Best Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Tools
Application performance monitoring (APM) tools allow users to monitor and track the performance of particular software or web applications to identify and solve any performance issues that may arise. These solutions provide performance metrics for applications, with specific insights into the statistics such as the amount of transactions processed by the application or the response time to process such transactions. APM products form a baseline for these metrics and monitor the applications for any variance from the baseline. The metrics are displayed in a variety of data visualizations for easy conceptualization of the overall performance. They are very commonly used by application administrators to manage web applications in hopes to discover possible reasons for delays in response time. With the ability to identify and fix any performance issues, businesses can provide an optimal user experience. Some APM solutions may offer similar functionality to database management systems and network monitoring solutions.
To qualify for inclusion in the Application Performance Monitoring category, a product must:
Best Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Tools At A Glance
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- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
LogRocket combines session replay, product analytics, and error tracking – empowering software teams to create the ideal product experience.
- Software Engineer
- CTO
- Computer Software
- Information Technology and Services
- 63% Small-Business
- 28% Mid-Market
15,224 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Dynatrace (NYSE: DT) exists to make the world’s software work perfectly. Our unified platform combines broad and deep observability and continuous runtime application security with Davis® hypermodal A
- Software Engineer
- Senior Software Engineer
- Information Technology and Services
- Financial Services
- 69% Enterprise
- 23% Mid-Market
18,831 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Instana’s Enterprise Observability Platform, powered by automated Application Performance Monitoring, discovers and maps all services, infrastructure, and their inter-dependencies automatically. Insta
- Software Engineer
- System Engineer
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 43% Mid-Market
- 40% Enterprise
711,154 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- What G2 Users Think
- Seller Details
New Relic invented cloud APM for application engineers. Today it is a leader in observability and source of truth for all engineers to make decisions with data across their entire software stack and t
- Software Engineer
- Senior Software Engineer
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 43% Mid-Market
- 30% Small-Business
- Reviewers appreciate the ability to monitor performance and reliability of all their various application with New Relic
- Reviewers mention the quantity and frequent addition of helpful features, but some noted that features feel incomplete or overwhelming
- Reviewers like the ability to easily customize alerts, and the automated alerts the tool provides
68,511 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- What G2 Users Think
- Seller Details
Datadog is the monitoring, security and analytics platform for developers, IT operations teams, security engineers and business users in the cloud age. The SaaS platform integrates and automates infra
- Software Engineer
- DevOps Engineer
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 48% Mid-Market
- 32% Enterprise
- Reviewers like the way that Datadog provides a centralized view of their entire organizational infrastructure
- Reviewers often highlight the ability to view specific logs in realtime, and pinpoint issues that may be occurring
- Reviewers like the ability to ingest, monitor, and analyze many types of data in the platform
49,628 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
In today's digital landscape, businesses need a powerful and comprehensive Application Performance Monitoring (APM) solution to stay ahead of the curve. Introducing Rakuten SixthSense Observability -
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 43% Mid-Market
- 40% Enterprise
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Your integrated Google Cloud Platform management console. Manage and get insights into everything that powers your cloud application — including web applications, data analysis, virtual machines, dat
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 42% Small-Business
- 35% Mid-Market
32,520,271 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
ManageEngine OpManager is a holistic blend of network monitoring tools that help you manage your entire network in minutes. Along with network monitoring, be able to analyse bandwidth, manage configur
- IT Manager
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer & Network Security
- 58% Mid-Market
- 35% Enterprise
7,655 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
ManageEngine Applications Manager is an application performance & IT infrastructure monitoring solution that is designed to combat modern infrastructure problems and ensure that your business and
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 47% Enterprise
- 42% Mid-Market
7,655 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
ManageEngine Site24x7 offers unified cloud monitoring for DevOps and IT operations within small to large organizations. The solution monitors the experience of real users accessing websites and applic
- CEO
- IT Manager
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 44% Small-Business
- 43% Mid-Market
7,655 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
With more than 50,000 customer installations across the five continents, Pandora FMS is an out-of-the-box monitoring solution. Pandora FMS gives you the agility to find and solve problems quickly,
- Data Analyst
- Information Technology and Services
- Telecommunications
- 48% Mid-Market
- 36% Small-Business
5,610 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- What G2 Users Think
- Seller Details
Progress WhatsUp Gold, the IT infrastructure monitoring software, lets you find and fix network problems fast – usually before end users notice. Its unique, interactive mapping interface lets you intu
- Network Engineer
- Network Administrator
- Information Technology and Services
- Hospital & Health Care
- 60% Mid-Market
- 26% Enterprise
- Reviewers like the centralized network, application, and virtual machine monitoring that Progress WhatsUp Gold provides
- Reviewers like the detailed information about all network devices, but some wish there was better automatic discovery of devices
- Reviewers like the ability to receive quick alerts, but wish there was more default alerts that don’t require setup
50,188 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Splunk Synthetic Monitoring helps you measure and improve uptime and performance for your critical apps and services. Splunk Synthetic Monitoring offers best-in class web performance optimization to d
- Computer & Network Security
- 48% Enterprise
- 43% Small-Business
733,873 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Azure Monitor is a platform capability for monitoring your Azure resources. Azure Monitor allows you to collect granular performance and utilization data, activity and diagnostics logs, and notificati
- Computer Software
- Information Technology and Services
- 39% Enterprise
- 32% Mid-Market
14,031,499 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Powered by Cisco, AppDynamics is on a mission to help companies see their technology through the lens of the business so they can work as one to prioritize what matters most. We’re reinventing the obs
- Senior Software Engineer
- Software Engineer
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 58% Enterprise
- 35% Mid-Market
733,873 Twitter followers
Learn More About Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Tools
What is Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Software?
Application performance monitoring (APM) software allows users to consistently track performance metrics for mobile, web-based, and desktop applications in real time. These metrics can be displayed as reports or on a visual dashboard. Baseline performance metrics can be customized to meet the minimum requirements of maintaining uptime and performance of applications.
APM software helps identify failures or slowdowns within the overall application topology (the way all components supporting an application are connected). When applications are only as strong as their weakest topological component, identifying and bolstering that component is paramount to optimal function. Root-cause analysis (RCA)—the process of determining and fixing the underlying cause of an issue—becomes simpler when APM software reveals the exact failure points, which yields a quicker return to normal function.
End-to-end visibility is another vital component of APM software. Solutions should be able to track full transactions regardless of where components are hosted, so buyers should consider infrastructure needs on this front. Smaller companies generally require only a few servers and databases, and therefore relatively small-scale monitoring and shorter transactions. Conversely, larger enterprise companies tend to have numerous, complex production environments, vast databases, and longer transactional chains. These larger companies require a high volume of virtual servers and services to perform all these tasks efficiently. More powerful APM solutions are designed to scan and monitor on a greater scale.
Scalability should be an important consideration when choosing an APM solution. Whether a company’s requirements are vast or small, an APM solution exists to meet the buyer’s needs. Basic solutions are better suited for monitoring one or a few applications, but should a large number of applications need monitoring, companies should consider APM software that can scale while maintaining high performance. Companies planning on developing while growing should especially consider scalable APM software that can keep up with expanding infrastructure needs.
What Types of Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Software Exist?
Modular APM solutions
Modular APM products—sold function by function, as opposed to as a full package—allow buyers to select exactly the functionalities necessary for their company when purchasing, such as database analysis, web transaction trailing, or network forensics. This is highly beneficial to smaller companies that might not need extensive features. For growing companies, modular APM solutions are particularly beneficial, as new features can be added piecemeal during the growth process.
All-in-one APM solutions
All-in-one solutions, by contrast, tend to be more beneficial for larger companies, as all the features are available in one package. All-in-one APM solutions tend to be feature-heavy and can be expensive, so acquiring a solution that overperforms might lead to fiscal waste.
Open-source APM solutions
Open-source products often have a lower price point than proprietary software and may even be free. These options may be better for smaller businesses that do not need expansive, feature-rich products. Most open-source products have small or no support staff behind them, so buyers should make sure that they have a good in-house development team when implementing one.
Proprietary APM solutions
Proprietary software, while more expensive than open-source software, is often more powerful and robust in its performance. These products tend to have stronger, larger support structures in place for implementation and long-term use. Buyers should be cautious that they don’t spend more for a brand name than the functions they need when selecting a proprietary solution.
What are the Common Features of Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Software?
The following are some core features within APM software that can help users interpret data, manage key alerts, and more:
Metric dashboard: A metric dashboard is an easily digestible, graphical representation of current functionality data. This can include response time meters, use load charting, or other key data.
Alerting: APM software’s alerting features give users an immediate warning when performance dips below baselines. The software can email teams automatically, show heads-up desktop notifications, or even automate text notifications to key engineers and management.
Comprehensive tracking: Comprehensive tracking refers to the ability to follow all applications, regardless of where they are hosted. Users can optimize hosting options without worrying about lost information by following their cloud application infrastructure in real time, side by side with their local infrastructure.
Transaction and topology analysis: Transaction and topology analysis allows users to present details for every step of a transaction. With end-to-end visibility, there are no secrets about any application functionality at any step. Users can make informed decisions about optimizing functionality with comprehensive data.
What are the Benefits of Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Software?
Improve application performance: Nothing creates more technological headaches than applications that function suboptimally. APM solutions reduce the strain on a system with immediate alerts when performance dips below a certain threshold, allowing companies to address problems as they happen.
Increase consumer satisfaction: A quick turnaround on functionality issues leads to happier consumers. APM solutions assist in identifying stress points and bottlenecks within application topology to focus on troubleshooting exactly where it is needed.
Save money: Application downtime can be costly, both in the time lost to product or service provision and in the resources needed to resolve it. APM solutions help create an environment for applications to run optimally, thereby improving reliability and helping drive customer acquisition and retainment.
Who Uses Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Software?
IT administrators: IT administrators use APM software to monitor their company’s applications and ensure overall system health and performance. APM software is an essential part of an IT professional’s arsenal for managing their company’s digital assets to address performance issues as they arise, and maintain consistency.
Developers: Developers use APM software to keep a pulse on their developed applications and ensure a consistent, quality experience for the end user. By utilizing APM tools, developers can compare performance against desired benchmarks and effectively begin the remediation process when performance issues arise.
Software Related to Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Software
Related solutions that can be used together with APM software include:
Network monitoring software: Network monitoring software tracks the overall performance of a computer network. APM software can reveal bottlenecks and network-side issues with application performance, at which point network monitoring would take over to provide further details on any issues.
Data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software: DCIM software is used to manage, organize, and monitor the components of a data center. If a user’s APM software reveals failures or slowdowns in retrieving data from their own data center, DCIM software may provide insights on where those failures are.
Log analysis software: Log analysis software helps enable the documentation of application log files for records and analytics. Once APM software identifies a problem location, log analysis software takes over in breaking down activity line by line at that location.
Challenges with Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Software
Software solutions can come with their own set of challenges.
Programming language incompatibility: It is essential that the chosen APM solution supports the users’ application’s programming language (e.g., Ruby, Java, C#, Python). Otherwise, the solution will not be able to monitor their application. The same consideration should go into selection based upon the language used by the company’s servers. Most solutions will support both Windows and Linux, but buyers should keep in mind the type of Linux environment their organization uses (e.g., Ubuntu, CentOS, and RedHat Enterprise Linux) when selecting an appropriate APM solution. If the Linux environment type is not compatible with a solution, then the solution will not be able to monitor it.
Variable configuration requirements: While some APM solutions require little setup effort, others will need more extensive configuration before monitoring can begin. Configuration can be a challenging process, so finding products that need very little or no configuration to monitor the applications can be a great benefit. APM solutions that do not require configuration have the ability to map the user’s technology to find out how their environments connect and ultimately what makes their applications work.
Which Companies Should Buy Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Software?
A business’s application developers, system engineers, and teams that regularly monitor their company’s application infrastructure benefit greatly from APM solutions. Here are a few industry examples of APM software at work:
Health care providers: Technological uptime and performance are imperative when the goal is improving the customer’s health. APM solutions allow providers to monitor their application performance in real time, which helps catch and prevent downtimes before they affect patients. Full topological and transactional visibility provided by APM software greatly improves RCA time and helps providers to continue giving quality patient care despite technological hiccups.
Online retail businesses: If web purchases drive a majority of the company’s revenue, optimal website and web application performance is critical. Continual monitoring helps businesses not only avoid overloads but also understand their standard traffic patterns. This can then be utilized to predict the optimal allocation of resources for site growth.
Multiplayer game development companies: Most online multiplayer game applications are run either directly through a platform or from a company’s centralized launcher. While the applications themselves are installed locally on an end user’s device, their transactional data—and thus, a player’s ability to interact with other players in-game—is dictated by the game developer’s infrastructure. APM software can help developers deliver a smooth online experience to their player base and maintain consistent quality and ease of use.
How to Buy Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Software
Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Software
Whether a company is looking for their first APM software tool or wanting to replace an existing one, g2.com can help find the best tool.
The company’s needs when searching for APM software often relate to specifically desired data and metrics. For example, the user may be most interested in monitoring and improving performance for transactions within their applications. Buyers should make a ranked list of the APM features that most directly address the problems they’re trying to solve, then reference G2 reviews to find the right fit.
Prioritizing the desired feature set can help narrow down the potential pool of APM solutions, allowing teams to then apply further considerations for budget, ease of integration with other systems, security requirements, and more. This holistic approach empowers buyers to move forward with a focused checklist, which can be used in conjunction with G2 scoring to select the best APM product for the business.
Compare Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Software Products
Create a long list
Buyers should start with a large pool of APM software vendors. Keeping the desired must-have features in mind, it is important that buyers perform consistent inquiries during demos by which they can effectively compare the pros and cons of each software solution.
Create a short list
It helps to cross-reference the results of initial vendor evaluations with G2 reviews from other buyers, the combination of which will help to narrow in on a short three to five product list. From there, buyers can compare pricing and features to determine the best fit.
Conduct demos
As a rule of thumb, companies should make sure to demo all of the products that end up on their short list. During demos, buyers should ask specific questions related to the functionalities they care most about; for example, one might ask to be walked through a typical performance issue from alerting to remediation within the APM tool.
Selection of Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Software
Choose a selection team
Regardless of a company’s size, it’s important to involve the most relevant personas when beginning the APM software selection process. Larger companies may include individual team members to fill roles such as project manager, decision maker, system owner, and IT professionals and developers who will be working with the software most closely. Smaller companies with fewer employees might overlap roles.
Negotiation
Many companies offer full monitoring platforms that go beyond APM to include network monitoring, infrastructure monitoring, and more. While some companies will not budge on the configurations of their packages, buyers looking to trim costs should try to negotiate down to the specific functions that matter to them in order to get the best price. For example, a vendor’s pricing page where APM functionality is only included with a robust all-in-one monitoring package, whereas a sales conversation may prove otherwise.
Final decision
After this stage, it is important to perform a trial run if possible with a small selection of IT professionals or developers. This will help to ensure that the APM software of choice integrates well with an IT administrator’s systems setup or a developers’ day-to-day work. If the APM tool is well liked and well utilized, the buyer can take that as a sign that their selection is the right one. If not, reevaluation of the options may be necessary.
