Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SolarWinds NPM VS vnStat

Compare SolarWinds NPM VS vnStat and see what are their differences

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!

vnStat logo vnStat

vnStat is a console-based network traffic monitor for Linux and BSD that keeps a log of network...
  • SolarWinds NPM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-22
  • vnStat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-16

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.

vnStat features and specs

  • Lightweight
    vnStat is a lightweight tool that doesn't consume much system resources, making it ideal for systems with limited performance capabilities.
  • Historical Data Collection
    It tracks network traffic and keeps a record of data transfers for long-term analysis without needing to be running continuously.
  • Simple Installation
    vnStat is easy to install and configure on most major Linux distributions, requiring minimal setup effort.
  • Console-Based
    The tool operates from the command line, which ensures low overhead and easy integration into scripts and automation tasks.
  • No Root Privileges Required
    vnStat can be used without requiring root permissions once installed, which can enhance security practices on shared systems.

Possible disadvantages of vnStat

  • Limited Real-Time Monitoring
    vnStat primarily focuses on historical data and provides limited real-time network monitoring capabilities compared to other tools.
  • Basic Data Visualization
    The tool offers text-based statistics, which may not be as visually appealing or detailed as graphical network monitoring solutions.
  • Linux-Centric
    vnStat is primarily designed for Linux systems, which limits its use on other operating systems like Windows and macOS.
  • Single Interface Monitoring
    By default, vnStat monitors a single network interface at a time, necessitating additional configuration to handle more interfaces.

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.

SolarWinds NPM videos

SolarWinds NPM: Your Complete Network Monitoring Solution

More videos:

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

vnStat videos

HowTo: Monitor and Log Network Traffic on Linux / Unix Using vnStat

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Setup vnStat Network Traffic Monitor on Linux
  • Tutorial - How To Install And Use VNSTAT On A Raspberry Pi

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SolarWinds NPM and vnStat)
Monitoring Tools
90 90%
10% 10
Log Management
91 91%
9% 9
Performance Monitoring
86 86%
14% 14
Network & Admin
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 SolarWinds NPM and vnStat

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

vnStat Reviews

We have no reviews of vnStat yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, vnStat seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 4 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.

SolarWinds NPM mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of SolarWinds NPM yet. Tracking of SolarWinds NPM recommendations started around Mar 2021.

vnStat mentions (4)

  • vnstatd refuses to start | SG-3100 w/23.01
    For more information about vnStat use "man vnstat" or visit: Http://humdi.net/vnstat/. Source: about 2 years ago
  • How to easily gather IPv6 VS IPv4 usage on a web server?
    Something similar to vnstat (which monitor the bandwidth usage): https://humdi.net/vnstat/. This tool doesn't necessarily take into account only the ports 80 and 443, it can be generalized to all the traffic flow, but that would be a great if it does. Source: about 2 years ago
  • How to show/record total traffic consumption per interface/vlan?
    Take a look at https://humdi.net/vnstat/ - it should work on *BSD and I think there's a package for pfSense (and by extension should be there for OPNSense as well). Otherwise it's not too hard to setup to run at start up as well. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Bandwidth monitoring?
    If you don't want to run a stack can try something simple and lightweight like vnstat (https://humdi.net/vnstat/). Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

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

ntop - ntopng High-Speed Web-based Traffic Analysis and Flow Collection ntopng is the next generation version of the original ntop, a network traffic probe that monitors network usage. ntopng is based on …

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.

nload - Monitor network traffic and bandwidth usage in real time

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

iftop - iftop does for network usage what top(1) does for CPU usage.