Docker vs Splunk Observability Cloud comparison

Docker and Splunk are both solutions in the Container Management category. Docker is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.9, while Splunk is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.6. Docker holds a 2.7% mindshare in CM, compared to Splunk’s 0.5% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Docker users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Splunk users who would recommend it.

Docker

Read 56 Docker reviews

1,362 Views
1,085 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Splunk Observability Cloud

Read 51 Splunk Observability Cloud reviews

107 Views
55 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Docker

Splunk Observability Cloud

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 6, 2025

Splunk Observability Cloud and Docker compete in the monitoring and containerization markets. Docker seems to have the upper hand in cost-effectiveness and ease of use, while Splunk is recognized for its advanced monitoring capabilities.

Features: Splunk Observability Cloud is known for its comprehensive monitoring, customizable dashboards, and real-time notifications, which offer valuable insights into application performance and security. It provides extensive data integration and end-to-end visibility into the infrastructure. Docker's strengths include user-friendly containerization, excellent portability, and integration with various environments. It features an easy setup, seamless environment replication, and strong security and scalability options.

Room for Improvement: Splunk Observability Cloud users seek enhancements in pricing, scalability, integration with other tools, automation, stability, and user-friendly documentation. Docker could improve its stability, documentation, and advanced features. Users also express interest in security vulnerability reports and enhanced user interface options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Splunk Observability Cloud supports flexible deployments across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments, with generally responsive customer support, though faster assistance is desired. Docker offers straightforward deployment across various environments and benefits from robust community support, although direct support could be more intuitive. Splunk provides a structured support system, while Docker uses its open-source nature for self-guided solutions.

Pricing and ROI: Splunk Observability Cloud has a higher price point, raising concerns about long-term cost-effectiveness compared to competitors. Nonetheless, users report a positive ROI through improved visibility and efficiency. Docker's open-source solution is cost-effective with optional paid enterprise features. It is appreciated for its affordability and ROI when enterprise features are utilized. Docker's pricing flexibility and open-source model attract a wider audience.

To learn more, read our detailed Docker vs. Splunk Observability Cloud Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Docker vs. Splunk Observability Cloud

April 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

Docker

Ranking in Container Management

5th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Development Platforms (1st), Software Supply Chain Security (6th)

Splunk Observability Cloud

Ranking in Container Management

8th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (11th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (9th), Cloud Monitoring Software (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Container Management category, the mindshare of Docker is 2.7%, down from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Splunk Observability Cloud is 0.5%. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Management

Featured Reviews

Rikin Parekh

Backend Engineer at Northeastern University

Useful to create sandbox environments to run applications and makes it easy to test them

Overall, setting up the Docker environment is quite easy. Many methods exist, such as using Docker Compose and Docker networks to communicate between containers. The main challenge lies in designing the architecture and integrating different frameworks and microservices. I would rate the ease of setting up the tool at around nine out of ten. The time it takes to deploy depends on the scale of the system. For the early-stage startup I'm currently working with, it doesn't take much time. It's just me handling the deployment. In our early-stage startup, we have a couple of teams with around four to five backend APIs and two front-end services. Deploying these doesn't take much time. My focus is more on minimizing costs due to our lean startup structure.

Read full review

Lakshmi Padaga

Java Developer at U.S. Bank

Collaborates performance metrics with log data to pinpoint the exact cause of issues and offers error detection

Splunk APM is a robust tool with many capabilities. There are always areas for potential improvement to enhance its functionality and user experience. For Splunk APM, there could be simplified navigation, like streamlining the user interface to make navigation more intuitive for our users, especially those new to APM, which can enhance usability. We can provide more customization options for dashboards and visualizations to help users tailor the platform to their specific needs. There could be more integration capabilities with a wider range of third-party tools and platforms would also be beneficial. By focusing on these areas, Splunk APM can enhance its value proposition, improve user satisfaction, and better meet the evolving needs of organizations monitoring their application performance.

Read full review

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 stable."

"The most valuable feature is the simple containerization."

"The most valuable feature of Docker is its integration with other solutions, such as KVM and AlmaLinux."

"The solution is easy to deploy for clients so it saves a lot of hassle."

"Docker is perfect for what I do...The solution is scalable."

"The most valuable feature of Docker is the dedicated QA environment for connecting the team members. Additionally, there are many core features available and it is highly secure when we are imaging a client's server."

"The solution's most valuable feature is having containers independent of the operating system or environment."

"In our line of work, we've been involved in various sectors, such as industrial products, transportation, client engineering, telecom, and medical. For instance, we're currently developing an IT platform. One key use case we're tackling is device management."

More Docker pros

"Splunk APM has helped us to standardize logging and monitoring procedures."

"We haven't really experienced any glitches or bugs."

"The features are pretty much ready out of the box."

"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."

"Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring gives us complete visibility without the need for storage."

"The Add data feature lets you gather any type of log and easily analyze it."

"The tool's stability is great."

"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

"Docker management is very difficult when we have a large number of nodes."

"I would like to see better management layers."

"Sometimes, we have sync-up issues where the build doesn't get processed due to these sync issues, causing the build to fail. That's one of the drawbacks I see. When we did a huge sync-up, we faced a couple of issues. It takes some time for us to complete the sync-up. For frequent, smaller updates, we haven't had any issues. However, challenges can arise for those who prefer doing everything in one go. This might not necessarily be due to the tool itself but because of the approach of doing everything in a single batch."

"Stability is an area with a shortcoming."

"I would like to see a single package image orchestration bundled together."

"As for improving Docker, I would like to see enhancements in its user interface and documentation to make it even more user-friendly and accessible. I believe Docker will expand its scope and reduce limitations to support more applications, both online and offline. For instance, in scenarios like deployments on ships or during upgrades, Docker can continue to offer software services and container-based intelligence."

"I have encountered network issues while connecting with microservices. I want to optimize the application layers over the bucket. It should also have better documentation."

"Sometimes, it can become heavy and cause performance issues."

More Docker cons

"The price has room for improvement."

"It would be useful if they provided some help pages. If you don't know too much about the tool, there should be more documentation readily available. It would be useful if they had a help button embedded in the solution so you could ask questions and get answers."

"It's a bit difficult to use. It takes some time to get into it and to get it to do what you would like it to do. It is not straightforward to use it."

"The clustering part of indexes can be more refined."

"The product collects a lot of data but it does not assure that it collects all of it."

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

"They can improve the flow system and the keyword language. It has predefined keywords, but they can be improved."

"The end-to-end visibility is lacking because Splunk cannot directly monitor network devices."

More Splunk Observability Cloud cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Docker is a free tool."

"I use the solution's open-source version."

"It's free."

"The offering and service are quite free."

"Docker is a free-to-use solution. However, Docker Enterprise is not free."

"The pricing of the solution is fairly cheap."

"The current cost for us is nothing as an open source."

"Docker is a free open-source solution."

More Docker pricing and cost advice

"This is an expensive solution."

"The product is a bit expensive considering the competition but the company may negotiate the price."

"Splunk offers a 14-day free trial and after that, we have to pay but the cost is reasonable."

"I am not in that circle, but we are currently licensing based on our queries. That is working out for us. Previously, it was by volume of data, and now, we can store as much data as we want."

"I would rate the price of Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring as an eight out of ten, with ten being the most expensive."

"The solution's pricing is costly."

"It is expensive."

"Splunk APM is expensive."

More Splunk Observability Cloud pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Insurance Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

15%

Retailer

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Docker?

We are using Docker to host applications.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Docker?

I consider Docker's pricing to be affordable.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Docker?

In terms of communication between services, perhaps the configuration within networks between containers could be improved.

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?

There is room for improvement in the alerting system, which is complicated and has less documentation available. We sometimes encountered issues in setting up alerts. The custom detector could be m...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SignalFx?

The main purpose of using Splunk APM is to optimize our application. We use Splunk APM primarily to understand how the application works, how it uses resources, and its response time in connection ...

See all answers

Comparisons

VMware Tanzu Platform vs Docker

Compared 29% of the time

Rancher Labs vs Docker

Compared 14% of the time

Codespaces vs Docker

Compared 13% of the time

Mirantis Container Runtime vs Docker

Compared 13% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE vs Docker

Compared 8% of the time

More Docker Competitors

Observe vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 20% of the time

Dynatrace vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 6% of the time

Splunk ITSI (IT Service Intelligence) vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 6% of the time

Rancher Labs vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 4% of the time

ServiceNow IT Operations Management vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 4% of the time

More Splunk Observability Cloud Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Docker

April 2025

Download Docker product report

Buyer's Guide

Splunk Observability Cloud

April 2025

Download Splunk Observability Cloud product report

Also Known As

No data available

Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring

Overview

Docker is a versatile container platform used for running and deploying applications in isolated environments, ensuring consistency across development, testing, and production.

Docker offers solutions for containerizing applications, automating deployments, and managing infrastructure through its robust platform. It supports CI/CD workflows, provides a development platform for container management, and simplifies the setup by using streamlined tools. Organizations leverage Docker for building microservices, running UI applications, deploying web services, and setting up secure environments. It also facilitates managing containers via Kubernetes and creating development stacks for enhanced productivity.

What are Docker's key features?

Security: Offers containment and isolation of applications.
Easy Use: Simplifies the deployment and management of applications.
Documentation: Extensive resources to aid in understanding and implementation.
Customization: Flexible environment configurations.
Scalability: Efficiently handles applications irrespective of scale.
Internal DNS: Manages network configurations within the container ecosystem.
Overlay Networks: Facilitates seamless inter-container communication.
Resource Efficiency: Optimizes usage of system resources.

What benefits should users look for?

Consistency: Ensures homogeneous environments across development, testing, and production stages.
Portability: Allows applications to run consistently on any platform.
Cost-Effectiveness: Reduces overhead costs associated with application deployment.
Speed: Accelerates the build, test, and deployment cycles.
Flexibility: Supports various tools and integrations to adapt to different workflows.

Industries implement Docker for CI/CD pipelines, scaling services, and improving resource utilization. Tech companies use Docker for building and deploying their software in isolated environments. Finance and healthcare sectors deploy applications securely, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. Educational institutions set up consistent development environments for coding labs and training students in advanced technologies.

Docker

Splunk Observability Cloud combines log search, data integration, and dashboards for seamless monitoring, enhancing infrastructure visibility and security. Its cloud integration and scalability support diverse environments, improving operational efficiency.

Splunk Observability Cloud offers comprehensive monitoring tools with user-friendly interfaces, enabling end-to-end infrastructure visibility. Its real-time alerting and predictive capabilities enhance security monitoring, while centralized dashboards provide cross-platform visibility. Users benefit from fast data integration and extensive insights into application performance. Despite its advantages, improvements could be made in integration with other tools, data reliability, scalability, and cost management. Users face challenges in configuration complexity and require better automation and endpoint protection features. Enhancing AI integration, alerts, and adaptation for high-throughput services could further improve usability.

What are the key features of Splunk Observability Cloud?

Log Search: Efficiently search and analyze log data for enhanced insights.
Data Integration: Fast integration across platforms for comprehensive visibility.
Custom Dashboards: Powerful and adaptable dashboards for real-time monitoring.
Cloud Integration: Seamless integration with cloud services for scalable solutions.
Application Performance Monitoring: Advanced tools for improving application performance.

What benefits and ROI should be expected?

Infrastructure Monitoring: Improved visibility and monitoring across infrastructure components.
Operational Efficiency: Enhancements in data analysis lead to efficient operations.
Business Resilience: Supports adaptability and swift responses to changing needs.
Security Management: Enhances threat identification and response through real-time alerts.
Compliance Support: Aids in meeting compliance and auditing requirements effectively.

In industries like finance and healthcare, Splunk Observability Cloud is implemented for application performance monitoring and infrastructure metrics. Its ability to track incidents and analyze machine data benefits network infrastructure, while distributed tracing and log analysis aid in tackling security threats. Organizations often integrate it for compliance and auditing purposes, enhancing visibility into network traffic and optimizing performance.

Splunk

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

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

Buyer's Guide

Docker vs. Splunk Observability Cloud

April 2025

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