Splunk versus Paessler PRTG

Here, we’ve fully disclosed our assessment criteria and have ensured a fair and impartial comparison of both products. Let’s see what our comparison reveals about both Splunk and Paessler PRTG.

Splunk and Paessler have a considerable presence in the industry in terms of their IT monitoring capabilities. Both have a dedicated and satisfied user base that continues to use the platform for network monitoring.

But that doesn’t help decide which company to opt for. Plus, there needs to be a way to look at different aspects that should be weighed in before making the final decision. For some users, the price might be the most critical factor. And for others, it might be ease of use or the level of support available.

Here, we do a deep dive into Splunk and Paessler PRTG to pick the better solution. While ‘better’ in our case might be subjective, our goal is to highlight different aspects of both platforms based on user reviews collected across independent third-party platforms.

Assessment Criteria

To pick the winner, we first looked at reviews to asses what users find most valuable in an IT monitoring platform. Additionally, we also considered what decision-makers in the company would consider important before signing off on either of the two.

Here’s what we shortlisted as crucial aspects:

• Ease of Setup
• Customer Support
• Ease of Use
• Price
• Target audience
• The winner

Afterward, we based our assessment on user reviews and ratings across independent third-party platforms to see who the winner is in every category. The list of platforms considered are: Gartner, G2, GetApp, Capterra, TrustRadius

Splunk vs. Paessler PRTG: A Deep Dive

1.    Ease of Use

Let’s break down how users rate Splunk and Paessler in terms of ease of use across platforms:

• G2: Paessler received an 8.4/10 rating with 65 user reviews. Meanwhile, Splunk received an 8.0/10 rating with 263 user reviews.
• GetApp: Paessler received a 4.5/5 rating with 144 user reviews. Meanwhile, Splunk received a 4.0/5 rating with 152 user reviews.
• Capterra: Paessler received a 4.4/5 rating with 144 user reviews. Meanwhile, Splunk received a 4.1/5 rating with 152 user reviews.
• TrustRadius: Paessler received a 9.0/10 rating with 1 user review. Meanwhile, Splunk also received a 9.0/10 rating with 3 user reviews.

Beneath the Surface – Picking the Winner

Paessler PRTG is the clear winner, ranking higher on almost every platform for user satisfaction in relation to ease of use. Also, after digging beneath the surface, we realized that many users found Splunk to be considerably complex. Here’s what users are saying about Splunk:

“Complexity and less user friendly. In my project, we had to configure our application in splunk. Lot of times we dont see the full logs as configuring events etc is difficult. Also, some of the terms on UI can more simplified so that anyone can understand even though he or she does not have indepth knowledge of Splunk. May be a small description or tooltip something like that will be good.” –Source

“It can have a high learning curve, even for educated employees, so time is required for training. I wish that some basic functions could work without the need for internet access, no doubt my work would be faster. From the installation of the software to its use, it is a long process, because to configure it is confusing and sometimes we need the help of technical staff.”    Source

2.    Ease of Setup

Let’s break down how users rate Splunk and Paessler in terms of ease of setup across platforms:

• Gartner: Paessler received a 4.6/5 rating with 156 user reviews. Meanwhile, Splunk received a 4.4/5 rating with 28 user reviews.
• G2: Paessler received an 8.3/10 rating with 48 user reviews. Meanwhile, Splunk received a 7.7/10 rating with 89 user reviews.

Beneath the Surface – Picking the Winner

Again, Paessler PRTG emerges as the clear winner. In particular, a 7.7/10 rating on G2 highlights users’ dissatisfaction with Splunk’s implementation process.

After digging beneath the surface, here’s what we found about what users have an issue with:

“Very expensive. Difficult to implement until all moving parts are understood. Steep learning curve for beginners.” – Source

“Initial setup had some challenges but with professional help we found some quick solutions” – Source

3.    Customer Support

Let’s break down how users rate Splunk and Paessler in terms of customer support across platforms:

• Gartner: Paessler received a 4.4/5 rating with 205 user reviews. Meanwhile, Splunk also received a 4.5/5 rating with 29 user reviews.
• G2: Paessler received an 8.4/10 rating with 56 user reviews. Meanwhile, Splunk received an 8.3/10 rating with 207 user reviews.
• TrustRadius: Paessler received an 8.5/10 rating with 28 user reviews. Meanwhile, Splunk received an 8.4/10 rating with 33 user reviews.
• GetApp: Paessler received a 4.5/5 rating with 144 user reviews. Meanwhile, Splunk also received a 4.5/5 rating with 152 user reviews.
• Capterra: Paessler received a 4.3/5 rating with 144 user reviews. Meanwhile, Splunk also received a 4.3/5 rating with 152 user reviews.

Beneath the Surface – Picking the Winner

It seems both Paessler PRTG and Splunk are tied for first place here. User reviews show that most users are content with the level of support they’ve received. Paessler PRTG and Splunk also have community support forums for users to seek additional assistance if required.

4.     Target Audience

Here, we take a closer look at the business size for the majority of users for both Paessler PRTG and Splunk. Looking at what Small and Medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and large enterprises prefer will help decision-makers deciding between the two make a more informed decision.

Based on data collected from G2 and Capterra, we saw that:

1. Most users of Splunk are large enterprises
2. In addition to large enterprises, most Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) opt for Paessler PRTG

Beneath the Surface – Picking the Winner

So what does this data exactly tell us? Should SMBs go for Paessler PRTG, and should large enterprises choose Splunk? Well, not quite. The truth is that both SMBs and large enterprises prefer Paessler PRTG. But with Splunk, only large enterprises are on board. Let’s explain why that is.

Based on the reviews we’ve collected, we saw that most users find Splunk expensive and feel that a high learning curve is required to get up to speed. Additional certifications required for Splunk also contribute to increased costs because businesses have to train staff.

On the other hand, we saw that Paessler PRTG does not have these issues. It’s easier to implement and use (as seen from user reviews) and has relatively lower costs.

However, large enterprises with a higher cost tolerance choose Splunk as features matter more. But, this does not imply that large enterprises do not use Paessler PRTG. It’s just that large enterprises can choose to opt for either of the two. But, SMBs generally only go for Paessler PRTG.

5.    Price

A.    Paessler PRTG

There’s a one-time payment for each user. The PRTG 500 package would mean around $1800 per user.

B.    Splunk

Not much data available, but GetApp estimates it to be around $1800/year on average. Users must book a consultation with company representatives to get an accurate cost based on requirements.

But since the general audience for Splunk is large enterprises, it wouldn’t be too far off to assume that Splunk is expensive. Additionally, users need additional certifications for Splunk, which adds to the cost of training the IT team.

Picking the Winner: Paessler PRTG

Based on the data collected from independent third-party review platforms, it’s clear that Paessler PRTG is the clear winner. Users consistently ranked the IT monitoring software higher in a majority of areas.

While this does not imply that Splunk is a bad choice, it’s just that current users are more satisfied with Paessler PRTG. Especially in areas such as ease of use and ease of implementation, Splunk users complained about a high level of complexity involved.

Hopefully, this comparison should help make a more informed and better decision about which network monitoring solution to opt for.