise	36
Large Enterprise	194

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Amazon CloudWatch?

The monitoring features are valuable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon CloudWatch?

No specific setup costs were mentioned.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Amazon CloudWatch?

See all answers

Any advice about APM solutions?

There are many factors and we know little about your requirements (size of org, technology stack, management systems, the scope of implementation). Our goal was to consolidate APM and infra monitor...

See all answers

What do you like most about AppDynamics?

The solution saves time and cost.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AppDynamics?

I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten. The solution is highly expensive. Our company pays for the solution on a yearly basis, if we don't add new modules or features to the license, we need ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Grafana Loki vs Amazon CloudWatch

Compared 16% of the time

Amazon OpenSearch Service vs Amazon CloudWatch

Compared 8% of the time

Zabbix vs Amazon CloudWatch

Compared 6% of the time

Dynatrace vs Amazon CloudWatch

Compared 5% of the time

Datadog vs Amazon CloudWatch

Compared 4% of the time

More Amazon CloudWatch Competitors

Dynatrace vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 11% of the time

New Relic vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 7% of the time

Datadog vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 7% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 6% of the time

SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 3% of the time

More Splunk AppDynamics Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Amazon CloudWatch

January 2026

Download Amazon CloudWatch product report

Buyer's Guide

Splunk AppDynamics

January 2026

Download Splunk AppDynamics product report

Overview

Amazon CloudWatch integrates seamlessly with AWS, providing real-time monitoring and alerting features. Its interface supports task automation, enhancing troubleshooting and analytics capabilities, while offering strong security and scalability at a cost-effective rate.

Amazon CloudWatch is an impactful platform for monitoring AWS resources and managing application performance. It simplifies infrastructure performance monitoring by providing comprehensive analytics capabilities, including application insights and event scheduling. Users appreciate CloudWatch for its detailed metrics, dashboards, and support in issuing alerts to detect anomalies. It efficiently tracks performance, optimizes resource utilization, and ensures service availability. CloudWatch is recognized for its robust alerting features and integration with other AWS services, further supporting its resource monitoring capabilities. However, there is room for improvement in dashboard customization, log streaming speed, and integration with non-AWS services. Enhancements in API integration, machine learning features, and support for third-party tools are also desired.

What features does Amazon CloudWatch offer?

Seamless Integration: Works effortlessly with AWS for cohesive service management.
Advanced Metrics: Provides detailed monitoring of CPU, memory, and more.
Real-time Monitoring: Offers up-to-the-minute alerts on infrastructure status.
Dashboards: User-friendly and informative for quick insights.
Automation: Supports task automation for efficient troubleshooting.

What benefits does Amazon CloudWatch provide?

Cost-effectiveness: Efficient resource monitoring without high costs.
Scalability: Easily adapts to growing infrastructure needs.
Security: Strong protocols for safe monitoring activities.
Improved Performance: Enhances application insights and operational efficiency.
Operational Insights: Provides comprehensive logging and performance analysis.

Industries implementing Amazon CloudWatch often focus on optimizing IT infrastructure. Companies in sectors like finance and e-commerce rely on its monitoring and alerting capabilities to ensure service uptime and performance. The platform's automation and analytics features empower teams to proactively manage performance and detect potential issues promptly.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Splunk AppDynamics enhances application performance monitoring with advanced diagnostics and real-time insights, offering seamless end-to-end transaction tracking and infrastructure visibility.

AppDynamics provides critical tools for businesses to analyze application behavior and performance. Through innovative features like transaction snapshot analysis and adaptable dashboards, users can quickly identify and address issues, ensuring high levels of system uptime and efficiency. It is designed to support complex environments including Kubernetes and AWS, enhancing user experience by detecting performance issues early. Despite needing improvements in network monitoring and integration, it remains a robust option for tracking application health.

What are the key features of AppDynamics?

Real-time Performance Monitoring: Offers immediate insights into application behavior.
Business Transaction Tracking: Tracks transactions from start to finish for bottleneck identification.
JVM Memory Monitoring: Provides detailed JVM metrics and memory use information.
Deep-dive Diagnostics: Enables in-depth analysis of code and stack traces.
Adaptable Dashboards: Customizable views for better data interpretation.

How does AppDynamics benefit users?

Improved Incident Resolution: Faster problem detection and solution implementation.
Enhanced Application Performance: Real-time monitoring optimizes system operations.
Comprehensive Visibility: Provides a full view of application infrastructure.
Informed Decision Making: Detailed analytics guide performance improvements.
Customer Satisfaction: Enhances user experience through faster issue resolutions.

In industries like financial services and e-commerce, AppDynamics facilitates performance tracking across distributed systems, optimizing infrastructure to meet consumer demands. It excels in environments needing precise transaction monitoring and is pivotal in delivering high value and satisfaction.

Splunk

Sample Customers

AirAsia, Airbnb, Aircel, APUS, Avazu, Casa & Video, Futbol Club Barcelona (FCBarcelona), National Taiwan University, redBus

Cisco, Sony, Nasdaq, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Edmunds.com, Puma, Fox News, DirecTV, Pizza Hut, T-Systems, Cornell University, OpenTable, BITMARCK, Green Mountain Power, Care.com, Overstock, Paddy Power, eHarmony, Kraft, The Motley Fool, The Container Store, and more See more customers

Buyer's Guide

Amazon CloudWatch vs. Splunk AppDynamics

December 2025

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