Development and launch are only the first stages of an applications lifecycle. When we’re talking about apps, it’s better to compare them to a living organism rather than a finished product. Applications constantly evolve as people use them and there needs to be a way for developers to keep track of the health of their apps.
That’s why a strong application performance monitoring (APM) tool is such an indispensable part of any coder’s toolbelt. APM tools are designed to pick up on bugs and potential security issues and alert developers so that they can quickly fix code and ensure their apps work as intended. Customers expect that apps will load quickly and work properly. So, implementing an APM can help software developers make sure their customers get the best experience.
Top APM Tools to Know
- Stackify Retrace
- Datadog
- Opsview
- Site24x7
- Dynatrace
- eG Innovations
- Sematext APM
- Microsoft Insights
APMs are such a sought after tool, so a lot of companies have launched their own performance tracking platforms, each with their own special features and advantages.
Here are 10 of the most popular application performance monitoring tools out there, and how they’re helping developers make their apps the best they can be.
APM Tools
Stackify Retrace
Pricing: $960 annually.
Stackify Retrace is a full lifecycle application performance monitoring tool, meaning users can track their products performance from the development stage to launch. This APM allows users to consolidate their logs in one central location, which makes it easier for users to compare logs side by side and spot bugs more quickly, according to its website. Stackify Retrace’s biggest advantage is its centralized dashboard view, which can be integrated with other tools like Azure, Oracle and My SQL.
Datadog
Pricing: Free starting price, $23 per host per month for enterprise option.
Datadog is an SaaS application performance tool that connects users with monitoring and security services on a sliding scale price beginning at $15 a month per host, according to its website. Datadog users can pick and choose which tools they want from a portfolio that includes incident management, network monitoring, log management and cloud security management. The customization allows users to only pay for what they need.
Opsview
Pricing: Starts at $9 per month per host.
Opsview is an APM tool that has been implemented by developers in the software, finance and media industries, as well as by government entities and educational organizations. It offers APM packs and plugins compatible with VmWare, Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services and a variety of other commonly used interfaces. Those curious about Opsview can set up a live, personalized demo to get a walkthrough of its tools and figure out whether it works for their needs, according to the platform’s site.
Site24x7
Pricing: Enterprise option is $225 a month.
Site24x7 is a cloud-based APM tool that uses AI technology to automatically analyze application behavior and deliver real-time insights, according to its website. The platform gives users the ability to manage their logs like other interfaces, but also provides insights into cloud costs to help them better manage their budget spending and cut back on unnecessary cloud expenses.
Dynatrace
Pricing: $74 per month per host for full-stack monitoring.
Dynatrace is an APM tool that gives users the ability to view how their product performance affects their customer’s experiences and allows them to make changes based on that data. Dynatrace users can monitor their application’s infrastructure, maintain security standards, build their cloud automation tools and take a deeper look into their business analytics. Some of Dynatrace’s highest profile clients include Dell Technologies, Experian, UHaul and Kroger, according to its site.
eG Innovations
Pricing: Based on deployment method, subscription starting at $100 a month.
EG Innovations’ big advantage is its broad service suite, which can be used to monitor over 200 applications including AWS, Java, .NET and Office 365, according to its site. The platform can be integrated with Slack, WhatsApp, Zendesk as well as other communications platforms. Plus, it received a Gold Award from the site Tech Genix. In addition to an APM, eG Innovations also produces tools for digital workspace monitoring, IT infrastructure monitoring and hybrid cloud monitoring.
Sematext APM
Pricing: $50 per month
Sematext APM is an end-to-end monitoring platform that gives users insight into slow or dysfunctional application functions and SQL statements, according to its site. One of its highlight features is its real user monitoring, which allows clients to view customer experience and satisfaction data in real time so they can make adjustments quickly and fix slow page loading issues.
Microsoft Insights
Pricing: $2.76 per GB pay-as-you-go option.
Launched under the Microsoft 365 umbrella and a feature of Azure Monitor, Microsoft Application Insights is capable of analyzing app performance through Ruby, Python, Javascript and a number of other commonly used frameworks. The documentation and monitoring tool can diagnose performance issues and show what customers most commonly use apps for, so developers can enhance their most popular features and increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, according to its site.
New Relic APM
Pricing: $0.30 per GB per month.
New Relic APM is a full stack monitoring tool that can be used to track errors, monitor infrastructures and explore customer insights. While enterprises may need to pay to use the platform, individuals can use New Relic APM for free to work on test projects. On Gartner Peer Insights, a review stated that New Relic One “includes a variety of capabilities such as monitoring, warning, and distributed tracking,” which “allows us to keep a very high uptime, which leads to higher customer satisfaction and enhanced productivity.”
AppDynamics
Pricing: $90 per month per host enterprise option.
AppDynamics is a full stack performance monitoring platform that gives development and IT teams visibility into the health and status of their applications. The platform’s enterprise option is on the pricier side, at $90 a month per CPU, but AppDynamics also delivers a broad array of tools to measure things like business metrics, app security and user experience. AppDynamics also automatically sends alerts when major issues with an application arise, so developers don’t miss any crucial bug fixes, according to its site.
