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Head-to-head · Bandwidth Monitoring Software

ElastiFlow vs pmacct

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score ElastiFlow #4 in Bandwidth Monitoring Software 8.8/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 4 features Visit ElastiFlow
pmacct #7 in Bandwidth Monitoring Software 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit pmacct

ElastiFlow leads on 0 checks, pmacct on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreElastiFlow · 8.8/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly ElastiFlow

ElastiFlow scores higher on our rubric for bandwidth monitoring software: 8.8 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #7.

ElastiFlow is the better fit for flow analytics with rich data integrations. pmacct is the better fit for technical teams needing flexible flow accounting.

  • ElastiFlow fits best

    Flow analytics with rich data integrations

  • pmacct fits best

    Technical teams needing flexible flow accounting

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Side by side

Feature ElastiFlow 8.8/10 Visit ↗ pmacct 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.8 8.4
Ranking #4 in Bandwidth Monitoring Software #7 in Bandwidth Monitoring Software
Best for Flow analytics with rich data integrations Technical teams needing flexible flow accounting
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free
Starting price — Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial 30 days —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Linux Linux
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 9 integrations 12 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ElastiFlow 0/4 · pmacct 0/4
Application monitoring Not checked yet Not checked yet
User monitoring Not checked yet Not checked yet
SNMP monitoring Not checked yet Not checked yet
Bandwidth alerts Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Flow protocol support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Monitored device limit Not checked yet Not checked yet
Historical data retention Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Collects NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow with enrichment and normalization
  • Integrates with Elastic, OpenSearch, Kafka, Splunk, and Cribl
  • Adds application, conversation, trend, troubleshooting, and ML analysis
  • Supports NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow, packet capture, BGP, BMP, and telemetry
  • Combines filtering, sampling, tagging, aggregation, and Layer 7 classification
  • Exports to SQL, NoSQL, flat files, Kafka, AMQP, and multiple flow protocols
Cons
  • Basic is limited to 4,000 records per second
  • Basic supports SNMP polling and traps for up to 25 devices
  • 24x7 dedicated support is available only with Enterprise
  • Linux-only, self-hosted deployment limits platform flexibility
  • Broad configuration options require network engineering expertise
  • No commercial tiers for teams seeking packaged vendor support
Our verdict

ElastiFlow is a network observability and traffic-analysis platform for network, security, and DevOps teams. It collects NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow data, then decodes, transforms, normalizes, and enriches flow records with application and…

Read the review →

pmacct is an open-source suite of passive network monitoring and traffic-accounting daemons for network operators and engineers. It collects IPv4 and IPv6 traffic through packet captures, NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow, NFLOG, BGP, BMP, and…

Read the review →
  1. ElastiFlowBandwidth Monitoring Software 8.8Free plan · 30-day trial
  2. pmacctBandwidth Monitoring Software 8.4Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • ElastiFlow — where it wins

    • Collects NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow with enrichment and normalization
    • Integrates with Elastic, OpenSearch, Kafka, Splunk, and Cribl
    • Adds application, conversation, trend, troubleshooting, and ML analysis

    Where it doesn't

    • Basic is limited to 4,000 records per second
    • Basic supports SNMP polling and traps for up to 25 devices
    • 24x7 dedicated support is available only with Enterprise

  • pmacct — where it wins

    • Supports NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow, packet capture, BGP, BMP, and telemetry
    • Combines filtering, sampling, tagging, aggregation, and Layer 7 classification
    • Exports to SQL, NoSQL, flat files, Kafka, AMQP, and multiple flow protocols

    Where it doesn't

    • Linux-only, self-hosted deployment limits platform flexibility
    • Broad configuration options require network engineering expertise
    • No commercial tiers for teams seeking packaged vendor support
  • ElastiFlow8.8/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

    A data-rich flow analytics platform for hybrid network, security, and DevOps teams.

    Visit ElastiFlowFull verdict →
  • pmacct8.4/10 · Free plan

    A flexible, self-hosted toolkit for flow collection, packet accounting, and network-data export.

    Visit pmacctFull verdict →

More comparisons

All bandwidth monitoring software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update