Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

LibreNMS VS ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer

Compare LibreNMS VS ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer and see what are their differences

LibreNMS logo LibreNMS

A fully featured network monitoring system that provides a wealth of features and device support.

ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer logo ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer

Bandwidth management made easy - Get the best combination of network traffic analysis and control
  • LibreNMS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-20
  • ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-09

NetFlow Analyzer is a flow-based bandwidth monitoring and traffic analysis tool that helps you monitor the devices, interfaces, applications, and users in your network. It helps you keep track of the network traffic activity and diagnose and troubleshoot network anomalies and bandwidth hogs in real-time. NetFlow Analyzer supports all major devices and flow types including NetFlow, sFlow, cflow, J-Flow, FNF, IPFIX, NetStream, and Appflow. It collects and analyzes this data to generate detailed reports on network traffic patterns and bandwidth usage trends to offer a holistic view of who or what is using your bandwidth, how much, and when it's being used.

LibreNMS features and specs

  • Open Source
    LibreNMS is open-source software, allowing you to customize, modify, and distribute it freely. This also means it has a community of contributors who help improve and maintain the project.
  • Vendor-Agnostic
    Supports a wide range of network devices and vendors, making it a versatile network monitoring tool capable of managing heterogeneous environments.
  • Scalability
    Designed to scale from small office networks to large data center environments, ensuring it can grow with your network infrastructure needs.
  • Auto Discovery
    Includes automatic network discovery capabilities which help in identifying and adding devices to the monitoring system effortlessly.
  • Extensive Features
    Offers a robust set of features including alerting, graphing, and support for a variety of network protocols (e.g., SNMP, ICMP, BGP).
  • Integration
    Integrates well with other tools and services such as RANCID, Collectd, Nagios, and more, enhancing its capabilities in various IT ecosystem setups.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Provides an intuitive web-based interface that makes it easier for administrators to navigate and use the tool effectively.

Possible disadvantages of LibreNMS

  • Complex Initial Setup
    The initial setup can be complex and time-consuming, especially for users who are not familiar with network monitoring systems.
  • Resource Intensive
    Requires significant server resources (CPU, memory, disk space) as your network grows, which could necessitate infrastructure upgrades.
  • Learning Curve
    Has a steep learning curve for new users, particularly those who are not experienced with network monitoring tools.
  • Documentation
    While there is documentation available, it can sometimes be lacking in detail or out-of-date, making it difficult for users to troubleshoot or fully utilize all features.
  • Community Support
    Relies heavily on community support which can be inconsistent and may not always provide timely solutions for critical issues.
  • Third-Party Dependencies
    Requires several third-party dependencies for full functionality, making the setup process more complicated and sometimes leading to compatibility issues.

ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer features and specs

  • Comprehensive Traffic Analysis
    ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer provides detailed insights into network traffic patterns, helping to identify bottlenecks and optimize bandwidth usage effectively.
  • Real-Time Monitoring
    The software offers real-time network monitoring, enabling quick identification and resolution of network issues as they arise.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    NetFlow Analyzer features an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for network administrators with varying levels of expertise.
  • Extensive Reporting Capabilities
    The tool provides robust reporting options, allowing users to generate detailed reports that help in making informed decisions regarding network management.
  • Integration with Other ManageEngine Products
    Seamless integration with other ManageEngine products such as the OpManager enhances its functionality, providing a comprehensive IT management solution.

Possible disadvantages of ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer

  • Resource Intensive
    NetFlow Analyzer can be resource-intensive, requiring significant system resources, especially in large-scale deployments.
  • Complex Configuration
    Initial setup and configuration can be complex and may require a steep learning curve, particularly for beginners.
  • Cost
    The pricing model may be prohibitive for small businesses or those with limited budgets, as costs can escalate with additional features or upgrades.
  • Limited Vendor Support
    Some users have reported limitations in vendor support, particularly for non-standard network devices, impacting the tool’s versatility.
  • Scalability Issues
    In environments with rapidly scaling network needs, the tool can face challenges in maintaining performance and efficiency.

Analysis of LibreNMS

Overall verdict

  • Yes, LibreNMS is generally considered a good solution for network monitoring, especially for medium to large environments. Its open-source nature also makes it a cost-effective choice compared to some proprietary alternatives, and it offers a great deal of flexibility through its plugins and API.

Why this product is good

  • LibreNMS is a network monitoring tool that is known for its ease of use, extensive documentation, and active community support. It provides automated monitoring and discovery of network devices and supports a wide range of devices and operating systems. Its web-based interface is considered user-friendly and it offers comprehensive graphing and alerting capabilities.

Recommended for

    Network administrators and IT professionals who need an efficient and scalable monitoring solution for a variety of network devices. It's particularly well-suited for those who prefer open-source software and are interested in contributing to or benefitting from community-driven improvements and support.

LibreNMS videos

Network Monitoring - LibreNMS

More videos:

  • Review - NLNOG day 2017 - Neil Lathwood (LibreNMS) - Monitoring Everything
  • Review - [LibreNMS] Explaining alert rules
  • Tutorial - Introduction to LibreNMS and Prime Features - LibreNMS
  • Tutorial - LibreNMS Application -Apache

ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer videos

NetFlow Analyzer Free Training Series Part I - May 2020

More videos:

  • Review - Manageengine Netflow Analyzer

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to LibreNMS and ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer)
Monitoring Tools
84 84%
16% 16
Performance Monitoring
85 85%
15% 15
Log Management
77 77%
23% 23
Network Monitoring
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare LibreNMS and ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer

LibreNMS Reviews

The Best Cacti Monitoring Alternatives
LibreNMS is a fully-fledged network monitoring system supporting various device types and vendors, including Linux, Foundry, Cisco, and many others. As a result, it’s one of the most accessible tools on this list to use straight out of the box. In addition, its autodiscovery features help you spend as little time as possible setting it up.
The Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools in 2023
Description: LibreNMS is an open source network monitoring system that uses several network protocols to observe every device on your network. The LibreNMS API can retrieve, manage, and graph the data it collects and supports horizontal scaling to grow its monitoring capabilities alongside your network. The tool features a flexible alerting system that is tailor-made to...
Top 10 PRTG Alternatives for Monitoring Networks and IT Infrastructure
Observium is similar to LibreNMS (which is a fork of it) and comes in Enterprise, Professional and Community Editions, so you have a free version if you want to try it out. It is more a network centric tool instead of a systems monitoring tool.
10 Best Open Source Monitoring Software for IT Infrastructure
LibreNMS is a fully featured network monitoring system. It is based on PHP/MySQL/SNMP. LibreMNS covers a wide range of operating systems and network hardware.
Source: geekflare.com
13 Best Nagios Alternatives for Networks, Servers, IT Systems Monitoring
During the setup process, LibreNMS automatically discovers individual devices and end-points using various protocols such as CDP, FDP, LLDP, OSPF, BGP, SNMP and ARP. Users don’t need to spend hours adding individual devices to be monitored.

ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer Reviews

The Best Cacti Monitoring Alternatives
The ManageEngine Netflow Analyzer provides you with various analysis and control features to enhance your monitoring experience. You will be provided with flow-based traffic monitoring, as well as in-depth traffic analysis features.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing LibreNMS and ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer, you can also consider the following products

Zabbix - Track, record, alert and visualize performance and availability of IT resources

Observium - Observium

Progress WhatsUp Gold - Progress WhatsUp Gold is an all-in-one Network monitoring utility that now offers even more features and functionality to help you monitor your servers, network, and IP address.

Nagios - Complete monitoring and alerting for servers, switches, applications, and services

Datadog - See metrics from all of your apps, tools & services in one place with Datadog's cloud monitoring as a service solution. Try it for free.

Icinga - Icinga is a fork of Nagios and is backward compatible.