SolarWinds AppOptics vs Splunk Observability Cloud comparison

SolarWinds and Splunk are both solutions in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category. SolarWinds is ranked #56, while Splunk is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.7. SolarWinds holds a 0.3% mindshare in APM, compared to Splunk’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of SolarWinds users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Splunk users who would recommend it.

SolarWinds AppOptics

Read 9 SolarWinds AppOptics reviews

673 Views
316 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Splunk Observability Cloud

Read 56 Splunk Observability Cloud reviews

2,960 Views
1,374 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

SolarWinds AppOptics

Splunk Observability Cloud

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 19, 2025

Splunk Observability Cloud and SolarWinds AppOptics compete in the IT monitoring and observability category. Splunk Observability Cloud has the upper hand due to its advanced customization and integration features, though it comes at a higher cost.

Features: Splunk Observability Cloud is strong in custom dashboards, real-time analysis, and log reporting, offering integration with various environments and strong security. SolarWinds AppOptics stands out with network performance analysis, application monitoring, and ease of use with comprehensive data visualization.

Room for Improvement: Splunk Observability Cloud should improve scalability, automation, and third-party tool integration, along with simplifying data handling. SolarWinds AppOptics can enhance its centralized data views and external tool integration while advancing its troubleshooting features and licensing model.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Splunk Observability Cloud offers on-premises, cloud, and hybrid deployment options, with mostly responsive customer support, though complex scenarios may face delays. SolarWinds AppOptics provides reliable support with on-premises and cloud deployment, though Splunk's comprehensive options suit larger environments better.

Pricing and ROI: Splunk Observability Cloud's high cost is offset by its extensive features, catering to organizations requiring detailed monitoring, while SolarWinds AppOptics offers a more budget-friendly model with good ROI, appealing to cost-conscious entities through its straightforward pricing.

To learn more, read our detailed SolarWinds AppOptics vs. Splunk Observability Cloud Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds AppOptics vs. Splunk Observability Cloud

June 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

SolarWinds AppOptics

Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

56th

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

57th

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

42nd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Splunk Observability Cloud

Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

9th

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

7th

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

8th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (6th), Container Management (7th), Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM) (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category, the mindshare of SolarWinds AppOptics is 0.3%, down from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Splunk Observability Cloud is 1.7%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

Featured Reviews

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.

Read full review

Lakshmi Padaga

Java Developer at U.S. Bank

Collaborates performance metrics with log data to pinpoint the exact cause of issues and offers error detection

Splunk APM is a robust tool with many capabilities. There are always areas for potential improvement to enhance its functionality and user experience. For Splunk APM, there could be simplified navigation, like streamlining the user interface to make navigation more intuitive for our users, especially those new to APM, which can enhance usability. We can provide more customization options for dashboards and visualizations to help users tailor the platform to their specific needs. There could be more integration capabilities with a wider range of third-party tools and platforms would also be beneficial. By focusing on these areas, Splunk APM can enhance its value proposition, improve user satisfaction, and better meet the evolving needs of organizations monitoring their application performance.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

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

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

"The reporting of the solution is very good."

"The product has a great dashboard."

"The sum solution, NTA, and DPA."

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

"It supports proactive management, enhances security, and improves operational efficiency."

"Splunk has drawn our attention to how the network is running. If there are alarms on things that are not functioning, it gives us early warning on problems that could arise."

"The solution monitors attacks or unauthorized access to the information we want to protect."

"Splunk APM provides a holistic view of the application. Unlike other APMs, Splunk's service map is quite effective."

"The features I have found most valuable are log searching and log analytics, both of which are quick features."

"The volume it handles is very good, including the number of metrics, the volume number of traces, and more."

"It can monitor, get the data, and then report on the data."

"The data collection from our VMs, containers, databases, and backend components is valuable."

More Splunk Observability Cloud pros

Cons

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

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

"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."

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

"The solution should be more user-friendly."

"In Splunk Observability Cloud, I notice room for improvement in synthetic monitoring. It does not provide output based on server names."

"This solution is difficult to configure and the instructions are complex."

"The cardinality is pretty low."

"The licensing model is expensive. We need to monitor the amount of data ingested because the cost is based on the data collected."

"Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring's data analytics can be improved by including suggestions for various types of continuous monitoring."

"In the next release, I would like to see more integration with other solutions."

"There is room for improvement in customer support due to delays and standard feedback responses."

"The cost needs to be re-examined. It's extremely expensive to run. It's also expensive to expand. That's the number one complaint all of my customers have when it comes to Splunk. It's way too expensive compared to other solutions."

More Splunk Observability Cloud cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"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."

"This is an expensive solution."

"Splunk has been fairly expensive, but it has been predictable."

"The product is a bit expensive considering the competition but the company may negotiate the price."

"The pricing is based on several factors, including the scale of deployment."

"Splunk's infrastructure monitoring costs can be high because our billing is based on data volume measured in terabytes, rather than the number of devices being monitored."

"Splunk Observability Cloud is expensive."

"The solution's pricing is competitive. I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten. The price of the solution could be cheaper."

"Splunk APM is a very cost-efficient solution."

More Splunk Observability Cloud pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

34%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about SignalFx?

The most valuable feature is dashboard creation.

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What needs improvement with SignalFx?

Regarding dashboard customization, while Splunk has many dashboard building options, customers sometimes need to create specific dashboards, particularly for applicative metrics such as Java and pr...

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What is your primary use case for SignalFx?

The solution involves observability in general, such as Application Performance Monitoring, and generally addresses digital applications, web applications, sites, and mobile applications. I worked ...

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Comparisons

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Compared 27% of the time

New Relic vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 14% of the time

SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 13% of the time

Zabbix vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 12% of the time

DX Performance Management vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 10% of the time

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Observe vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 12% of the time

Sentry vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 9% of the time

SigNoz vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 5% of the time

Dynatrace vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 4% of the time

Splunk ITSI (IT Service Intelligence) vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 4% of the time

More Splunk Observability Cloud Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

June 2025

Download SolarWinds AppOptics product report

Buyer's Guide

Splunk Observability Cloud

May 2025

Download Splunk Observability Cloud product report

Also Known As

AppOptics, SolarWinds TraceView, Librato

Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring, Splunk Real User Monitoring (RUM), Splunk Synthetic Monitoring

Overview

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

Splunk Observability Cloud offers sophisticated log searching, data integration, and customizable dashboards. With rapid deployment and ease of use, this cloud service enhances monitoring capabilities across IT infrastructures for comprehensive end-to-end visibility.

Focused on enhancing performance management and security, Splunk Observability Cloud supports environments through its data visualization and analysis tools. Users appreciate its robust application performance monitoring and troubleshooting insights. However, improvements in integrations, interface customization, scalability, and automation are needed. Users find value in its capabilities for infrastructure and network monitoring, as well as log analytics, albeit cost considerations and better documentation are desired. Enhancements in real-time monitoring and network protection are also noted as areas for development.

What are the key features?

Log Searching: Efficiently search and analyze logs from various sources.
Data Integration: Seamlessly integrate with multiple environments.
Dashboard Customization: Tailor dashboards to specific monitoring needs.
Monitoring Capabilities: Provides comprehensive insights into application performance.
Security Features: Analyze and address security threats across systems.
Visualization Tools: Enhance data analysis and system performance optimization.

Why consider this for ROI?

Comprehensive Visibility: Gain complete insights into IT infrastructure.
Performance Optimization: Improve overall system performance and efficiency.
Rapid Deployment: Quick setup to meet organization demands swiftly.
Enhanced Security: Strengthen security measures through detailed analytics.

In industries, Splunk Observability Cloud is implemented for security management by analyzing logs from detection systems, offering real-time alerts and troubleshooting for cloud-native applications. It is leveraged for machine data analysis, improving infrastructure visibility and supporting network and application performance management efforts.

Splunk

Sample Customers

TraxoCovea Insurance BTE TechnologyDatarista

Sunrun, Yelp, Onshape, Tapjoy, Symphony Commerce, Chairish, Clever, Grovo, Bazaar Voice, Zenefits, Avalara

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds AppOptics vs. Splunk Observability Cloud

June 2025

Free Report: SolarWinds AppOptics vs. Splunk Observability Cloud

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