Azure Network Watcher vs Versa Director comparison

Microsoft and Versa Networks are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Microsoft is ranked #47 with an average rating of 8.3, while Versa Networks is ranked #49 with an average rating of 9.0. Microsoft holds a 0.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to Versa Networks’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 75% of Versa Networks users who would recommend it.

Azure Network Watcher

Read 12 Azure Network Watcher reviews

670 Views
630 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Versa Director

Read 4 Versa Director reviews

394 Views
370 Comparison Views

75% willing to recommend

Azure Network Watcher

Versa Director

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Versa Director and Azure Network Watcher compete in network management and monitoring. Azure Network Watcher is superior due to its robust capabilities.

Features: Versa Director includes centralized management, robust policy configuration, and cloud service integration, focusing on simplified network operations management. Azure Network Watcher provides diagnostic and analytics tools, deep insights, and advanced security for Azure environments, with extensive tools for monitoring and diagnosing network issues.

Room for Improvement: Versa Director could enhance its diagnostic capabilities, expand security features, and improve integration beyond cloud services. Azure Network Watcher may benefit from simplified setup, improved cost-efficiency for non-Azure users, and greater flexibility in non-Azure environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Versa Director is known for its easy deployment and responsive support. Azure Network Watcher requires a more complex setup within Azure ecosystems but benefits from Microsoft's comprehensive support.

Pricing and ROI: Versa Director offers a more attractive pricing model with lower initial setup costs, leading to quicker ROI. Azure Network Watcher has a higher cost but delivers substantial ROI through advanced features and consistent performance in Azure-based operations.

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

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. Versa Director

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

Versa Director

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

49th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

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 Versa Director is 0.2%, 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%
Versa Director	0.2%
Other	99.4%

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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PriyankDubey

Product manager at Ernst & Young

User-friendly and simpler than its competitors

Versa Director's best feature is the ease of configuration and customer and vendor management. Its UI is also excellent compared to Fortinet and Cisco Versa Director's on-prem SD-WAN hardware and SSL VPN software are not integrated, so you have to buy a separate subscription for the SSL VPN. In…

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

"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."

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

"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."

"The solution is stable."

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

"It provides good visibility."

More Azure Network Watcher pros

"Versa Director is the fastest engineering tool and is ideal for use without product management."

"Versa Director's best feature is the ease of configuration and customer and vendor management."

"The most valuable functionality is some of the policy pieces that are quite useful."

"The most valuable feature of Versa Director is analytics."

Cons

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

"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."

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

"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."

"Lacks sufficient security features."

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

"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

"It requires some simplification."

"What needs improvement in Versa Director is maturity because, from an operating point of view, it's not mature enough. You'll still need to do a lot of research on Versa Director, so if it could mature faster, that would be very good."

"Versa Director's deployment process is not the best."

"Versa could be more AI-oriented."

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."

"Having to buy separate licenses for the on-prem SD-WAN hardware and SSL VPN software makes Versa Director very costly compared to other solutions like Fortinet and Cisco."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

17%

Manufacturing Company

14%

Computer Software Company

13%

Retailer

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.

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 Versa Director?

Versa Director is the fastest engineering tool and is ideal for use without product management.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Versa Director?

Versa could be more AI-oriented.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Versa Director?

We use the solution to monitor customer networks.

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

SolarWinds NPM vs Versa Director

Compared 40% of the time

Zabbix vs Versa Director

Compared 36% of the time

ThousandEyes vs Versa Director

Compared 25% of the time

More Versa Director Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher

October 2025

Download Azure Network Watcher product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

September 2025

Download Versa Director product report

Also Known As

No data available

Versa Networks Director

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

Versa Director is Versa Networks’ virtualization and service creation platform that simplifies the creation, automation and delivery of services using Versa WAN edge software, FlexVNF. Versa Director provides the essential management, monitoring and orchestration capabilities needed to deliver Versa’s Secure Cloud IP architecture network and security software services. Services supported by Versa include routing and advanced connectivity to direct traffic across multilink WAN access and simplify control for SD-WAN with embedded advanced security

Versa Networks

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. Versa Director

September 2025

Free Report: Azure Network Watcher vs. Versa Director

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