PRTG Network Monitor:
The best alternative to Nagios
PRTG is quick and easy to
set up and configure
PRTG is both user-friendly and extremely intuitive
PRTG helps you save precious time while administering your network
The financial consideration
Free monitoring?
At first glance, Nagios open source software seems considerably less expensive than PRTG. After all, why should you pay for something that you can get for free?
Nagios: Time-consuming configuration
When it comes to software that must be customized to meet the specific needs of a company, its purchase price is only one small factor in its overall cost. With Nagios, already the initial setup takes entirely too much time. What’s more, its free version can only be installed via Linux/Unix. All devices and checkpoints must be added using shell commands. It is not uncommon for setup to take several days, even for seasoned Linux users. And if you need to customize your Nagios configuration later, you can count on spending an enormous amount of time and effort to get it done.
Alternative PRTG: Simple setup of the server and monitoring tool
PRTG is configured in a few quick clicks. Its Auto Discovery function detects all the devices and services in your network automatically and creates potential checkpoints as so-called sensors. Adding, processing, and deleting sensors is straightforward and extremely intuitive thanks to an easy-to-understand graphic user interface.
The time and energy spent configuring Nagios can quickly cause operational costs to go through the roof. At the end of the day, that which seems to be a free open source tool is no longer so inexpensive.
PRTG is easy to install and configure
Initial steps: Configuration and setup
Nagios can be effective in controlling small networks, and yes, the very basic version "Nagios Core" is available for free. But it gets complicated when you need to manage larger environments. In order to set up Nagios correctly, you would need a lot of time and effort before reaching a professional standard, either by changing the code or by using additional hardware to scale the solution. Professional technical support is not included and those who do not want to suffer should get Nagios-XI-Standard right away. In this version, a maximum of 100 hosts and 5 support tickets are included - for 1,995 USD.
With PRTG Network Monitor you won't waste countless hours reading forums and editing configuration files. After installing PRTG in just a few seconds, Smart Setup will guide you through the set up and configure your core server and your tool for essential monitoring. You can also use the auto-discovery tool to automatically create a sophisticated and concise set of sensors for your complete network.
Everything is included!
With PRTG, everything you need is contained in one simple installer, no additional downloads for specific features are required. Even the database is included - in contrast to almost all other monitoring solutions. If you are using Nagios and you need to add a new device, you may require installing additional and external plugins, which is time consuming and may require special skills.
User satisfaction
We would not put it as hard as Jonah Kowall does in his blog article: "Got Nagios? Get rid of it." And: "the level of usability and sophistication of the product (Nagios) is pretty much zero." But we, too, think that the Web GUI is not really good and not intuitive at all. PRTG, on the other hand, uses a state of the art AJAX web interface and offers other user interfaces for older browsers and specialized interfaces for mobile devices.
How to add a sensor in PRTG...
...and how it works in Nagios
It’s easy to switch from Nagios to PRTG
If you currently work with Nagios and wish to switch to PRTG Network Monitor, you’ll have no trouble doing so. Even larger network environments are usually configured in PRTG within a few short hours. Thanks to the PRTG Auto Discovery feature, you can quickly incorporate your entire network, any device and server into your monitoring. Device templates are extremely useful for configuring several devices at the same time. When settings are used once, they are saved and can be automatically applied to other devices. As a result, a few clicks suffice to configure an entire IT environment.
It's not only us thinking PRTG is great!
We are proud that PRTG Network Monitor is so popular with our users.
Even when compared to other tools, PRTG ranks at the top in several categories.
More time for core responsibilities
System administrators must dedicate a great deal of time to the maintenance of their IT infrastructures, for these infrastructures are the backbones of their companies. The time that is needed to set up and maintain the operation of open source software like Nagios, Zabbix, or Zenoss can therefore be used in a much more efficient manner.
Trusted by 500,000 users and recognized
by industry analysts as a leader
“Fantastic network and infrastructure monitoring solution that is easy to deploy and easier still to use. Simply the best available.”
“Software is absolutely perfect, Support is superior. Meets all needs and requirements, this is a must have solution if you are needing any form of monitoring.”
“The tool excels at its primary focus of being a unified infrastructure management and network monitoring service.”
PRTG offers expert technical support
By purchasing a PRTG license, you will get free maintenance and support for one year, multi-year maintenance (36 or 60 months) is subject to an extra fee. If you have a problem or question, our technical support department will respond within one business day. You'll be offered a monitoring solution that addresses your own particular case, and can therefore forgo having to spend hours browsing through online forums. With PRTG, you’ll save both time and worry!
A constant overview of your network – even while on the go
PRTG is set up in a matter of minutes and can be used on a wide variety of mobile devices.
PRTG is easy to use – even for those without a technical background
PRTG is also extremely easy to use once it has been set up. Even coworkers who were not involved in the setup process have no trouble getting the hang of the tool and the monitored network environment. It can take days or weeks to get used to Nagios and customize the open source software to meet the specific demands of your company and network. Furthermore, once it is ready, other workers usually have a hard time understanding how to use it. More often than not, the person who has set up and configured Nagios is the only one in the firm who is able to use the full features and add-ons of the program. If this person gets sick or leaves the company, then others must be trained to grasp the various components and exact configuration of the software. This training costs the company a great deal of precious time and resources, which IT experts could be putting to much better use.
PRTG Network Monitor is extremely easy to use and configure, allowing you to quickly familiarize yourself with the program. Furthermore, your coworkers will have no trouble learning the ropes, even those with little or no technical expertise.
PRTG makes your job easier
Our monitoring software frees you to focus on other tasks by promptly notifying you of potential issues.
Save effort
PRTG gives you one central monitoring tool for your servers and entire network. Enjoy a quick overview of your whole infrastructure via our dashboard and app.
Save time
Getting started with PRTG is a breeze. Setting up or switching from another network monitoring tool is easy thanks to the auto-discovery and pre-configured device templates.
Save money
80% of our customers report substantial cost savings with network monitoring. Your costs of licenses will likely pay for themselves within weeks.
What PRTG and Nagios customers and analysts say
Many of our customers migrated from Nagios to PRTG because of the easiness and variability that PRTG offers. Read how Peak Internet or Netmass employs PRTG Network Monitor instead of the open source tool Nagios.
"PRTG totally blows away similar and popular server based monitoring software, for example Nagios and Pandora FMS. Both of these competing applications were difficult to setup and use, and the interfaces felt poorly designed, hokey and I couldn’t imagine using the interfaces of these products on a daily basis.”
Clayton Hill, Systems Administrator, ateamonsite.com
See a detailed comparison of PRTG and other network monitoring tools here
We asked: would you recommend PRTG?
Over 95% of our customers say yes!
Paessler AG conducted trials in over 600 IT departments worldwide to tune its network monitoring software closer to the needs of sysadmins.
The result of the survey: over 95% of the participants would recommend PRTG – or already have.
Still not convinced?
More than 500,000 sysadmins love PRTG
Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier.
Still not convinced?
Monitor your entire IT infrastructure
Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network.
Try Paessler PRTG for free
Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free. Start now with your trial.
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PRTG |
Network Monitoring Software - Version 23.1.82.2175 (March 1st, 2023) |
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Hosting |
Download for Windows and cloud-based version PRTG Hosted Monitor available |
Languages |
English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese |
Pricing |
Up to 100 sensors for free (Price List) |
Unified Monitoring |
Network devices, bandwidth, servers, applications, virtual environments, remote systems, IoT, and more |
Supported Vendors & Applications |
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Combining the broad monitoring feature set of PRTG with IP Fabric’s automated network assurance creates a new level of network visibility and reliability.