Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent all kinds of network issues.
Unlike SolarWinds management platform, Paessler PRTG makes it easy to monitor your entire IT infrastructure in a single application – from network, storage systems, cloud applications, virtual systems, databases, and applications, to CCTV systems, industrial environments, and more.
PRTG is your comprehensive, all-in-one monitoring tool for your entire network.
With SolarWinds, you have to choose between individual functions or purchase several modules to access the full range of features. Add-ons for features such as NetFlow or server monitoring can quickly drive up costs and make it difficult to decide upon the right monitoring solution.
PRTG solves all this with its unparalleled set of functionalities, ease of use, intuitive feel, user-friendly interfaces, structured dashboards, customizable alarms, network mapping, and more. This means you can stop juggling separate specialized tools that offer only isolated solutions and cost precious time.
Network monitoring should be quick and easy. Cumbersome and complicated software creates unnecessary work for IT teams. PRTG makes monitoring as user-friendly as possible – in fact, installing, configuring, and using PRTG is way easier than SolarWinds.
Quick installation with automatic network discovery and smart setup for instant monitoring
Custom dashboard creation via drag & drop with easy-to-read visualized overviews
Different user interfaces for web, desktop, and mobile apps for monitoring on the go
Network of qualified implementation partners to support you with a smooth migration to PRTG
Diagnose network issues by continuously tracking the health, availability, and performance of your entire IT infrastructure. Show hardware parameters, application performance, network traffic, bandwidth usage, and other key metrics in real time. Visualize data in clear graphs and dashboards to identify problems more easily. Gain the overview you need to troubleshoot all kinds of issues in your network.
Device tree view of the complete monitoring setup
Custom PRTG dashboard for keeping an eye on the entire IT infrastructure
Live traffic data graph in PRTG
FEATURE | PRTG | SolarWinds SolarWinds |
|---|---|---|
One tool for your entire network | All monitoring features included | SolarWinds Modular approach requiring separate tools for comprehensive monitoring |
Easy setup, intuitive monitoring | User-friendly interfaces for web, desktop, and mobile | SolarWinds Complex setup with detailed configuration needed for full functionality |
Automatic network discover | Included | SolarWinds Manual setup required |
Real-time alerts & notifications | Advanced, highly customizable alerting via different notification methods | SolarWinds Standard alerts only |
Custom maps & dashboards | Custom dashboard creation via drag & drop | SolarWinds Standard customization only |
Agentless monitoring | No need to install agents on the monitored systems | SolarWinds Must be setup manually |
On-premises or cloud-based | Flexible deployment options available | SolarWinds Options available |
Enterprise version | Available | SolarWinds Available |
Freeware version | Available for up to 100 sensors, free for life | SolarWinds No freeware edition available |
Distributed network monitoring | Monitoring an unlimited number of remote locations included | SolarWinds Supported |
Server & application monitoring | Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | SolarWinds Must be setup manually |
Network performance monitoring | Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | SolarWinds Supported |
Bandwidth monitoring | Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | SolarWinds Supported |
Network traffic analyzer | Out-of-the-box integration, no extra costs | SolarWinds Standard metrics only |
Cloud services monitoring | Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | SolarWinds Requires additional configuration |
Virtual infrastructure monitoring | Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | SolarWinds Manual setup required |
Storage resource monitoring | Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | SolarWinds Must be setup manually |
Database monitoring | Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | SolarWinds Supported |
Web performance monitoring | Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | SolarWinds Standard metrics only |
Supports leading technologies | SNMP, flow protocols, packet sniffing, WMI, HTTP, ping, SQL, and much more | SolarWinds SNMP, flow protocols, packet sniffing, WMI, HTTP, ping, SQL, and much more |
Create your own scripts | Own PRTG API included for custom sensors and scripts | SolarWinds API for scripts available |
Includes technical support | Expert support included, no extra costs | SolarWinds Available |
“All-around winning
network monitor”
“The real beauty of PRTG is the endless possibilities it offers”
“PRTG Network Monitor
is very hard to beat”
PRTG requires only one computer to act as a server. SolarWinds can only be used with a SQL server. This results in additional costs, as well as more time spent on the software configuration.
What’s more: PRTG uses its own database, which has been specially designed to meet the demands of network monitoring. Tests have shown that the PRTG database is much faster than SQL.
With PRTG, you can install remote probes (equivalent to "polling engines" at SolarWinds) at any number of sites and then monitor them remotely with your central PRTG installation.
Each license of PRTG includes an unlimited number of remote probes, whereas with SolarWinds products, an additional polling engine costs around $20,000.
Many features of SolarWinds monitoring software are only available at an additional charge. PRTG licenses, however, all include the full monitoring feature set and come with a flexible pricing model.
Simply determine how many endpoints you wish to monitor and the number of sensors you’ll need to do so. You can upgrade your license at any time.
By purchasing a PRTG license, you will get continuous access to the latest product updates, security enhancements, as well as support from our team of technical experts.
If you have a problem or question, our technical support department will respond within one business day. Rest assured that you'll be offered a solution that addresses your particular situation.
You are interested to know if PRTG could be an alternative to your SolarWinds implementation?
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent all kinds of network issues.
“With SolarWinds, Cacti, and SNMPC we needed three different monitoring systems to gain overview about all our systems and devices. None of these offered mobile apps which ended up being the reason why we moved to PRTG. Finding out that PRTG was able to replace all three tools was a huge additional benefit for us and helps us to save a lot of time and money.”
PRTG is set up in a matter of minutes and can be used on a wide variety of mobile devices.
We also compared PRTG with other monitoring tools:
The basic version of the open-source tool Nagios is free of charge. But most users spent many hours to set up and customize the tool. In case of problems, browsing through forums is often the only solution.
Zabbix is open-source software with a strong community support. But it requires lots of manual configuration work to install and set it up. You also need to install agents on the monitored systems.
PRTG and ManageEngine might seem similar at first. However, with ManageEngine, you have to choose between individual functions and purchase several modules to access the full range of features.
WhatsUp Gold might be your choice if you need good network mapping capabilities for networks which aren’t that complex. But to get the full set of monitoring features, you need to invest in costly add-ons.
Real-time notifications mean faster troubleshooting so that you can act before more serious issues occur.
Partnering with innovative IT vendors, Paessler unleashes synergies to create
new and additional benefits for joined customers.
Combining PRTG’s broad monitoring feature set with IP Fabric’s automated network assurance creates a new level of network visibility and reliability.
Rhebo and PRTG offer a comprehensive monitoring solution for IT and OT environments: from condition monitoring through to anomaly and threat detection.
UVexplorer integrates tightly with PRTG to bring fast and accurate network discovery, detailed device inventory, and automatic network mapping to the PRTG platform.
Network Monitoring Software – Version 24.4.102.1351 (November 12th, 2024)
Download for Windows and cloud-based version PRTG Hosted Monitor available
English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese
Network devices, bandwidth, servers, applications, virtual environments, remote systems, IoT, and more
Choose the PRTG Network Monitor subscription that's best for you
Choosing between Paessler PRTG and SolarWinds depends on several factors, such as your specific network monitoring needs, budget, and technical resources available in your organization.
PRTG is ideal:
SolarWinds might be your choice:
With its different approach, PRTG can probably not replace every SolarWinds application or module one-to-one. But there is high feature coverage for a large number of SolarWinds tools like:
There are also many overlaps with other SolarWinds tools, ask us for details. PRTG monitors your entire IT and more in one single application. At a price that will surprise you.
In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive. On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.
Paessler conducted trials in over 600 IT departments worldwide to tune its network monitoring software closer to the needs of sysadmins. The result of the survey: over 95% of the participants would recommend PRTG – or already have.
You are interested to know if PRTG could be an alternative to your SolarWinds implementation?
