In the last few years, networking monitoring tools are in a state of constant growth. Today we have the best network monitor tools with the quality for Windows and Linux OS. And there is a demand for open-source network monitoring with network scanning, network monitoring and SNMP integration in combined, which is good news for administrators. At present, many network monitoring tools provide a real-time breakdown of your live network.

Network monitoring is a place where you will find many tools. So we have found 10 best network monitoring software for you. Here you will find paid, free, and open-source software for Windows, Mac, and Linux OS.

In this article, we’ve prepared a list of best network monitoring software on the market. Every tool listed here is suitable for the business environment. We have paid attention to various features and key differentiators like real-time network monitoring, notifications, alerts, visualization, custom configurations, and topology mapping.

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10 Best Network Monitoring Software [Comparision] 2020 Comparison

SolarWinds network monitoring software is the first name of our list. It is a top range software that tracks all of your network elements via the SNMP-Simple Network Management Protocol and a centralized dashboard. Whether you are running a wired or wireless network, you can use this network to find the signs of poor performance.

It is easy and effortless to use. SolarWinds gives you a diverse range of visual elements like maps, pie charts, and warnings for the network performance. For example, it highlights all the network element that has problems of Nodes with window. Or the Application Health Overview shows you the health of the overall section across your whole network.

The auto-discovery feature manually locates the devices on your network and outlines them to your system. So it saves the time that you spend on manually linking the network devices to the central device.

The comprehensive but straightforward design of SolarWinds is one of the plus points that makes it the best network monitor software. However, it has much more to offer like create customized alerts for network fault. Even you can allocate the alert to a specific person of the group with this software. It is useful in circumstances where you want to transfer the task to the team member. The reason why it is top in our list is it is a perfect blend of handiness and network monitoring. Another two stands out feature are auto-discovery feature and high-level visualization. It is available from $2,895 upwards. To check it out the software, it gives you a 30-day free trial.

Paessler PRTGPRTG Network Monitor is another network management tool that gives you excellent monitoring features. PRTG uses Simple Network Management Protocol, packet sniffing, and Windows Management Instrumentation to monitor network devices.

However, it is simple to use. It also has its auto-discovery feature which works as a network mapper and identifies network elements without configuring them manually. It also reduces manual labor. Once you start using it from a pc or mobile, it starts monitoring your network via the PRTG app.

One of the first things that you notice is it is difficult to maintain the record; it is not clear. But it gives you sufficient information it has enough depth to give you a clear picture if you continue beyond the initial clunkiness and familiar with it.

PRTG maps offer visual offerings. And maps are used in many ways. The simplest way to create the map is to create a map and denote each device on your network. However, you can customize it and set it to show the most critical sensor of the network. You can also set automatic map rotation, and you can change the map view from 10 seconds to 10 minutes.

Though to use it, you have to get used to it, but it is perfect for the one who is new to network monitoring. With the learning curve, the additional features like auto-discovery, alerts, and visual displays make it better to use. It has some pricing options according to use. It can works on up to 100 monitors to the XL5 package for $1,400. The XL1 package gives you the best value for money by providing unlimited sensors for $13,436. It also provides you a trial version, and it remains free up to 100 Sensors.

#3. ManageEngine OpManager

ManageEngine OpManager is a user-friendly network management solution used by over 1,000,000 IT Admins worldwide. With real-time monitoring, customizable dashboards for a network with servers, routers, switches, ports, WLCs, firewalls, LANs, and IPs. With the rule-based discovery, custom notification profiles, workflow automation, OpManager ensures your network is up and running 24/7. OpManager monitors VMware, Hyper-V, Xen, and Nutanix server environments. All this and seamless integration with other tools makes OpManager a single stop shop for network monitoring.

The greatest asset of OpManager is a visualization by which you can get a view, graphs, dials, charts, and color-coded availability via the dashboard. You can also create custom reports. The heart of OpManager’s functionality is customization. User-configurable notifications are part of this comprehensive design.

The scalability of this best network monitoring tool is such that it is suitable for any organization from small to large enterprises. For 10 devices the price is $245 for the essential edition, and for 250 devices the price is $11,545 for the enterprise edition. A free version for three devices, two users, with basic monitoring functionality is also available. You may check for a price quote.

Zabbix is open-source software that comes in action once you launch it. As you launch the GUI, you can see the user-friendly design of the software. You can access almost all web browsers like Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Google Chrome.

It works well on customization. The user configuration can send through email or SMS. Throughout your network, you can run scripts from the device or remotely. It is useful particularly when you need quick action like performance issues.

Zabbix uses SNMP and IMPI in combination to control your network. You can use it to look at the network bandwidth, network health, device utilization by memory or CPU, and configuration changes.

You will receive a message in the message window if there is any network issue with all of the detail. It is one of the network management tools which has an extensive range of templates to monitor devices. It has templates of companies like Intel, Dell, Netgear, Cisco, Huawei, and Nokia Networks devices. And all of the templates come with triggers, the scenario of the vendor device, default applications, and graphs.

Overall Zabbix is the best network monitoring software for medium to large businesses. It is available for free and accessed as a web interface. One can also download it for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Linux, CentOS, Oracle, Ubuntu, and Debian.

Nagios XI, a network monitoring software tool that is known for its wide demographic data. Those who want a low maintenance solution, it is best for them. It uses a web-based user interface which makes it more accessible. Configuration wizards set up your monitoring network as well as manage your service quickly.

The visualization of the software is extensive, including graphs and pie charts displaying network performance. It also has the capacity for planning graphs. With these graphs, you can plan your IT infrastructure for the future with long-term uptime and as per your needs.

multi-tenant access is a unique feature provided by Nagios XI. It let multi-user access to sections network infrastructure and let the user see authorized devices. It is useful in large organizations where there are many staff members, and each has a different duty to handle. It operates on Redhat Enterprise Linux or CentOS. You will get the standard edition for $1,995 and the enterprise edition for $3,495. The free version is also available to monitoring seven nodes.

Icinga is another relatively well-known network monitoring software product. It uses direct monitoring and SNMP to gather all usage data from each device that is active on a system. The major processes conducted through the REST API. The entire user interface secured with SSL. It gives the power to the user to update their configurations and view information about existing problems. Many large companies use this product like Audi, Adobe, and Vodafone.

Icinga’s user interface is relatively clean. It is plugins that make a stand out Icinga. It provides you with many plugins that conduct various monitoring tasks. Even for Windows and Linux, they have unique plugins. You can also build your plugin also from scratch.

The alert system of the software notifies the user via SMS or test so that you can reach to your environment even though you are not monitoring t directly. Icinga can segment the alerts and send them to a specific user only. In short, this network performance monitoring tools have all the specific and special feature that a company needed for monitoring its network. It is free. And if you the REST API complex, then there are abundant manuals available to help you.

Spiceworks has developed its name b self as it is the best network management software available today. It monitors and gives real-time data of your network through SNMP. Even if you are a new user, then also you will find installation easy, but it takes your time as it is the initial process of setting up. Once you are done with the setup, you will have a shortcut for the web GUI.

The network maintains a user-friendly design; there is the main dashboard which can be customized. Network Monitor supports color-coded graphs to display the data in an understandable form. From your home screen, you can monitor all your main device.

User configured alerts are another feature where the user can set alert parameters to notify by email or SMS. One can also set the individual alert, but it is said that custom alerts are not advisable as it has higher chances of error. It has an advertisement which is the main limitation of it.

It is the first choice for organizations of all sizes. It supports all versions of Windows. What you need is the download the software on your device.

Advanced IP Scanner has about 30 million users worldwide, and the number of users is enough to say that it is one of the top network management software. It uses LAN environments and lets you monitor your network. Many other features like the ability to switch computers on and off remotely, Mac address detection, etc. that make this software popular.

Advanced IP Scanner is swift and lightweight. Within the user-defined range, it scans all IP addresses. Network devices identified automatically, and you can find they are active or not. You save the favorite devices and look them in privacy. Thus IP Scanner is suitable for all companies.

It is easy to use and if you don’t want to define the Ip range, then don’t do it. What you have to do is click on the scan option and the program will start scanning the device of your network and report you. To get more information, right-click on the device.

The major limitation of the Advanced IP Scanners is the user interface. Though it is easy to use yet, it does not have a modern GUI. You can’t create graphs or other visuals, but you can export the scan documents in CSV format.

At last with the limitations, Advanced IP Scanner can work with high-level enterprise environments. And it is entirely free to use.

Logic Monitor is an excellent top network monitoring tools, and once you start using it, you can feel it. It automatically discovers devices on your network and collects the information about it. Ease of use is another great thing about the software. There are approx. 1000 Logic Modules that automate monitoring and alerts and help the user. Ou can monitor AWS, Azure, apps, servers, and websites from one interface.

Logic Monitor has a lot to offer regarding visualization. You can transfer the data network and display it into color-coded graphs. By one graph, you can view multiple devices. Overall infrastructure, performance, and health display on the main dashboard.

One interesting feature is built-in forecasting like in the left bottom of the image above; you can see the graphs that show you disk usage forecasting. It shows you how much disk can expect the usage in the future.

For Logic Monitor, there are pricing options also available and named as Starter, Pro, and an Enterprise. Starter version includes alerting, dashboards, and reporting with a data retention period of three months, alert history storage of three months and ten services of web service checks. The Enterprise version has all the above features for two years and a service check for 300 services with 24×7 support. For the license version, you have to request a quote. It provides you with a free trial of 14-days.

Over the past few years, EventSentry gaining attraction. Regarding action, it is limited to Windows devices. It takes approximately 30 minutes to set up and run. To run it, you don’t have to complete the configuration, and it does not make it inconvenient. The new version lets the user measure bandwidth utilization and view NetFlow data. It easily identifies the connection and its health.

All of your network data converted to charts and graphs by visual displays and a geographical location, you can map network traffic also. All these graphs and displays identify the live network activity from a snapshot instead of the navigation tree.

For the larger enterprises, it supports scheduled reporting. After generating the report, it automatically sends emails to key users. It means once the network finds an error, you can send the report to your team member immediately so that they can help to find a solution.

EventSentry also has pricing options for NetFlow Licenses, full licenses to Network Device Licenses. Pricing of Full license is $85 per year, per Windows device, for 100 licenses $4698 and 1000 devices $28998. It also provides a 30-day free trial.

Conclusion:

It is all about network monitoring software comparison. We hope you find it useful and informative. So before you pick any of the software, try a trial version and choose accordingly. Thank you for reading and stay connected with Top IT Software.

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Which is Best Network Monitoring Software? SolarWinds

Paessler PRTG Network Monitor

ManageEngine OpManager

Zabbix

Nagios XI

Icinga

Spiceworks Network Monitor

Advanced IP Scanner

Logic Monitor

EventSentry View Results