Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent all kinds of network issues.
Paessler PRTG makes IT monitoring easier. You think this is a bold statement, then think about the following: Almost all of the open-source alternatives such as Nagios, Zabbix, or Prometheus require you to have extensive Linux expertise. PRTG on the other hand is quick and easy to set up, and you can start monitoring your network devices, servers, and applications without going through pages and pages of technical documentary.
While open source monitoring solutions like Icinga are flexible, they are complex and need ongoing maintenance to really shine. PRTG on the other hand is an all-in-one package with all its features and sensors ready to use. Say goodbye to the need to search for plugins or struggle with complex configurations. This saves time during setup and in the months and years to come.
IT monitoring doesn’t have to be complicated. While open-source tools like Icinga or LibreNMS can be a complex challenge for your IT teams, PRTG is easy to use, effective and values your time.
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.
Live traffic data graph in PRTG
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
Device tree view of the complete monitoring setup
FEATURE | PRTG PRTG | Open Source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) Open source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) |
---|---|---|
Ease of use | PRTG User-friendly interface & quick setup | Open Source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) Often requires more configuration and expertise |
Cost | PRTG Commercial with free version (up to 100 sensors) | Open Source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) Free, but may have hidden costs for support or additional features |
Support | PRTG Professional support included | Open Source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) Community support, professional support only with extra costs |
Customization | PRTG Limited to built-in features and scripts | Open Source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) Highly customizable with plugins and scripts |
Scalability | PRTG Highly scalable through different licenses | Open Source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) Highly scalable |
Alerting and notifications | PRTG Advanced and customizable alerts | Open Source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) Varies from product to product, but generally at least solid alert systems |
Integration | PRTG Usable in almost any environment and with many third-party tools | Open Source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) Extensive integration options, but only with manual setup and configuration |
Reporting | PRTG Comprehensive built-in reports | Open Source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) Varies, but mostly with additional plugins and setup |
Dashboard | PRTG Intuitive and customizable dashboard | Open Source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) Varies from software to software |
Device support | PRTG Supports a wide range of devices | Open Source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) Supports a lot of different devices, but requires additional configuration |
Maintenance | PRTG Regular updates and maintenance | Open Source alternatives (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK, ...) Often community-driven updates, which can vary in frequency |
PRTG is an user-friendly network monitoring software with an easy-to-understand user interface and straightforward installation. The auto-discovery feature maps your network automatically, enabling quick deployment on Windows and Linux.
This is different with open-source alternatives like Nagios or Icinga, which often demand extensive setup and API customization, slowing down your monitoring implementation and increasing the learning curve.
PRTG monitors your entire IT infrastructure monitoring with technologies like SNMP, NetFlow, or WMI. Whether you want to track your network performance, bandwidth, and internet traffic, monitor server resources and business applications, or oversee routers, switches, firewalls, and cloud services: you will find the right tool for your use case.
PRTG provides you with customizable dashboards and integrated reporting. No more need for you to download, install and configure a bunch of additional tools and plugins to achieve the same thing with an open-source alternative.
The different sensor states are easy to understand thanks to their color-coded statuses and make it easy to identify and resolve network issues. It never was easier to create graphs and reports for bandwidth usage, network performance, and more.
While open-source communities can indeed be helpful, they often lack timely, direct support if your are having a critical issues. Paessler offers a dedicated customer support and an extensive knowledge base additional to the technical documentation.
This kind of professional assistance is crucial, especially for larger teams and businesses that need guidance on more complex monitoring configurations or want to troubleshoot network issues.
You are interested to know if PRTG could be an alternative to your open-source implementation?
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent all kinds of network issues.
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.
Checkmk is a comprehensive network monitoring tool, but it uses open-source add-ons for some functions. This means additional work in setting up, operating, and maintaining the monitoring systems.
Icinga is an open-source monitoring tool offering flexibility but requiring advanced technical knowledge. Its setup and maintenance can be complex, especially for teams lacking dedicated Linux expertise.
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.
Moxa is a leading manufacturer of network devices for industrial environments. Together, MXview and PRTG allow for the monitoring of industrial ethernets.
With the combination of PRTG and Insys, the monitoring specialist Paessler and the industrial gateway manufacturer INSYS icom offer a practical possibility to merge IT and OT.
Paessler is member of the mioty alliance, composed of companies that use mioty to create innovative IoT and IIoT solutions such as the retrofitting of industrial environments.
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 and open source software depends on several factors, such as your specific network monitoring needs, budget, and technical resources available in your organization.
PRTG is ideal:
Open Source might be your choice:
Let's break this down.
Open source solutions (e.g., Nagios, Zabbix, CheckMK):
PRTG:
While open-source solutions are free to download, they often have hidden costs in maintenance or professional consulting due to their complexity. PRTG offers transparent, scalable pricing with a free version for up to 100 sensors, flexible licensing for growth, and all-inclusive pricing with no hidden costs for features.
The main differences are:
Ease of use: PRTG is easier to use and you can finish the setup in a matter of minutes.
Costs: Open-source tools are free to download but may have hidden costs in terms support, consulting, or additional tools needed. PRTG has a clear pricing structure with a free version available.
Customization: Open-source tools often offer more extensive customization options, while PRTG provides a good balance between customization and out-of-the-box functionality.
Support: Using PRTG includes professional support, while open-source tools typically rely on community support.
PRTG provides you with comprehensive monitoring for network devices, servers, applications, and cloud services. Key features include network performance monitoring, server monitoring, application monitoring, infrastructure monitoring, and cloud monitoring.
PRTG is usually more user-friendly. With its simpler setup process compared to many open-source alternatives it also values your time. Open source tools often require significant Linux knowledge and manual configuration, while PRTG provides auto-discovery and intuitive dashboards, reducing the learning curve substantially.
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 open-source implementation?