IBM Application Performance Management vs SolarWinds AppOptics comparison

IBM and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category. IBM is ranked #50 with an average rating of 7.0, while SolarWinds is ranked #56. IBM holds a 0.3% mindshare in APM, compared to SolarWinds’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 62% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 80% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

IBM Application Performance...

Read 7 IBM Application Performance Management reviews

762 Views
739 Comparison Views

62% willing to recommend

SolarWinds AppOptics

Read 9 SolarWinds AppOptics reviews

971 Views
573 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

IBM Application Performance...

SolarWinds AppOptics

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 24, 2024

IBM Application Performance Management and SolarWinds AppOptics compete in the application performance monitoring industry. SolarWinds AppOptics has the upper hand with its real-time monitoring and user-friendly setup.

Features: IBM Application Performance Management includes comprehensive monitoring tools, extensive integration options, and automated root cause analysis. SolarWinds AppOptics offers ease of use, quick setup, and real-time visibility with customizable dashboards.

Room for Improvement: IBM Application Performance Management could benefit from a better interface design, improved user experience, and simplified navigation for new users. SolarWinds AppOptics could enhance data granularity, extend data retention periods, and refine advanced analytics tools.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Application Performance Management is complex to deploy but supported by strong customer service. SolarWinds AppOptics is easier to deploy with minimal assistance and highly responsive support.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Application Performance Management is a higher upfront investment with a longer ROI period. SolarWinds AppOptics provides quicker ROI due to lower setup costs and faster deployment times, offering better value for money.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Application Performance Management vs. SolarWinds AppOptics Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Application Performance Management vs. SolarWinds AppOptics

July 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

IBM Application Performance...

Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

50th

Average Rating

6.4

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SolarWinds AppOptics

Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

56th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (58th), Cloud Monitoring Software (43rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category, the mindshare of IBM Application Performance Management is 0.3%, down from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds AppOptics is 0.3%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

Featured Reviews

Daniel Tamiru

Manager, Database & System Administration at Awash International Bank

A multi-functional solution but has poor stability and performance-related issues

We are using version 4 of IBM Application Performance Management, and it is deployed on-premises. We use it for internet banking and mainly for application performance on-site. For example, if we face performance-related issues in one of our software or managed services, we use this solution to…

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John Yuko

Assistant Manager ICT - Projects at I&M Bank Ltd

Unique features allow consolidating and combing metrics into a single dashboard, but don't monitor mobile solutions

I would like to see more granular information provided on Unix applications. Also, the integration with Unix services should be a bit more straightforward in terms having an agent to retrieve your credentials rather than having to enter or save them for SSH on SolarWinds. From the outset, we had to set some commands to log into the search console, and they are saved on the solution, which presents a challenge in terms of exposure. The solution is unable to monitor APK solutions completely because we'd then be forced to break down the APK and provide the APIs or go through the source code. They don't have a module that can analyze an application that is maybe under-used.

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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 initial setup was straightforward and took minimal effort."

"Because we have partnerships with other partners, I can share a bit about what I've noticed with IBM APM compared to other vendor solutions. Specifically, with IBM, the visibility into detailed process information is more tangible. On the OS level, APM displays all processes (or the top 10 processes) that are consuming CPU or resident memory. This is the most important thing that is not always available with other vendors."

"It's easy to use."

"The most valuable feature is the breakdown that it provides, such as a description of the fields for a particular transaction."

"The transaction tracking feature from IBM is the most important feature for us. It is something that provides a terrific value for us and our clients. It has a lot of data sources and agents that are collectors. It is also stable."

"I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten."

"IBM Application Performance Management helped us increased our response time by 80% and cost 60% less."

"Some of the most valuable features of SolarWinds are the topology discovery and network performance analysis."

"I have found the most valuable feature is application performance management."

"The sum solution, NTA, and DPA."

"Technical support is always live and they're supportive."

"The reporting of the solution is very good."

"The product has a great dashboard."

Cons

"They should focus on potentially enhancing the dashboard to make it more contemporary and adding some customization options. Furthermore, there might be room for improvement in the pricing policy."

"Technical support can be slow and needs improvement."

"With APM, we noticed that the agent can cause a lot of issues for the application, making the agent very unreliable. Many issues are happening, and we've had to discuss it with support to try and get a fix. It affects application availability, and sometimes actions fail because of the agent, degrading the performance of the application."

"Its web user interface is a little bit old in comparison to other solutions, such as New Relic, and it should be improved. Its scalability and technical support should also be improved. Currently, it is scalable, but only in a vertical way. They provide good technical support, but the initial steps for a new case can be improved to fasten the resolution process."

"The stability is not great and should be better."

"It's still missing some platforms. For example, if you look to applications itself, it is missing the interface."

"The demo that was provided to us is not working very well. At times, there are errors."

"In terms of the technology, I think they need to put some more advanced troubleshooting into SolarWinds, in terms of AI capabilities. That's the next generation, especially in the cases of APIs which have already adopted AI capabilities into their products."

"AppOptics would benefit from having a much more centralized view."

"The implementation needs improvement. It needs to get modernized with the newer cloud scenario in both public and private deployment models."

"The integration with Unix services should be a bit more straightforward."

"The solution should be more user-friendly."

"I would like to see more integration with other tools that are available on the market."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM APM is one of the cheaper products on the market, while everything necessary to get started is included in the license."

"As I previously indicated, I initiated the IBM and uncovered all its elements. Consequently, I'm not inclined towards a licensing approach."

"The licensing fees can be paid every six months or on a yearly basis."

"I believe the current licensing cost is reasonable."

"Since it's a negotiable rate, I would rate the pricing as a five out of five."

"Mostly, it's a perpetual license. We don't have any customers using the subscription right now—it's mostly a perpetual license that the customers purchase. The licensing is based on the number of elements, whereas other solutions are node-based."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

21%

Retailer

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

University

Government

15%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Application Performance Management?

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Application Performance Management?

They should focus on potentially enhancing the dashboard to make it more contemporary and adding some customization options. Furthermore, there might be room for improvement in the pricing policy. ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM Application Performance Management?

I monitor business applications for more than four end users.

See all answers

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Comparisons

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Compared 21% of the time

Splunk AppDynamics vs IBM Application Performance Management

Compared 16% of the time

Datadog vs IBM Application Performance Management

Compared 14% of the time

IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager vs IBM Application Performance Management

Compared 10% of the time

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Dynatrace vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 26% of the time

New Relic vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 23% of the time

Zabbix vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 11% of the time

Zenoss Cloud vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 8% of the time

SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 7% of the time

More SolarWinds AppOptics Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

August 2025

IBM Application Performance Management report

Download IBM Application Performance Management product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

August 2025

Download SolarWinds AppOptics product report

Also Known As

IBM APM

AppOptics, SolarWinds TraceView, Librato

Overview

The IBM Application Performance Management portfolio provides visibility, control and automation of your mission-critical applications. It helps pinpoint the root cause of application's issue more quickly and resolve the problem. The integrated capabilities cover the five key areas: discovery, end-use experience, transaction tracking, enterprise diagnostics and analytics. It also easily monitors applications to ensure optimal performance to extend your hybrid management environment capabilities, to measure the customer experience from multiple locations and to further eliminate blind spots in your application environment.

IBM

AppOptics is a SaaS-based simple, powerful and affordable Infrastructure & Application monitoring for custom on-premises, cloud, and hybrid systems.

Your business runs on applications, and when they go down or run slowly, it can impact the business in lost productivity, customers, or revenue. To add to the complexity, your IT environment is changing, and workloads can be spread across data centers, and cloud resources. You need to monitor the availability and performance of applications and infrastructure, regardless of where they are, so you can identify potential issues early and address them before they impact users

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

Mibtree, EatDrinkDeals.com, IT Performance Advisor

TraxoCovea Insurance BTE TechnologyDatarista

Buyer's Guide

IBM Application Performance Management vs. SolarWinds AppOptics

July 2025

Free Report: IBM Application Performance Management vs. SolarWinds AppOptics

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