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Azure Network Watcher vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor comparison

Microsoft and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Microsoft is ranked #42 with an average rating of 8.5, while SolarWinds is ranked #27 with an average rating of 7.9. Microsoft holds a 0.5% mindshare in NMS, compared to SolarWinds’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of SolarWinds 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
SolarWinds Network Device M...
Read 23 SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reviews
  • 1,914 Views
  • 1,876 Comparison Views
95% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor and Azure Network Watcher compete in the network monitoring solutions category. Azure Network Watcher appears to have the upper hand due to its advanced features and comprehensive capabilities, which justify its cost.

Features: SolarWinds Network Device Monitor provides essential network monitoring capabilities, focusing on ease of use and core functionality. It excels in intuitive navigation and quick setup. Azure Network Watcher offers comprehensive diagnostic tools, seamless integration with Azure services, and advanced analytics, making it ideal for more complex network environments.

Room for Improvement: SolarWinds Network Device Monitor could enhance its feature set for more complex requirements and expand integration capabilities. Improved scalability would also benefit larger operations. Azure Network Watcher might improve in terms of user-friendliness for those less acquainted with Azure services and offer simplified pricing structures. A more straightforward initial configuration could also enhance its accessibility to a broader audience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is typically easy to install with straightforward customer service options, making it suitable for simple setups. Azure Network Watcher, integrated within the Azure platform, requires familiarity with Azure services but benefits from extensive support and documentation. Its deployment may be more suited to users with existing Azure expertise, catering to complex setups.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds Network Device Monitor frequently offers a more accessible initial setup cost, appealing for budget-conscious scenarios. Azure Network Watcher may have a higher initial investment but offers strong ROI due to its deep insights and comprehensive feature set, making it potentially more cost-effective for large-scale deployments.

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To learn more, read our detailed Azure Network Watcher vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Report (Updated: March 2026).
Buyer's Guide
Azure Network Watcher vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
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
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SolarWinds Network Device M...
Ranking in Network Monitoring Software
27th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
23
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 SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is 1.0%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
SolarWinds Network Device Monitor1.0%
Azure Network Watcher0.5%
Other98.5%
Network Monitoring Software
 

Featured Reviews

Bijoyendra Roychowdhury - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Read full review
SG
Sorin Gogean
IT Infrastructure Senior Network Technician at Autoliv
Offers some features but needs better customization and analysis tools
There are solutions that can perform better, but due to pricing for our corporate implementation, we had to stay with this solution. It accomplishes the necessary tasks, but there is room for improvement. The features are not as customizable as we would prefer, but they are workable. If configured properly, you can perform a drill-down analysis. However, I have not used this feature much for our infrastructure on the network side.
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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, which is helpful for securing databases."
"We use the solution to monitor network services. It helps to capture any network issues."
"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."
"I like the visibility."
"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."
"The solution is good for monitoring device behavior."
"This is a stable system providing stable performance."
More Azure Network Watcher pros
"I like the mapping that you could do and the dashboards were very pretty."
"The Network Device Monitor itself is very useful."
"The most valuable feature of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is monitoring."
"Since our devices are spread out across the world, we can see the status of these devices without having to send someone physically to a remote location, which saves money."
"The alerts we are getting when we start losing connection access have been helpful."
"The alerting functionality in SolarWinds Network Device Monitor helps us stay informed during off-hours by sending alerts if our main links or devices are impacted, allowing us to quickly address any issues."
"We are doing more with SolarWinds Network Device Monitor than we were doing in the past with WhatsApp Gold; when we moved to SolarWinds Network Device Monitor, the whole observability part started to grow."
"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is a straightforward product with valuable functionality."
More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pros
 

Cons

"It's not the most friendly or straightforward to set up. I don't see the value versus the way you have to set it up at first."
"Azure Network Watcher could improve by having other built-in applications, for example, an application to log activities for inbound and outbound traffic."
"The initial setup and deployment could be improved to be simplified."
"Sometimes, you encounter a VPN tunnel, network, or routing issue, but finding out more about the blockage is challenging."
"Azure is good, however, the Fortinet GUI is more intuitive and I like it more than anything else."
"The solution could use some additional components of the network culture, not only VMs. I'd like to see some additional security features because what they currently have concentrates only on the network."
"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."
"The solution could improve by limiting the need to clarify the logs. When the clarification is minimized, it is better for everyone involved."
More Azure Network Watcher cons
"The data is in the system but we are unable to pull it because reporting is not integrated and versatile."
"The solution is not user-friendly."
"Technical support needs to respond to its customers faster. We are not 100% satisfied with the level of support we get."
"The solution lacks in performance monitoring."
"If everything were in the package so that everything was ready to go out of the box, that would be ideal."
"In terms of price, it could be less expensive."
"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor could improve the features. We don't have the complete model for the database, and the monitoring for the database is up and down. We expect that we could monitor the blocking items on the database but we don't have that feature."
"There is no mobile version of this product, and our team should be able to access it using a mobile device."
More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Price-wise, I have no information on how much Azure Network Watcher costs."
"The price of the solution is reasonable."
"Azure Network Watcher is a little bit expensive."
"The pricing is good. It's not too expensive."
"The enterprise license is good for the SolarWinds Network Device Monitor. However, it is expensive, they should reduce their price."
"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is not an expensive solution."
"Well, we had a perpetual license and the renewal was $20 to $25,000."
"Thankfully, it doesn't take a lot of manpower to install and deploy."
"The product is expensive."
"When compared with other solutions SolarWinds is more expensive."
"I rate the product's price as three to three and a half or on a scale of one to ten, where one means low price, and ten means high price."
"I find the cost of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reasonable for our company. Though, I'm not aware of the exact licensing cost."
More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
University
8%
Government
8%
Construction Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise14
 

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.
See all answers
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 ...
See all answers
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...
See all answers
What do you like most about SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?
I rate the product's initial setup process a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one means it is a difficult phase and ten is an easy process.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?
I am not a positive person regarding SolarWinds Network Device Monitor.
See all answers
What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?
There are solutions that can perform better, but due to pricing for our corporate implementation, we had to stay with this solution. It accomplishes the necessary tasks, but there is room for impro...
See all answers
 

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Compared 11% of the time
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Compared 8% of the time
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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Azure Network Watcher
March 2026
Azure Network Watcher reportDownload Azure Network Watcher product report
Buyer's Guide
SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
March 2026
SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reportDownload SolarWinds Network Device Monitor product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
Network Device Monitor
 

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
Network Device Monitor is a free tool that makes it easy to monitor the real-time performance and health of a single device on your network with a desktop dashboard that alerts you when your device is in trouble.
SolarWinds
 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Air Rarotonga
Buyer's Guide
Azure Network Watcher vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
March 2026
Free Report: Azure Network Watcher vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
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