Apstra Operating System vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager comparison

Juniper and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Automation category. Juniper is ranked #11, while SolarWinds is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.3. Juniper holds a 2.2% mindshare in NA, compared to SolarWinds’s 10.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Juniper users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Apstra Operating System

Read 1 Apstra Operating System review

418 Views
265 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Network Configur...

Read 25 SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager reviews

1,371 Views
1,079 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Apstra Operating System

SolarWinds Network Configur...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Apstra Operating System and SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat, Cisco, VMware and others in Network Automation.

To learn more, read our detailed Network Automation Report (Updated: February 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Network Automation

February 2025

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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

Apstra Operating System

Ranking in Network Automation

11th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SolarWinds Network Configur...

Ranking in Network Automation

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Configuration Management (10th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Network Automation category, the mindshare of Apstra Operating System is 2.2%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is 10.6%, down from 11.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Automation

Featured Reviews

Hezio Fernandes

Works at wolterskluwer

Highly secure, useful AB test, and stable

I am using Apstra Operating System for some classes and for my personal use Apstra Operating System's most important features are the security and AB test to define what approach we need to take in my company. Additionally, the solution does not take a lot of maintenance. The report data could…

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Manish Ved

Lead Infrastructure Domain Architect (Systems) at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

Network configuration is done well; great pricing

Our model of deployment is on-premises. I would advise other people looking into this solution to read its documentation and better understand what it does before they start using it. I would rate this solution as a whole a 10, on a scale from one to 10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best.

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

"Apstra Operating System's most important features are the security and AB test to define what approach we need to take in my company. Additionally, the solution does not take a lot of maintenance."

"What's nice with NCM is you can set up policies that you can then check against the configs to ensure that your device configs adhere to a baseline or standard that you've set in place."

"NCM also helps with vulnerability assessment and remediation."

"The features we find most valuable is the configuration backup automation, the configuration compliance, the security vulnerability detection and upgrading devices."

"It is a stable solution."

"The installation is straightforward."

"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."

"It's perfect for network configuration management. It's easy to use."

"This solution has helped our organization by allowing us to store all the device configurations for the various network devices in NCM and making it easy for us to retrieve and look them over."

More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager pros

Cons

"The report data could improve in Apstra Operating System."

"Its look and feel can be improved. They can also put in more effort into building the THWACK community and use the information about various customer issues and requests to build the new releases."

"Improvements are needed in the automatic network mapping function."

"We want to be able to store it in a data warehouse format and integrate it with Google single sign-on."

"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."

"For each device, when you open the network performance monitor, it will give you all of the information about the device, but many of the natural configuration management features are not on that page."

"The Network Configuration Manager needs to improve the access control list compliance."

"The third-party plugins available in the solution could improve. I have received some issues with the templates."

"There is room for improvement in automation."

More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is 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."

"Pricing is reasonable and competitive."

"There is a license needed to use SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager."

"There is a license for the use of this solution and it is priced well, there is a lot of value for the money."

"With a minimal bundle, we pay about $3000 a year in licensing costs. If you have multiple devices in your network, you must buy the bundle, which is 100% identical for your infrastructure. If you have 15 devices, you need 15 licenses, for example. That's one bundle. You don't pay for anything over and above that."

"Available at a moderate price"

"Additional costs beyond the standard licensing fee are inevitable."

More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

21%

Financial Services Firm

12%

University

12%

Government

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

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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...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?

The pricing is okay. Overall, I would rate the pricing a three on a scale of one to ten, with ten being most expensive and one being cheap.

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What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?

The vendor recently introduced AI features to detect alerts. The AI features do not work well. It would be good if the vendor developed the AI feature so that we could understand what patterns the ...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Network Automation

February 2025

Download Apstra Operating System product report

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

January 2025

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager report

Download SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager product report

Also Known As

Apstra OS, AOS

SolarWinds NCM

Overview

The Apstra Operating System (AOS) is a turn-key automation solution that dramatically simplifies the process of designing, deploying and operating data center networks. Apstra AOS provides a singular view into the relationships and interdependencies of millions of data center elements. With real continuous validation, Apstra AOS enables you to instantly pinpoint and quickly resolve issues across all infrastructure silos, regardless of vendor or hardware.

Juniper

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

Bloomberg Television, Energy Corporation, A mid-sized financial services company

United Lincolnshire Hospitals, Air Rarotonga, NetSuite, Thai AirAsia, REA Group, 335th Signal Command, Agilisys, Marine Expeditionary Force

Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat, Cisco, VMware and others in Network Automation. Updated: February 2025.

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