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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    IBM Confluent

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/AIBM Confluent helps enterprises stream, connect, process, govern and serve real-time data across hybrid environments.

    $385

    per month

    Splunk AppDynamics

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AAppDynamics is an APM and Mobile APM program, with application mapping and predictive capabilities. These capacities enable automated remediation and code-level diagnostics in real time. It can be deployed on-premise or as a SaaS.N/A
    Pricing
    IBM ConfluentSplunk AppDynamics
    Editions & Modules
    Basic
    $0
    Standard
    Starting at ~$385
    per month
    Enterprise
    Starting at ~$1,150
    per month
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    IBM ConfluentSplunk AppDynamics
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsConfluent monthly bills are based upon resource consumption, i.e., you are only charged for the resources you use when you actually use them: Stream: Kafka clusters are billed for eCKUs/CKUs ($/hour), networking ($/GB), and storage ($/GB-hour). Connect: Use of connectors is billed based on throughput ($/GB) and a task base price ($/task/hour). Process: Use of stream processing with Confluent Cloud for Apache Flink is calculated based on CFUs ($/minute). Govern: Use of Stream Governance is billed based on environment ($/hour). Confluent storage and throughput is calculated in binary gigabytes (GB), where 1 GB is 2^30 bytes. This unit of measurement is also known as a gibibyte (GiB). Please also note that all prices are stated in United States Dollars unless specifically stated otherwise. All billing computations are conducted in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    IBM ConfluentSplunk AppDynamics
    Considered Both Products
    IBM
    No answer on this topic
    Cisco
    Chose Splunk AppDynamics
    AppDynamics is a much better product than NEC Express 5800 Fault Tolerant (FT) . AppDynamics is also easier to use than NEC Express 5800. AppDynamics was also less expensive to implement than NEC Express 5800 and it also took less time to get this tool up and running in …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Would buy again
    70 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    64 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    70 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    55 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    61 Answers
    Features
    IBM ConfluentSplunk AppDynamics
    Application Performance Management
    Comparison of Application Performance Management features of IBM Confluent and Splunk AppDynamics
    Feature
    IBM Confluent
    -
    Ratings
    Splunk AppDynamics
    9.1
    83 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Application monitoring00 Ratings9.383 Ratings
    Database monitoring00 Ratings8.979 Ratings
    Threshold alerts00 Ratings9.281 Ratings
    Predictive capabilities00 Ratings8.981 Ratings
    Application performance management console00 Ratings9.480 Ratings
    Collaboration tools00 Ratings9.269 Ratings
    Server availability and performance monitoring00 Ratings9.353 Ratings
    Server usage monitoring and capacity forecasting00 Ratings8.852 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    IBM ConfluentSplunk AppDynamics
    Small Businesses
    Amazon SNS
    Score8.7 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Amazon SNS
    Score8.7 out of 10
    SolarWinds AppOptics
    Score7.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Google Cloud Pub/Sub
    Score8.8 out of 10
    SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
    Score7.7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    IBM ConfluentSplunk AppDynamics
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.9
    (83 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.3
    (5 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.9
    (22 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.5
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    6.4
    (7 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    IBM ConfluentSplunk AppDynamics
    Likelihood to Recommend
    IBM
    If you have a need to stream data, real time or segmented structured data then Confluent is a great platform to do so with. You won't run into packet transfer size limitations that other platforms have. Flexibility in on-prem, cloud, and managed cloud offerings makes it very flexible no matter how you choose to implement.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    Platforms for software as a service (SaaS) frequently cater to a large number of users with a variety of needs and usage patterns. Because AppDynamics offers multi-tenant monitoring capabilities to track performance across various customer environments, it is a good choice for SaaS platform monitoring. SaaS providers can maximize resource utilization, proactively detect and resolve performance issues, and provide a dependable and consistent user experience for their clients with AppDynamics.
    Read full review
    Pros
    IBM
    • Products work great.
    • Training is available.
    • Customer support is good.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    • Business Transaction Monitoring is one of its signature strengths. This represents a major differentiator from generic infrastructure monitoring tools.
    • AI‑driven anomaly detection and intelligent alerting provide a significant advantage over traditional monitoring.
    • When combined with Splunk AppDynamics, full‑stack observability becomes a key part of Cisco/Splunk’s unified observability strategy.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    IBM
    • Cloud based Azure platform features for Confluent lacks behind AWS And GCP
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    • AppDynamics may enhance its capacity to track transactions through complex distributed systems and microservices, offering a more comprehensive understanding of application behavior.
    • Better search and filtering capabilities would enable engineers to quickly obtain deeper context by drilling down into individual data points.
    • AppDynamics might be more widely available to engineers and organizations if it offered subscription plans or tiered pricing options.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    IBM
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    cause it achieves all our targets and we are satisfied with using Splunk also stable no technical challenges or problem caused by Splunk a lot for innovative integrations also all layers are using splunk NOC team , DEV team, application support team, managers security team also in forcasting for EA team
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    IBM
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    Splunk AppDynamics is great product that has positively maintained solid application workflows. It has simple and clean UI that displays graphical representation of our database and application behaviour. It gives us an opportunity to customize and set most reliable alerts and data configurations that aligns with our policies. It is easy to monitor operation hypothesis and lower RCA if you identify application coding errors.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    IBM
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the availability of Splunk AppDynamics as a 9. Overall, the platform has proven to be highly reliable and is available when we need it. It consistently supports our monitoring and performance management needs across critical applications and infrastructure. There have been occasional issues with platform availability, such as intermittent application errors or brief unplanned outages. However, these instances have been infrequent and typically resolved quickly, minimizing any significant impact on operations. The stability and uptime of the platform have met our expectations, and we continue to rely on it as a core component of our APM strategy.
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    IBM
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the performance of Splunk AppDynamics as a 6. While the platform generally delivers the expected functionality, we’ve experienced periodic slowness—particularly with page loads and report generation. These performance issues can be frustrating, especially when trying to quickly access critical data during incident response or analysis. One contributing factor may be our use of a shared controller environment with other enterprises, which can introduce resource contention and impact overall responsiveness. In some cases, this has led to delays in accessing dashboards or completing complex queries. Despite these challenges, the platform remains a valuable tool, and we’re exploring options to improve performance, including potential changes to our deployment model and support agreements.
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    Support Rating
    IBM
    The support from the Confluent platform is great and satisfying. We have been working with Confluent for more than a year now. They sent out resident architects to help us set up Confluent cluster on our cloud and help us troubleshoot problems we have encountered. Overall, it has been a great experience working with the Confluent Platform.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    AppDynamics has its own community site that includes forums and a knowledge base. On the forums, you can converse with other members of the community and ask technical questions as you have them. Though this forum isn’t filled with people there are active members for you to gain some valuable insights.
    Incentivized
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    Online Training
    IBM
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the online training for Splunk AppDynamics as a 7. The training was generally acceptable and covered the core concepts and functionality of the platform. However, there were some challenges with communication during sessions—particularly around clarity and instructor engagement—which occasionally made it difficult to fully grasp certain topics. Additionally, the training could benefit from being more focused and tailored to specific roles or use cases. A more structured approach with clearer learning paths and practical, hands-on examples would enhance the overall effectiveness and help users apply the knowledge more confidently in real-world scenarios.
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    Implementation Rating
    IBM
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate our satisfaction with the implementation of Splunk AppDynamics as a 9. The deployment process was smooth and well-coordinated, thanks to the collaborative efforts between Cisco Professional Services, our internal business stakeholders, and agency technical teams. Key Insights from the Implementation: Cross-functional Collaboration Was Critical: Engaging both technical and business teams early in the process ensured that the platform was configured to meet a wide range of operational and strategic needs. Value of Expert Guidance: Cisco’s Professional Services provided invaluable expertise, helping us navigate complex configurations and tailor the solution to our environment. Their involvement accelerated deployment and ensured best practices were followed. Importance of Planning and Communication: A well-defined implementation roadmap and regular communication across teams helped us stay aligned, manage expectations, and address challenges proactively. Scalable Architecture: We designed the implementation with scalability in mind, allowing us to expand usage across agencies and applications without major rework. Overall, the implementation laid a strong foundation for our APM program and positioned us for long-term success.
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    Alternatives Considered
    IBM
    For our use case it was very important that the technology we were working with fit into our Azure architecture, and met our data processing size requirements to stream data within certain SLAs. Confluent more than met our performance requirements and compared to the others scale options and cost to run it was more than financially viable as a platform solution to our global operations.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    It is distinguished from these programs because the platform provides visualizations of application processes, showing the interplay between various parts and services. Understanding the architecture of complicated apps and finding their weak spots is greatly aided by this.
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    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    IBM
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    While the overall value of the Splunk AppDynamics platforms is strong, the pricing structure and contract terms can be complex and difficult to navigate. Unit pricing, licensing tiers, and billing frequency are not always intuitive, which can make it challenging to align purchases with the State’s evolving needs. I rely heavily on our Account Manager to help interpret and tailor the licensing model to our specific requirements. Their support has been invaluable in ensuring we make informed decisions. The most impactful change would be to simplify the licensing and pricing model. Clearer documentation, more transparent pricing tiers, and streamlined purchasing processes would significantly improve the experience and reduce administrative overhead.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    IBM
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the overall scalability of Splunk AppDynamics as a 7. The platform is designed to support enterprise-wide deployments across multiple departments and sites, and it performs well in large-scale environments. Its architecture allows for horizontal scaling and supports a wide range of application types and infrastructures. However, the agent management and deployment process can be complex and time-consuming, especially when onboarding a large number of applications or systems. Coordinating agent installation, configuration, and updates across diverse environments requires careful planning and often significant manual effort. Streamlining these processes—perhaps through more centralized management tools or automation—would enhance scalability and reduce operational overhead. Despite these challenges, once deployed, AppDynamics scales effectively and provides consistent performance and visibility across the enterprise.
    Incentivized
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    Professional Services
    IBM
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    Our experience with the professional services team supporting Splunk AppDynamics has been exceptional. They demonstrated deep technical expertise, strong collaboration skills, and a clear understanding of our business objectives. Their guidance was instrumental in the successful implementation of our APM program and platform integration. The rating of 9 reflects our high level of satisfaction, with a small margin left to acknowledge that continuous improvement is always possible. Overall, their support has been a key factor in the success of our deployment.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    IBM
    • It enables us to develop event driven application.
    • It increases our ability to handle streaming data.
    • It reduces latency of communication.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    • Through the identification of performance bottlenecks and efficient resource allocation, AppDynamics has contributed to cost savings and resource optimization. This has a direct positive impact on our overall return on investment.
    • While AppDynamics' numerous capabilities help maximize efficiency, they may place a strain on your system. Organizations with limited infrastructure capacity may have difficulties and therefore give this serious thought before implementing it.
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