Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

NetBox VS Open Hardware Monitor

Compare NetBox VS Open Hardware Monitor and see what are their differences

NetBox logo NetBox

NetBox is an open source web application designed to help manage and document computer networks. NetBox was developed specifically to address the needs of network and infrastructure engineers.

Open Hardware Monitor logo Open Hardware Monitor

Monitors temperature sensors, fan speeds, voltages, load and clock speeds, with optional graph.
  • NetBox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-15

It encompasses the following aspects of network management:

IP address management (IPAM) - IP networks and addresses, VRFs, and VLANs Equipment racks - Organized by group and site Devices - Types of devices and where they are installed Connections - Network, console, and power connections among devices Virtualization - Virtual machines and clusters Data circuits - Long-haul communications circuits and providers Secrets - Encrypted storage of sensitive credentials

  • Open Hardware Monitor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-31

NetBox features and specs

  • Open Source
    NetBox is open-source software, which means you can use and modify it freely without having to pay for a license. This can significantly reduce costs and allows for customization according to specific needs.
  • Comprehensive IPAM and DCIM
    NetBox includes both IP Address Management (IPAM) and Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) functionalities, offering a single platform to manage diverse aspects of network infrastructure.
  • Extensible via API
    NetBox provides a robust API that allows integration with other tools and systems, enabling automation and enhanced functionality through scripting and third-party applications.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The web-based user interface is intuitive and easy to use, even for those who may not have extensive experience with network management tools.
  • Active Community and Support
    NetBox has an active community of users and contributors, which helps in quickly addressing issues, sharing knowledge, and contributing to the continuous improvement of the software.

Possible disadvantages of NetBox

  • Initial Setup Complexity
    The initial installation and configuration of NetBox can be complex and time-consuming, potentially requiring a good understanding of Python, PostgreSQL, and other dependencies.
  • Resource Intensive
    As a web-based application, NetBox can be resource-intensive, requiring a capable server environment to run efficiently, which might not be suitable for very small-scale deployments.
  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Despite its intuitive interface, the broad set of features and functionalities might overwhelm new users, leading to a steeper learning curve.
  • Limited Built-in Reporting
    NetBox has limited built-in reporting capabilities, which might necessitate additional tools or custom reports to meet specific reporting needs.
  • No Built-in Alerting
    NetBox does not have built-in alerting mechanisms for tracking changes or unusual activities, so additional monitoring and alerting systems may be required.

Open Hardware Monitor features and specs

  • Free and Open Source
    Open Hardware Monitor is available for free and its source code is open to the public, allowing for transparency and community-driven improvements.
  • Wide Hardware Support
    The software supports a broad range of hardware devices including CPUs, GPUs, hard drives, and motherboards, making it versatile for various monitoring needs.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The application features a straightforward and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users of all technical levels.
  • Customizable
    Users can customize the display and logging options to fit their specific needs, providing flexibility in how data is monitored and recorded.
  • Portable
    Open Hardware Monitor can be used without installation, allowing it to be run from a USB drive or other portable media.

Possible disadvantages of Open Hardware Monitor

  • No Official Support
    Since it is an open-source project, there is no official customer support, which can be a disadvantage for users needing immediate assistance.
  • Limited Development Updates
    The project development and updates have slowed down, making it potentially less reliable for the latest hardware and operating systems.
  • Windows-Centric
    While primarily designed for Windows, its functionality on other operating systems like Linux and macOS can be limited or require additional configuration.
  • Potential Compatibility Issues
    Certain newer or less common hardware components may not be fully supported, leading to incomplete or inaccurate monitoring data.
  • No Integrated Alerts
    The software does not offer built-in alert systems for critical hardware statuses, necessitating manual monitoring and intervention.

NetBox videos

Accessing NAPALM via the NetBox API

More videos:

  • Review - Network to Code NetBox with Jeremy Stretch and John Anderson
  • Tutorial - Netbox Global Review- How To Earn Money Browsing The Internet

Open Hardware Monitor videos

open hardware monitor video, dawnload and tutorial.wmv

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to NetBox and Open Hardware Monitor)
Monitoring Tools
53 53%
47% 47
Log Management
69 69%
31% 31
Device Management
0 0%
100% 100
DCIM Software
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 NetBox and Open Hardware Monitor

NetBox Reviews

11 NetBox Alternatives
NetBox is a resource modeling application that is specially designed to automate networks and empower network engineering as well. It manages all the needs of networks and works under the license of Apache 2.
The 10 Best IP Address Management Tools for Linux
NetBox is certainly one of the best open-source IPAM solutions reviewed by our editors. It comes with a simple but elegant user interface that packs a serious punch in terms of functionalities. NetBox was initially developed by the network engineering team at DigitalOCean and has since evolved into a full-fledged IP management application. It is very popular among...
12 Open Source/Commercial Software for Data Center Infrastructure Management
NetBox is an open-source IP address management and data center infrastructure management platform, which was created by the network team at DigitalOcean to store the information about your networks, virtual machines, inventories, and many more.
Source: www.tecmint.com
Best IP Address Management Tools for Linux
NetBox is an open-source web based IP address management and data center infrastructure management application. It was developed more particulary to address the requirements of network and infrastructure engineers.
Source: www.tecmint.com

Open Hardware Monitor Reviews

HWMonitor Review & Alternatives for 2023
Open Hardware Monitor is an on-device utility for PCs running Windows. The tool reports on the hardware statuses on the computer on which it is installed, which means that it doesn’t operate as a remote monitoring system. However, this software is available for use free of charge.
Top 8 BEST NZXT CAM ALTERNATIVES
The Open Hardware Monitor supports most hardware monitoring chips present on today’s mainboards. The core temperature sensors on Intel and AMD processors can be used to monitor the CPU temperature. The temperature of AMD and Nvidia visual cards and the temperature of SMART hard drives can be viewed. The monitored values can be presented in the main window, a desktop gadget,...
Source: gisuser.com
10 Best Nzxt CAM Alternatives
The Open Hardware Monitor interface is like a directory. It’s not as optimized as the Nzxt CAM interface, but it’s much easier to use. Just click on a specific hardware and get all the information about it.
11 Best CPU Temperature Monitor For Windows PC To Check Accurate CPU Temp Readings
The Open Hardware Monitor is a free open source tool that monitors CPU temperature, fan, and clock speeds, and voltages of a PC. Due to its lightweight and simplicity, it is one of the best PC temp monitoring software. You can easily check CPU temperature and maintain it under optimal limits.
Source: www.softlay.com
20 Programs to Analyze and Benchmark Your Hardware
If you're after a monitoring program for a Linux computer, your options are unfortunately rather limited. However, for 10 years, software developer Michael Möller has been running an open source project to help fill this niche -- meet Open Hardware Monitor.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Open Hardware Monitor should be more popular than NetBox. It has been mentiond 154 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

NetBox mentions (21)

  • Share your greatest free tools
    Netbox. https://netbox.readthedocs.io/en/stable/ Your “Source of Truth” for your network. NetBox is an infrastructure resource modeling (IRM) application designed to empower network automation. Initially conceived by the network engineering team at DigitalOcean, NetBox was developed specifically to address the needs of network and infrastructure engineers. NetBox is made available as open source under the Apache... Source: about 3 years ago
  • What do you use to track disks and other hardware?
    Currently we are using [SnipeIT](https://snipeitapp.com/) to track our disks, hardware and machines, and [Netbox](https://netbox.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) to track physical layout and locations. Source: about 3 years ago
  • What does a longer career related to computing infrastructure look like?
    You might find it educational/interesting to have a look at Netbox. It's a fairly well respected piece of software that manages network hardware and configuration. Source: about 3 years ago
  • How does proper documentation look like?
    You could take a look at netbox . It’s a little hard to set up at first but worth it in the end IMO. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Web Application That Shows Switch Ports Mapping
    However I'd suggest that Netbox is the more modern and functional solution to this problem. Source: about 3 years ago
View more

Open Hardware Monitor mentions (154)

  • Game freezes every few minutes or so
    Https://openhardwaremonitor.org/ this tells you your temps Https://www.geeks3d.com/20211115/gpu-caps-viewer-1-54-released/ This cranks your gpu to max Https://www.jam-software.com/heavyload this cranks your CPU to max. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Free Tech Tools and Resources - Hardware Monitor, Offboarding Script, WiFi Scanner & More
    Open Hardware Monitor tracks critical system metrics, including temperature sensors, fan speeds, voltages, load, and clock speeds. Monitored data can be displayed in the primary application window, a customizable desktop gadget, or the system tray. -SPOF recommends it for "real-time monitoring of CPU, GPU, and hard drive temperatures, as well as fan speeds and voltages.". Source: over 1 year ago
  • My multi-monitor desktop setup (not pretty but useful)
    Programs (mostly free/sharewares): Google desktop apps: Google Chrome or MS Edge or whatever you use as a browser. And if you're lazy: https://chromeless.app/ to create the apps. Microsoft PowerToys: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/ Total Commander: https://www.ghisler.com/ ContaCam: https://www.contaware.com/contacam.html Open Hardware Monitor: https://openhardwaremonitor.org/ Stickies:... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Game crashing every match.
    Game crashes all the time and you already did all of the above = all aboard the diagnostics train as it may be a number of things, from bad graphics card driver all the way overheating problems or malfunctioning components. Do the easy steps first (clean reinstall of the graphics driver + checking temps, under heavy load, and googling what's the maximum safe temperature for your processor + graphics card, it... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Why is my PC unbearably feeble despite having decent specs?
    Open Hardware Monitor is pretty simple and solid. Just look through all the statistics for anything that's a temperature and make sure none of them are higher than, say, 50c when idle, or ~80c when you're doing something. Laptops have a slightly wider range of acceptable temperatures so there wouldn't be any immediate cause for alarm if it was slightly hotter than that, as long as you were doing something... Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing NetBox and Open Hardware Monitor, you can also consider the following products

phpIPAM - phpipam is an open-source web IP address management application (IPAM).

SpeedFan - Hardware monitor for Windows that can access digital temperature sensors located on several 2-wire SMBus Serial Bus. Can access voltages and fan speeds and control fan speeds. Includes technical articles and docs.

RackTables - Racktables is a nifty and robust solution for datacenter and server room asset management.

CPU-Z - CPU-Z is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system : Processor name and number, codename, process, package, cache levels.

DCImanager - DCImanager is a platform for managing physical equipment. Connect any physical equipment to a single platform. Use the platform to manage your servers, switches, PDU as well as physical and virtual networks.

iStat Menus - "An advanced Mac system monitor for your menubar."