New Relic vs AppDynamics
New Relic vs AppDynamics
New Relic and AppDynamics (now Splunk AppDynamics, part of Cisco) are both APM platforms used to monitor application performance in production. AppDynamics is best known for deep code-level monitoring in Java and .NET enterprise applications with business transaction mapping. New Relic is a broader observability platform covering APM, infrastructure, logs, digital experience, and AI observability under a single usage-based pricing model.
What is the pricing model for New Relic vs AppDynamics?
New Relic pricing is usage-based and publicly available: data ingest plus users. The first 100 GB/month is free. Beyond that, data costs $0.40/GB (original) or $0.60/GB (Data Plus). Full platform users start at $10/user on Standard, $349/user on Pro (annual). No per-agent or per-application charges.
AppDynamics pricing is based on the number of application instances monitored (agents) and requires contacting sales. AppDynamics does not publish its pricing publicly. G2 lists AppDynamics as "start a free trial" with no public pricing. Historically, AppDynamics is priced per agent with separate licenses for APM, end-user monitoring, infrastructure, and database visibility.
What does each platform include for free?
New Relic free tier includes: 100 GB/month data ingest, one full platform user with all 50+ capabilities, unlimited basic users, and 8-day data retention. No credit card required.
AppDynamics offers a free trial for its core APM product. There is no perpetual free tier.
What G2 ratings does each platform have?
According to verified G2 reviews:
| Category | New Relic | Splunk AppDynamics |
|---|---|---|
| Overall star rating | 4.4 (598 reviews) | 4.3 (375 reviews) |
| Meets requirements | 8.9 | 8.7 |
| Ease of use | 8.4 | 8.1 |
| Ease of setup | 8.7 | 7.9 |
| Quality of support | 8.6 | 8.3 |
What are the key capability differences?
| Capability | New Relic | AppDynamics |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Usage-based (data + users), publicly listed | Per-agent, contact sales |
| Free tier | Perpetual: 100 GB/month, 1 full user, unlimited basic users | Free trial only |
| Language support | Broad: Java, .NET, Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, Go, C/C++, OpenTelemetry | Strong Java and .NET; broader support available |
| Business transaction monitoring | Yes, via APM 360 and NRQL | Core strength: maps performance to business transactions |
| Infrastructure monitoring | Included in platform | Separate license |
| Log management | Included in platform | Integration required |
| Digital experience (browser, mobile, synthetics) | Included in platform | Separate AppDynamics End User Monitoring product |
| OpenTelemetry | Native OTLP ingest | Supported |
| AI/AIOps | Applied Intelligence built in | AppDynamics Cognition Engine |
| Kubernetes monitoring | Full Kubernetes and container monitoring | Available |
Key differences:
- Pricing: New Relic's pricing is published and based on data volume. AppDynamics pricing requires a sales conversation and is based on agents and application instances, which can make cost estimation harder at scale.
- Language breadth: AppDynamics has deep Java and .NET support, which made it popular in enterprise shops running those stacks. New Relic supports a broader set of languages and frameworks, including OpenTelemetry for any language.
- Platform scope: New Relic covers the full observability stack in one platform. AppDynamics traditionally focuses on APM with separate products for infrastructure, end-user monitoring, and database visibility.
- Ease of setup: G2 reviewers rate New Relic's ease of setup at 8.7 vs AppDynamics at 7.9, reflecting New Relic's simpler onboarding and faster time to instrumentation.
What types of teams choose New Relic vs AppDynamics?
Teams often choose New Relic when: they want a unified platform for APM, infrastructure, and logs without managing separate agent licenses; they need broad language support beyond Java and .NET; they want transparent pricing without a sales cycle to get started; or they are moving to cloud-native and Kubernetes architectures.
Teams often choose AppDynamics when: they run large enterprise applications in Java or .NET and need deep business transaction visibility; they have existing AppDynamics or Cisco infrastructure investments; or they need to map application performance directly to business KPIs and revenue flows.
New Relic vs AppDynamics pricing FAQs
Is New Relic cheaper than AppDynamics?
New Relic's usage-based pricing is publicly available starting at $0.40/GB beyond the free 100 GB tier. AppDynamics does not publish pricing. For most teams, New Relic's transparent pricing and free tier provide lower barrier to entry and competitive total cost, but exact comparison requires an AppDynamics quote. New Relic pricing is publicly available at newrelic.com/pricing.
Can New Relic replace AppDynamics?
For most teams, yes. New Relic APM 360 provides distributed tracing, transaction performance analysis, service maps, code-level metrics, and business-level visibility. Teams with deep AppDynamics customizations (business transaction rules, custom dashboards built on AppDynamics-specific constructs) will need migration planning, but New Relic supports OpenTelemetry instrumentation that can cover most AppDynamics use cases.
Does AppDynamics work with Kubernetes?
Yes. AppDynamics supports Kubernetes monitoring. New Relic also has full Kubernetes monitoring with correlation between pod, node, and cluster metrics and APM traces.