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BlueCat Gateway vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager comparison

BlueCat and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Automation category. BlueCat is ranked #18, while SolarWinds is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.7. BlueCat holds a 2.0% mindshare in NA, compared to SolarWinds’s 7.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of BlueCat users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.
BlueCat Gateway
Read 2 BlueCat Gateway reviews
  • 289 Views
  • 289 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
SolarWinds Network Configur...
Read 27 SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager reviews
  • 2,080 Views
  • 1,082 Comparison Views
95% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 6, 2025

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager and BlueCat Gateway are products in the network management and optimization category. Based on data comparisons, SolarWinds leads in ease of use and setup costs, while BlueCat Gateway stands out for its integration capabilities.

Features: SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager offers automated network device configuration, compliance auditing, and change management tools. BlueCat Gateway provides advanced DNS configuration, automation capabilities, and seamless API integrations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds has straightforward deployment with extensive online resources and customer service. BlueCat Gateway has more involved deployment due to its advanced capabilities, complemented by proactive customer support for complex integrations.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager typically has lower setup costs, providing substantial ROI quickly through easy deployment and management. BlueCat Gateway requires higher initial investment but offers strong ROI over time by optimizing DNS and network automation processes.

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To learn more, read our detailed BlueCat Gateway vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Report (Updated: January 2026).
Buyer's Guide
BlueCat Gateway vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
January 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

BlueCat Gateway
Ranking in Network Automation
18th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.9
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SolarWinds Network Configur...
Ranking in Network Automation
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
Configuration Management (15th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Network Automation category, the mindshare of BlueCat Gateway is 2.0%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is 7.5%, down from 10.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Automation Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager7.5%
BlueCat Gateway2.0%
Other90.5%
Network Automation
 

Featured Reviews

FG
Frederic Girard
Developer for DDI Team at Cgi Deutschland KG
Simple to use, straightforward to deploy, and provides good support and documentation
One area for improvement in BlueCat Gateway is the time it takes to fill in the dropdown in the UI of the solution because the speed with which the data loads isn't that fast. It would be better if you didn't have to wait for old items to load before seeing the first data. Another area for improvement in BlueCat Gateway is the discovery probe, as it doesn't allow you to see all the setup parameters after you've set it up. This may not be a big issue, but it's something my team noticed that may not be good in the solution.
Read full review
Yashokanth Partkunan - PeerSpot reviewer
Yashokanth Partkunan
Managed Services Engineer at Loop1 Systems
Configuration changes become more manageable with potential for enhanced automation
I work with SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager as a significant part of our operations. Our primary use case involves handling configuration changes, especially within Cisco-related products Configuration pushing, upgrade capabilities, job backup, configuration backup, and real-time…
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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

"We found IP and Network Discovery the most valuable features of BlueCat Gateway. Our team found it very easy to build, verify, and validate APIs in BlueCat Gateway, mainly if the users have a background in development and APIs. Our team found that BlueCat Gateway answers our needs well."
"The ability to develop a kiosk-like solution for in-person assistance is crucial."
"It is a stable solution."
"NCM also helps with vulnerability assessment and remediation."
"The installation is straightforward."
"Compared to other vendors, like NetBrain, managing the solution is easy. They made it very user-friendly."
"This solution has helped our organization by allowing us to store all the device configurations for the various network devices in NCM and making it easy for us to retrieve and look them over."
"The most valuable features the solution offers are compliance, reliability, and information about reliability."
"The configuration compliance aspect of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager allows for easy comparison of configuration settings across branches, ensuring adherence to security guidelines and best practices. Automation capabilities have greatly impacted workflows, enabling tasks such as configuration backups, template deployment, and firmware upgrades to be automated, thereby streamlining processes and saving time. Compliance reporting features provide valuable insights into network compliance, offering pre-built security audit reports and customizable options to meet specific requirements."
"The network performance monitoring of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is a vital feature"
More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager pros
 

Cons

"One area for improvement in BlueCat Gateway is the time it takes to fill in the dropdown in the UI of the solution because the speed with which the data loads isn't that fast. It would be better if you didn't have to wait for old items to load before seeing the first data."
"My most significant concern is that the documentation has problems."
"The network logs could be improved. When the error logs come across with those false positive alarms in the error logs."
"The only thing that requires some experience, and training doesn't fix, is how to set up your custom policy-based reports to check compliance."
"On NCM, reporting could be a bit better. It's completely become just one report. When I try to create a custom report, the solution just commits old server data."
"There are certain limitations of node-related monitoring"
"There is room for improvement in automation."
"When it comes to the way of managing the network devices, SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager should provide the simplest way that devices can relate to the server. For example, when we want to get the devices on board, we go by SSH to make the SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager create the connectivity with the device. After that, we pull the configuration. It would be helpful if they could combine both so that everything will be done in one step."
"Improvements are needed in the automatic network mapping function."
"We want to be able to store it in a data warehouse format and integrate it with Google single sign-on."
More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost is actually quite favorable based on our negotiations."
"With a minimal bundle, we pay about $3000 a year in licensing costs. If you have multiple devices in your network, you must buy the bundle, which is 100% identical for your infrastructure. If you have 15 devices, you need 15 licenses, for example. That's one bundle. You don't pay for anything over and above that."
"The pricing is good."
"Available at a moderate price"
"We have to pay additionally for its support and maintenance."
"There is a license needed to use SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager."
"You have a base license for 50 devices, and then you can add more licenses as you go."
"I have a yearly subscription."
"In Africa, the cost is a major factor in decision-making for many companies. As a result, some companies may choose cheaper solutions, even if they are open-source, over more expensive ones, such as SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager. However, as an engineer, I believe that the functionalities and services offered by SolarWinds justify the cost. Nonetheless, many companies in Africa may still view the prices as unaffordable."
More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Government
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise8
 

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?
The configuration compliance aspect of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager allows for easy comparison of configuration settings across branches, ensuring adherence to security guidelines and b...
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?
The licensing costs of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager are expensive, but considering its reliability, feature enhancements, and support, it is worthwhile.
See all answers
What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?
NCM could benefit from enhanced automation capabilities — for instance, enabling workflow-based configuration automation tasks. While regex and command-line scripting are available, they require sp...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs BlueCat Gateway
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Cisco DNA Center vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Logo
Cisco DNA Center vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
Compared 14% of the time
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Logo
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
Compared 8% of the time
Huawei eSight vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Logo
Huawei eSight vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
Compared 5% of the time
OpenText Network Node Manager vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Logo
OpenText Network Node Manager vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
Compared 5% of the time
NetBrain vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Logo
NetBrain vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
Compared 5% of the time
More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Network Automation
January 2026
BlueCat Gateway reportDownload BlueCat Gateway product report
Buyer's Guide
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
January 2026
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager reportDownload SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager product report
 

Also Known As

BlueCat Network Automation
SolarWinds NCM
 

Overview

BlueCat Gateway allows you to automate and transform mission-critical business requirements into DNS, DDI, DHCP, and IPAM workflows, plugins, and applications and enables the rapid development of turn-key integrations with existing technology investments. Using zero-touch automation frees IT teams from time-consuming, error-prone, and repetitive network configuration and provisioning tasks so they can focus on the innovation business needs. BlueCat’s automation platform automates the DNS services necessary to provision and deallocates cloud and on-premises resources, enabling IT to respond faster to user requests.
BlueCat
Before you monitor your network, configure it! A reliable and secure network starts with carefully planned, executed, and monitored network configuration and change management. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) saves time and improves network reliability and security by managing configurations, changes, and compliance for routers, switches, and other network devices from Cisco, Juniper, HP, Dell, Brocade, Aruba, Rukus, and more.
SolarWinds
 

Sample Customers

US Department of Energy, Swisslos, DXC, Edeka SouthWest
United Lincolnshire Hospitals, Air Rarotonga, NetSuite, Thai AirAsia, REA Group, 335th Signal Command, Agilisys, Marine Expeditionary Force
Buyer's Guide
BlueCat Gateway vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
January 2026
Free Report: BlueCat Gateway vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
Find out what your peers are saying about BlueCat Gateway vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.
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