SolarWinds AppOptics vs SolarWinds NPM comparison

SolarWinds AppOptics and SolarWinds NPM are both solutions in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category. SolarWinds AppOptics is ranked #61, while SolarWinds NPM is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.5. SolarWinds AppOptics holds a 0.8% mindshare in IM, compared to SolarWinds NPM’s 3.4% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of SolarWinds AppOptics users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of SolarWinds NPM users who would recommend it.

SolarWinds AppOptics

Read 9 SolarWinds AppOptics reviews

2,750 Views
1,403 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

SolarWinds NPM

Read 160 SolarWinds NPM reviews

18,343 Views
9,355 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

SolarWinds AppOptics

SolarWinds NPM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

SolarWinds NPM and SolarWinds AppOptics compete in IT infrastructure management. SolarWinds NPM seems to have the upper hand for comprehensive network monitoring based on user feedback, whereas SolarWinds AppOptics is preferred for cloud-focused application management.

Features: SolarWinds NPM provides rapid setup with robust device monitoring for switches and routers and offers customizable real-time alerts. Its scalability and integration capabilities create a unified IT management platform. SolarWinds AppOptics focuses on cloud integration and cooperates well with other tools, providing extensive cloud-focused options.

Room for Improvement: SolarWinds NPM needs better network discovery, more intuitive node management, and simpler configuration for diverse devices. SolarWinds AppOptics should improve the integration of logs and performance data, ease cloud deployment adaptation, and enhance centralized data views.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds NPM offers a seamless on-premises deployment extendable to hybrid and cloud environments, with mixed customer service reviews for responsiveness. SolarWinds AppOptics allows simpler cloud integrations but users desire more accessible technical support.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds NPM pricing, based on node and interface count, may appear high for startups but offers ROI through effective network management. SolarWinds AppOptics employs node-based licensing, potentially cost-effective for smaller setups. Both provide monitoring packages that optimize resources and reduce downtime fincancially benefiting users long-term.

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

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds AppOptics vs. SolarWinds NPM

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:

Categories and Ranking

SolarWinds AppOptics

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

61st

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

44th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (55th)

SolarWinds NPM

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

Network Monitoring Software (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category, the mindshare of SolarWinds AppOptics is 0.8%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds NPM is 3.4%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

IT Infrastructure Monitoring Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
SolarWinds NPM	3.4%
SolarWinds AppOptics	0.8%
Other	95.8%

IT Infrastructure Monitoring

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

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

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The sum solution, NTA, and DPA."

"The product has a great dashboard."

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

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

"Customer service is exceptional, as they are very much in tune with our service needs and are always in contact for both enhancement requests and overall satisfaction."

"It's a solid application."

"The reporting of the solution is very good."

"AppNeta provides a range of products, all based around intelligent network testing algorithms."

More SolarWinds AppOptics pros

"Solarwind NPM gives you a quick overview of the OT environment, which greatly improves response times on down equipment."

"The SolarWinds NPM framework, upon which most of their flagship products are built, empowers a wide variety of admins and users to quickly find value in their installed products."

"As far as assisting in being proactive in our network, it's been a great help in helping us maintain a healthy environment and being proactive and making sure things are up to date and upgraded."

"Technicians are aware of issues and 90% of the time exactly what caused the issue."

"As a large school district, I can tell you that NPM is very valuable to us."

"The other valuable system is the DSS (decision support system). If there's a fault in the network, SolarWinds is basically capable of rectifying and resolving that problem on its own without any intervention from an IP assistant or administrator."

"Single pane for monitoring scales and creates new business opportunities."

"The most valuable feature is the graphical user interface."

More SolarWinds NPM pros

Cons

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

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

"Does not perform traditional SNMP/CLI/NetFlow/WMI etc monitoring."

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

"The solution should be more user-friendly."

"I'd like to see the ability to use other internal instrumented applications as filters in the overview/aggregation screen."

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

"Because of its inability to monitor mobile solutions, I would rate this solution as a seven out of ten."

More SolarWinds AppOptics cons

"The SolarWinds notification and alerting configuration could be simplified as it would be easier to find if it was within the NPM web application instead of in a separate client application."

"The dashboards for this solution could be improved."

"There are issues with newer features so it can take a long time to adjust. The solution is in bad shape because of software hacks."

"An area for improvement in SolarWinds NPM is the short retention period. Currently, it's just for seven days of data, which is very low, making it hard for my organization to keep that data."

"The improvement would be that SolarWinds NPM thoroughly checks its patches before releasing them to the market. Better testing, alpha testing, and then releasing it to the market."

"Customer service: I rate technical support everywhere from poor to great."

"The only real caveat that we have or that I have an issue with is when I go on vacation, it's a little hard for me to go and modify alerts so that I don't get alerted about things when I'm on vacation."

"There were some version releases that had stability issues but the support team was very good at letting us know what we needed to do to fix the issues."

More SolarWinds NPM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I believe the current licensing cost is reasonable."

"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."

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

"SolarWinds NPM has different pricing models available. The cost of the solution is less than some competitors."

"You have to license it per year, for the support. You don't really need to have support once you've already set it up. Once you install SolarWinds, you can skip on the licensing. It will still work."

"When I compare the cost of CA Spectrum to that of SolarWinds NPM, the cost of CA Spectrum is way too high, and the cost of SolarWinds NPM is pretty low."

"There is a permanent license and also a subscription level which has annual fees. The price of the solution is fair."

"The licensing model is such that you can purchase only what you need; and then grow into the next level by paying only the difference in price and the associated maintenance costs."

"The price is more expensive than some other products, such as ManageEngine."

"The solution's pricing is low compared to a lot of other tools in the market."

"The pricing needs to be improved. It is too high. One full engine costs around $10 000, which is why we don't have high availability right now."

More SolarWinds NPM pricing and cost advice

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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

Financial Services Firm

13%

Construction Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

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	59
Midsize Enterprise	33
Large Enterprise	85

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

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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.

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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

Comparisons

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Compared 11% of the time

Dynatrace vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 8% of the time

Splunk AppDynamics vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 6% of the time

Zabbix vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 6% of the time

Infraon IMS vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 4% of the time

More SolarWinds AppOptics Competitors

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

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

April 2026

Download SolarWinds AppOptics product report

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds NPM

April 2026

Download SolarWinds NPM product report

Also Known As

AppOptics, SolarWinds TraceView, Librato

Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor, SolarWinds Network Bandwidth Analyzer

Overview

SolarWinds AppOptics offers powerful network performance monitoring and application insights, aiding enterprises in optimizing operations.

SolarWinds AppOptics provides comprehensive tools for network and application performance management. This platform enhances real-time monitoring capabilities, offering topology discovery and hop-by-hop performance analysis. With a focus on minimal configuration, users gain extraordinary visibility into service-oriented architecture applications and are equipped to identify performance issues efficiently. The dashboard's integration capabilities streamline application performance data, empowering organizations with robust reporting features. The deployment is popularly on-premises, yet improvements are desired in pricing strategy and integrations with existing tools.

What are the important features of SolarWinds AppOptics?

Topology Discovery: Facilitates understanding of network structure and connections.
Real-Time Monitoring: Delivers current data to monitor system performance live.
Heat Maps: Provides visual insights into network traffic patterns and performance metrics.
Pathview Monitoring: Enables tracking and evaluation of network performance per segment.
Integration Capabilities: Supports metrics integration for comprehensive system monitoring.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Efficiency in Issue Resolution: Swift identification of network bottlenecks and performance issues.
Enhanced Reporting: In-depth reports facilitating data-driven decisions.
Increased Visibility: Comprehensive insights into application and network activities.
Minimal Configuration: Quick setup enabling immediate utility and productivity.

SolarWinds AppOptics is widely used in network operations within enterprises, also extending to server and application monitoring. Deployed to track servers and network devices, it aids in analyzation of logs and data across environments, and is essential for service management. Specific industries benefit from detailed deployment inventory and management portfolios enabled by AppOptics.

SolarWinds

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

Sample Customers

TraxoCovea Insurance BTE TechnologyDatarista

Microsoft, Federal Express, Hewlett-Packard, and MasterCard

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds AppOptics vs. SolarWinds NPM

April 2026

Free Report: SolarWinds AppOptics vs. SolarWinds NPM

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

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