SolarWinds NPM vs Splunk Observability Cloud comparison

SolarWinds and Splunk are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. SolarWinds is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.5, while Splunk is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.3. SolarWinds holds a 3.7% mindshare in NMS, compared to Splunk’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of SolarWinds users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Splunk users who would recommend it.

SolarWinds NPM

Read 160 SolarWinds NPM reviews

18,343 Views
14,124 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Splunk Observability Cloud

Read 86 Splunk Observability Cloud reviews

14,270 Views
4,709 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

SolarWinds NPM

Splunk Observability Cloud

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

In the realm of monitoring solutions, SolarWinds NPM and Splunk Observability Cloud are notable contenders. SolarWinds NPM seems to have an edge when it comes to comprehensive network management capabilities, but Splunk shines in providing a holistic monitoring solution with advanced features.

Features: SolarWinds NPM is recognized for its comprehensive network management, stability, scalability, and real-time monitoring. Splunk Observability Cloud offers advanced APM monitoring, real-time metrics, and deep insights into cloud environments, excelling in handling high data volumes.

Room for Improvement: SolarWinds NPM could enhance its real-time analytics and scalability for larger enterprises, with improvements needed in global deployment compatibility and integration options. Splunk Observability Cloud may require better cost transparency, refined log management, user interface enhancements, and optimization of alerting systems to reduce complexity in data handling.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds NPM is praised for seamless on-premises deployment but receives mixed feedback on technical support. Splunk Observability Cloud offers flexible deployment in hybrid clouds, though it may benefit from reducing the learning curve for users and speeding up technical support resolutions.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds NPM provides an affordable licensing model for developed markets, though startup costs may be prohibitive for smaller companies. Splunk Observability Cloud, while expensive, offers justifiable pricing due to its in-depth features. Both solutions offer substantial ROI by improving time efficiency and organizational effectiveness.

To learn more, read our detailed SolarWinds NPM vs. Splunk Observability Cloud Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds NPM vs. Splunk Observability Cloud

April 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:

ROI

Sentiment score

7.0

SolarWinds NPM enhances network management and cost efficiency, providing superior monitoring, fast issue resolution, and significant ROI.

Sentiment score

6.5

Splunk Observability Cloud boosts efficiency, reduces costs, enhances performance, and improves work-life balance with streamlined workflows and quick problem resolution.

The return on investment is significant as the solution effectively reduces costs while being worth its expense.

Wahyu Krisnamukti

Network Administrator at PT Bni Life Insurance

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

Using Splunk has saved my organization about 30% of our budget compared to using multiple different monitoring products.

Sathis-Kumar

Senior Manager at Bank of America

Anyone working in front-end management should recognize the market price to see the true value of end-user monitoring.

EdwardShim

General Manager at MOCOMSYS

I have definitely seen a return on investment with Splunk Observability Cloud, particularly through how fast it has grown and how comfortable other teams are in relying on its outputs for monitoring and observability.

Taiwo Ige

IT Operations Engineer at ABC Supply Co. Inc.

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk Observability Cloud report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.9

SolarWinds NPM support is knowledgeable and helpful but faces criticism for slow responses and aggressive sales tactics.

Sentiment score

7.1

Users commend Splunk Observability Cloud's support for responsiveness and expertise, though some note improvement needed in speed and resources.

If there is no timely response, getting a resolution is more difficult.

SJ6

Network Security Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

We had contact with SolarWinds regarding the implementation, and they were helpful.

Wahyu Krisnamukti

Network Administrator at PT Bni Life Insurance

They have good technical support.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

On a scale of 1 to 10, the customer service and technical support deserve a 10.

reviewer2755917

Systems Administrator at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees

They have consistently helped us resolve any issues we've encountered.

Juan Baez

Software Engineer at UKG

They often require multiple questions, with five or six emails to get a response.

Abdelmonam LABBOUZ

Splunk Observability Expert

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk Observability Cloud report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

6.9

SolarWinds NPM offers scalable solutions for various environments, with possible increased costs and challenges on virtual platforms.

Sentiment score

7.1

Splunk Observability Cloud excels in scalability and data handling, but may be costly and challenging for custom metrics.

SolarWinds NPM is scalable and effective in handling large network infrastructures.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

We've used the solution across more than 250 people, including engineers.

Abdelmonam LABBOUZ

Splunk Observability Expert

As we are a growing company transitioning all our applications to the cloud, and with the increasing number of cloud-native applications, Splunk Observability Cloud will help us achieve digital resiliency and reduce our mean time to resolution.

Lalatendu Swain

Application Developer at UMB Financial

I would rate its scalability a nine out of ten.

Sathis-Kumar

Senior Manager at Bank of America

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk Observability Cloud report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.5

SolarWinds NPM is stable, with issues arising during upgrades; regular updates and support enhance its performance.

Sentiment score

7.6

Splunk Observability Cloud is generally reliable with minor issues, praised for stable real-time monitoring and responsive support.

The NPM product is stable, particularly when used for simple network monitoring.

SJ6

Network Security Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

When downtime occurs, it raises concerns about how we measure and receive alerts, as everything needs to be in place.

reviewer2800332

Aws Dev Ops Engineer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

I would rate its stability a nine out of ten.

Muhammad M

Head of DevOps at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

We rarely have problems accessing the dashboard or the page.

Abdelmonam LABBOUZ

Splunk Observability Expert

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk Observability Cloud report

Room For Improvement

SolarWinds NPM users seek improvements in network discovery, interface, integration, resource usage, cloud support, security, and pricing adjustments.

Splunk Observability Cloud requires enhancements in pricing, integration, UI, search, support, and smarter alerting to improve user experience.

SolarWinds needs to upscale on observability and add full-fledged observability features, including security features.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

Customers have given feedback about the delayed response times from the technical team.

SJ6

Network Security Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

I would need a feature in SolarWinds in the future for some kind of malfunctioning detection, such as malware attacks or that type of environment.

Vivek Jaiswal

Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

The out-of-the-box customizable dashboards in Splunk Observability Cloud are very effective in showcasing IT performance to business leaders.

Taiwo Ige

IT Operations Engineer at ABC Supply Co. Inc.

The next release of Splunk Observability Cloud should include a feature that makes it so that when looking at charts and dashboards, and also looking at one environment regardless of the product feature that you're in, APM, infrastructure, RUM, the environment that is chosen in the first location when you sign into Splunk Observability Cloud needs to stay persistent all the way through.

Sarah Van Zee

Systems Monitoring Engineer II at a government with 10,001+ employees

There should be a solution to update OTeL agents from Splunk Observability Cloud itself.

HrishikeshNavkar

Senior Software Engineer at WorldPay US

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk Observability Cloud report

Setup Cost

SolarWinds NPM pricing is competitive yet complex, appealing to some while being costly for smaller enterprises or multi-module needs.

Splunk Observability Cloud's features justify its high costs, though users seek cost-efficiency improvements despite flexible licensing.

The solution is considered expensive.

Wahyu Krisnamukti

Network Administrator at PT Bni Life Insurance

Pricing-wise, SolarWinds NPM is more expensive than PRTG.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

It is not too pricey and is adequate.

Vivek Jaiswal

Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

Splunk is a bit expensive since it charges based on the indexing rate of data.

Sathis-Kumar

Senior Manager at Bank of America

It is expensive, especially when there are other vendors that offer something similar for much cheaper.

Ernesto Gutierrez

Solutions Architect at Ikusi

I can confidently say our availability improved by forty percent, and downtime was reduced by approximately seventy to eighty percent.

Jigar Hirani

Splunk Engineer at Data Elicit Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk Observability Cloud report

Valuable Features

SolarWinds NPM offers easy deployment, strong monitoring, and seamless integration, enhancing network management with intuitive dashboards and real-time insights.

Splunk Observability Cloud enhances performance with real-time metrics, AI analytics, and customizable dashboards for comprehensive monitoring and visibility.

Whenever any node is down in our network, whether it is a server or any network device, we receive information through email that the device is down.

Vivek Jaiswal

Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

The most valuable feature for us is the database performance analyzer, which we use a lot.

Wahyu Krisnamukti

Network Administrator at PT Bni Life Insurance

SolarWinds NPM has specific modules for monitoring different network capabilities, which provides rich features for carrying out specific tasks.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

Splunk provides advanced notifications of roadblocks in the application, which helps us to improve and avoid impacts during high-volume days.

Sathis-Kumar

Senior Manager at Bank of America

For troubleshooting, we can detect problems in seconds, which is particularly helpful for digital teams.

Abdelmonam LABBOUZ

Splunk Observability Expert

It offers unified visibility for logs, metrics, and traces.

Mary Vasantha Golleru

Administrator at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Splunk Observability Cloud report

Categories and Ranking

SolarWinds NPM

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

3rd

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

5th

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

8th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

160

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Splunk Observability Cloud

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

7th

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

7th

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (7th), Container Management (5th), Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM) (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of SolarWinds NPM is 3.7%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Splunk Observability Cloud is 1.3%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
SolarWinds NPM	3.7%
Splunk Observability Cloud	1.3%
Other	95.0%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Vivek Jaiswal

Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Central monitoring has improved outage alerts and now needs smarter detection and modern dashboards

Regarding the automated network topology and mapping feature in SolarWinds NPM, I am not satisfied with it. For static monitoring, it is acceptable. However, if it is possible, I would need a feature in SolarWinds in the future for some kind of malfunctioning detection, such as malware attacks or that type of environment. We did not have any facility to detect that in SolarWinds. I think it would be better to incorporate those types of features. Regarding customization options in SolarWinds, the ability to customize the dashboard has room for improvement. The dashboard is quite old, and we need some improvement in it. Nowadays, we have multiple tools with AI-based monitoring and web-based dashboards. SolarWinds also has a web-based dashboard, but I think there is scope for improvement in the UI. There may be other areas I would like to improve in SolarWinds NPM.

Read full review

Taiwo Ige

IT Operations Engineer at ABC Supply Co. Inc.

Alerting improves incident response across teams and enables faster awareness before customer impact

Splunk Observability Cloud could be improved in terms of integrations with more technical add-ons, such as Zoom. Although they have one with Zoom, it's not available in the cloud, so having that feature would be beneficial. Essentially, Splunk should continue expanding to create easier ways to ingest logs from different products. The out-of-the-box customizable dashboards in Splunk Observability Cloud are very effective in showcasing IT performance to business leaders. However, there are aspects that could be improved, such as linking dashboards to one another. While IT leaders may not drill down, it's crucial to create levels of dashboards for technical users to find root causes, making it effective for stakeholders.

Read full review

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Comparison Review

it_user174738

IT Developer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

May 31, 2015

Nagios vs. Zabbix vs. PRTG vs. Spiceworks vs. Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor

I have researched a quite a few network monitoring tools which can be used for various monitoring purposes of not only the servers, but the intermediate routers as well. There are majorly three types of these softwares. Ones which are completely open-source, you can do almost anything you want…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	59
Midsize Enterprise	33
Large Enterprise	85

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	30
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	53

Questions from the Community

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

It actually depends on the exact purpose or kind of devices (network devices, servers, something else). Some tools are better for only network devices while others are better for a cloud monitoring...

See all answers

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

From my point of view, SolarWind is the best tool.

See all answers

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

We are partners with SolarWinds and we sell a lot of Network management to large enterprises also because of scalability, products like Network Performance Monitor & Netflow Traffic Analyzer ar...

See all answers

What do you like most about SignalFx?

The most valuable feature is dashboard creation.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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 ...

See all answers

Comparisons

ManageEngine OpManager vs SolarWinds NPM

Compared 4% of the time

Nagios XI vs SolarWinds NPM

Compared 3% of the time

DX Spectrum vs SolarWinds NPM

Compared 3% of the time

Zabbix vs SolarWinds NPM

Compared 3% of the time

Entuity vs SolarWinds NPM

Compared 2% of the time

More SolarWinds NPM Competitors

Avantra vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 3% of the time

Kentik vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 2% of the time

Datadog vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 2% of the time

VMware Aria Operations for Applications vs Splunk Observability Cloud

Compared 2% of the time

More Splunk Observability Cloud Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds NPM

April 2026

Download SolarWinds NPM product report

Buyer's Guide

Splunk Observability Cloud

April 2026

Download Splunk Observability Cloud product report

Also Known As

Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor, SolarWinds Network Bandwidth Analyzer

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

Overview

SolarWinds NPM is a network performance monitoring tool offering a user-friendly interface with customizable dashboards. It provides real-time tracking of device health, latency, and bandwidth utilization, supporting diverse integration and scalability needs.

SolarWinds NPM's robust features include real-time monitoring of network performance and efficient tracking of device health, latency, and bandwidth utilization. The tool is appreciated for its ease of deployment, scalability, and support for integration with other tools. Features like SNMP monitoring, NetPath, and comprehensive reporting enhance its diagnostic capabilities and network visibility. However, users identify areas for improvement such as real-time analytics, advanced customization options, and enhanced scalability for larger enterprises. Better customer support, improved integrations, and security measures are also desired.

What are the key features of SolarWinds NPM?

User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies navigation and operation.
Customizable Dashboards: Allows personalized data views.
Real-Time Monitoring: Provides instant updates on network performance.
Strong Alerting Capabilities: Offers immediate notifications for issues.
Scalability: Supports growth with ease.
Integration: Works smoothly with other tools for comprehensive monitoring.
SNMP Monitoring: Tracks device stats effectively.
NetPath: Helps visualize network paths and performance.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Improved Network Visibility: Enables proactive issue resolution.
Enhanced Diagnostics: Facilitates quicker troubleshooting.
Real-Time Performance Data: Supports informed decision-making.
Ease of Deployment: Reduces setup time and complexity.
Infrastructure Monitoring: Ensures network stability and reliability.
Custom Integration: Adapts to existing IT environments.

In enterprise environments, SolarWinds NPM is deployed to monitor network health and device status, sending alerts for any issues. It provides visibility into network performance, tracking bandwidth utilization and server metrics efficiently. Its applications span from monitoring routers, switches, and firewalls to supporting infrastructure monitoring across industries.

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

Microsoft, Federal Express, Hewlett-Packard, and MasterCard

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

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds NPM vs. Splunk Observability Cloud

April 2026

Free Report: SolarWinds NPM vs. Splunk Observability Cloud

Find out what your peers are saying about SolarWinds NPM vs. Splunk Observability Cloud and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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