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Infoblox NIOS vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 18, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
8.9
Infoblox NIOS boosts efficiency, reducing errors and costs significantly, with three-year DNS reliability and 300% ROI.
Sentiment score
7.2
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager offers valuable automation and compliance features, enhancing ROI by reducing engineer reliance and improving issue resolution.
This is helping us achieve five to 10 times faster delivery due to the reduced downtime.
Software Engineering Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
We did not have any DNS-related incidents in three years supporting the traffic flow for about 10 million people.
Network Security Engineer at ORANGE MALI
Previously, people spent around 100 hours a month on tasks that were reduced to 10 hours, freeing up time for learning and engaging in multiple projects, increasing from three or four per month to nine or ten.
Lead Network Engineer at Chevron
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
8.1
Infoblox NIOS customer service excels in DNS, DHCP support and offers quick, professional assistance, enhancing user satisfaction.
Sentiment score
6.6
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager's support is generally satisfactory, but users desire faster response times and better ticket prioritization.
They supported issues related to DNS, DHCP, and the grid architecture, providing not just scripted answers, but also helping us with configuration, outages, and complex troubleshooting.
Software Engineering Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
if we create a ticket, we receive feedback within two hours,
Network Security Engineer at ORANGE MALI
Technical support is limited but generally acceptable as we possess skilled personnel, making us less dependent on SolarWinds.
Managed Services Engineer at Loop1 Systems
SolarWinds tech support is a strong point.
MD at Thembanet
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Infoblox NIOS offers scalable grid architecture, efficiently managing large-scale DNS, DHCP, and IPAM across multiple sites with minimal downtime.
Sentiment score
7.6
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is highly scalable, supporting thousands of devices efficiently for varying enterprise sizes, despite past issues.
Regarding DDI, DNS and DHCP at scale, it handles millions of DNS queries per second and huge lease volume without hiccups.
Software Engineering Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Whenever we make replacements or changes, the downtime is really low.
Network Engineer III at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Infoblox NIOS's scalability is excellent for our organization; they are flexible to align with our growth.
Network Security Engineer at ORANGE MALI
The product is scalable as SolarWinds increased its licensing capacity from supporting 12,000 devices to 48,000 devices with stack licenses.
Managed Services Engineer at Loop1 Systems
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.9
Infoblox NIOS is renowned for its stability, reliability, and consistent performance, ideal for critical infrastructure and high availability.
Sentiment score
7.6
Users praise SolarWinds NCM for stability and performance, but mention occasional issues from OS updates and system specifications.
Infoblox NIOS is very stable in our environment, with no unexpected downtime.
Network Security Engineer at ORANGE MALI
It is designed for critical infrastructure, high availability, minimal downtime, and predictable behavior.
Software Engineering Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I evaluated other options before choosing Infoblox NIOS, and I can confirm that Infoblox NIOS is stable.
Network Engineer III at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Room For Improvement

Infoblox NIOS needs a more user-friendly interface, advanced dashboards, improved features, better cost management, and enhanced network visibility.
SolarWinds requires improvements in report generation, compliance, AI features, integration, device support, interface, security, automation, and performance.
Infoblox engineers recommend upgrading to NIOS 9.0.5 for enhanced visibility and control, but considering NIOS 9.6 may offer better logging and troubleshooting capabilities, as well as performance enhancements and future-ready integration.
Lead Network Engineer at Chevron
Advanced features such as grid extensibility and APIs require solid training.
Software Engineering Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The missing point I can see in Infoblox NIOS is the load balancing functionalities, where for a DNS A record that has two IP addresses, we need the possibility to monitor those IP addresses to see if one goes down.
Network Security Engineer at ORANGE MALI
Currently, there are limitations in performing tasks without logging into routers directly.
Managed Services Engineer at Loop1 Systems
I would like to see more features in terms of wireless reporting and more historical information for client connectivity in SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager.
MD at Thembanet
 

Setup Cost

Infoblox NIOS offers costly yet valued licensing, appreciated for quality, support, and customer assistance in deployment and procurement.
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager offers reliable features with prices from $1,000-$30,000 yearly, despite initial setup challenges.
We bought the perpetual plus support contract which provides renewed support yearly.
Software Engineering Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
My experience with the pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Infoblox NIOS was good, but it is very, very expensive compared to other DNS infrastructure vendors.
Network Security Engineer at ORANGE MALI
Infoblox NIOS pricing feels somewhat higher because I am comparing it to competitors.
Security Presales at a university with 11-50 employees
The licensing costs of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager are expensive, but considering its reliability, feature enhancements, and support, it is worthwhile.
MD at Thembanet
 

Valuable Features

Infoblox NIOS offers comprehensive DDI solutions, enhancing network security, scalability, reliability, and operational efficiency with advanced features.
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager automates backups, compliance, and upgrades while enhancing security and network performance with real-time insights.
Infoblox NIOS has impacted my organization positively by giving us an overview about how users utilize the internet, stopping many DNS breaches generated by internal users, and helping us to determine the distribution of IP addresses through DNS IPAM.
Security Presales at a university with 11-50 employees
Infoblox NIOS has positively impacted my organization by providing visibility and control over everything. This visibility and control help my team with faster troubleshooting and better security.
Network Engineer III at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
The control and automation it puts in place eliminate errors, speed up deployments, and ensure network reliability and stability.
Software Engineering Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The solution facilitates compliance reporting through an NCM module, effectively generating out-of-the-box reports on software vulnerabilities and outdated software versions.
MD at Thembanet
Configuration pushing, upgrade capabilities, job backup, configuration backup, and real-time configuration change monitoring are highly beneficial features of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager.
Managed Services Engineer at Loop1 Systems
 

Categories and Ranking

Infoblox NIOS
Ranking in Network Automation
9th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
DDI (5th)
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)
 

Featured Reviews

AS58 - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Engineering Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Centralized IP management has reduced outages and now delivers faster, disciplined network operations
Infoblox NIOS can be improved because there is always a scope of improvement in everything. I would recommend UI simplicity. The UI is powerful, actually, but it feels heavy for new users. A more modern and task-oriented interface would reduce the onboarding time. Advanced features such as grid extensibility and APIs require solid training. Better guided workflows and in-product tips would help teams adopt faster. Reporting and dashboard are very interactive, but I think the built-in reports are functional but basic. More customizable visual dashboards would help managers and NOCs quickly see trends. The licensing clarity feels a bit complex. If the packaging were clearer and there was easier visibility of the feature uses, it would help with planning and cost control. I feel that if there could be any feature related to role-based self-service portals integrated for non-network teams, that would help in reducing the dependency on the network team for other teams. That would help in collaborating better.
Yashokanth Partkunan - PeerSpot reviewer
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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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

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Infoblox NIOS?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing has been great because Infoblox NIOS supports multiple licensing models. We bought the perpetual plus support contract which provides renewed s...
What needs improvement with Infoblox NIOS?
Infoblox NIOS can be improved because there is always a scope of improvement in everything. I would recommend UI simplicity. The UI is powerful, actually, but it feels heavy for new users. A more m...
What is your primary use case for Infoblox NIOS?
My main use case for Infoblox NIOS is the services which it offers like DNS, DHCP, and IPAM. It is highly reliable and scales well in the enterprise environment. Infoblox NIOS provides centralized ...
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...
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.
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...
 

Also Known As

No data available
SolarWinds NCM
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
United Lincolnshire Hospitals, Air Rarotonga, NetSuite, Thai AirAsia, REA Group, 335th Signal Command, Agilisys, Marine Expeditionary Force
Find out what your peers are saying about Infoblox NIOS vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.