Azure Network Watcher vs NIKSUN NetVCR comparison

Microsoft and NIKSUN are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Microsoft is ranked #42 with an average rating of 8.5, while NIKSUN is ranked #98. Microsoft holds a 0.5% mindshare in NMS, compared to NIKSUN’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution.

Azure Network Watcher

Read 13 Azure Network Watcher reviews

1,006 Views
966 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

NIKSUN NetVCR

Read 2 NIKSUN NetVCR reviews

576 Views
564 Comparison Views

0% willing to recommend

Azure Network Watcher

NIKSUN NetVCR

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Azure Network Watcher and NIKSUN NetVCR are competing products in the network monitoring and analysis category. Azure Network Watcher appears to have the upper hand in pricing and support, making it attractive for budget-conscious buyers, while NIKSUN NetVCR provides advanced capabilities justifying a higher price.

Features: Azure Network Watcher integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Azure services, offering packet capture, topology visualization, and connection troubleshooting. NIKSUN NetVCR delivers comprehensive network monitoring and analysis across protocols and environments with real-time data analysis, anomaly detection, and advanced reporting.

Room for Improvement: Azure Network Watcher could enhance its on-premise capabilities and offer more advanced analytics for non-cloud environments. Expanding support options beyond automated solutions would be beneficial. NIKSUN NetVCR might benefit from simplifying its deployment process and improving pricing transparency. Expanding cloud integration capabilities could attract more users engaging in hybrid setups.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Azure Network Watcher benefits from integration with Azure, offering straightforward deployment for existing users, supported by Microsoft's infrastructure. NIKSUN NetVCR requires a more complex setup but provides robust on-site support and training, appealing to those needing personalized assistance.

Pricing and ROI: Azure Network Watcher is cost-effective, with pricing models tied to Azure's infrastructure, making it attractive for those using Azure services. NIKSUN NetVCR has a higher initial setup cost but offers substantial ROI with advanced monitoring capabilities, essential for enterprises needing deep network insights.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Network Watcher vs. NIKSUN NetVCR Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. NIKSUN NetVCR

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

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

NIKSUN NetVCR

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

98th

Average Rating

0.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 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 NIKSUN NetVCR is 0.3%, up from 0.1% 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%
NIKSUN NetVCR	0.3%
Other	99.2%

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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Himanshu Shah

Partner at Opticom Data Products

High performance, quick packet monitoring, and helpful support

The solution could improve by having automatic mitigation. For example, as soon as a problem occurs the solution alarms and mitigates the situation immediately. In a feature release of the solution they should add features related to automation and remediation. Automation would help increase level of security the solution provides.

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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 solution is good for monitoring device behavior."

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

"It provides good visibility."

"I like the visibility."

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

"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."

"Azure Network Watcher provides valuable features based on your specific requirements and use cases, helping you monitor network bandwidth, throughput, data flow consumption, and control costs by giving insight into egress and ingress traffic, total input and output operations, bandwidth, and threats through IP identification."

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

More Azure Network Watcher pros

"The unique selling point of NIKSUN is its ability to scale and its reporting capabilities. NIKSUN captures the packets at a very high speed, from one GB to 160 Gbps also. It offers report granularity in nanoseconds."

"The most valuable features of NIKSUN NetVCR are its performance and forensic capabilities. Additionally, the information that the solution provides is highly detailed and useful. When dealing with network traffic packets can be sent at a high speed causing some security issues, but this solution is able to rapidly monitor the packets providing security."

Cons

"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."

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

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

"User experience could be improved."

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

"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."

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

More Azure Network Watcher cons

"The solution could improve by having automatic mitigation. For example, as soon as a problem occurs the solution alarms and mitigates the situation immediately."

"NIKSUN is a passive solution. It provides you with you data, alerts, reports and the root cause of issues. However, it requires a person to make use of this functionality. If an event is happening and nobody attends to it, the effects of the event could be severe."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"The price of the solution is reasonable."

"The price of the solution is high. There is an annual license costs."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Government

11%

University

Comms Service Provider

No data available

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?

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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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher

February 2026

Download Azure Network Watcher product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

February 2026

Download NIKSUN NetVCR product report

Also Known As

No data available

NetVCR

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

Powered by groundbreaking technologies, NIKSUN NetVCR redefines the way we monitor networks. It provides seamless service and application performance analytics for the right visibility into your traditional, virtual or hybrid environments. The NetVCR suite gives you unmatched insight while still dramatically reducing power consumption by 60% and requiring 80% less rack space.

NIKSUN

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Visa, FedEx, CitiGroup, IDC

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. NIKSUN NetVCR

February 2026

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