Azure Network Watcher vs Splunk Observability Cloud comparison

Microsoft and Splunk are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Microsoft is ranked #47 with an average rating of 8.3, while Splunk is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.4. Microsoft holds a 0.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to Splunk’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Splunk users who would recommend it.

Azure Network Watcher

Read 12 Azure Network Watcher reviews

670 Views
630 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Splunk Observability Cloud

Read 71 Splunk Observability Cloud reviews

5,846 Views
1,578 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Azure Network Watcher

Splunk Observability Cloud

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 21, 2025

Splunk Observability Cloud and Azure Network Watcher compete in the observability and network monitoring domain. Splunk seems to have the upper hand regarding broader functionality and integration capabilities, while Azure Network Watcher is more focused on essential network monitoring features.

Features: Splunk Observability Cloud provides extensive data integration, fast log searching, and custom dashboard creation, which are highly beneficial for managing complex data environments. Azure Network Watcher offers packet capture, cloud-native application firewall, and topology visualization, crucial for network monitoring and security.

Room for Improvement: Splunk Observability Cloud needs improved cost management, a simplified UI, and better integration with platforms like Azure. Additionally, enhancements in AI features and the ability to handle custom metrics are suggested. Azure Network Watcher requires deeper integration with open-source tools, better firewall capabilities, and improved monitoring visualization and granularity.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Splunk Observability Cloud supports on-premises, cloud, and hybrid deployments, offering flexibility. Users rate its customer service positively but indicate a need for faster response times. Azure Network Watcher is streamlined for public cloud deployments and customer service feedback is generally neutral without significant criticism.

Pricing and ROI: Splunk is considered expensive, with costs tied to data ingestion volumes which can be pricey for large data needs. Nevertheless, its ability to reduce downtime is valued by users. Azure Network Watcher's pricing is more affordable, appealing to budget-conscious users, though it gets pricier with advanced features. Both solutions offer ROI by improving operational efficiency and problem-solving abilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Network Watcher vs. Splunk Observability Cloud Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. Splunk Observability Cloud

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

47th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Splunk Observability Cloud

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (8th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (7th), Cloud Monitoring Software (8th), Container Management (6th), Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM) (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Azure Network Watcher is 0.4%, down from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Splunk Observability Cloud is 1.2%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Splunk Observability Cloud	1.2%
Azure Network Watcher	0.4%
Other	98.4%

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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Taiwo Ige

IT Operations Engineer at ABC Supply Co. Inc.

Alerting improves incident response across teams and enables faster awareness before customer impact

Splunk Observability Cloud could be improved in terms of integrations with more technical add-ons, such as Zoom. Although they have one with Zoom, it's not available in the cloud, so having that feature would be beneficial. Essentially, Splunk should continue expanding to create easier ways to ingest logs from different products. The out-of-the-box customizable dashboards in Splunk Observability Cloud are very effective in showcasing IT performance to business leaders. However, there are aspects that could be improved, such as linking dashboards to one another. While IT leaders may not drill down, it's crucial to create levels of dashboards for technical users to find root causes, making it effective for stakeholders.

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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 solution is good for monitoring device behavior."

"I like the visibility."

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

"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 solution is stable."

"It provides good visibility."

More Azure Network Watcher pros

"It is a great resource for us because we have so many different data sources and to be able to aggregate that and put it through a concise dashboard or an alert really helps."

"It is a good tool. It allows you to set alerts for application and infrastructure monitoring, and it allows you to create dashboards."

"The tool's stability is great."

"I find the monitoring console very helpful. With one click, I can see how we are performing, and at the same time, I can see what data is flowing."

"The data collection from our VMs, containers, databases, and backend components is valuable."

"The initial setup of Splunk Real User Monitoring (RUM) was easy."

"The solution's basic visibility is one of its most valuable features. So, it is a solution that is easy to use...The solution's initial setup process was straightforward."

"This solution is very quick to deploy as it is a SaaS solution and integrates with tools like ServiceNow."

More Splunk Observability Cloud pros

Cons

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

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

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

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

"Lacks sufficient security features."

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

"User experience could be improved."

More Azure Network Watcher cons

"The UI enhancements could be a way to improve the solution in the future."

"The only strain point we've encountered with Splunk Observability Cloud is that the search times can be lengthy for some things."

"The out-of-the-box customizable dashboards in Splunk Observability Cloud are very effective in showcasing IT performance to business leaders. However, there are aspects that could be improved, such as linking dashboards to one another."

"Splunk Observability Cloud could be improved in terms of integrations with more technical add-ons, such as Zoom."

"They can get more integration with a few more products. They can also update some of the dashboards that are in there now."

"The initial setup of Splunk Real User Monitoring (RUM) was easy. The solution is deployed on-premises."

"We currently lack log analysis capabilities in Splunk APM."

"Splunk isn't an ideal tool for application performance management due to the extensive setup required."

More Splunk Observability Cloud cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"Azure Network Watcher is a little bit expensive."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"Splunk Observability Cloud is expensive."

"The solution's pricing is competitive. I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten. The price of the solution could be cheaper."

"The pricing is based on several factors, including the scale of deployment."

"Splunk APM is expensive."

"It appears to be expensive compared to competitors."

"It is expensive."

"Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring is an expensive solution."

More Splunk Observability Cloud pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

University

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

12%

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	20
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	43

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Azure Network Watcher?

I like the visibility.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Azure Network Watcher?

See all answers

What do you like most about SignalFx?

The most valuable feature is dashboard creation.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SignalFx?

Regarding dashboard customization, while Splunk has many dashboard building options, customers sometimes need to create specific dashboards, particularly for applicative metrics such as Java and pr...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SignalFx?

The solution involves observability in general, such as Application Performance Monitoring, and generally addresses digital applications, web applications, sites, and mobile applications. I worked ...

See all answers

Comparisons

ThousandEyes vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 31% of the time

Microsoft Network Monitor vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 25% of the time

Nmap vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 24% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 20% of the time

More Azure Network Watcher Competitors

Sentry vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 7% of the time

Observe vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 6% of the time

Cribl vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 5% of the time

SigNoz vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 5% of the time

Honeycomb Enterprise vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 4% of the time

More Splunk Observability Cloud Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher

October 2025

Download Azure Network Watcher product report

Buyer's Guide

Splunk Observability Cloud

September 2025

Download Splunk Observability Cloud product report

Also Known As

No data available

Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring, Splunk Real User Monitoring (RUM), Splunk Synthetic Monitoring

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

Splunk Observability Cloud offers sophisticated log searching, data integration, and customizable dashboards. With rapid deployment and ease of use, this cloud service enhances monitoring capabilities across IT infrastructures for comprehensive end-to-end visibility.

Focused on enhancing performance management and security, Splunk Observability Cloud supports environments through its data visualization and analysis tools. Users appreciate its robust application performance monitoring and troubleshooting insights. However, improvements in integrations, interface customization, scalability, and automation are needed. Users find value in its capabilities for infrastructure and network monitoring, as well as log analytics, albeit cost considerations and better documentation are desired. Enhancements in real-time monitoring and network protection are also noted as areas for development.

What are the key features?

Log Searching: Efficiently search and analyze logs from various sources.
Data Integration: Seamlessly integrate with multiple environments.
Dashboard Customization: Tailor dashboards to specific monitoring needs.
Monitoring Capabilities: Provides comprehensive insights into application performance.
Security Features: Analyze and address security threats across systems.
Visualization Tools: Enhance data analysis and system performance optimization.

Why consider this for ROI?

Comprehensive Visibility: Gain complete insights into IT infrastructure.
Performance Optimization: Improve overall system performance and efficiency.
Rapid Deployment: Quick setup to meet organization demands swiftly.
Enhanced Security: Strengthen security measures through detailed analytics.

In industries, Splunk Observability Cloud is implemented for security management by analyzing logs from detection systems, offering real-time alerts and troubleshooting for cloud-native applications. It is leveraged for machine data analysis, improving infrastructure visibility and supporting network and application performance management efforts.

Splunk

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Sunrun, Yelp, Onshape, Tapjoy, Symphony Commerce, Chairish, Clever, Grovo, Bazaar Voice, Zenefits, Avalara

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. Splunk Observability Cloud

September 2025

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