SolarWinds Replacements: 6 Best Alternatives

What Kind of Tool Is SolarWinds?

SolarWinds is a trusted name in the world of IT management. This comprehensive suite of tools is designed to help organizations manage, monitor and troubleshoot their IT infrastructure. Solarwinds encompasses several capabilities, including network performance monitoring, systems management, IT security, database management, and IT helpdesk. Still, many SolarWinds replacements exist for IT teams looking for an alternative.

Despite extensive features and wide-ranging utility, SolarWinds is more than a one-size-fits-all solution. Factors like cost, user-friendliness, specific functionality needs, or even cybersecurity threats could have you scouting for alternatives. Whether you’re searching for a more budget-friendly option, require a tool more aligned with your unique business needs or simply wish to explore the market, this guide will help you.

Following are six top SolarWinds replacements, each with distinct features and benefits.

1. Netreo

The first alternative on our list is Netreo. Famed for its capabilities in network performance, infrastructure and application management, Netreo is an excellent choice among SolarWinds replacements. The solution comes in SaaS and on-premises versions, provides real-time insights into your IT environment and includes top-notch customer support with every version.  Netreo provides constant updates about any infrastructure issue, so you can proactively prevent them from snowballing into more significant problems.

Pros:

• Netreo’s user-friendly interface takes the complexity out of network monitoring and management. The intuitive dashboard enables users to easily navigate its features and access data swiftly.
• Intelligent alerts integrated with incident management enables Netreo users to dramatically improve issue identification and root cause analysis, which reduce MTTR.
• The solution provides robust automation capabilities, including automated device discovery, onboarding and configuration, freeing your team from repetitive tasks and ensuring your IT staff can focus on more strategic issues.
• Netreo simplifies IT administration and reduces tool sprawl by
  • Providing complete functionality in every version, so users need not purchase, deploy and manage separate modular capabilities.
  • Capturing and consolidating metrics from other monitoring tools and presenting a single source of truth on your entire infrastructure health.

Cons:

• While Netreo is excellent at what it does, it’s less feature-rich than some of its counterparts, particularly regarding advanced IT management functionalities.

Pricing: Netreo is available in SaaS and on-premises versions, each priced per resource monitored – Professional at $14 per resource up to 10,000 resources, and Ultimate for managing unlimited resources. Contact Netreo directly to get pricing for your organization.

2. Zabbix

For those who prefer an open-source and cost-effective solution, Zabbix is a strong contender. This platform offers monitoring capabilities for networks, servers, applications, and services, giving you a 360-degree view of your IT environment.

Pros: 

• Being open-source and free, Zabbix is perfect for organizations that need a cost-effective yet robust monitoring solution.
• Zabbix allows extensive customization to tailor the tool to your specific requirements.
• It also features a comprehensive alert system, ensuring you’re promptly notified about any issues so that you can act swiftly.

Cons: 

• The user interface isn’t as intuitive as some competitors, which might pose challenges for less tech-savvy users.
• While Zabbix is highly functional, it requires technical expertise for setup and configuration, as it’s less plug-and-play than some other tools.

Pricing: Zabbix is open-source and free to use. Professional support and training are available at an additional cost if required. 

3. Datadog

Datadog is a unified platform for infrastructure and application performance monitoring. It’s especially renowned for its cloud services monitoring capabilities, making it a go-to choice for businesses with a significant cloud-based infrastructure and choosing between SolarWinds replacements.

Pros:

• Datadog’s strengths lie in cloud monitoring. This tool could be ideal if your infrastructure is primarily cloud-based.
• It integrates seamlessly with numerous other tools and platforms, enabling you to bring all your monitoring data under one umbrella for easy analysis.
• The tool also provides real-time dashboards and alerts, ensuring your IT team can identify and address issues promptly.

Cons:

• Datadog’s pricing model is usage-based, so costs can escalate quickly for larger organizations with significant monitoring needs.
• No on-premises offering for industries requiring highly secure, on-premises infrastructures, like government agencies and certain finance, healthcare and other segments.

Pricing: Datadog’s pricing begins at $15 per monthly host for infrastructure monitoring. 

4. PRTG Network Monitor

PRTG Network Monitor, from Paessler AG, is an all-in-one network monitoring solution. It offers a variety of functionalities akin to SolarWinds, making it a comprehensive alternative.

Pros:

• PRTG boasts an easy setup thanks to its auto-discovery feature. This feature automatically identifies devices in your network, saving your team a lot of setup time.
• The tool provides real-time maps with status information, giving you a visual overview of your network health at a glance.
• PRTG’s customizable alerts ensure you’re immediately informed of any critical issues in your network.

Cons: 

• Some users have reported issues with false positives, which could lead to unnecessary panic and waste of resources.

Pricing: PRTG offers a free version that includes up to 100 sensors. For more sensors, you’ll need a paid plan, which starts at $1,600 for 500 sensors.

5. Nagios

Nagios, another powerful open-source tool, offers wide-ranging server, network, and application monitoring capabilities. It’s a comprehensive monitoring solution that can be customized to meet specific business needs.

Pros: 

• Nagios offers extensive monitoring solutions with a wide range of plugins, which extend its functionality significantly.
• The tool is highly customizable, making it an excellent choice for businesses with specific monitoring needs that need to be addressed by out-of-the-box solutions.

Cons: 

• Nagios requires substantial technical knowledge to set up and use effectively. It is not as user-friendly as it could be, and less technical users might find it challenging to navigate.
• The user interface is not as modern and friendly as other options, affecting usability for some users.

Pricing: The core version of Nagios is free. If you need more advanced features, consider Nagios XI, the enterprise version, which starts at $1,995 for a standard edition.

6. ManageEngine OpManager

ManageEngine OpManager offers a comprehensive suite of network management tools. From monitoring physical and virtual devices to traffic analysis, OpManager provides a wide range of functionalities. 

Pros: 

• OpManager is highly scalable, making it a good choice for growing businesses that expect their network to expand.
• It offers extensive support for network devices, allowing for diverse and comprehensive network monitoring.

Cons: 

• Some users may find the interface cluttered due to the sheer number of features it offers.

Pricing: Pricing for OpManager starts at $245 for up to 10 devices.

How to Choose Among SolarWinds Replacements

Choosing the suitable SolarWinds alternative isn’t a decision to take lightly. It’s essential to consider your unique needs and budget and your team’s technical capabilities. Here are some key factors to consider:

1. Features: Identify your essential features. What do you require the most—network monitoring, application performance management, intelligent event correlation, log management?
2. Budget: Evaluate the total cost of ownership, not just the upfront cost. Some tools may appear cheap initially but may have additional costs in terms of maintenance or upgrades.
3. Ease of Use: The best tool is one your team can use effectively. A tool that requires a high degree of technical skill may only be the best choice if your team has those skills.
4. Scalability: Your business needs will evolve, and so will your IT management needs. Ensure that your chosen tool can scale with you.
5. Customer Support: Good customer support can save you time and headaches. Ensure the vendor provides robust support, especially during the setup phase and troubleshooting.
6. Integration: Integrating other tools in your tech stack is a significant advantage. It enables you to centralize your monitoring data, simplifying analysis and troubleshooting.

Remember, the best SolarWinds alternative isn’t necessarily the most popular or expensive one—it’s the one that aligns most closely with your business needs and resources. 

So, take the time to evaluate your options and choose wisely! If you want to learn more about network analysis, check out this article. 

This post was written by Juan Reyes. As an entrepreneur, skilled engineer, and mental health champion, Juan pursues sustainable self-growth, embodying leadership, wit, and passion. With over 15 years of experience in the tech industry, Juan has had the opportunity to work with some of the most prominent players in mobile development, web development and e-commerce in Japan and the US.