SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper vs Datadog Network Performance Monitoring

SNSolarWinds Network Topology Mapper9.2Visit Datadog Network Performance Monitoring8.9Visit

Higher score SN SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper #1 in Network Topology Mapping Software 9.2/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 2 of 2 features Visit SolarWinds

vs

Datadog Network Performance Monitoring #3 in Network Topology Mapping Software 8.9/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Datadog

• SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper fits best

  Established teams needing dedicated topology mapping

• Datadog Network Performance Monitoring fits best

  Teams pairing topology with cloud network monitoring

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Side by side

Feature	SNSolarWinds Network Topology Mapper 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Datadog Network Performance Monitoring 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.9
Ranking	#1 in Network Topology Mapping Software	#3 in Network Topology Mapping Software
Best for	Established teams needing dedicated topology mapping	Teams pairing topology with cloud network monitoring
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	—	$5/device/mo
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	14 days	14 days
Free trial length	14 days · no card needed	14 days · no card needed
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Support	Tickets, Docs, Community · 24/7	Email, Live chat, Community, Docs
Compliance	HIPAA, PCI DSS	SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS
Integrations	2 integrations	1,000+ integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper 2/2 · Datadog Network Performance Monitoring 2/2
Automated discovery	✓	✓
Dependency mapping	✓	✓
Specs
Topology views	Mixed	Mixed
Deployment	On-premises	Hybrid
Device limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Network data sources	SNMP, WMI, LLDP, Cisco Discovery Protocol, VMware Management, ICMP ping, VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V	Datadog Agent, SNMP metrics, SNMP traps, APIs, NetFlow, syslogs, eBPF
Our review
Pros	Automates device discovery and scheduled topology-change detection Maps Layer 2 and Layer 3 views with dependency relationships Exports diagrams to Visio, PDF, PNG, and Orion Network Atlas	Maps device topology and hop-by-hop network paths Combines NetFlow, SNMP, syslog, and device monitoring Correlates traffic across applications, infrastructure, and devices
Cons	Requires a self-hosted installation on a dedicated server Paid license starts at $1,977 Focused on topology documentation rather than broader network management	The $5 annual price requires Infrastructure Pro or Enterprise coverage No free plan; the product is paid after a 14-day trial Its broad monitoring focus may not suit topology-only teams
Our verdict	SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper is a self-hosted application for IT teams documenting LAN and WAN environments. It discovers network devices and connections, then creates logical and multilevel topology diagrams. Established teams that… Read the review →	Datadog Network Performance Monitoring brings network topology views, device discovery, path visualization, and performance monitoring into Datadog’s broader monitoring environment. It is aimed at engineering, IT operations, and enterprise… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper — where it wins

  • Automates device discovery and scheduled topology-change detection
  • Maps Layer 2 and Layer 3 views with dependency relationships
  • Exports diagrams to Visio, PDF, PNG, and Orion Network Atlas

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a self-hosted installation on a dedicated server
  • Paid license starts at $1,977
  • Focused on topology documentation rather than broader network management

• Datadog Network Performance Monitoring — where it wins

  • Maps device topology and hop-by-hop network paths
  • Combines NetFlow, SNMP, syslog, and device monitoring
  • Correlates traffic across applications, infrastructure, and devices

  Where it doesn't

  • The $5 annual price requires Infrastructure Pro or Enterprise coverage
  • No free plan; the product is paid after a 14-day trial
  • Its broad monitoring focus may not suit topology-only teams

• SNSolarWinds Network Topology Mapper9.2/10 · 14-day trial

  A dedicated mapper for teams that need automated discovery, change detection, and exportable diagrams.

  Visit SolarWindsFull verdict →
• Datadog Network Performance Monitoring8.9/10 · 14-day trial

  Pairs topology and path views with traffic monitoring and application correlation.

  Visit DatadogFull verdict →