Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

BlueCat Gateway vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager comparison

BlueCat and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Automation category. BlueCat is ranked #18, while SolarWinds is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.7. BlueCat holds a 2.1% mindshare in NA, compared to SolarWinds’s 7.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of BlueCat users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.
BlueCat Gateway
Read 2 BlueCat Gateway reviews
  • 331 Views
  • 331 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
SolarWinds Network Configur...
Read 27 SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager reviews
  • 2,268 Views
  • 1,157 Comparison Views
95% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report
Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 6, 2025

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager and BlueCat Gateway are products in the network management and optimization category. Based on data comparisons, SolarWinds leads in ease of use and setup costs, while BlueCat Gateway stands out for its integration capabilities.

Features: SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager offers automated network device configuration, compliance auditing, and change management tools. BlueCat Gateway provides advanced DNS configuration, automation capabilities, and seamless API integrations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds has straightforward deployment with extensive online resources and customer service. BlueCat Gateway has more involved deployment due to its advanced capabilities, complemented by proactive customer support for complex integrations.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager typically has lower setup costs, providing substantial ROI quickly through easy deployment and management. BlueCat Gateway requires higher initial investment but offers strong ROI over time by optimizing DNS and network automation processes.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPORT
To learn more, read our detailed BlueCat Gateway vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Report (Updated: January 2026).
Buyer's Guide
BlueCat Gateway vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
January 2026
Download the complete report
Helped 881,733 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

BlueCat Gateway
Ranking in Network Automation
18th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.9
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SolarWinds Network Configur...
Ranking in Network Automation
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
Configuration Management (15th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Network Automation category, the mindshare of BlueCat Gateway is 2.1%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is 7.2%, down from 10.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Automation Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager7.2%
BlueCat Gateway2.1%
Other90.7%
Network Automation
 

Featured Reviews

FG
Frederic Girard
Developer for DDI Team at Cgi Deutschland KG
Simple to use, straightforward to deploy, and provides good support and documentation
One area for improvement in BlueCat Gateway is the time it takes to fill in the dropdown in the UI of the solution because the speed with which the data loads isn't that fast. It would be better if you didn't have to wait for old items to load before seeing the first data. Another area for improvement in BlueCat Gateway is the discovery probe, as it doesn't allow you to see all the setup parameters after you've set it up. This may not be a big issue, but it's something my team noticed that may not be good in the solution.
Read full review
AB
Alastair Brand
MD at Thembanet
Flexibility and reliability enable effective network monitoring with integrations and compliance reporting
The flexibility and reliability of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager are particularly valuable. It allows for a significant amount of integrations, including with collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams and Telegram, as well as ServiceNow and Microsoft BI. The solution facilitates compliance reporting through an NCM module, effectively generating out-of-the-box reports on software vulnerabilities and outdated software versions. Additionally, the real-time change detection feature significantly reduces the time to resolve issues by allowing alerts to be tracked through to resolution. The use of templates helps in deploying configuration standards, preventing configuration errors.
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

"We found IP and Network Discovery the most valuable features of BlueCat Gateway. Our team found it very easy to build, verify, and validate APIs in BlueCat Gateway, mainly if the users have a background in development and APIs. Our team found that BlueCat Gateway answers our needs well."
"The ability to develop a kiosk-like solution for in-person assistance is crucial."
"The most valuable Real-time fault detection is beneficial as it enables the identification of changes made to a device's configuration through the SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager. This makes it easy to pinpoint which configurations were added or removed, potentially causing network issues. Such changes are saved in logs for future reference."
"We push all our configurations to the servers with ease and the logs capture almost all the transactions needed for an internal audit."
"Configuration refers to the specific settings and options that determine how a device or system behaves. It can include things, such as network settings, security settings, and other options that are specific to the device or system in question. One of the most valuable features of the solution was its ability to track and monitor changes to the configuration of devices on a network. This can be useful for troubleshooting and identifying potential issues. By keeping track of who made changes to the configuration and when it can be easier to determine the cause of any problems that may arise."
"The features we find most valuable is the configuration backup automation, the configuration compliance, the security vulnerability detection and upgrading devices."
"The scanning features have proven to be highly valuable, particularly due to the comprehensive information they provide."
"The solution's view is very nice, and they have a great customized dashboard."
"I use it for monitoring the entire network for the company. We oversee nodes down, we oversee devices heading up to crossing the threshold for CPU usage. We oversee power so power backups on the switches, we oversee if they're down or if they're failing. We oversee any node down or any router from any vendor."
"Compared to other vendors, like NetBrain, managing the solution is easy. They made it very user-friendly."
More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager pros
 

Cons

"My most significant concern is that the documentation has problems."
"One area for improvement in BlueCat Gateway is the time it takes to fill in the dropdown in the UI of the solution because the speed with which the data loads isn't that fast. It would be better if you didn't have to wait for old items to load before seeing the first data."
"Its customer service response could be faster."
"The third-party plugins available in the solution could improve. I have received some issues with the templates."
"The solution could improve by being more secure."
"The network logs could be improved. When the error logs come across with those false positive alarms in the error logs."
"Our experience has shown that most of the problems we've had with SolarWinds NCM are related to software issues."
"The only thing that requires some experience, and training doesn't fix, is how to set up your custom policy-based reports to check compliance."
"There are certain limitations of node-related monitoring"
"It would be great if they include a network service manager, network performance manager, or a privileged assessment in the next release."
More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost is actually quite favorable based on our negotiations."
"The pricing is good."
"There is a license for the use of this solution and it is priced well, there is a lot of value for the money."
"Pricing is reasonable and competitive."
"The price of the solution is high compared to other solutions."
"In Africa, the cost is a major factor in decision-making for many companies. As a result, some companies may choose cheaper solutions, even if they are open-source, over more expensive ones, such as SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager. However, as an engineer, I believe that the functionalities and services offered by SolarWinds justify the cost. Nonetheless, many companies in Africa may still view the prices as unaffordable."
"There is a license needed to use SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager."
"I have a yearly subscription."
"You have a base license for 50 devices, and then you can add more licenses as you go."
More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager pricing and cost advice
report
See which vendors are best for you
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Automation solutions are best for your needs.
See recommendations
881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Government
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise8
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What do you like most about SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?
The configuration compliance aspect of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager allows for easy comparison of configuration settings across branches, ensuring adherence to security guidelines and b...
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?
The licensing costs of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager are expensive, but considering its reliability, feature enhancements, and support, it is worthwhile.
See all answers
What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?
NCM could benefit from enhanced automation capabilities — for instance, enabling workflow-based configuration automation tasks. While regex and command-line scripting are available, they require sp...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs BlueCat Gateway Logo
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs BlueCat Gateway
Compared 100% of the time
More BlueCat Gateway Competitors
Cisco DNA Center vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Logo
Cisco DNA Center vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
Compared 12% of the time
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Logo
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
Compared 8% of the time
Huawei eSight vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Logo
Huawei eSight vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
Compared 4% of the time
HashiCorp Terraform vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Logo
HashiCorp Terraform vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
Compared 4% of the time
OpenText Network Node Manager vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Logo
OpenText Network Node Manager vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
Compared 4% of the time
More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Network Automation
January 2026
BlueCat Gateway reportDownload BlueCat Gateway product report
Buyer's Guide
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
January 2026
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager reportDownload SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager product report
 

Also Known As

BlueCat Network Automation
SolarWinds NCM
 

Overview

BlueCat Gateway allows you to automate and transform mission-critical business requirements into DNS, DDI, DHCP, and IPAM workflows, plugins, and applications and enables the rapid development of turn-key integrations with existing technology investments. Using zero-touch automation frees IT teams from time-consuming, error-prone, and repetitive network configuration and provisioning tasks so they can focus on the innovation business needs. BlueCat’s automation platform automates the DNS services necessary to provision and deallocates cloud and on-premises resources, enabling IT to respond faster to user requests.
BlueCat
Before you monitor your network, configure it! A reliable and secure network starts with carefully planned, executed, and monitored network configuration and change management. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) saves time and improves network reliability and security by managing configurations, changes, and compliance for routers, switches, and other network devices from Cisco, Juniper, HP, Dell, Brocade, Aruba, Rukus, and more.
SolarWinds
 

Sample Customers

US Department of Energy, Swisslos, DXC, Edeka SouthWest
United Lincolnshire Hospitals, Air Rarotonga, NetSuite, Thai AirAsia, REA Group, 335th Signal Command, Agilisys, Marine Expeditionary Force
Buyer's Guide
BlueCat Gateway vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
January 2026
Free Report: BlueCat Gateway vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
Find out what your peers are saying about BlueCat Gateway vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.
DOWNLOAD NOW
881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.
See our BlueCat Gateway vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager report.
See our list of best Network Automation vendors.

We monitor all Network Automation reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.