Azure Network Watcher vs NETSCOUT vSTREAM comparison

Microsoft and NETSCOUT are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Microsoft is ranked #48 with an average rating of 8.3, while NETSCOUT is ranked #83. Microsoft holds a 0.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to NETSCOUT’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of NETSCOUT users who would recommend it.

Azure Network Watcher

Read 12 Azure Network Watcher reviews

705 Views
663 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

NETSCOUT vSTREAM

Read 3 NETSCOUT vSTREAM reviews

457 Views
420 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Azure Network Watcher

NETSCOUT vSTREAM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

NETSCOUT vSTREAM and Azure Network Watcher are both network monitoring tools, but Azure Network Watcher has an edge due to its native cloud integration and user satisfaction with feature set and value proposition.

Features: NETSCOUT vSTREAM offers in-depth packet analysis, rich network insights, and comprehensive monitoring capabilities for detailed network forensics. Azure Network Watcher provides real-time network performance monitoring, seamless integration with Microsoft Azure, and diagnostic tools for Azure environments.

Room for Improvement: NETSCOUT vSTREAM could enhance its user interface, integration with non-traditional environments, and reduce setup complexity. Azure Network Watcher might improve its packet-level analysis, offer broader functionality for non-cloud networks, and enhance feature flexibility for diverse environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NETSCOUT vSTREAM is praised for deployment flexibility in diverse environments and dedicated support services. Azure Network Watcher benefits from integrated Azure support, making it well-suited for deployment within Azure-centric operations, thus offering ease of integration with Azure infrastructure.

Pricing and ROI: NETSCOUT vSTREAM generally comes with higher setup costs attributed to its extensive feature set, providing substantial ROI through deep network visibility. Azure Network Watcher benefits from lower initial costs and offers strong ROI through efficient cloud-native monitoring, with more cost-effective cloud alignment.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Network Watcher vs. NETSCOUT vSTREAM Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. NETSCOUT vSTREAM

September 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

Azure Network Watcher

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

48th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NETSCOUT vSTREAM

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

83rd

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Azure Network Watcher is 0.4%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETSCOUT vSTREAM is 0.3%, down 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	0.4%
NETSCOUT vSTREAM	0.3%
Other	99.3%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Bijoyendra Roychowdhury

Program Manager at Capgemini

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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Keval Lodaya

Network Engineer at Inniti Network Solution

A user-friendly solution that is easy to install and improves visibility

I would like to see improvements made to the user guide. From my personal experience, it is helpful to see a list of steps describing what to do next in different situations. An example is what to do and what to back up in the case of certain types of failure. There are also cases where a customer can't understand specific features. Enhancements to the user guide would be helpful for this. More features for network fragmentation would be helpful.

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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

"It provides good visibility."

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

"I like the visibility."

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

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

"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."

"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."

More Azure Network Watcher pros

"One of the valuable features is the packet decoding."

"vSTREAM gives us better visibility and reporting about our network infrastructure, allowing for cost-optimization."

Cons

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

"User experience could be improved."

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

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

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

"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."

"Lacks sufficient security features."

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

More Azure Network Watcher cons

"I would like for it to have a smaller footprint of the virtual appliance and better performance."

"I would like to see improvements made to the user guide."

"Room for improvement exists in filtering in the packet decode."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Azure Network Watcher is a little bit expensive."

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

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

"The price of the solution is reasonable."

"Licensing is quite expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

11%

University

Financial Services Firm

14%

Energy/Utilities Company

13%

Government

11%

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	6

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Azure Network Watcher?

I like the visibility.

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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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Comparisons

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Compared 30% of the time

Microsoft Network Monitor vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 26% of the time

Nmap vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 25% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 19% of the time

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NETSCOUT nGeniusONE vs NETSCOUT vSTREAM

Compared 100% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher

September 2025

Download Azure Network Watcher product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

September 2025

Download NETSCOUT vSTREAM product report

Also Known As

No data available

vSTREAM

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

The vSTREAM virtual appliance complements existing Adaptive Session Intelligence (ASI)-based instrumentation to provide the same level of visibility within virtualized and cloud infrastructures that is already possible in physical environments. The vSTREAM virtual appliance is ideal for monitoring service-critical traffic running within virtualized or cloud infrastructures, either locally on a host or as an aggregation point for multiple hosts. With complete visibility across physical, virtual and cloud networks, the vSTREAM virtual appliance presents real-time views of end-to-end call trace data and network-wide KPIs, to protect the reliability and availability of networks and application services.

NETSCOUT

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Metropolitan Police Agency, Banpara, PropertyRoom.com

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. NETSCOUT vSTREAM

September 2025

Free Report: Azure Network Watcher vs. NETSCOUT vSTREAM

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