ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer vs Cacti

ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer9.2Visit CCacti8.5Visit

Higher score ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer #2 in Bandwidth Monitoring Software 9.2/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 4 features Visit site

vs

C Cacti #6 in Bandwidth Monitoring Software 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Cacti

• ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer fits best

  Enterprise flow and bandwidth monitoring

• Cacti fits best

  Free open-source network monitoring

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer 9.2/10 Visit ↗	CCacti 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.5
Ranking	#2 in Bandwidth Monitoring Software	#6 in Bandwidth Monitoring Software
Best for	Enterprise flow and bandwidth monitoring	Free open-source network monitoring
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	$172/unit usage-based	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	30 days	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, Linux
Support	Email, Tickets, Community, Docs	Docs, Community
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer 0/4 · Cacti 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	Free Edition monitors up to 2 interfaces forever Deep visibility across applications, protocols, conversations, and top talkers Enterprise Edition adds distributed monitoring, security analytics, and capacity planning	Covers SNMP, ICMP, TCP, UDP, graphing, discovery, and alerts Supports distributed collectors, aggregate graphs, and automated onboarding Extends monitoring through plugins, including NetFlow and network mapping
Cons	Free Edition includes limited features Professional and Enterprise tiers are substantially more expensive On-premises deployment may not suit cloud-first teams	Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure and ongoing administration Advanced flow monitoring depends on plugins SMS alerting and network mapping are plugin-based
Our verdict	ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer is flow-based network traffic monitoring software for organizations that need visibility into bandwidth usage, applications, users, interfaces, conversations, and traffic patterns. It supports NetFlow, sFlow,… Read the review →	Cacti is an open-source network monitoring and graphing platform for teams that want to collect and visualize performance data from network devices and other hosts. Built around RRDtool, it supports SNMP, ICMP, TCP, UDP, scripts, and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer — where it wins

  • Free Edition monitors up to 2 interfaces forever
  • Deep visibility across applications, protocols, conversations, and top talkers
  • Enterprise Edition adds distributed monitoring, security analytics, and capacity planning

  Where it doesn't

  • Free Edition includes limited features
  • Professional and Enterprise tiers are substantially more expensive
  • On-premises deployment may not suit cloud-first teams

• Cacti — where it wins

  • Covers SNMP, ICMP, TCP, UDP, graphing, discovery, and alerts
  • Supports distributed collectors, aggregate graphs, and automated onboarding
  • Extends monitoring through plugins, including NetFlow and network mapping

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure and ongoing administration
  • Advanced flow monitoring depends on plugins
  • SMS alerting and network mapping are plugin-based

• ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer9.2/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A broad flow-monitoring suite for enterprise networks, with free and scalable paid editions.

  Visit siteFull verdict →
• CCacti8.5/10 · Free plan

  A broad, self-hosted monitoring suite for teams comfortable managing their own infrastructure.

  Visit CactiFull verdict →