Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

NetWitness Platform vs Security Onion comparison

NetWitness and Security Onion Solutions, LLC are both solutions in the Log Management category. NetWitness is ranked #22 with an average rating of 7.6, while Security Onion Solutions, LLC is ranked #18 with an average rating of 7.7. NetWitness holds a 0.3% mindshare in Log Management, compared to Security Onion Solutions, LLC’s 5.7% mindshare. Additionally, 75% of NetWitness users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 66% of Security Onion Solutions, LLC users who would recommend it.
NetWitness Platform
Read 37 NetWitness Platform reviews
  • 768 Views
  • 480 Comparison Views
75% willing to recommend
Security Onion
Read 3 Security Onion reviews
  • 6,709 Views
  • 5,768 Comparison Views
66% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report
Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

NetWitness Platform and Security Onion are both leading security solutions known for their distinct benefits in network security. Based on user data, Security Onion seems to have an advantage due to its user satisfaction and adaptability, aligning more closely with user expectations.

Features: NetWitness is recognized for advanced threat detection, offering deep insights and analytics. It also provides excellent threat intelligence, enhancing its security prowess. Meanwhile, Security Onion is valued for its open-source nature, allowing high customization and scalability. It caters to diverse security needs making it versatile for various environments.

Room for Improvement: NetWitness users suggest simpler management, intuitive navigation, and streamlined processes. Security Onion could improve in documentation, ease of configuration, and user guidance. Addressing these areas could enhance overall user experience and satisfaction.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetWitness users find deployment challenging without expert help and seek better customer support. Security Onion, with clearer installation paths, could still benefit from more responsive support. Thus, deployment is easier with Security Onion, but both need customer service improvements.

Pricing and ROI: NetWitness has high setup costs, impacting its ROI perception, despite its robust functionality. Security Onion offers a cost-effective approach with better ROI, viewed more favorably concerning value for investment.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPORT
To learn more, read our detailed NetWitness Platform vs. Security Onion Report (Updated: March 2025).
Buyer's Guide
NetWitness Platform vs. Security Onion
March 2025
Download the complete report
Helped 845,040 peers since 2012

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

NetWitness Platform
Ranking in Log Management
22nd
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
37
Ranking in other categories
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (22nd)
Security Onion
Ranking in Log Management
18th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.5
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
AWS Marketplace (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of NetWitness Platform is 0.3%, down from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Security Onion is 5.7%, up from 2.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

MdZaman - PeerSpot reviewer
Really scalable for enterprise customers
The solution should have more integration capabilities with different platforms. The API is nearly open and scalable, so the solution can integrate with many platforms. The solution has more than 200 log sources in the scalability to support, but this is its limit. Installation is pretty easy. However, there are a couple of modules involved, so it is not as easy as it could be. We are talking about a distributed module, not a single-module type. This is what makes things a bit complex, instead of easier. I rate it as a seven out of ten on its installation and configuration capabilities.
Read full review
Jörg Kippe - PeerSpot reviewer
A mature and affordable solution that is easy to install and easy to update
The product takes time to learn, it's not that easy. In the beginning we had a lot of questions. If you want to use such a tool in an real (industrial) environment, you have to ask how to get the network data. Can we do a full packet capture? Can we provide agents to our end systems? There are no simple solutions to these questions. It's a general problem when running such systems in an industrial environment.
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 most valuable feature is the correlation. It can report in real-time and monitor the management."
"The solution is really scalable for the high-end power, enterprise customer."
"The most valuable feature of RSA NetWitness Logs and Packets are the alerts and correlations tools."
"The product's initial setup phase was not at all difficult."
"The product has a user-friendly interface and a valuable feature for threat intelligence integration."
"The most valuable features are its ingestion of logs and raising of alerts based on those logs."
"The most valuable features are the integration and ease of use."
"The development of use cases on the SSA console is quite user friendly. This means that the security analyst or the researcher does not have to learn another language."
More NetWitness Platform pros
"Security Onion is the most mature solution in the market."
"We use Security Onion for internal vulnerability assessment."
"The most valuable feature of Security Onion for security monitoring is its ability to find infected ports."
 

Cons

"There is no support for this product in this country, so problems have to be resolved through global technical teams."
"It should have a monitoring feature. It would help us analyze the current state of attacks faster from a single platform."
"The system architecture is complex and sometimes it’s hard to troubleshoot potential problems."
"The threat detection capability and centralizing and upgrading capability need to be improved. The threat alert capability needs to be improved as well because there is some lag time at present. They need to work on their database search too."
"They should implement algorithms to digest that data and produce additional, more advanced reporting, alerting and support of internal security teams."
"There are instances where you try to run the reports and then it does not give you the desired outcome."
"More customizability is required, which is something that they need to improve on."
"The multi-tenant capabilities are lagging compared to IBM QRadar."
More NetWitness Platform cons
"The product is not easy to learn."
"The initial setup of the solution is a little bit difficult."
"Security Onion's user interface could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Compared to the competition, the is price is not that high."
"In comparison to other SIEM solutions such as Splunk, NetWitness is less costly."
"It is cheap."
"Many clients are not able to purchase the packet capability because there is a huge amount of data, and the cost depends on the number of EPS (Events per second), as well as the number of gigabytes of data per day."
"The licenses are good but the cost is very expensive."
"It provides tools to assist in selecting the appropriate license and usage scenarios."
"Our license is for one year."
"This is a pricey solution; it's not cheap."
More NetWitness Platform pricing and cost advice
"Security Onion is an open-source solution."
"It is an open-source solution."
"Security Onion is a free solution."
report
See which vendors are best for you
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Log Management solutions are best for your needs.
See recommendations
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

VS
Feb 26, 2015
HP ArcSight vs. IBM QRadar vs. ​McAfee Nitro vs. Splunk vs. RSA Security vs. LogRhythm
We at Infosecnirvana.com have done several posts on SIEM. After the Dummies Guide on SIEM, we are following it up with a SIEM Product Comparison – 101 deck. So, here it is for your viewing pleasure. Let me know what you think by posting your comments below. The key products compared here are…
Read full review
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
17%
Government
6%
Insurance Company
6%
Computer Software Company
12%
University
11%
Government
11%
Comms Service Provider
11%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about NetWitness Platform?
The product's initial setup phase was not at all difficult.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetWitness Platform?
The product price was reasonable for my region and the market.
See all answers
What needs improvement with NetWitness Platform?
From an improvement perspective, the NetWitness Platform needs to release new features and improve in areas like log correlation. The tool needs to have easier integrations with the cloud. Building...
See all answers
What do you like most about Security Onion?
The most valuable feature of Security Onion for security monitoring is its ability to find infected ports.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Security Onion?
Security Onion is an open-source solution. On a scale from one to ten, where ten is expensive and one is cheap, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Security Onion?
The initial setup of the solution is a little bit difficult.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Splunk Enterprise Security vs NetWitness Platform Logo
Splunk Enterprise Security vs NetWitness Platform
Compared 30% of the time
IBM Security QRadar vs NetWitness Platform Logo
IBM Security QRadar vs NetWitness Platform
Compared 20% of the time
RSA enVision vs NetWitness Platform Logo
RSA enVision vs NetWitness Platform
Compared 12% of the time
Elastic Security vs NetWitness Platform Logo
Elastic Security vs NetWitness Platform
Compared 10% of the time
Trellix Network Detection and Response vs NetWitness Platform Logo
Trellix Network Detection and Response vs NetWitness Platform
Compared 10% of the time
More NetWitness Platform Competitors
Wazuh vs Security Onion Logo
Wazuh vs Security Onion
Compared 62% of the time
Elastic Stack vs Security Onion Logo
Elastic Stack vs Security Onion
Compared 11% of the time
Splunk Enterprise Security vs Security Onion Logo
Splunk Enterprise Security vs Security Onion
Compared 7% of the time
Graylog vs Security Onion Logo
Graylog vs Security Onion
Compared 5% of the time
Kali Linux vs Security Onion Logo
Kali Linux vs Security Onion
Compared 4% of the time
More Security Onion Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
NetWitness Platform
March 2025
NetWitness Platform reportDownload NetWitness Platform product report
Buyer's Guide
Log Management
March 2025
Security Onion reportDownload Security Onion product report
 

Also Known As

RSA Security Analytics
No data available
 

Overview

NetWitness Platform is an evolved SIEM and threat detection and response solution that functions as a single, unified platform for ALL your security data. It features an advanced analyst workbench for triaging alerts and incidents, and it orchestrates security operations programs end to end. In short: NetWitness Platform is all you need to run an intelligent SOC.

NetWitness

Security Onion is an open-source Linux distribution for intrusion detection, network security monitoring, and log management. It offers comprehensive solutions for enterprises seeking to enhance their cybersecurity infrastructure.

Security Onion provides a full suite of tools to detect and respond to cybersecurity threats efficiently. As a robust and versatile distribution, it includes capabilities for real-time analysis, network visibility, and threat detection, making it indispensable for security operations centers. Users value this tool for its integration of open-source software with advanced analytics, affording professionals a detailed overview of network traffic and potential intrusions.

What are Security Onion’s most important features?
  • Intrusion Detection: Utilizes Suricata or Zeek for effective threat monitoring.
  • Network Security Monitoring: Offers powerful visualization tools for network analysis.
  • Log Management: Centralizes log collection and analysis.
  • Comprehensive Dashboards: Provides integrated dashboards for threat visibility.
What benefits or ROI should you look for in reviews?
  • Cost Efficiency: Reduced cybersecurity costs due to its open-source nature.
  • Improved Threat Detection: Enhanced ability to identify and respond to threats quickly.
  • Integration Capability: Seamless integration with existing security infrastructures.
  • Scalability: Support for scaling network security operations as needed.

Security Onion finds extensive application in industries such as finance, healthcare, and government sectors, where robust network monitoring is critical. Its ability to integrate with existing security tools makes it a preferred choice for organizations looking to strengthen their cybersecurity posture.

Security Onion Solutions, LLC
 

Sample Customers

Los Angeles World Airports, Reply
Information Not Available
Buyer's Guide
NetWitness Platform vs. Security Onion
March 2025
Free Report: NetWitness Platform vs. Security Onion
Find out what your peers are saying about NetWitness Platform vs. Security Onion and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
DOWNLOAD NOW
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.
See our NetWitness Platform vs. Security Onion report.
See our list of best Log Management vendors.

We monitor all Log Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.