SolarWinds AppOptics vs Splunk AppDynamics comparison

SolarWinds and Splunk are both solutions in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category. SolarWinds is ranked #56, while Splunk is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.1. SolarWinds holds a 0.7% mindshare in APM, compared to Splunk’s 3.7% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of SolarWinds users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Splunk users who would recommend it.

SolarWinds AppOptics

Read 9 SolarWinds AppOptics reviews

1,675 Views
1,039 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Splunk AppDynamics

Read 260 Splunk AppDynamics reviews

15,142 Views
11,357 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

SolarWinds AppOptics

Splunk AppDynamics

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 23, 2025

Splunk AppDynamics and SolarWinds AppOptics compete in the application and network performance monitoring category. Splunk AppDynamics appears to have the upper hand with its advanced application performance monitoring features and comprehensive transaction tracking.

Features: Splunk AppDynamics is notable for its stack trace visibility, JVM and transaction monitoring, auto-baselines, and detailed end-to-end views. It offers comprehensive insights into business transactions, detailed metrics, and application flow service models. SolarWinds AppOptics focuses on overall system observability and network monitoring, although it lacks deep transaction tracing and advanced analytics offered by Splunk AppDynamics. Its strengths lie in its ability to consolidate network metrics and provide robust network performance analysis.

Room for Improvement: Splunk AppDynamics can improve its user interface and simplify its complex licensing model. The UI can be overwhelming for users, and the licensing intricacy could lead to cost challenges. SolarWinds AppOptics could offer better integration with other tools and a more centralized view to reduce reliance on multiple applications. Its user interface lacks intuitiveness, impacting ease of navigation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Splunk AppDynamics allows for diverse deployment options, including public, private, and hybrid clouds, and offers exceptional customer service through dedicated account managers and technical support. SolarWinds AppOptics is beneficial for on-premises and public cloud environments and provides responsive customer support, though it comes with a traditional perpetual licensing model and some complexities in large-scale deployments.

Pricing and ROI: Splunk AppDynamics is seen as a premium product, reflecting its comprehensive features. Its pricing is often considered substantial, but customers find the expense justified by reduced issue resolution time and enhanced application performance causing significant ROI. In contrast, SolarWinds AppOptics typically uses a perpetual license model, perceived as more consistent and reasonable, although its ROI may vary based on specific use cases and the scale of deployment.

To learn more, read our detailed SolarWinds AppOptics vs. Splunk AppDynamics Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds AppOptics vs. Splunk AppDynamics

February 2026

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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

SolarWinds AppOptics

Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

56th

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

60th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Monitoring Software (46th)

Splunk AppDynamics

Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

3rd

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

260

Ranking in other categories

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

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category, the mindshare of SolarWinds AppOptics is 0.7%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Splunk AppDynamics is 3.7%, 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	3.7%
SolarWinds AppOptics	0.7%
Other	95.6%

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

Featured Reviews

John Yuko

Assistant Manager ICT - Projects at I&M Bank Ltd

Unique features allow consolidating and combing metrics into a single dashboard, but don't monitor mobile solutions

I would like to see more granular information provided on Unix applications. Also, the integration with Unix services should be a bit more straightforward in terms having an agent to retrieve your credentials rather than having to enter or save them for SSH on SolarWinds. From the outset, we had to set some commands to log into the search console, and they are saved on the solution, which presents a challenge in terms of exposure. The solution is unable to monitor APK solutions completely because we'd then be forced to break down the APK and provide the APIs or go through the source code. They don't have a module that can analyze an application that is maybe under-used.

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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

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The sum solution, NTA, and DPA."

"Some of the most valuable features of SolarWinds are the topology discovery and network performance analysis."

"The reporting of the solution is very good."

"The product has a great dashboard."

"I have found the most valuable feature is application performance management."

"Technical support is always live and they're supportive."

"The correlation feature available with AppDynamics Server Monitoring is absent in other competitive solutions"

"Immediately allows you to see the relationships between the different nodes."

"The most valuable feature of AppDynamics is its ability to track the transactions between different applications."

"We can make custom alerts in our system for specific issues like high CPU utilization or application downtime."

"The real user monitoring helps us evaluate our customers' real experiences, which is valuable as an eCommerce company."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its GUI."

"It's made it easier to collaborate across teams; be able to have the same data immediately in front of you just by sharing a URL."

"The real-time monitoring is what we can see for anything that is needed in terms of CPU, memory, or the connections or the sessions related, and it's highly effective because we use it all the time to monitor both component performance and business transactions to check the actual user experience in terms of response time."

More Splunk AppDynamics pros

Cons

"I would like to see more integration with other tools that are available on the market."

"The solution should be more user-friendly."

"The implementation needs improvement. It needs to get modernized with the newer cloud scenario in both public and private deployment models."

"AppOptics would benefit from having a much more centralized view."

"The integration with Unix services should be a bit more straightforward."

"In terms of the technology, I think they need to put some more advanced troubleshooting into SolarWinds, in terms of AI capabilities. That's the next generation, especially in the cases of APIs which have already adopted AI capabilities into their products."

"I would like to see accommodation for millisecond granularity, as we only have one-second granularity now."

"Their agents sometimes claim to be very lightweight, especially with databases, but they are very heavy. They can take up more compute than the actual work that we need to do."

"AppDynamics is agent-based, so some customers are reluctant to install the agents in all their production environments. It would be helpful if they had an agentless version. It covers applications on the server, but the solution is weak on the network side. The agent is not deployed on the network components, so it cannot provide complete information about issues on the network layer."

"The downside is that it's a little costly."

"Improvements can be made in the area of AI integration."

"Regarding Search Guard functionality, there is room for improvement."

"The setup, implementation and use are clumsy and need to be refined."

"The Log Analytics feature is a bit complicated."

More Splunk AppDynamics cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Mostly, it's a perpetual license. We don't have any customers using the subscription right now—it's mostly a perpetual license that the customers purchase. The licensing is based on the number of elements, whereas other solutions are node-based."

"Since it's a negotiable rate, I would rate the pricing as a five out of five."

"I believe the current licensing cost is reasonable."

"The cost is prohibitive."

"I would like more flexible pricing: A pay-per-use model, rather than just a fixed-price model."

"We do not have any issues with the price."

"I believe there was probably an extra charge whenever I wanted to contact the support team."

"The pricing of the solution is reasonable for what features you receive."

"AppDynamics is what I would consider an enterprise-level solution. This means that it's a solution that is intended for use by larger organizations, while small or medium-sized businesses may find it difficult to afford. The number of agents required will also impact the pricing, and smaller companies may only be able to afford a limited number of agents. Essentially, the cost of the solution is not within the reach of every organization, and only some may be able to afford it."

"AppDynamics Server Monitoring is a very expensive product, but if you negotiate well, you get value for money...My company used to make early payments toward the licensing costs of the solution, but now my company has opted for a different licensing model."

"AppDynamics Database Monitoring requires a license for database monitoring and other features, while Dynatrace provides monitoring and other features out of the box without additional costs. Sometimes this makes it more challenging to pitch AppDynamics Database Monitoring to customers, especially because you need to buy a separate license. As an implementer, I have yet to learn about the pricing for AppDynamics Database Monitoring. Pricing is taken care of by the sales team."

More Splunk AppDynamics pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

University

Financial Services Firm

25%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	55
Midsize Enterprise	36
Large Enterprise	195

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

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

New Relic vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 13% of the time

Dynatrace vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 11% of the time

Zabbix vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 7% of the time

SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 4% of the time

IBM Instana Observability vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 4% of the time

More SolarWinds AppOptics Competitors

Dynatrace vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 10% of the time

New Relic vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 7% of the time

Datadog vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 6% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 5% of the time

PRTG Network Monitor vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 3% of the time

More Splunk AppDynamics Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

January 2026

Download SolarWinds AppOptics product report

Buyer's Guide

Splunk AppDynamics

January 2026

Download Splunk AppDynamics product report

Also Known As

AppOptics, SolarWinds TraceView, Librato

No data available

Overview

AppOptics is a SaaS-based simple, powerful and affordable Infrastructure & Application monitoring for custom on-premises, cloud, and hybrid systems.

Your business runs on applications, and when they go down or run slowly, it can impact the business in lost productivity, customers, or revenue. To add to the complexity, your IT environment is changing, and workloads can be spread across data centers, and cloud resources. You need to monitor the availability and performance of applications and infrastructure, regardless of where they are, so you can identify potential issues early and address them before they impact users

SolarWinds

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

TraxoCovea Insurance BTE TechnologyDatarista

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

SolarWinds AppOptics vs. Splunk AppDynamics

February 2026

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