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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    N-able N-central

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/AMSPs and IT professionals use N-able™ N-central® to monitor and manage devices and complex networks remotely. N-central provides visibility and efficiency as the user's needs scale. N-central can help users: 1. Proactively monitor everything on a customer network—not just servers and workstations—and troubleshoot. 2. Stay on top of threats with features like MFA, antivirus, integrated endpoint detection and response, data backup, disk encryption, email protection,…N/A

    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
    N-able N-centralSplunk AppDynamics
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    N-able N-centralSplunk AppDynamics
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    N-able N-centralSplunk AppDynamics
    Considered Both Products
    N-able
    No answer on this topic
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    73%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    99%
    Would buy again
    70 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    79%
    Delivers good value for the price
    11 Answers
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    64 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    80%
    Happy with the feature set
    12 Answers
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    70 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    60%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    55 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    77%
    Implementation went as expected
    10 Answers
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    61 Answers
    Features
    N-able N-centralSplunk AppDynamics
    Application Performance Management
    Comparison of Application Performance Management features of N-able N-central and Splunk AppDynamics
    Feature
    N-able N-central
    -
    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
    N-able N-centralSplunk AppDynamics
    Small Businesses
    Avast CloudCare
    Score10 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Action1
    Score9.4 out of 10
    SolarWinds AppOptics
    Score7.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ManageEngine Endpoint Central
    Score9 out of 10
    SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
    Score7.7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    N-able N-centralSplunk AppDynamics
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.7
    (25 ratings)
    8.9
    (83 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    8.3
    (5 ratings)
    Usability
    7.3
    (7 ratings)
    8.9
    (22 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.5
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.0
    (8 ratings)
    6.4
    (7 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.4
    (2 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
    N-able N-centralSplunk AppDynamics
    Likelihood to Recommend
    N-able
    N-Able is perfect for an MSP environment. It gives all the standard functionality an IT professional needs out of the box and can be configured to show almost anything required. For example, we have configured a dashboard to show when our backups need attention for each customer. This is achieved by running a small script on repeat via N-Central everyday/evening, and the result gives us information on the dashboard to help us identify exactly what is working and what needs looking into.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
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    Pros
    N-able
    • Remote tasks - entry-level techs can run basic tasks without physically touching a piece of equipment.
    • Remote support - remote controlling user devices is easy and saves a lot of time with having to initiate a remote session.
    • Management of devices, particularly patch management and anti-virus management - you can automatically approve and deploy patches and schedule automatic AV scans.
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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
    Read full review
    Cons
    N-able
    • Customer support just points to online guides and I feel they aren't helpful.
    • During the trial they turn on a lot of features. In my experience, if you play around with the features, they charge you for them. Keep this in mind if you move forward with N-Able - they will charge for "trialed" services.
    • In my experience, some services that you're being charged for can't be disabled or monitored by you or your team. You only see them on the monthly invoice.
    • In my opinion, the "Scripting Automation" doesn't provide value. You're either going to be writing your own batch or Powershell to make scripting work.
    • In my opinion, monitoring software deployments is painful.
    • The default monitoring template can't be duplicated, edited, or referenced. You'll find that the default monitors in an unusual way and will throw needless recurring alerts into your ticketing system. To avoid this, you need to create a template from scratch which takes many hours to set up.
    • In my opinion, they're more concerned about a quick buck than customer service. "Buyer beware" company.
    Read full review
    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
    N-able
    Overall we have liked our solar winds experience, however, as our company has grown to support larger enterprises, this product does not have the functionality that our teams need in order to fully support them. The lack of granularity with backups and lack of ability to support nutanix environments is slowly drawing us into the use of other tools.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    N-able
    The user interface is fairly straight forward, with logic groupings for objects. I did not deploy this software, but am one of the daily administrators. Once you get the correct agent package (Which can be a challenge) the integration into AD is not bad. The UI could be more customized, but that may have been a design choice.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    N-able
    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
    Read full review
    Performance
    N-able
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    N-able
    Every time we have reached out to SolarWinds they are quick to respond, even offering support chat 24/7. Their support team is great and works with you to find solutions to issues. They have taken items we had issues with before and used those to create updates so that the issue is handled better in the future.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Online Training
    N-able
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    N-able
    Make sure if you your using a vm you follow the instructions for provisioning to the letter or it will be starting from square one
    Incentivized
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    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.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    N-able
    Our version of SolarWinds was old and running on old hardware, but it was way easier to setup and do things with. It did not do everything N-able does such as patch management, or at least we didn't have a module to do so if one existed. However it definitely seemed easier to use and possibly more stable.
    Read full review
    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
    N-able
    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
    N-able
    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
    N-able
    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
    N-able
    • We have lost hundreds of hours on the phone/emailing support with no resolution for any of our issues
    • We had to move all of our services away which was very painful
    • Staff satisfaction was low having to deal with this company
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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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    ScreenShots

    N-able N-central Screenshots

    Screenshot of N-able N-central DashboardScreenshot of Remote desktop access with Take Control