I tested and reviewed a selection of free network monitoring tools. We relied on our Network Monitoring Benchmark while deciding free versions of PRTG and ManageEngine Opmanager. Explore our reasons for choosing each tool by clicking the links below:
| Free Netowork Monitoring Tools | Focus | |
|---|---|---|
1. | monitoring and troubleshooting the enterprise network. | |
2. | cloud deployments | |
3. | visibility into device health, availability, and performance. | |
4. | web-based network monitoring, performance, fault and configuration management. | |
5. | used for event monitoring and alerting. | |
| Show More (2) | ||
6. | monitoring and alerting services for servers, switches, applications and services. | |
7. | to view network status and performance metrics in real time. | |
Free network monitoring tools can be a great solution for SMEs aiming to enhance their network’s efficiency and security without incurring high costs. If you are working at a:
- Small or medium business, see top free network monitoring tools
- Enterprise or large data center, you may be interested in enterprise-focused network monitoring tools because free versions of proprietary tools have significant limitations.
Top 9 free network monitoring tools
Network monitoring tools available for free offer an excellent option for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to improve the efficiency and security of their network without significant expenses.
| NPM Software | Ratings | Employee Size | Open-Source |
|---|---|---|---|
4.6/5 based on 218 reviews | 201-500 | ❌ |
|
Zabbix | 4.3/5 based on 185 reviews | 201-500 | ✅ |
ManageEngine OpManager(Free Version) | 4.6/5 based on 161 reviews | 201-500 | ❌ |
LibreNMS | 4.6/5 based on 13 reviews | 2-10 | ✅ |
Cacti | 4.5/5 based on 32reviews | 51-200 | ✅ |
Prometheus | 4.4/5 based on 49 reviews | 501-1,000 | ✅ |
Icinga 2 | 4.4/5 based on 22 reviews | 501-1,000 | ✅ |
Nagios Core | 4.1/ based on 34 reviews | 11-50 | ✅ |
Observium | 4.1/ based on 23 reviews | 2-10 | ✅ |
*Ratings and reviews are based on G2 and Capterra. Vendors who received more reviews are ranked first.
OS coverage of free network monitoring tools
| NPM Software | OS |
|---|---|
Windows |
|
Cacti | Windows, macOS, and Linux |
ManageEngine OpManager(Free Version) | Windows |
LibreNMS | Linux, Ubuntu, Debian, Windows, FreeBSD, RHEL/CentOS |
Icinga 2 | Windows, Ubuntu, and Linux |
Prometheus | Windows, Linux, NetBSD, and OpenBSD. |
Zabbix | Linux, IBM AIX, macOS, Solaris, and Windows |
Nagios Core | Oracle Linux, Ubuntu, Windows, FreeBSD, Solaris, and macOS. |
Observium | Ubuntu, Debian, Windows, FreeBSD, RHEL/CentOS |
In-depth analysis of 9 free network monitoring tools
1. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Paessler PRTG‘s free version accommodates up to 100 sensors. It targets small networks and offers the flexibility to monitor various network elements.
- Pros: Intuitive user interface, easy to set up.
- Cons: Limited number of sensors in the free version.
Source: PRTG Network Monitor (Free Version) Capterra Pros & Cons 1
2. Zabbix
Zabbix offers a centralized web interface that simplifies monitoring management and provides native monitoring agents for a spectrum of operating systems and devices.
Figure 5: Zabbix2
- Pros: Highly scalable, supports custom scripts for monitoring.
- Cons: Steeper learning curve for new users.
3. ManageEngine OpManager
ManageEngine OpManager Free Version offers device templates for over 2000 device types, simplifying network setup and monitoring. It features NOC View Dashboards for a single-screen network overview, enabling preemptive discrepancy detection.
Figure 2: ManageEngine OpManager 3
Pros: The free version includes pre-configured templates for over 2000 device types, facilitating easy setup and comprehensive monitoring from the start.
Cons: Limited to monitoring a specific number of devices, which may necessitate upgrading to a paid version for larger networks.
Source: G24
Read: Top +10 ManageEngine Alternatives in ’24: 4k+ Reviews Analyzed
4.LibreNMS
The LibreNMS is a full-stack, open-source network monitoring system developed for auto-discovered monitoring of devices in your network to follow their performance and health while giving you deeply derived analysis of your network traffic, bandwidth consumption, and device status.
Source: LibreNMS 5
Pros: LibreNMS is vendor-agnostic, meaning it can monitor servers from various manufacturers and running different operating systems. This flexibility allows organizations with diverse server environments to use LibreNMS effectively for server monitoring.
Cons: LibreNMS may lack support for advanced Wi-Fi features and configurations offered by some enterprise-grade access point management solutions.
Source: G2 6
5. Cacti
Cacti is an open-source, web-based network monitoring and graphing tool designed to provide detailed and accurate visualization of network performance data. It leverages the power of RRDTool (Round-Robin Database Tool) to store data and create graphs, making it a popular choice for network administrators who need to monitor the health and performance of their network infrastructure.
Figure 1: Cacti Main Dashboard7
Pros: Cacti offers extensive use of templates for both devices and graphs.
Cons: Many of the plugins available for Cacti are not regularly updated to be compatible with the latest versions of the software.
Source: Cacti G2 User Reviews 8
Read more: Network security software.
6. Icinga 2
Icinga 2, an open-source monitoring tool. It collects SNMP Object Identifiers for detailed device monitoring and integrates with Logstash for efficient SNMP Trap handling.
Figure 3: Icinga 2 9
- Pros: Flexible and extensible, excellent for custom monitoring scenarios.
- Cons: Can be complex to configure and manage.
Source: Icingca 2 Capterra Pros & Cons 10
7. Prometheus
Prometheus, part of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, is designed for monitoring the services in microservices architecture. It’s especially well-suited for monitoring cloud-native environments.
Figure 4: Prometheus Demo Dashboard 11
- Pros: Highly scalable, great for dynamic or cloud-based environments.
- Cons: Query language can be complex for new users.
Source: Prometheus Capterra Pros & Cons 12
8. Nagios Core
Nagios Core allows for the use of customized add-ons for specific device monitoring with vendor-specific monitoring plugins.
Source: Nagios Core13
- Pros: Extensive plugin ecosystem, strong community support.
- Cons: Configuration can be complex and time-consuming.
Source: Nagios Core Capterra Pros & Cons 14
9.Observium
Observium is a network monitoring and management platform designed to provide network visibility into the performance and health of IT infrastructure. Observium supports network mapping through various discovery protocols such as SNMP , ICMP, and LLDP.
Source: Observium15
Pros: Observium provides near real-time alerts for various events such as power failures or device downtime, enhancing proactive monitoring and response capabilities.
Cons: The platform’s documentation could be improved to enhance clarity and accessibility, facilitating better understanding and utilization for users.
Enterprise-focused network monitoring tools
If you are seeking more advanced enterprise-level network monitoring solutions: See proprietary network monitoring software.
Market leaders include Paessler PRTG, AKIPS (sponsored), Auvik, Atera, and others. Dive into our expert analyses through articles such as:
- In-Depth Look at AKIPS Network Monitoring Software in 2024
- Top 5 Network Performance Monitoring Tools
Shared Features of Network Monitoring Tools
These shared features form the backbone of free network monitoring tools and are a testament to what users have come to expect from top-tier solutions.
- Real-time monitoring: All tools provide real-time insights into network performance, allowing IT professionals to identify and address issues.
- Alerts and notifications: They come equipped with customizable alerts to notify administrators about critical issues, ensuring that potential problems are flagged.
- Device and service monitoring: Monitoring of devices and services is a standard feature, covering everything from routers and switches to servers and applications.
- Performance analytics: Each tool offers performance analytics capabilities enables users to track network health, utilization trends, and other performance metrics over time.
- Dashboards: With intuitive dashboards and visualization options, these tools present data in an easily digestible format, simplifying the task of network management.
- Automated device discovery: Identifies devices within the network automatically, simplifying setup.
- Multi-platform support: Compatible with a range of operating systems including Windows, Linux, and Unix. While all selected solutions are multi-platform, free versions of some proprietary solutions only support Windows.
What are the benefits of using free network monitoring tools?
Free network monitoring tools provide cost-effective solutions for organizations looking to monitor their network infrastructure without investing in expensive software licenses. They offer essential monitoring features such as device discovery, performance metrics, alerting, and reporting, helping organizations maintain network health and uptime.
What features do free network monitoring tools typically offer?
Free network monitoring tools often offer a range of features, including device discovery, SNMP monitoring, bandwidth utilization tracking, uptime and downtime monitoring, alerting, customizable dashboards, reporting, and sometimes limited support for advanced features such as network mapping and application monitoring.
Are there any limitations to using free network monitoring tools?
Free network monitoring tools may come with limitations such as restricted features, scalability constraints, limited support options, and sometimes less frequent updates compared to commercial solutions. Additionally, some free tools may require more manual configuration and setup compared to paid alternatives.
For more on network monitoring
- Network Performance Monitoring to Maximize Business Efficiency
- Top 5 AI Network Monitoring Use Cases and Real-Life Examples
- Top 8 Network Observability Tools in ’24: 2k+ Reviews Analyzed
- Top 10 Network Monitoring Software based on 3,000+ Reviews
External Links
- 1. “Capterra” Accessed 20 March 2024.
- 2. “Zabbix” Accessed 19 March 2024.
- 3. “ManageEngine OpManager” Accessed 19 March 2024.
- 4. “ManageEngine OpManager Reviews 2024: Details, Pricing & Features.” G2. Accessed 20 March 2024.
- 5. “LibreNMS Screenshots” Accessed 24 May 2024.
- 6. “LibreNMS User Reviews“.G2. Accessed 24 May 2024.
- 7. “Cacti” Accessed 21 June 2024.
- 8. “G2” Accessed 21 June 2024.
- 9. “Icinga 2” Accessed 19 March 2024.
- 10. “Capterra” Accessed 20 March 2024.
- 11. “Prometheus” Accessed 19 March 2024.
- 12. “Capterra” Accessed 20 March 2024.
- 13. “Nagios Core” Accessed 19 March 2024.
- 14. “Capterra” Accessed 20 March 2024.
- 15. “Observium Linux Device Details” Accessed 24 May 2024.
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