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BlueCat Integrity vs SolarWinds IPAM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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 Integrity
Ranking in IP Address Management (IPAM) Tools
1st
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
Managed DNS (4th), DDI (1st)
SolarWinds IPAM
Ranking in IP Address Management (IPAM) Tools
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
8.2
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the IP Address Management (IPAM) Tools category, the mindshare of BlueCat Integrity is 13.9%, up from 11.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds IPAM is 15.7%, down from 25.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
IP Address Management (IPAM) Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Ryan Michael Patterson - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides a single pane of glass, a user-friendly GUI, and is extremely reliable
Currently, a significant portion of automation within our infrastructure relies on custom-written scripts. For instance, every time we require automated IP address space updates, we must develop the script ourselves. Looking forward, I would welcome pre-existing scripts readily deployable within our infrastructure to alleviate this burden. BlueCat currently meets our core needs, and we appreciate their service. However, we believe the platform could benefit from significant improvements, particularly in terms of ongoing maintenance and the implementation of new features. One crucial area for development is IPv6 support. As we transition to this newer networking protocol, we lack robust tools and functionalities tailored to IPv6 within BlueCat. Consequently, we'd like to see greater investment from BlueCat in building out their IPv6 feature set.
Hisham Sahid - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable and scalable tool meant for IP address management
I am unsure if SolarWinds IPAM is good for network management. I know that the tool can manage IP addresses. From any improvement perspective, SolarWinds IPAM should consider working on the area where the tool lacks, which is its network management capabilities. SolarWinds IPAM offers the functionalities it has promised to my company. There is nothing much that one can expect from a tool meant to manage IP addresses.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable piece, which has been a lifesaver, would be the BlueCat DNS resolver. BlueCat Cloud DNS resolver is a tool that takes a look into your cloud's DNS and then reports back everything it finds into BlueCat's DNS Edge solution. The Edge solution has a bunch of nice rules that you can configure to route the DNS traffic. That automation alone is a lifesaver for me for the day-to-day churn of the DNS components that change on an hourly, daily basis."
"One of the key features enabling us to operate at our current scale is robust automation."
"BlueCat Integrity provides us with flexibility and visibility that we did not have before."
"The most valuable features are scalability and cloud infrastructure."
"The most valuable feature is the IPAMs, which provide visibility into all the IP addresses on the network."
"As a defense contractor, we must meet many compliance standards regarding logging, configuration, and administrative access. BlueCat is one of the few products that combines all the compliance components in a secure, reliable solution."
"Since implementing BlueCat, we have experienced fewer problems, anomalies, and strange issues."
"It is easy to use. It has an understandable GUI interface. Its deployment is relatively easy."
"Its setup is simple. Its interface is simple. It's very easy to manage."
"The initial setup is straightforward. It takes about half a day, and it can be done by one engineer."
"I like the option to keep all of the available and used IPAM addresses in the central organization."
"The product is user-friendly and valuable."
"SolarWinds IPAM is a simple and user-friendly tool."
"Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"I am impressed with the product's reports."
"I would recommend this solution for all companies that have to deal with a lot of networks."
 

Cons

"One complaint about the interface is BlueCat's handling of subzones."
"When you replace an appliance, there are many configuration steps, so adding zero-touch provisioning would be helpful. It can be quite tedious and time-consuming to replace a device if it fails or deploy a new one."
"The UI is outdated and needs a modern refresh."
"The DNS and DHCP servers for guests are separated from the main organization. A lot of times, it doesn't allow you to choose a default IP space. When I log in to the GUI, it doesn't default to where I want it to be. So far, I haven't been able to find out how to change or specify that so that it defaults to a particular space, such as the main org. If I'm looking for the IP space for guests, I need to toggle and go to the guest site. Most of the time, I want the IP space for the org to be my main space, but it doesn't give me the ability to do that, or I haven't been able to find that over the last two years."
"The solution is too granular and sometimes complex to configure. We do not always need so many details. Simpler configurations with fewer details would be beneficial."
"Some areas need improvement, especially the issue with stale entries in the BlueCat tenancy. I have heard that it is already fixed in BlueCat Integrity 10. I have not used that yet."
"XHA has some very unusual requirements. If you're running just two BlueCat appliances for a given area of responsibility, then in VMware, if they land on the same VM host, you can run into challenges with XHA, which we are learning."
"The ease of use is where I got to give a little knock on them. Once you start using the tool, it becomes very easy. It's actually quite easy to use. The problem that I run into is documentation. The documentation could be a little bit richer. Documentation has always been a little pet peeve for me with them."
"My understanding is that IPAM cannot be used for the AWS environment. I might be wrong, but that's what I believe it cannot do. On AWS, SolarWinds IPAM cannot do what it does on the on-prem side. They should explore how to make IPAM capable and scalable on AWS and Azure environments."
"Sometimes we have to wait for screens to load, so faster operations would be better."
"I would like more updates."
"The installation and storage could be improved."
"SolarWinds IPAM offers premium support, but the customer has to pay more money, and then they will have minimal response times."
"Some processes are a little bit bumpy. The solution needs a design refresh."
"The product needs to improve its support. The response time is long and not very helpful."
"They should provide more details on the full stack feature. It needs to be integrated with the hypervisor."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Overall, it's a decent price for the product. There are other vendors that have support models and costs that are, sometimes, double what Bluecat charges."
"BlueCat Integrity is more cost-effective than Infoblox."
"Compared to other solutions, BlueCat Integrity offers a competitive price."
"While BlueCat falls on the expensive side, its exceptional customer service and consistent quality justify the cost."
"BlueCat Integrity meets our expectations and aligns with our budget forecast."
"Our licensing model with BlueCat Integrity is cheaper than Infoblox."
"Overall, I would say that it is priced fairly, though perhaps a bit on the high side."
"BlueCat Integrity is a little expensive, but it's worth the price because it offers the flexibility and features we need in our space. We have more than 25,000 employees, and it makes sense for a network of our size. It's required for us to be compliant in the defense industry. Given the restrictions we face, we must be able to easily show that we've complied with all the regulations."
"I would rate the product's pricing a six out of ten."
"On a scale of one to five, where one is high and five is good, I would rate this solution as a four."
"The price of SolarWinds IPAM is good. After the second year, you have to pay additional for maintenance, because the first year is included with the license maintenance and support. It's from the second year on, you have to pay about 20% of the list price for maintenance and support."
"The product is costly."
"It's on the costlier side. It's expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Government
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about BlueCat Adaptive DNS?
This inherent stability, derived from its Linux-based architecture, provides a well-established and reliable platform.
What needs improvement with BlueCat Adaptive DNS?
The solution is too granular and sometimes complex to configure. We do not always need so many details. Simpler configurations with fewer details would be beneficial. The API aspect could be improv...
What is your primary use case for BlueCat Adaptive DNS?
In the past, we did not have a DDI system, so information was distributed in different places. As our environment became more complicated with on-campus, remote offices, and cloud setups, we wanted...
What do you like most about SolarWinds IPAM?
SolarWinds IPAM is a simple and user-friendly tool.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds IPAM?
The product is costly. It costs around $4000 to $5000 for 25000 IPs. It has options for purchasing either perpetual or subscription based licenses. There are no additional charges involved. For ren...
 

Also Known As

BlueCat Adaptive DNS, BlueCat Automation Manager, BlueCat DDI
SolarWinds IP Address Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Computer Sciences Corporation
Andr. L. Riis AS, Air Rarotonga, REA Group, Air Rarotonga, Open Line, Monroe City Schools, CTV Inc.
Find out what your peers are saying about BlueCat Integrity vs. SolarWinds IPAM and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,466 professionals have used our research since 2012.