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Compare ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep) and Splunk APM

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At a Glance
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
Star Rating
(20)4.6 out of 5
Market Segments
Enterprise (47.4% of reviews)
Information
Entry-Level Pricing
Free Get started quickly
Browse all 3 pricing plans
Splunk APM
Splunk APM
Star Rating
(26)4.5 out of 5
Market Segments
Enterprise (82.6% of reviews)
Information
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Learn more about Splunk APM
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
  • Users report that Splunk APM excels in its real-time monitoring capabilities, providing instant insights into application performance, while ServiceNow Cloud Observability is noted for its dynamic transaction mapping feature, which helps visualize complex transactions across microservices.
  • Reviewers mention that Splunk APM's AI/ML assistance is robust, offering predictive analytics that help in identifying potential issues before they impact users. In contrast, users say that ServiceNow Cloud Observability integrates AI/ML for resource utilization monitoring, but some find it less intuitive compared to Splunk's offerings.
  • G2 users highlight that Splunk APM provides superior dashboards and visualizations, making it easier to track performance metrics at a glance. However, reviewers mention that ServiceNow Cloud Observability's reporting features are more customizable, allowing for tailored insights that fit specific business needs.
  • Users on G2 report that Splunk APM's alerting system is highly effective, with multi-mode alerts that ensure critical issues are promptly addressed. Conversely, reviewers mention that ServiceNow Cloud Observability's incident alerting can sometimes be overwhelming due to the volume of notifications generated.
  • Reviewers say that Splunk APM shines in performance baselines, providing clear benchmarks for application performance, while users report that ServiceNow Cloud Observability offers strong root cause analysis (RCA) tools, helping teams quickly identify and resolve issues.
  • Users report that Splunk APM's automation capabilities are top-notch, streamlining incident resolution processes, whereas reviewers mention that ServiceNow Cloud Observability's proactive identification features are beneficial for anticipating issues, though they may require more manual setup.
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
Community
Free
Get started quickly
Browse all 3 pricing plans
Splunk APM
No pricing available
Free Trial
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
Free Trial is available
Splunk APM
No trial information available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
9.0
14
8.9
20
Ease of Use
9.2
14
8.6
20
Ease of Setup
Not enough data
8.3
6
Ease of Admin
Not enough data
8.3
6
Quality of Support
9.6
14
9.2
19
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
Not enough data
9.3
5
Product Direction (% positive)
7.9
11
9.4
19
Features by Category
Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM)Hide 17 FeaturesShow 17 Features
Not enough data
Not enough data
Experience
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM)
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Management
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Performance
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Functionality
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Database Monitoring
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Cloud Infrastructure MonitoringHide 20 FeaturesShow 20 Features
Not enough data
Not enough data
Monitoring
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Administration
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Analysis
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Cloud Infrastructure Monitoring
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
AI Automation - Cloud Infrastructure Monitoring
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Functionality
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Issue Resolution
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Management
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Generative AI
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Agentic AI - AIOps Platforms
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
9.0
7
Not enough data
Visibility
9.5
7
Not enough data
7.9
7
Not enough data
9.3
7
Not enough data
Monitoring and Management
9.8
7
Not enough data
9.0
7
Not enough data
8.8
7
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Log Monitoring
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Functionality
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Management
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Enterprise Monitoring
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Application Performance Monitoring (APM)Hide 19 FeaturesShow 19 Features
8.4
5
Not enough data
Monitoring
8.3
5
Not enough data
8.7
5
Not enough data
8.0
5
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Response
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
8.7
5
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Application Performance Monitoring (APM)
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Performance
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Functionality
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Alerts management
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Monitoring
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Automation
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Analysis
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Issue Resolution
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Observability SoftwareHide 20 FeaturesShow 20 Features
Not enough data
Not enough data
Telemetry Collection & Ingestion - Observability
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Observability Software
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Visualization & Dashboards - Observability
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Correlation & Root Cause Analysis - Observability
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Scalability & Ecosystem Integration - Observability
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
AI Features - Observability
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
Splunk APM
Splunk APM
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep) and Splunk APM are categorized as Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Cloud Infrastructure Monitoring
Unique Categories
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep) is categorized as Container Monitoring, Log Monitoring, Enterprise Monitoring, Database Monitoring, and Observability Software
Splunk APM
Splunk APM is categorized as AIOps Platforms and Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM)
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
15.8%
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
36.8%
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
47.4%
Splunk APM
Splunk APM
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
4.3%
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
13.0%
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
82.6%
Reviewers' Industry
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
Computer Software
47.4%
Information Technology and Services
10.5%
Financial Services
10.5%
Computer Games
10.5%
Telecommunications
5.3%
Other
15.8%
Splunk APM
Splunk APM
Information Technology and Services
26.1%
Financial Services
26.1%
Computer Software
21.7%
Telecommunications
8.7%
Mechanical or Industrial Engineering
4.3%
Other
13.0%
Most Helpful Reviews
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
Most Helpful Favorable Review
RC
Ryan C.
Verified User in Financial Services

They open source their libraries and which made it easy to identify a performance issue, submit a PR, and get an updated library with a quick turn around.

Most Helpful Critical Review
Verified User
G
Verified User in Computer Software

I have found it pretty difficult fo find metrics that I want. I haven't found the search tools that helpful. I don't find it very intuitive to find traces for specific endpoints.

Splunk APM
Splunk APM
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Adam B.
AB
Adam B.
Verified User in Computer Software

Searching your logs is made simple with Splunk. Learn the syntax and go searching for clues to any problems you're setup to record for.

Most Helpful Critical Review
Verified User in Telecommunications
GT
Verified User in Telecommunications

Does not work effectively for small amounts of data. Data needs to be quite big and wide range

Alternatives
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep) Alternatives
Datadog
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Dynatrace
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IBM Instana
IBM Instana
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New Relic
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Splunk APM
Splunk APM Alternatives
Dynatrace
Dynatrace
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IBM Instana
IBM Instana
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Datadog
Datadog
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New Relic
New Relic
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Discussions
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep)
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep) Discussions
Monty the Mongoose crying
ServiceNow Cloud Observability (formerly LightStep) has no discussions with answers
Splunk APM
Splunk APM Discussions
Monty the Mongoose crying
Splunk APM has no discussions with answers