Nagios Core vs Splunk AppDynamics comparison

Nagios and Splunk are both solutions in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category. Nagios is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.7, while Splunk is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.2. Nagios holds a 2.4% mindshare in IM, compared to Splunk’s 2.6% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Nagios users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Splunk users who would recommend it.

Nagios Core

Read 51 Nagios Core reviews

4,463 Views
3,526 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Splunk AppDynamics

Read 259 Splunk AppDynamics reviews

13,654 Views
4,915 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Nagios Core

Splunk AppDynamics

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 23, 2025

Splunk AppDynamics and Nagios Core are prominent players in the application and infrastructure monitoring domain. While Splunk AppDynamics appears to have the upper hand with its advanced analytics and comprehensive application monitoring capabilities, Nagios Core excels with its customizable open-source solution and cost-effectiveness.

Features: Splunk AppDynamics provides valuable features such as detailed JVM metrics, transactional awareness, and stack trace visibility. It offers business transaction tracking and advanced application monitoring across various environments. Nagios Core is appreciated for its flexibility and low cost, offering extensive plugin support for customized monitoring and infrastructure reliability.

Room for Improvement: AppDynamics could enhance its UI for simplicity and improve integration with emerging technologies like cloud services. Its complex licensing can also be addressed. Nagios Core needs a more user-friendly configuration interface, better scalability, and enhanced analytics to match its competitors.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Splunk AppDynamics provides various deployment models, including public and hybrid clouds, and offers robust customer service with quick technical support. Nagios Core is typically deployed on-premises, requiring skilled setup and relying more on community support due to its open-source nature.

Pricing and ROI: Splunk AppDynamics is recognized for its high cost and complex licensing, often justified by the ROI gained through improved performance and time savings. Nagios Core offers a no-cost entry, making it ideal for those seeking a budget-friendly solution without compromising basic monitoring capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Nagios Core vs. Splunk AppDynamics Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Core vs. Splunk AppDynamics

January 2026

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Helped 880,745 peers since 2012

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

8.8

Nagios Core reduces downtime and costs with quick alerts, providing full ROI and eliminating expensive monitoring tools.

Sentiment score

6.5

Investments in Splunk AppDynamics improve productivity, software quality, troubleshooting, and operational efficiency, enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing costs.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Nagios Core report

Overall, as a production gatekeeper, we achieve at least 50% efficiency immediately, with potential savings ranging from 60 to 70% as well, reinforcing why it is a popular tool in the banking industry.

DevendraKumar1

Technology lead at Infosys

According to errors, exceptions, and code-level details related to their application performance on a daily basis, the application development team tries to help with Splunk AppDynamics to reduce errors and exceptions, which helps the end users get application availability and feel more confident.

Gyanesh Rahatekar

Back office at Reliance Industries Ltd

To understand the magnitude of it, when the company asked to replace Splunk AppDynamics with another tool, I indicated that for the proposed tool, we would need five people to do the analysis that Splunk AppDynamics enables me to do.

Konstantinos Michailidis

Digital Performance Tester at Amdocs

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

5.1

Nagios Core relies on community support, praised for stability and resources, but lacks official help compared to Nagios XI.

Sentiment score

7.2

Splunk AppDynamics is praised for responsive customer service, though some complex issue resolutions need improvement.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Nagios Core report

AppDynamics is much more helpful.

Eduardo Gallardo

Director of Technical Part at NOS SGPS

We got a contact, an account manager, to work directly with for technical support.

NagadevanMuthusamy

Performance Engineer at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees

They help us resolve any issues raised by our team relating to operations, application instrumentation, or any other issues.

Gyanesh Rahatekar

Back office at Reliance Industries Ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

6.7

Nagios Core shows scalability for large networks but may need customizations and integrations for distributed environments.

Sentiment score

7.3

AppDynamics is scalable and adaptable, though costly for small enterprises, with seamless scalability and effective monitoring capabilities.

The solution is scalable.

Husham Yaqoob

Senior System Administrator at Interactive Group

For more quotes and insights, download the Nagios Core report

We have reached maximum capacity in our tier, and extending capacity has not been cost-effective from Splunk's perspective.

reviewer2674446

Senior Principal, Enterprise Architect at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

I would rate the scalability of Splunk AppDynamics as a nine out of ten.

Konstantinos Michailidis

Digital Performance Tester at Amdocs

I assess how Splunk AppDynamics scales with the growing needs of my organization as good, since we are growing and adding more servers.

reviewer2756163

Development Operations Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.2

Nagios Core is highly stable and reliable with minimal footprint, supporting extensive monitoring without network burden.

Sentiment score

7.8

Splunk AppDynamics is praised for reliability and stability, with minimal downtime despite occasional glitches or isolated performance concerns.

I tried many other solutions at work, however, in terms of Nagios, I haven't seen any disruption or downtime.

Husham Yaqoob

Senior System Administrator at Interactive Group

For more quotes and insights, download the Nagios Core report

It is necessary to conduct appropriate testing before deploying them in production to prevent potential outages.

reviewer2674446

Senior Principal, Enterprise Architect at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

There are no issues or bugs with the 20.4 version; it is very stable with no functionality or operational issues.

Gyanesh Rahatekar

Back office at Reliance Industries Ltd

Splunk AppDynamics is superior to any alternative, including Dynatrace.

DevendraKumar1

Technology lead at Infosys

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Room For Improvement

Nagios Core needs a more intuitive interface, better scalability, and features like enhanced reporting and integration with modern tools.

Users want better integration, modern UI, improved network monitoring, cloud support, and user-friendly navigation in Splunk AppDynamics.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Nagios Core report

Splunk AppDynamics does not support the complete MELT framework, which includes metrics, events, logging, and tracing for the entire stack.

reviewer2674446

Senior Principal, Enterprise Architect at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

If AppDynamics could develop a means to monitor without an agent, it could significantly improve application performance and reduce potential problems.

Muhammad Zeeshan Siddiqui

Head of Technology and Services at arwentech

A good integration with Splunk would be very interesting, as Splunk is a good product for logs, and that part is currently missing in Splunk AppDynamics.

Eduardo Gallardo

Director of Technical Part at NOS SGPS

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Setup Cost

Nagios Core is a free, cost-effective open-source tool, but requires Linux expertise and incurs hosting and maintenance costs.

Enterprise buyers should consider AppDynamics' complex pricing and value for monitoring, despite it being more expensive than alternatives.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Nagios Core report

We completed a three-year deal for Splunk and for AppDynamics, which costs millions of dollars.

reviewer2756163

Development Operations Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

Overall, I consider Splunk AppDynamics an expensive product; it's very expensive.

Per Eklund

Manager, System Scom at Handelsbanken

Customers have to pay a premium price, however, they receive considerable value from the product.

Muhammad Zeeshan Siddiqui

Head of Technology and Services at arwentech

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Valuable Features

Nagios Core provides flexible, low-resource monitoring with customization, automation, efficient alerts, and integration support for reliable IT performance visibility.

AppDynamics provides comprehensive monitoring and diagnostics tools for optimizing application performance and enhancing infrastructure visibility.

You can monitor anything.

Husham Yaqoob

Senior System Administrator at Interactive Group

For more quotes and insights, download the Nagios Core report

We have multiple tools, but end users prefer to use Splunk AppDynamics because their portal navigation is very simple and clear.

Gyanesh Rahatekar

Back office at Reliance Industries Ltd

The real user monitoring and digital experience monitoring effectively track actual user experience with the applications, including page loading, interaction time for both desktop and mobile applications.

Mohammed Hassan

Regional Director at iSecureMind

This is the best feature because, although you can't monitor a whole application at once, Splunk AppDynamics gives you the option that if there is any failure—simple failure regarding anything set up as per our use cases—you will get an alert.

DevendraKumar1

Technology lead at Infosys

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk AppDynamics report

Categories and Ranking

Nagios Core

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

11th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (10th)

Splunk AppDynamics

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

259

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (3rd), IT Operations Analytics (2nd), Mobile APM (1st), Container Monitoring (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category, the mindshare of Nagios Core is 2.4%, down from 3.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Splunk AppDynamics is 2.6%, down from 3.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

IT Infrastructure Monitoring Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Splunk AppDynamics	2.6%
Nagios Core	2.4%
Other	95.0%

IT Infrastructure Monitoring

Featured Reviews

Husham Yaqoob

Senior System Administrator at Interactive Group

Monitoring solution provides comprehensive visibility across IT infrastructure

The good thing about Nagios Core is it covers everything. Everything in the IT domain, you can monitor anything. You can even monitor printers, the ports of printers, Core workstations, and storage. You can monitor the workflow Core and the utilization of computes. If you want to grasp everything of your IT equipment on a single interface, you can use Nagios. It's the best one. It provides dashboards, and you can also configure your emails and alerts with it. If something is critical, you can configure it to notify via emails. It has a very handy dashboard, providing live alerts and visibility for everything.

Read full review

DevendraKumar1

Technology lead at Infosys

Has enabled us to detect issues instantly through alerts and monitor every service from a single dashboard

Splunk requires significantly more improvements compared to Splunk AppDynamics, specifically regarding the licensing aspect. Splunk renews licenses every six months, which is inconvenient. It would be better to have a one-year license to avoid needing to update keys constantly, which can only occur on weekends, making it a burdensome task. Although Splunk is better for certain use cases, Splunk AppDynamics is broader in functionality. Specifically, I want enhancements related to creating dashboards not only for logs or minor services but also for configuration levels, allowing us to check configurations immediately without manually opening the entire code when exceptions arise—a feature I wish to see improved in Splunk, although it may not be necessary for Splunk AppDynamics.

Read full review

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Financial Services Firm

26%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	20
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	22

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	55
Midsize Enterprise	36
Large Enterprise	194

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nagios Core?

Nagios Core is a free and open-source product. We don't charge for the product itself, but we charge for the man-hour costs related to installation, configuration, ongoing operation, and maintenance.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Nagios Core?

The dashboard should be improved. It's very simple. I don't have a very clear or specific suggestion. You can change the skin of the dashboard, however, it's good for me.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Nagios Core?

I was a senior system administrator. I've been using Nagios Core for more than ten years now. It can be used to monitor hosts, such as machines, and monitor services of any kind. I'm using it to mo...

See all answers

Any advice about APM solutions?

There are many factors and we know little about your requirements (size of org, technology stack, management systems, the scope of implementation). Our goal was to consolidate APM and infra monitor...

See all answers

What do you like most about AppDynamics?

The solution saves time and cost.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AppDynamics?

I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten. The solution is highly expensive. Our company pays for the solution on a yearly basis, if we don't add new modules or features to the license, we need ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Icinga vs Nagios Core

Compared 11% of the time

Nagios XI vs Nagios Core

Compared 8% of the time

Zabbix vs Nagios Core

Compared 8% of the time

LibreNMS vs Nagios Core

Compared 6% of the time

Centreon vs Nagios Core

Compared 5% of the time

More Nagios Core Competitors

Dynatrace vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 11% of the time

New Relic vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 7% of the time

Datadog vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 7% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 6% of the time

SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor vs Splunk AppDynamics

Compared 3% of the time

More Splunk AppDynamics Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Core

January 2026

Download Nagios Core product report

Buyer's Guide

Splunk AppDynamics

December 2025

Download Splunk AppDynamics product report

Overview

This is IT infrastructure monitoring's industry-standard, open-source core. Free without professional support services.

Nagios

Splunk AppDynamics enhances application performance monitoring with advanced diagnostics and real-time insights, offering seamless end-to-end transaction tracking and infrastructure visibility.

AppDynamics provides critical tools for businesses to analyze application behavior and performance. Through innovative features like transaction snapshot analysis and adaptable dashboards, users can quickly identify and address issues, ensuring high levels of system uptime and efficiency. It is designed to support complex environments including Kubernetes and AWS, enhancing user experience by detecting performance issues early. Despite needing improvements in network monitoring and integration, it remains a robust option for tracking application health.

What are the key features of AppDynamics?

Real-time Performance Monitoring: Offers immediate insights into application behavior.
Business Transaction Tracking: Tracks transactions from start to finish for bottleneck identification.
JVM Memory Monitoring: Provides detailed JVM metrics and memory use information.
Deep-dive Diagnostics: Enables in-depth analysis of code and stack traces.
Adaptable Dashboards: Customizable views for better data interpretation.

How does AppDynamics benefit users?

Improved Incident Resolution: Faster problem detection and solution implementation.
Enhanced Application Performance: Real-time monitoring optimizes system operations.
Comprehensive Visibility: Provides a full view of application infrastructure.
Informed Decision Making: Detailed analytics guide performance improvements.
Customer Satisfaction: Enhances user experience through faster issue resolutions.

In industries like financial services and e-commerce, AppDynamics facilitates performance tracking across distributed systems, optimizing infrastructure to meet consumer demands. It excels in environments needing precise transaction monitoring and is pivotal in delivering high value and satisfaction.

Splunk

Sample Customers

Airbnb, Cisco, PayPal, FanDuel

Cisco, Sony, Nasdaq, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Edmunds.com, Puma, Fox News, DirecTV, Pizza Hut, T-Systems, Cornell University, OpenTable, BITMARCK, Green Mountain Power, Care.com, Overstock, Paddy Power, eHarmony, Kraft, The Motley Fool, The Container Store, and more See more customers

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Core vs. Splunk AppDynamics

January 2026

Free Report: Nagios Core vs. Splunk AppDynamics

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