Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Nagios Core VS SolarWinds NPM

Compare Nagios Core VS SolarWinds NPM and see what are their differences

Nagios Core logo Nagios Core

Nagios Core is a fastest-growing IT Infrastructure monitoring and alerting solution that is created for all sizes of businesses.

SolarWinds NPM logo SolarWinds NPM

Advanced network monitoring for on-premises, hybrid, and cloud. Download a FREE 30-day trial of SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) today!
  • Nagios Core Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-31
  • SolarWinds NPM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-22

Nagios Core features and specs

  • Open Source
    Nagios Core is free to use and modify, allowing organizations to customize it according to their needs without licensing costs or fees.
  • Extensibility
    Nagios Core supports a wide range of plugins and add-ons which enable users to extend its functionality to meet specific monitoring needs.
  • Active Community
    Being around for a long time, Nagios Core boasts a large and active community that contributes to a vast repository of plugins and provides support through forums and documentation.
  • Stable and Reliable
    Nagios Core is a mature tool that has been used in production environments for many years, known for its stability and reliability in monitoring critical infrastructure.
  • Scalable
    It can be scaled up with the help of Nagios Remote Plugin Executor (NRPE) and other techniques to monitor a large number of hosts and services.

Possible disadvantages of Nagios Core

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Nagios Core may be challenging for new users due to its configuration complexity and the need for understanding various settings and files.
  • Manual Configuration
    Setup and configuration can be labor-intensive as it requires manual editing of text files, which can be cumbersome for large environments.
  • Limited GUI
    The user interface of Nagios Core is quite basic and may not be as user-friendly or visually appealing as some other monitoring solutions.
  • Scalability Concerns
    While Nagios Core can scale, managing a large number of hosts may require significant resources and additional backend tools, such as mod_gearman, to handle the load efficiently.
  • Feature Limitations
    Compared to commercial solutions or more modern open-source alternatives, Nagios Core may lack advanced features such as predictive analytics or built-in automation.

SolarWinds NPM features and specs

  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    SolarWinds NPM provides detailed insights into network performance by tracking metrics like bandwidth usage, latency, and packet loss. It supports a wide range of devices and vendors, making it versatile for varied network environments.
  • Customizable Dashboards and Alerts
    The platform offers highly customizable dashboards and alerting mechanisms, allowing users to tailor notifications and visualizations according to their specific needs.
  • Scalability
    SolarWinds NPM can scale to support large and complex network environments, making it suitable for both small businesses and large enterprises.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The software has an intuitive, web-based interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and utilize its features without requiring extensive training.
  • Robust Reporting
    SolarWinds NPM includes advanced reporting capabilities that help administrators analyze network trends, generate compliance reports, and present data to stakeholders.

Possible disadvantages of SolarWinds NPM

  • Cost
    The initial cost and ongoing maintenance fees for SolarWinds NPM can be significant, particularly for small businesses or non-profits with limited budgets.
  • Resource Intensive
    The software can be resource-intensive, requiring robust server infrastructure to operate efficiently, which may necessitate additional investments in hardware.
  • Complex Configuration
    Setting up and configuring SolarWinds NPM to fit specific network environments can be complex and time-consuming, often necessitating a steep learning curve or professional assistance.
  • High Volume of Alerts
    While customizable, the alert system can generate a high volume of notifications, which could lead to alert fatigue if not properly configured.
  • Limited Integration with Some Tools
    Although SolarWinds NPM integrates well with many systems, there are some third-party tools and platforms with which integration is less straightforward.

Analysis of SolarWinds NPM

Overall verdict

  • SolarWinds NPM is generally considered a robust and effective network monitoring solution. It is well-suited for enterprises of various sizes seeking detailed insights into their network performance. However, its cost, particularly for larger deployments, and the complexity of setup for the most comprehensive monitoring can be a drawback for smaller companies or those with limited IT budgets.

Why this product is good

  • SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) is often praised for its comprehensive set of features that allow users to monitor the health and performance of their network infrastructure. It provides real-time alerts, customizable dashboards, and in-depth reporting capabilities. Its intuitive interface and ease of deployment make it accessible even for teams without extensive technical expertise. The tool is especially useful for identifying and troubleshooting network issues quickly, leading to reduced downtime and improved network reliability.

Recommended for

    SolarWinds NPM is recommended for medium to large enterprises with complex network architectures that require detailed monitoring and reporting. It is particularly beneficial for IT teams looking to proactively manage and optimize their network infrastructure to ensure high performance and reliability. Industries with critical network uptime requirements, such as healthcare, finance, and large-scale IT services, may find this tool especially useful.

Nagios Core videos

HomeLab #2 - Monitoring my Homelab with Nagios Core

SolarWinds NPM videos

SolarWinds NPM: Your Complete Network Monitoring Solution

More videos:

  • Review - Overview of Quality of Experience Dashboard in SolarWinds NPM

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Nagios Core and SolarWinds NPM)
Monitoring Tools
21 21%
79% 79
Log Management
19 19%
81% 81
Network & Admin
38 38%
62% 62
Performance Monitoring
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Nagios Core and SolarWinds NPM

Nagios Core Reviews

The Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools in 2023
Description: Nagios Core is an open source network monitoring tool designed as the basis for other monitoring and alerting software offered by Nagios. The solution is primarily a performance check tool that schedules and executes checks for network performance across the entire infrastructure. As the event processor for performance checks used by other Nagios software,...
10 Best Linux Monitoring Tools and Software to Improve Server Performance [2022 Comparison]
Nagios Core is an open-source Linux/Unix systems monitoring and alerting tool that can be extended through custom plugins, providing flexible Linux server monitoring. It remotely executes different plugins (executables or scripts) on your Linux server using the NRPE (Nagios Remote Plugin Executor) add-on, which gives you comprehensive monitoring data, including OS metrics,...
Source: sematext.com

SolarWinds NPM Reviews

The Best Cacti Monitoring Alternatives
The SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor is a paid tool, the best of the best. It’s a network monitoring solution to help you find, diagnose, and resolve network performance issues. The tool is mainly focused on maintaining the health of the devices within your network.
13 Best Nagios Alternatives for Networks, Servers, IT Systems Monitoring
Unlike Solarwinds NPM described above which is focused only on networking, checkmk can monitor a wide range of devices such as servers, network devices, applications etc.
Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools and Software (Linux/Windows)
Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor is another Great monitoring tool that has a large community behind it and has updates almost every year.
15 Best IT Monitoring Tools and Software
SolarWinds NPM is SolarWinds’s network troubleshooter. NPM is easy to use, can be used across physical, cloud-based, or mixed businesses.
Source: blog.inedo.com

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Nagios Core and SolarWinds NPM, you can also consider the following products

Catchpoint - Catch issues before they impact your business

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

Exoprise - Exoprise provides Digital Experience Monitoring for enterprise SaaS applications like Microsoft 365, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Active Directory, SSO, Okta, Box, and more!

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.

Infovista - Infovista is a network performance management system that test network, automate network operations, and control the enterprise edges easily and quickly.

Dynatrace - Cloud-based quality testing, performance monitoring and analytics for mobile apps and websites. Get started with Keynote today!