Azure Network Watcher vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG comparison

Microsoft and NETSCOUT are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Microsoft is ranked #42 with an average rating of 8.5, while NETSCOUT is ranked #77. Microsoft holds a 0.5% mindshare in NMS, compared to NETSCOUT’s 0.5% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of NETSCOUT users who would recommend it.

Azure Network Watcher

Read 13 Azure Network Watcher reviews

1,082 Views
1,039 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Read 13 NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG reviews

1,249 Views
1,187 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Azure Network Watcher

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG and Azure Network Watcher compete in network monitoring and management. NETSCOUT leads with its in-depth analytics and packet-level visibility, while Azure Network Watcher's integration with Microsoft Azure gives it an edge in cloud environments.

Features: NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG offers advanced packet-level analysis, extensive network performance monitoring, and comprehensive data analytics. Azure Network Watcher provides robust cloud integration, security group view, and diagnostic logging.

Room for Improvement: NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG could enhance its cloud integration, offer a more cost-effective pricing model, and improve ease of use for beginners. Azure Network Watcher may refine its packet-level analysis, expand hybrid deployment options, and increase support for non-Azure environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG offers flexible deployment options for on-premises and hybrid environments, coupled with dedicated customer support. Azure Network Watcher facilitates straightforward deployment within Azure, supported by Microsoft's cloud infrastructure.

Pricing and ROI: NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG has a higher initial setup cost but provides substantial ROI through its analytics capabilities. Azure Network Watcher offers a scalable, cost-effective model, particularly appealing for Azure subscribers.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Network Watcher vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

March 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

Azure Network Watcher

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

42nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

77th

Average Rating

8.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 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 NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG is 0.5%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Azure Network Watcher	0.5%
NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG	0.5%
Other	99.0%

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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Michael Gideon Genita

Associate System Engineer at SMS Global Technologies, Inc.

Easy to set up with good documentation and helpful support

I'm using it for a customer The packet flow switch is the most valuable aspect of the solution. It's an easy product to set up. We can scale the solution if we need to. It's stable. The documentation is well-written and quite useful. It's compatible with other products. Under the pocket flow…

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

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

"It provides good visibility."

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

"My advice to others looking into using Azure Network Watcher is to go for it, as you'll have the tool by default when you're subscribed to Azure VNet."

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

"The solution is good for monitoring device behavior."

"This is a stable system providing stable performance."

More Azure Network Watcher pros

"We have seen a lot of return on investment: We have been able to recover radios in the field, we know exactly what is going on, we cut down fines from the service commission, and we have seen a measurable decrease in mean time to know, cutting troubleshooting down by days as we can now see the issues."

"It allows us to get quicker resolutions. We can see exactly what is using up the bandwidth, so we can assist end users."

"The technical support is really good. They will go above and beyond, if you are running into a problem. You can go to a sales engineer, who will engage technical support to help you out."

"It has cut our troubleshooting down by days. Once we have a product in place, we show people examples of how it can streamline their troubleshooting process."

"It helps us get to root cause quickly. With utilization and consumption of bandwidth, we can usually see what application is taking as much as they should (or shouldn't), then account for it accordingly."

"I love the single pane of glass view. It makes it easier to not have to navigate everywhere. It allows more simplistic visibility, without having to go from tool to tool to tool, or from window to window to window."

"It is very rock solid, and we hardly have any hardware issues."

"When we have mobile operators who are signal partners, where one is the roaming host and another is the roamer, we are able to see their traffic. Their packets are able to detect if any faults to develop, and at what point they fail."

More NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG pros

Cons

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

"I still use Wireshark and Azure Network Watcher to get the required data. My team captures the traffic from Azure Network Watcher, downloads it, then imports that traffic into Wireshark to get more details on the number of hits and replies, for example. If you can do that on Azure Network Watcher and have Wireshark built-in, that would make Azure Network Watcher better. If Azure Network Watcher has that functionality where you won't need a third-party tool to get what you need, that would be helpful. I'm also expecting more from Azure Network Watcher. It's more complex than knowing how the IP flows from its source to the destination. The tool also needs more open-source features, such as having some built-in Wireshark that improves monitoring for customers. Sometimes, you encounter a VPN tunnel, network, or routing issue, but finding out more about the blockage is challenging. Is it one hundred percent an Azure issue? Is it a peer issue? You don't get complete information from Azure Network Watcher, so you must use other tools and depend on your strategies to resolve a specific issue. If more features could be added in the next release of Azure Network Watcher, specifically ones you can find on open-source tools, then that would be a plus point for the tool."

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

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

"Lacks sufficient security features."

"The initial setup and initial learning curve could be improved to be easier."

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

"I would like to see in the future if we can troubleshoot as a firewall because it is equipment as a network player and some diagnostics."

More Azure Network Watcher cons

"It can be scalable. It just costs too much."

"I would like to see an improved level of stitching between IPs."

"Only problems that we have had are fiber issues going into the TAPs or vSTREAMs, which are usually local site issues."

"I'd like them to make the product more user-friendly."

"The technology goes end-of-life on us every year, which is why I am looking forward to vSTREAM."

"It's not able to communicate with our probes."

"Being able to manage the packet flow switches in nGeniusONE would be great."

More NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is reasonable."

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

"Azure Network Watcher is a little bit expensive."

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

"The scalability is good, but it comes at a cost. E.g., if you need 100 InfiniStream because you are sending gigs or terabytes of data to one InfiniStream, then you will have to purchase another InfiniStream, which are not cheap."

"This product could be cheaper."

"It can be scalable. It just costs too much. With a company as big as ours, it gets too expensive to accommodate every single site."

"I would like it to be more scalable with less spend."

"To capture more with the solution that we bought, you have to buy another InfiniStreamNG, and there are only four ports in the back."

"The price is a little high."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

University

Government

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Construction Company

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	8

Questions from the Community

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

I do not have the exact setup cost information on hand, but it is available in the public Azure portal. You can access the calculator there to get detailed pricing information.

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What needs improvement with Azure Network Watcher?

The main area for improvement is AI-based features. Currently, many intelligent tools are coming from third parties, and Azure Network Watcher needs to improve in this area. The focus should be on ...

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What is your primary use case for Azure Network Watcher?

Azure Network Watcher is used for monitoring network traffic. It provides insight into egress and ingress traffic, which helps determine whether consumption can be controlled. Most Azure services c...

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Comparisons

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Ixia Network Taps vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 7% of the time

PRTG Network Monitor vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 6% of the time

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Riverbed NPM+ vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Compared 18% of the time

Flowmon vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Compared 15% of the time

Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Compared 13% of the time

cPacket cClear vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Compared 11% of the time

NETSCOUT vSTREAM vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Compared 11% of the time

More NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher

March 2026

Download Azure Network Watcher product report

Buyer's Guide

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

March 2026

Download NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG product report

Also Known As

No data available

InfiniStreamNG, NETSCOUT ISNG, Infinistream

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

NETSCOUT’s new ISNG platform harnesses the power of IP intelligence by mining traffic in real-time to deliver accurate and actionable data for service assurance, cybersecurity and business intelligence applications. The InfiniStreamNG platform fully supports the nGeniusONE and Iris application suites.

NETSCOUT

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

U.S. Department of Defense

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

March 2026

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