Paessler PRTG Network Monitor vs Cisco ThousandEyes

Paessler PRTG Network Monitor9.0Visit Cisco ThousandEyes8.6Visit

Higher score Paessler PRTG Network Monitor #4 in Network Performance Monitoring Software 9.0/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Paessler PRTG

vs

Cisco ThousandEyes #8 in Network Performance Monitoring Software 8.6/10 Pricing on request · 15-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 4 features Visit ThousandEyes

• Paessler PRTG Network Monitor fits best

  Windows-based teams needing rich network monitoring

• Cisco ThousandEyes fits best

  Global network and application experience monitoring

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Side by side

Feature	Paessler PRTG Network Monitor 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Cisco ThousandEyes 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.6
Ranking	#4 in Network Performance Monitoring Software	#8 in Network Performance Monitoring Software
Best for	Windows-based teams needing rich network monitoring	Global network and application experience monitoring
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$200/mo	Pricing on request · 15-day trial
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	30 days	15 days
Free trial length	30 days	15 days
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted, Browser extension, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web, Windows, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, Android
Support	Email, Tickets, Docs	Email, Live chat, Phone, Docs, Community · 24/7
Integrations	6 integrations	8 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Paessler PRTG Network Monitor 0/4 · Cisco ThousandEyes 0/4
Packet loss monitoring	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Jitter monitoring	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Path visualization	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Synthetic network tests	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Monitored devices	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Deployment	Not checked yet	Hybrid
Data retention	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Freeware Edition supports up to 100 sensors with no stated time limit Monitors network traffic, devices, servers, applications, and cloud services Includes discovery, dashboards, reports, alerts, maps, and distributed probes	Combines synthetic tests, path views, DNS, BGP, SNMP, and traffic analysis. Maps network topology and monitors performance from global vantage points. Connects with Webex, Teams, PagerDuty, ServiceNow, Splunk, and Slack.
Cons	Sensor-based licensing requires careful planning as environments grow Self-hosted deployment requires Windows server infrastructure Synthetic checks are not included	No free plan is available. Pricing requires contacting sales for an annual subscription. Its broad feature set may exceed basic uptime monitoring needs.
Our verdict	Paessler PRTG Network Monitor is proprietary, self-hosted infrastructure monitoring software for small, medium-sized, and larger IT environments. It runs on Windows servers and covers network devices, servers, applications, virtual… Read the review →	Cisco ThousandEyes monitors network, application, Internet, cloud, and end-user performance for enterprise network, operations, and IT teams. The platform combines Cloud Agents, customer-managed Enterprise Agents, and Endpoint Agents with… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Paessler PRTG Network Monitor — where it wins

  • Freeware Edition supports up to 100 sensors with no stated time limit
  • Monitors network traffic, devices, servers, applications, and cloud services
  • Includes discovery, dashboards, reports, alerts, maps, and distributed probes

  Where it doesn't

  • Sensor-based licensing requires careful planning as environments grow
  • Self-hosted deployment requires Windows server infrastructure
  • Synthetic checks are not included

• Cisco ThousandEyes — where it wins

  • Combines synthetic tests, path views, DNS, BGP, SNMP, and traffic analysis.
  • Maps network topology and monitors performance from global vantage points.
  • Connects with Webex, Teams, PagerDuty, ServiceNow, Splunk, and Slack.

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan is available.
  • Pricing requires contacting sales for an annual subscription.
  • Its broad feature set may exceed basic uptime monitoring needs.

• Paessler PRTG Network Monitor9.0/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A broad Windows-based monitor with a useful free edition and sensor-based pricing.

  Visit Paessler PRTGFull verdict →
• Cisco ThousandEyes8.6/10 · Pricing on request · 15-day trial

  Broad visibility for teams monitoring networks, applications, cloud services, and Internet paths.

  Visit ThousandEyesFull verdict →