Network management with PRTG
Professionally manage your network and test for free
- Monitor your systems, hardware, applications, and your entire network
- Receive custom alerts and notifications in the event of errors and malfunctions
- Get 100 sensors free for life, all functionality included, no strings attached
Our users give top ratings for monitoring with Paessler PRTG
PRTG network management: What you’ll find on this page
Free network management software PRTG – at your fingertips
If you’re looking for free network monitoring tools but don’t want to limit yourself with regards to the feature set, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor has you covered.
Its free edition comes with 100 sensors free for life. Apart from NetFlow sensors, which are only available in the commercial editions, the free version offers the full functionality (server monitoring, application monitoring, performance test tools, VMware monitoring, VoIP monitoring, and much more).
Need more than 100 sensors to monitor a larger IT infrastructure? No problem. PRTG is easily scalable – see our commercial licenses and pricing here.
And if you’re still unsure, we throw in a fully-featured, 30-day trial with an unlimited number of sensors so that you can try out everything. No strings attached.
PRTG makes network management as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent network outages and downtime.
What can I monitor with PRTG network management software?
Our all-in-one network monitoring software helps you monitor, maintain and provision your computer networks. It offers comprehensive performance and fault management for networks and servers and monitors networks for technical problems caused by overloaded servers, crashed connections, or users.
Bandwidth monitoring & management
With PRTG, you can easily break down the bandwidth utilization of your devices by different parameters, such as IP address, port number, or protocol. Immediately identify bandwidth bottlenecks and the applications, servers, and users that are using up your bandwidth.
Network availability monitoring
Continuously check whether your servers, websites, and other endpoints are available and reachable using Ping. By knowing your systems' uptimes and downtimes, you can immediately detect faults or system slowdowns, which also helps MSPs meet their Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Network performance monitoring
Monitor network speed, CPU load, memory usage, website loading times, response time, round-trip times (RTT), and many other parameters that influence the performance of your infrastructure and, ultimately, business processes. Use PRTG to make sure that your network stays stable and reliable.
What network management looks like in PRTG
Diagnose network issues by continuously tracking the status and performance of your network using SNMP, WMI, SSH, packet sniffing, flow protocols, and other technologies. Show uptime, disk health, CPU usage, and other key metrics in real time. Visualize monitoring data in clear graphs and dashboards to identify problems more easily. Gain the overview you need to troubleshoot your on-premises, cloud, and virtual infrastructure.
Device tree view of the complete monitoring setup
Custom PRTG dashboard for keeping an eye on the entire IT infrastructure
Comprehensive list of alarms for at-a-glance troubleshooting
Start managing your network with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
“All-around winning “The real beauty of PRTG is the endless possibilities it offers” “PRTG Network MonitorIT experts agree: Paessler PRTG is a great solution for IT infrastructure monitoring
network monitor”
is very hard to beat”
4 reasons why to choose PRTG as your network management software
Protect your network from damage
Use PRTG’s network management tools to help guard against faults and system errors so end users and customers can access information quickly and seamlessly.
Check the availability and performance of servers, workstations, databases, firewalls, and other endpoints, and analyze bandwidth usage and network traffic in detail. By having reliable data about the health, performance, and usage of your network, you can effectively manage and optimize it.
Receive real-time alerts and notifications
PRTG network management software sends you an instant alert that helps you troubleshoot network issues if one of your devices does not respond, an unusual event is registered, or a set threshold is crossed.
Define your individual error limits, configure notification triggers, choose from various notification channels such as SMS, email, push, syslog message, and many more – and let PRTG do the rest for you.
Save time with automated actions
No time to or no idea how to get started with your network management system? No problem. PRTG comes with a powerful Auto-Discovery feature that automatically detects devices in your network and lists them in a comprehensive device tree overview.
What’s more: You can configure PRTG to take a certain action in case of an alarm, for example restart Windows services or execute an external script. This way, network management can take care of many frequent network problems without any intervention from your side.
Get comprehensive network overviews
As a sysadmin, it’s no great news for you that network management doesn’t work without an overview of all network devices. PRTG lets you easily create structured network topology maps as well as custom dashboards via drag and drop.
Or generate comprehensive reports from PRTG’s wealth of historical data, including activity diagrams and charts that show all network usage parameters over time – for enhanced network optimization and future capacity planning.
Your network manager at a glance – even on the go
Set up PRTG in minutes and use it on almost any mobile device.
Find the root cause of the problem with our PRTG network monitoring solution
Real-time notifications mean faster troubleshooting so that you can act before more serious issues occur.
PRTG is compatible with all major vendors, products, and systems
Create innovative solutions with Paessler’s partners
Partnering with innovative vendors, Paessler unleashes synergies to create
new and additional benefits for joined customers.
UVnetworks
UVexplorer integrates tightly with PRTG to bring fast and accurate network discovery, detailed device inventory, and automatic network mapping to the PRTG platform.
“Excellent tool for detailed monitoring. Alarms and notifications work greatly. Equipment addition is straight forward and server initial setup is very easy. ...feel safe to purchase it if you intend to monitor a large networking landscape.”
Infrastructure and Operations Engineer in the Communications Industry, firm size 10B - 30B USD
PRTG makes network management as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent network outages and downtime.
Manage your network: FAQ
What is network management?
Network management is the process of administering, managing, and operating a data network using various tools, technologies, and procedures. It involves a wide range of tasks aimed at ensuring that the network runs efficiently, securely, and reliably. Key aspects of network management include:
- Network monitoring: Continuous observation of the network to track performance, detect issues, and gather data on traffic, usage, and errors. Protocols like SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) are often used to monitor network devices such as routers, switches, and servers.
- Fault management: Detecting, isolating, and resolving network problems to minimize downtime and ensure smooth operation. This includes identifying network failures or malfunctions and taking corrective actions.
- Configuration management: Managing the configuration of network devices and systems, including updates, changes, and documentation. This ensures that the network operates according to the organization's policies and that configurations are standardized across devices.
- Performance management: Analyzing and optimizing the performance of the network to meet the required quality of service (QoS) levels. This involves managing bandwidth, latency, throughput, and ensuring that the network can handle the required load.
- Security management: Implementing and enforcing security policies to protect the network from unauthorized access, cyberattacks, and other security threats. This includes managing firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), encryption, and other security measures.
- Cost management: Tracking the usage of network resources to understand costs and resource allocation. This can include billing for network usage, managing bandwidth quotas, and analyzing usage patterns.
- Network provisioning: The process of configuring network resources to ensure that users and devices have access to the network services they require. This can involve setting up new connections, assigning IP addresses, and configuring VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks).
Why should I use a network management tool?
Using a network management tool like Paessler PRTGG offers several significant benefits that can enhance the efficiency, reliability, and security of your network.
- Improved network visibility: A network management tool provides a comprehensive view of your entire network, including all connected devices, traffic flow, and performance metrics. This visibility helps you understand what's happening in real-time and enables quicker identification of issues.
- Proactive issue detection: Network management tools can monitor the network continuously and alert you to potential problems before they become critical. Early detection of issues, such as unusual traffic patterns or failing devices, allows you to address them proactively, reducing downtime and service disruptions.
- Simplified configuration management: Managing network configurations across multiple devices can be complex and error-prone. Network management tools streamline this process by automating configuration tasks, ensuring consistency, and providing version control to track changes.
- Efficient troubleshooting: When issues arise, network management tools can quickly pinpoint the root cause by analyzing logs, performance data, and device status. This reduces the time required for troubleshooting and allows for faster resolution of problems.
- Scalability: As your network grows, managing it manually becomes increasingly difficult. Network management tools are designed to scale with your network, making it easier to manage larger, more complex environments.
What’s included in the free edition of PRTG?
With our free monitoring tool, you get:
- A freeware monitoring solution for up to 100 sensors for life
- Monitoring of hardware, software, network performance, data traffic included
- Free alarm, reports, and mapping features
With the freeware edition of PRTG, you can get started with network monitoring in a matter of minutes. Our auto-discovery function detects all the devices within a given IP address range and automatically incorporates them into your monitoring environment.
What is the price of the paid version of PRTG? What does it include?
PRTG’s flexible licensing makes it easy to scale up or down as needed. You pay only for the number of sensors you need. After your 30-day free trial of the unlimited version of PRTG, you can still use the free version with 100 free sensors.
What is a sensor in PRTG?
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.
PRTG: The multi-tool for sysadmins
Adapt PRTG individually and dynamically to your needs and rely on a strong API:- HTTP API: Access monitoring data and manipulate monitoring objects via HTTP requests
- Custom sensors: Create your own PRTG sensors for customized monitoring
- Custom notifications: Create your own notifications and send action triggers to external systems
- REST Custom sensor: Monitor almost everything that provides data in XML or JSON format
Paessler conducted trials in over 600 IT departments worldwide to tune its network monitoring software closer to the needs of sysadmins. We asked: would you recommend PRTG?
Over 95% of our customers say yes!
The result of the survey: over 95% of the participants would recommend PRTG – or already have.
Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier. Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network. Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free.Still not convinced?
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Monitor your entire IT infrastructure
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Start managing your network with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
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PRTG |
Network Monitoring Software - Version 24.4.102.1351 (November 12th, 2024) |
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Hosting |
Download for Windows and cloud-based version PRTG Hosted Monitor available |
Languages |
English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese |
Pricing |
Up to 100 sensors for free (Price List) |
Unified Monitoring |
Network devices, bandwidth, servers, applications, virtual environments, remote systems, IoT, and more |
Supported Vendors & Applications |
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