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Security Onion vs VMware Aria Operations for Logs comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

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

Security Onion
Ranking in Log Management
20th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.5
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMware Aria Operations for ...
Ranking in Log Management
19th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of Security Onion is 3.7%, down from 5.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Aria Operations for Logs is 1.5%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
VMware Aria Operations for Logs1.5%
Security Onion3.7%
Other94.8%
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

Anish Bajracharya - PeerSpot reviewer
Postgraduate at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
Provides good threat hunting by finding infected ports, but its initial setup is difficult
The most valuable feature of Security Onion for security monitoring is its ability to find infected ports. I have used the Squert tool within Security Onion the most for threat hunting The initial setup of the solution is a little bit difficult. I have been using Security Onion for one year.…
reviewer2668767 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Solution Engineer at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Dashboard personalization enhances troubleshooting capabilities
A valuable feature of VMware Aria Operations for Logs is its ability to allow personalization of dashboards and requests. This personalization capability is crucial because it helps tailor the tool to specific needs. It also has many effective features for log analysis, making it a competent tool despite not having a comprehensive comparison with other tools.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We use Security Onion for internal vulnerability assessment."
"The most valuable feature of Security Onion for security monitoring is its ability to find infected ports."
"Security Onion is the most mature solution in the market."
"The solution is quite user-friendly."
"We use the on-premises version of this solution for log analysis and to find details about certain issues."
"The ability to narrow into a specific time to filter heavy hitters and anomalies is extremely valuable."
"What I like is that you can have different storage locations for different applications."
"It is a highly stable solution...It is a highly scalable solution."
"The most valuable feature is server virtualization. It's been very useful."
"The setup and installation are very easy."
"It allows us to gain a comprehensive overview of our infrastructure."
 

Cons

"Security Onion's user interface could be improved."
"The initial setup of the solution is a little bit difficult."
"The product is not easy to learn."
"The pricing of the solution could be improved."
"VMware Aria Operations for Logs is not a cost-effective tool. Additionally, it is expensive, especially given the current economic conditions in Turkey."
"The product's price falls on the higher end of the spectrum, making it an area of concern."
"The tool does not provide a centralized pane for monitoring."
"It needs better integration with third-party analytics tools."
"I would like to see more tutorials or at least an introduction video from the supplier, so you can become proficient and get the most out of the solution. You might not get the full benefit from a logging or reporting solution because you might not have a particular tool enabled. You could leave something out of your analysis because you aren't aware of it or you don't know how to set it up."
"It's great for VMware, but it would be good if they had third-party logins."
"The solution should be more user-friendly. The user interface and dashboard could be simplified."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Security Onion is an open-source solution."
"It is an open-source solution."
"Security Onion is a free solution."
"Pricing is good because it is part of the suite package. It comes in a bundle for us."
"It is not cheap. But it is worth it."
"I rate the product's price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."
"I am not sure what the exact cost is. However, I believe the vRealize suite costs $2,500.00 per year."
"I think it is a reasonably priced product."
"The product's price is reasonable, but when it comes to SQL licensing, it's a bit expensive."
"Pricing could always be lower. If it were free, I would be more satisfied."
"The pricing has been updated recently."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
University
12%
Government
11%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise12
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Security Onion?
The most valuable feature of Security Onion for security monitoring is its ability to find infected ports.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Security Onion?
Security Onion is an open-source solution. On a scale from one to ten, where ten is expensive and one is cheap, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten.
What needs improvement with Security Onion?
The initial setup of the solution is a little bit difficult.
What do you like most about vRealize Log Insight?
The events are notably more descriptive, aiding in security and event analysis. We've also integrated Sky Collector, providing valuable insights and solutions for troubleshooting.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for vRealize Log Insight?
The cost of using VMware Aria Operations for Logs was very high, around two to three million dollars, although the exact figure is uncertain. The price was proving to be too much, especially with t...
What needs improvement with vRealize Log Insight?
VMware Aria Operations for Logs is not a cost-effective tool. Changing any telemetry requires creating a new template, such as changes to the VM disk size. Always having to create a new template ma...
 

Also Known As

No data available
vRealize Log Insight
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Wildlands Adventure Zoo, Medic Mobile, IBM, Seventy Seven Energy, Baystate Health, Osis, Oxford University, Columbia University, Siemens, Cardinal Health, Ashdod Port, Vasakronan, Sydney Adventist Hospital, University of Derby
Find out what your peers are saying about Security Onion vs. VMware Aria Operations for Logs and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.