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Instana Dynamic APM vs WhatsUp Gold comparison

Instana and Progress Software are both solutions in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category. Instana is ranked #23 with an average rating of 7.8, while Progress Software is ranked #31 with an average rating of 8.7. Instana holds a 1.0% mindshare in APM, compared to Progress Software’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 84% of Instana users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Progress Software users who would recommend it.
Instana Dynamic APM
Read 14 Instana Dynamic APM reviews
  • 1,912 Views
  • 1,836 Comparison Views
84% willing to recommend
WhatsUp Gold
Read 25 WhatsUp Gold reviews
  • 2,686 Views
  • 886 Comparison Views
85% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 24, 2024

WhatsUp Gold and Instana Dynamic APM are robust network monitoring tools. Users feel WhatsUp Gold excels in ease of deployment and customer service, while Instana Dynamic APM is praised for deeper features and analytics. However, both have areas for improvement that distinctively set them apart.

Features: WhatsUp Gold offers usability, comprehensive monitoring across networks and systems, and easy deployment. Instana Dynamic APM provides advanced analytics, real-time visibility, and automation capabilities, making it ideal for critical environments needing detailed insights.

Room for Improvement: WhatsUp Gold users suggest enhancements in scalability, more sophisticated alerting options, and integration capabilities. Instana Dynamic APM users desire better integration with more third-party tools, improved documentation, and refined user interface features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: WhatsUp Gold is noted for straightforward deployment and responsive customer service, making it favorable for those needing quick setup and support. Instana Dynamic APM, while more complex to deploy, offers extensive documentation and strong support, appealing to those who prioritize detailed guidance and comprehensive customer service.

Pricing and ROI: WhatsUp Gold offers a more budget-friendly option with a quicker ROI, according to user reviews. Instana Dynamic APM is perceived as a premium product with a higher initial setup cost, but users feel the investment is justified by its advanced capabilities and long-term benefits.

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To learn more, read our detailed Instana Dynamic APM vs. WhatsUp Gold Report (Updated: September 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Instana Dynamic APM vs. WhatsUp Gold
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

Instana Dynamic APM
Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability
23rd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
WhatsUp Gold
Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability
31st
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (32nd), Server Monitoring (16th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (30th), Configuration Management (17th), Log Management (28th), Cloud Monitoring Software (23rd), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (12th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category, the mindshare of Instana Dynamic APM is 1.0%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WhatsUp Gold is 0.6%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Instana Dynamic APM1.0%
WhatsUp Gold0.6%
Other98.4%
Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Jawwad Hassan - PeerSpot reviewer
A really good GUI that is easy for non-technical users to understand
Our company uses the solution for one of our bank clients. We use App Connect middleware to monitor services and applications such as Docker, Kubernetes, MongoDB, and MS SQL Server. We also monitor the bottleneck for all servers.  We currently have 20 users at one of our branches. We plan to expand…
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Tom Condo - PeerSpot reviewer
If CPU, memory, or disk space is over-utilized, it alerts us immediately via text or email if there is an issue
When it comes to the intuitiveness of the topology mapping feature, our network architect created a vision diagram of our entire network and then created the links tied into the WhatsUp active monitoring to different spots on our topology map. It's one of the more critical functions we do here. We have the map displayed in different places in our room and help desk. We get alerted via emails but we can also see it visually. It does what it says it's going to do. We find this feature very helpful. The interactive mapping interface for scrolling, zooming, and drilling down on an element to learn about a network issue is good. When we see a network there will sometimes be a spot that has one link. You can go into a particular part of the topology map, scroll in, and see exactly which module it is. All the information is provided. This feature really helps. You can see the correlation between that link and what failed. This feature is very helpful. The interface is fairly intuitive. Some of our users used SolarWinds and Nagios, and WhatsUp is easy in comparison. Once you get set up, the look, feel, and configuration are good. Our network architect had never used it before but he was able to create the Visio and map. It was very simple. He has no problems with it.
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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 platform’s most valuable feature is the ability to monitor the performance of containers for request and response analysis."
"The detailing of our application behavior and user experience is most valuable. In case there is an issue, we typically use Instana to figure it out. We can drill down to the application and figure out what's going on and where the issue is."
"With auto-discovery, we didn't need to consider much. We just installed the agent on the host and it was able to detect everything from the host level up to the service level, for whatever stack was installed, and that includes containers and dockers."
"The overall capabilities are the most valuable."
"Sometimes it's able to provide a proper RCA on its own. It's able to correlate different events that occurred and that becomes like an RCA in itself."
"It's great for monitoring services and applications."
"The primary selling point of this product is its unparalleled transparency into the infrastructure."
"With Instana, the interface and the UI are very simple to use."
More Instana Dynamic APM pros
"The most valuable feature of WhatsUp Gold is NetFlow and the virtualized maps."
"WhatsUp Gold is very easy to deploy."
"I use it on premises to monitor my network database. We monitor the link up/down and use the SNMP traps as well."
"The threshold alerting is the most valuable feature."
"The solution effectively monitors network devices and servers."
"The most valuable feature is the monitoring of resources."
"The most valuable features are network bandwidth monitoring and monitoring device health."
"It handles the basics of monitoring."
More WhatsUp Gold pros
 

Cons

"The integration could be improved with more plugins or open API."
"While it is already quite good, there is room for improvement in terms of providing better functionality"
"The solution's monitoring is pretty weak and should be improved."
"The App Connect middleware does not integrate with or show corresponding sub nodes."
"The configuration of Instana Dynamic APM needs improvement because it requires quite a bit of work."
"New Relic has a better UI in terms of how it presents the data."
"We should be able to go back to scenarios during or before the issue. There should be something like a history playback. Such a feature or functionality would be good."
"Sometimes, the issue arises from user changes, such as adjusting firewall settings without proper consideration, leading to compatibility issues within the network monitoring."
More Instana Dynamic APM cons
"Importing the maps and being able to customize them could be easier."
"You have to invest a few days to become an expert in this solution."
"Improvements are needed in integration, especially for WhatsApp call and messages."
"The new release cadence needs to be improved. It takes a while for them to add new features and functionality. There should be a quicker turnaround with new versions."
"We can never achieve or get a good picture of the network topology."
"I would like to see them do an enhancement to the application monitoring. A lot of other products do better application monitoring so they should do some improvements to the application monitoring."
"The interface needs some work."
"I think there are a few bugs now. Although they give some resolution for this, we cannot share the network remotely because of our company policy."
More WhatsUp Gold cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Instana Dynamic APM is more affordable for small and medium-sized companies compared to other vendors."
"The solution's pricing is comparable to other products."
"Its pricing isn't a big pain point. Its pricing seems to be better than some of the other competing products in the market, but they also have some of the features and functionalities that are better than Instana."
"It's reasonably priced and manageable, especially for individuals who grasp the significance of application monitoring."
"The solution is less expensive than one of its competitors."
"Pricing is quite competitive. Dynatrace, AppDynamics, and New Relic were all several times more expensive than Instana, both the on-prem and the SaaS versions. Price-wise they are a lot more competitive than anyone else out there."
"The pricing is $1,200 per year which is a bit high compared to other vendors."
"Pricing is reasonable compared to other products."
"The most valuable feature is the cost compared to other solutions."
"The choice of version depends on the number of points, or devices, that you want to monitor, and this makes the product expensive."
"The tool's price is reasonable. WhatsUp Gold is cheaper than SolarWinds."
"This is a well priced solution."
"It is per device, per year. The pricing is very clear. If you have a service agreement, you get all of your major upgrades and minor upgrades. It was under $10,000 to go all-in with all of the different add-ons for it."
"There are some subscription charges that are quite heavy. I need to pay for support every year and these charges can be quite expensive. Aside from the initial cost for the tool, you need to pay additionally for support."
"The pricing can be on the expensive side when considering competing products."
More WhatsUp Gold pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
28%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
7%
Retailer
6%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise14
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Instana Dynamic APM?
The platform’s most valuable feature is the ability to monitor the performance of containers for request and response analysis.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Instana Dynamic APM?
I rate the pricing a seven out of ten. There are no additional costs associated with the product.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Instana Dynamic APM?
Sometimes, the issue arises from user changes, such as adjusting firewall settings without proper consideration, leading to compatibility issues within the network monitoring.
See all answers
What do you like most about WhatsUp Gold?
The interactive mapping interface for scrolling, zooming, and drilling down on an element to learn about a network issue is good. When we see a network there will sometimes be a spot that has one l...
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for WhatsUp Gold?
Clients find the licensing calculator confusing, but we simplify this for them by collecting relevant information first. The licensing is based on devices, providing better cost-effectiveness than ...
See all answers
What needs improvement with WhatsUp Gold?
It would be great if WhatsUp Gold could add features that simplify management with AI, as it is currently too complicated to manage.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Dynatrace vs Instana Dynamic APM Logo
Dynatrace vs Instana Dynamic APM
Compared 51% of the time
Splunk AppDynamics vs Instana Dynamic APM Logo
Splunk AppDynamics vs Instana Dynamic APM
Compared 14% of the time
Datadog vs Instana Dynamic APM Logo
Datadog vs Instana Dynamic APM
Compared 9% of the time
Broadcom DX Application Performance Management vs Instana Dynamic APM Logo
Broadcom DX Application Performance Management vs Instana Dynamic APM
Compared 7% of the time
New Relic vs Instana Dynamic APM Logo
New Relic vs Instana Dynamic APM
Compared 6% of the time
More Instana Dynamic APM Competitors
Grafana vs WhatsUp Gold Logo
Grafana vs WhatsUp Gold
Compared 12% of the time
PRTG Network Monitor vs WhatsUp Gold Logo
PRTG Network Monitor vs WhatsUp Gold
Compared 10% of the time
SolarWinds NPM vs WhatsUp Gold Logo
SolarWinds NPM vs WhatsUp Gold
Compared 8% of the time
ManageEngine OpManager vs WhatsUp Gold Logo
ManageEngine OpManager vs WhatsUp Gold
Compared 7% of the time
Zabbix vs WhatsUp Gold Logo
Zabbix vs WhatsUp Gold
Compared 6% of the time
More WhatsUp Gold Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Instana Dynamic APM
October 2025
Instana Dynamic APM reportDownload Instana Dynamic APM product report
Buyer's Guide
WhatsUp Gold
September 2025
WhatsUp Gold reportDownload WhatsUp Gold product report
 

Overview

Instana’s Enterprise Observability Platform, powered by automated Application Performance Monitoring, discovers and maps all services, infrastructure, and their inter-dependencies automatically. Instana ingests all observability metrics, traces each request, profiles every process, and updates application dependency maps in real-time to deliver the context and actionable feedback needed by Dev+Ops to optimize application performance, enable innovation, and mitigate risk to help them add value and efficiency to the pipeline. Learn more at https://instana.com.

Instana

Explore and manage your entire network infrastructure effortlessly with WhatsUp Gold's robust layer 2/3 discovery, creating a detailed interactive map from the edge to the cloud. Monitor devices, wireless controllers, servers, virtual machines, applications, and traffic flows across various environments. Real-time alerts ensure optimal performance, allowing you to meet or exceed SLAs. The platform offers customizable maps, dashboards, and alerts for easy network management. Quickly resolve issues with intuitive workflows, reducing Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR). WhatsUp Gold's integrated log management provides easy visibility and control of device log data, allowing monitoring, filtering, searching, and alerting on syslogs or Windows logs. Archive logs to comply with regulatory requirements and preserve historical data, all through a user-friendly interface. Streamline network monitoring and issue resolution with WhatsUp Gold, making network management efficient and hassle-free.

Progress Software
 

Sample Customers

Daxko Lifts Fitness Studios Through COVID Regulations with Quick Engineering PivotsAltissia Meets SLAs to Support Student DeadlinesImmocloud Unlocks Observability to Modernize Real EstateEnento Group Boosts Service Reliability with Real-Time Visibility into Application Performance Instana’s Observability for Amazon EKS Helps Yara Deliver Digital Farming Solutions
Artoni Trasporti, Austin Independent School District, Banca Marche, Burke County North Carolina, Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine, Clayco, Community Integrated Care, Desca, Deutsche Bergbau, Flexi-Van, Gropper, Hamleys, Hammonds Furniture, Knowledge IT, Idras S.P.A., Sibeg, Swann Engineering, Trivium Lindenhof
Buyer's Guide
Instana Dynamic APM vs. WhatsUp Gold
September 2025
Free Report: Instana Dynamic APM vs. WhatsUp Gold
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