SolarWinds AppOptics vs WhatsUp Gold comparison

SolarWinds and Progress Software are both solutions in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category. SolarWinds is ranked #55, while Progress Software is ranked #29 with an average rating of 8.7. SolarWinds holds a 0.7% mindshare in APM, compared to Progress Software’s 0.8% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of SolarWinds users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Progress Software users who would recommend it.

SolarWinds AppOptics

Read 9 SolarWinds AppOptics reviews

1,452 Views
886 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

WhatsUp Gold

Read 25 WhatsUp Gold reviews

3,998 Views
1,199 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

SolarWinds AppOptics

WhatsUp Gold

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 24, 2024

WhatsUp Gold and SolarWinds AppOptics are two prominent network monitoring tools. Users are generally more satisfied with the support and pricing of WhatsUp Gold, while SolarWinds AppOptics stands out with its advanced features, making it a preferred choice for those seeking robust functionality.

Features: WhatsUp Gold offers reliable network monitoring capabilities, intuitive configuration, and efficient customer service. SolarWinds AppOptics provides comprehensive performance monitoring, scalability, and a broader feature set with more extensive monitoring options.

Room for Improvement: WhatsUp Gold can improve its alerting functions, integration with third-party tools, and overall scalability. SolarWinds AppOptics users seek enhancements in log management, reduction in complexity, and better documentation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: WhatsUp Gold is known for its quick deployment and efficient customer service. SolarWinds AppOptics has a more complicated setup process but offers powerful functionalities. Users feel they receive faster support from WhatsUp Gold, making it easier to resolve issues promptly.

Pricing and ROI: WhatsUp Gold users find the initial setup cost reasonable and perceive higher ROI due to its cost-efficiency. SolarWinds AppOptics is viewed as more expensive, but users believe the advanced features justify the price tag. Users of SolarWinds AppOptics experience a significant return on investment despite higher costs due to its extensive capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed SolarWinds AppOptics vs. WhatsUp Gold Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds AppOptics vs. WhatsUp Gold

January 2026

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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

55th

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

58th

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

47th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

WhatsUp Gold

Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

29th

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

29th

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

24th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (30th), Server Monitoring (16th), Configuration Management (19th), Log Management (31st), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (10th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category, the mindshare of SolarWinds AppOptics is 0.7%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WhatsUp Gold is 0.8%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
WhatsUp Gold	0.8%
SolarWinds AppOptics	0.7%
Other	98.5%

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

Erik Cheng

Technical Manager at Quan Hung Gourmet

Efficient monitoring with detailed customization, yet complexity remains

The best feature of WhatsUp Gold is the automatic generation of topology and its integration with virtualization and wireless. I have used the automated device discovery with this topology feature. The interactive map feature helps me manage the topology because sometimes we cannot draw the topology correctly, so we need to manually edit the connections. The alerting system is very tunable and customizable, but it's a little complicated to use. Many customers cannot manage it by themselves and need support from us, the provider. We always use the dashboards in the SOC, where we constantly display a dashboard or multiple dashboards. This allows us to know immediately if the connection or bandwidth is full or if the connection is broken.

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

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

"The product has a great dashboard."

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

"The sum solution, NTA, and DPA."

"The reporting of the solution is very good."

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

"Auto scanning is most valuable. It looks for rogue devices on your network."

"The most valuable feature of WhatsUp Gold is NetFlow and the virtualized maps."

"WhatsUp Gold is very easy to deploy."

"It handles the basics of monitoring."

"The documentation is very good."

"The user interface is good enough."

"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."

"The installation and configuration process are easy."

More WhatsUp Gold pros

Cons

"AppOptics would benefit from having a much more centralized view."

"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."

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

"The solution should be more user-friendly."

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

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

"I would like to see better integration with switches so that you can see what is connected to each port, what the traffic is, and have a network map automatically generated."

"Adding on services increases the cost and on the version we have there is no option for ATM monitoring."

"Importing the maps and being able to customize them could be easier."

"WhatsUp Gold should work on real-time monitoring and configuration management. If they succeed in doing this, the solution will cover all the network troubleshooting aspects and will be a benefit."

"The interface needs some work."

"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 point system is not clear and clarity around this would improve our understanding of the system."

More WhatsUp Gold cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Since it's a negotiable rate, I would rate the pricing as a five out of five."

"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."

"I'm not sure, but it's expensive. We don't pay any additional fees."

"The most valuable feature is the cost compared to other solutions."

"The tool's price is reasonable. WhatsUp Gold is cheaper than SolarWinds."

"The pricing can be on the expensive side when considering competing products."

"Pricing is reasonable compared to other products."

"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."

"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 is a license needed to use WhatsUp Gold."

More WhatsUp Gold pricing and cost advice

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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability solutions are best for your needs.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

University

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

11%

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	14

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

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

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Compared 17% of the time

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Compared 16% of the time

Splunk AppDynamics vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 9% of the time

Zabbix vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 9% of the time

IBM Instana Observability vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

ManageEngine OpManager vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 4% of the time

Nutanix Prism vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 4% of the time

NinjaOne vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

January 2026

Download SolarWinds AppOptics product report

Buyer's Guide

WhatsUp Gold

December 2025

Download WhatsUp Gold product report

Also Known As

AppOptics, SolarWinds TraceView, Librato

No data available

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

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

TraxoCovea Insurance BTE TechnologyDatarista

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

SolarWinds AppOptics vs. WhatsUp Gold

January 2026

Free Report: SolarWinds AppOptics vs. WhatsUp Gold

Find out what your peers are saying about SolarWinds AppOptics vs. WhatsUp Gold and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.

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