Paessler PRTG Network Monitor vs SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor

Paessler PRTG Network Monitor9.0Visit SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor8.9Visit

Higher score Paessler PRTG Network Monitor #4 in Network Monitoring 9.0/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Paessler PRTG

vs

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor #5 in Network Monitoring 8.9/10 Pricing on request · 30-day trial Free trial✓ 3 of 3 features Visit SolarWinds

• Paessler PRTG Network Monitor fits best

  Teams wanting sensor-rich network monitoring

• SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor fits best

  Established self-hosted enterprise monitoring

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Side by side

Feature	Paessler PRTG Network Monitor 9.0/10 Visit ↗	SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.9
Ranking	#4 in Network Monitoring	#5 in Network Monitoring
Best for	Teams wanting sensor-rich network monitoring	Established self-hosted enterprise monitoring
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$200/mo	Pricing on request · 30-day trial
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	30 days	30 days
Free trial length	30 days	30 days
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, iOS, Android	Web
Support	Email, Tickets, Docs	Tickets, Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Paessler PRTG Network Monitor 3/3 · SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor 3/3
Synthetic checks	✓	✓
Traffic monitoring	✓	✓
Topology maps	✓	✓
Specs
Device limit	50 devices	100 devices (best)
Alert channels	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Deployment	Self_hosted	Self_hosted
Our review
Pros	More than 250 preconfigured sensor types and custom sensor options Maps, discovery, traffic analysis, reports, probes, and broad alerting Freeware Edition supports up to 100 sensors with no stated time limit	Tracks availability, packet loss, bandwidth, and hardware health Combines topology maps, NetPath, and PerfStack correlation Adds wireless, syslog, SNMP traps, forecasting, and capacity reporting
Cons	Paid plans start at $200 per month when billed annually Sensor usage can make device capacity vary by deployment Runs on Windows servers rather than as a hosted deployment	Starts at $2,829 Has no free plan Self-hosted deployment limits platform coverage
Our verdict	Paessler PRTG Network Monitor is proprietary, self-hosted infrastructure monitoring software for small, medium-sized, and larger IT environments. It is designed for teams monitoring network devices, servers, applications, virtual… Read the review →	SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor is paid network monitoring software for IT teams managing multi-vendor environments. It discovers routers, switches, firewalls, wireless controllers, access points, and other network devices, then… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Paessler PRTG Network Monitor — where it wins

  • More than 250 preconfigured sensor types and custom sensor options
  • Maps, discovery, traffic analysis, reports, probes, and broad alerting
  • Freeware Edition supports up to 100 sensors with no stated time limit

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid plans start at $200 per month when billed annually
  • Sensor usage can make device capacity vary by deployment
  • Runs on Windows servers rather than as a hosted deployment

• SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor — where it wins

  • Tracks availability, packet loss, bandwidth, and hardware health
  • Combines topology maps, NetPath, and PerfStack correlation
  • Adds wireless, syslog, SNMP traps, forecasting, and capacity reporting

  Where it doesn't

  • Starts at $2,829
  • Has no free plan
  • Self-hosted deployment limits platform coverage

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

  A sensor-rich, self-hosted monitor with broad coverage and a useful free edition.

  Visit Paessler PRTGFull verdict →
• SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor8.9/10 · Pricing on request · 30-day trial

  A mature self-hosted monitor with deep network visibility, but a high entry price.

  Visit SolarWindsFull verdict →