Azure Network Watcher vs NetCrunch comparison

Microsoft and AdRem Software are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Microsoft is ranked #41 with an average rating of 8.7, while AdRem Software is ranked #81. Microsoft holds a 0.5% mindshare in NMS, compared to AdRem Software’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of AdRem Software users who would recommend it.

Azure Network Watcher

Read 13 Azure Network Watcher reviews

846 Views
804 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

NetCrunch

Read 3 NetCrunch reviews

1,233 Views
715 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Azure Network Watcher

NetCrunch

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

NetCrunch and Azure Network Watcher are network monitoring solutions. NetCrunch stands out for its ease of use and customer support, while Azure Network Watcher is more powerful with its integration into Azure services.

Features: NetCrunch offers SNMP monitoring, alerting, and performance visualization. Azure Network Watcher includes network insights, packet capture, and analysis tools with deep Azure integration.

Room for Improvement: NetCrunch could enhance its cloud integration, extend its analytics capabilities, and improve scalability. Azure Network Watcher may benefit from simplifying its UI, enhancing non-Azure compatibility, and reducing its learning curve.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetCrunch is easy to install and provides great customer support. Azure Network Watcher, while integrating tightly with Azure, has a more complex deployment, but benefits from Microsoft's strong support infrastructure.

Pricing and ROI: NetCrunch offers affordable pricing with clear ROI from improved network performance. Azure Network Watcher potentially requires a higher investment but yields ROI through analytics and management capabilities for Azure-centric environments.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Network Watcher vs. NetCrunch Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. NetCrunch

December 2025

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Helped 881,176 peers since 2012

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

Azure Network Watcher

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

41st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NetCrunch

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

81st

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Server Monitoring (28th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (65th), Log Management (61st)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Azure Network Watcher is 0.5%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetCrunch is 0.6%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Azure Network Watcher	0.5%
NetCrunch	0.6%
Other	98.9%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Bijoyendra Roychowdhury

Program Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

Network monitoring provides comprehensive analytics while the interface requires further development

The quality of Azure Network Watcher is quite good in terms of the in-depth analysis you can create from these matrices. There are other monitoring tools such as New Relic, AppDynamics, and Dynatrace which provide very detailed network tracing. Cloud providers such as Azure or AWS do not have that kind of GUI-based capability at this point, but using PowerShell or Python, you can develop it yourself. From the GUI perspective, it still needs to evolve in terms of quality and standard, though overall, it is quite good for troubleshooting. Regarding areas for improvement, when comparing to other network tools beyond Azure Monitor or Azure Network Watcher, those tools can identify single failed packets. This level of granularity is not currently possible with cloud providers as they only go to a certain level rather than the granular level needed for deep troubleshooting, though they do provide hints with available matrices.

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it_user1038504

Senior Systems Administrator, Technical Lead at Connectivity Wireless

A network monitoring platform with a useful reporting feature, but permission-based options could be better

The initial setup is fairly easy. Most of it's wizard-based. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to set it up. But if you don't know certain things related to protocols and everything else, it might be difficult. If you know how SNMP works, it'll be fairly simple to set up.

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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

"The stability is very good. I rate it a ten out of ten."

"We use the solution to monitor network services. It helps to capture any network issues."

"The most valuable feature of Azure Network Watcher is the cloud-native application firewall. It is helpful for securing databases."

"What I like most about Azure Network Watcher is that it's focused more on the architecture. I also like that it has a packet capture feature that tells you how the packet travels and whether it's exiting Azure, etc."

"It provides good visibility."

"The solution is stable."

"The most valuable feature of Azure Network Watcher is using the gateways with the connections. The monitoring is useful for the logs and application insights into the data. The traffic filtering issues when it comes to deploying those applications are helpful."

"The most valuable features I have found are typology, visualization, and capture."

More Azure Network Watcher pros

"Reporting on NetCrunch is pretty good. It's very similar to SolarWinds. It's just a different interface. The majority of everything there was beneficial."

Cons

"The solution could improve by limiting the need to clarify the logs. When the clarification is minimized, it is better for everyone involved."

"Technical support from Microsoft needs significant improvement compared to other product vendors."

"Azure is good, however, the Fortinet GUI is more intuitive and I like it more than anything else."

"Azure Network Watcher could improve by having other built-in applications. For example, an application to log activities for in and outbound traffic."

"Lacks sufficient security features."

"Azure Network Watcher needs to have better documentation and it needs to capture information accurately."

"User experience could be improved."

"The initial setup and deployment could be improved to be simplified."

More Azure Network Watcher cons

"I didn't care for the role-based, permission-based options, which were not the best."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is reasonable."

"Azure Network Watcher is a little bit expensive."

"The pricing is good. It's not too expensive."

"Price-wise, I have no information on how much Azure Network Watcher costs."

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Government

11%

University

Comms Service Provider

14%

Educational Organization

10%

Agriculture

10%

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	7

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Network Watcher?

Azure Network Watcher is affordable from the perspective of basic costing. It doesn't cost too much at this point unless you are requesting customizable detailed matrices. For the default configura...

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What needs improvement with Azure Network Watcher?

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What is your primary use case for Azure Network Watcher?

The purpose of using Azure Network Watcher is to observe the network flow logs during any kind of troubleshooting. If there is any performance issue or latency issue over the network, we check the ...

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Comparisons

Kentik vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 27% of the time

Nmap vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 16% of the time

ThousandEyes vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 8% of the time

Plixer Scrutinizer vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 8% of the time

ExtraHop Reveal(x) for IT Operations vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 7% of the time

More Azure Network Watcher Competitors

Zabbix vs NetCrunch

Compared 15% of the time

DX Unified Infrastructure Management vs NetCrunch

Compared 12% of the time

PRTG Network Monitor vs NetCrunch

Compared 10% of the time

Checkmk vs NetCrunch

Compared 10% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs NetCrunch

Compared 7% of the time

More NetCrunch Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher

January 2026

Download Azure Network Watcher product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

January 2026

Download NetCrunch product report

Overview

Azure Network Watcher is a comprehensive network monitoring and diagnostic service offered by Microsoft Azure. It provides a range of tools and capabilities to help users monitor, diagnose, and gain insights into their Azure network infrastructure. With Network Watcher, users can capture and analyze network traffic, monitor network performance, troubleshoot connectivity issues, and gain visibility into network topology. It also offers features like packet capture, flow logs, connection monitoring, and VPN diagnostics to ensure the smooth operation of Azure networks. Network Watcher enables users to proactively identify and resolve network issues, optimize network performance, and enhance the overall reliability and security of their Azure network environment.

Microsoft

NetCrunch is an all-in-one network monitoring platform designed for hybrid IT environments, offering comprehensive agentless monitoring of thousands of devices across different technologies and platforms.

NetCrunch streamlines network management with automated discovery, configuration, and monitoring through rule-defined policies. It covers monitoring across various environments, providing real-time dashboards, dynamic views, and topology maps. With its versatile features, it supports diverse IT ecosystems efficiently. It offers a node-based license model that enables scalable deployment on-prem, self-hosted in the cloud, or in hybrid settings.

What are NetCrunch's most important features?

Agentless Monitoring: Supports devices using SNMP, server metrics, virtualization, cloud platforms, and traffic flows.
Automated Discovery: Facilitates network configuration and monitoring via 670+ monitoring packs and sensors.
Advanced Alerting: Filters, delays, and correlates alerts to minimize false positives with configurable escalation paths.
Real-time Dashboards: Provides dynamic views and automatic topology maps reflecting device status and relationships.
Action Scripts: Offers 40+ actions like script execution and device reboot to manage network incidents.

What benefits and ROI can users expect from NetCrunch?

Scalability: Simplifies expansion with a node-based licensing model adapting to network growth.
Flexibility: Supports on-prem, cloud, or hybrid models for versatile deployment options.
Efficiency: Automates routine tasks reducing manual intervention and potential errors.
Reliability: Enhances monitoring accuracy with real-time updates and minimized false alerts.
Integration Capability: Works with email, SMS, and service integrations for streamlined communication.

NetCrunch is implemented across industries like healthcare and finance, ensuring comprehensive monitoring solutions that accommodate specific protocol and compliance requirements. It's tailored for seamless integration into various IT architectures optimizing monitoring capabilities tailored to industry standards.

AdRem Software

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

AER Kooperation, AON Corpration, Advance Financial services, Airbus SAS, Bauer Net consult, Banco Soal, Bertelsmann, Burke County public, COF training services

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. NetCrunch

December 2025

Free Report: Azure Network Watcher vs. NetCrunch

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