Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent all kinds of network issues.
PRTG makes it easy to monitor your entire IT infrastructure from a single dashboard – from network, storage systems, cloud services, virtual systems, databases, and applications, to medical devices, CCTV systems, industrial environments, and more.
With PRTG, all monitoring features are included with every license. You don't need a separate module or add-on for features like application monitoring, virtualization monitoring, network traffic analysis with flow protocols, and more, as WhatsUp Gold requires.
Simply determine how many endpoints you wish to monitor and the number of sensors you’ll need to do so. This also makes PRTG way more cost effective than WhatsUp Gold.
Network monitoring should be quick and easy. Cumbersome and complicated software creates unnecessary work for the administrator. PRTG makes monitoring as user-friendly as possible – no matter if you choose an on-prem installation or our cloud-based product.
Quick installation with automatic network discovery and smart setup for instant monitoring
Custom dashboard creation via drag & drop with easy-to-read visualized overviews
Different user interfaces for web, desktop, and mobile apps for monitoring on the go
Network of qualified implementation partners to support you with a smooth migration to PRTG
Diagnose network issues by continuously tracking the health, availability, and performance of your entire IT infrastructure. Show hardware parameters, application performance, network traffic, bandwidth usage, and other key metrics in real time. Visualize data in clear graphs and dashboards to identify problems more easily. Gain the overview you need to troubleshoot all kinds of issues in your network.
Device tree view of the complete monitoring setup
Custom PRTG dashboard for keeping an eye on the entire IT infrastructure
Live traffic data graph in PRTG
FEATURE | PRTG PRTG | WhatsUp Gold WhatsUp Gold |
|---|---|---|
One tool for your entire network | PRTG All monitoring features included | WhatsUp Gold Monitoring solution for network, servers, and applications |
Easy setup, intuitive monitoring | PRTG User-friendly interfaces for web, desktop, and mobile | WhatsUp Gold Web-based interface with dashboards and mobile app access |
Automatic network discover | PRTG Included | WhatsUp Gold Included |
Real-time alerts & notifications | PRTG Advanced, highly customizable alerting via different notification methods | WhatsUp Gold Customizable alerts via email, SMS, and other channels with escalation policies |
Custom maps & dashboards | PRTG Custom dashboard creation via drag & drop | WhatsUp Gold Interactive maps and customizable dashboards available |
Agentless monitoring | PRTG No need to install agents on the monitored systems | WhatsUp Gold Primarily agentless, though agents available for certain monitoring scenarios |
On-premises or cloud-based | PRTG Flexible deployment options available | WhatsUp Gold Available as on-premises solution, with cloud monitoring capabilities |
Enterprise version | PRTG Available | WhatsUp Gold Available with tiered licensing options |
Freeware version | PRTG Available for up to 100 sensors, free for life | WhatsUp Gold No free version, only time-limited trial |
Distributed network monitoring | PRTG Monitoring an unlimited number of remote locations included | WhatsUp Gold Supports distributed monitoring through polling engines, additional licensing may apply |
Server & application monitoring | PRTG Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | WhatsUp Gold Included in base product, with application monitoring features |
Network performance monitoring | PRTG Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | WhatsUp Gold Core functionality with detailed performance metrics |
Bandwidth monitoring | PRTG Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | WhatsUp Gold Included with flow monitoring capabilities |
Network traffic analyzer | PRTG Out-of-the-box integration, no extra costs | WhatsUp Gold Available through flow monitoring features |
Cloud services monitoring | PRTG Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | WhatsUp Gold Supports monitoring of cloud services, though less comprehensive than PRTG |
Virtual infrastructure monitoring | PRTG Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | WhatsUp Gold Supports VMware and Hyper-V monitoring |
Storage resource monitoring | PRTG Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | WhatsUp Gold Included for monitoring storage devices and resources |
Database monitoring | PRTG Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | WhatsUp Gold Supports monitoring of major database platforms |
Web performance monitoring | PRTG Out-of-the-box integration, no extra cost | WhatsUp Gold Includes web performance monitoring capabilities |
Supports leading technologies | PRTG SNMP, flow protocols, packet sniffing, WMI, HTTP, ping, SQL, and much more | WhatsUp Gold Supports SNMP, WMI, PowerShell, SSH, flow protocols, and more |
Create your own scripts | PRTG Own PRTG API included for custom sensors and scripts | WhatsUp Gold Supports custom scripts and API for extending monitoring capabilities |
Includes technical support | PRTG Expert support included, no extra costs | WhatsUp Gold Technical support included with active maintenance, different tiers available |
“All-around winning
network monitor”
“The real beauty of PRTG is the endless possibilities it offers”
“PRTG Network Monitor
is very hard to beat”
You are interested to know if PRTG could be an alternative to your WhatsUp Gold implementation?
PRTG is set up in a matter of minutes and can be used on a wide variety of mobile devices.
We also compared PRTG with other monitoring tools:
The basic version of the open-source tool Nagios is free of charge. But most users spent many hours to set up and customize the tool. In case of problems, browsing through forums is often the only solution.
SolarWinds might be interesting for extremely complex network environments. But it also means you need to invest in higher costs for a platform made up of different modules and add-ons (that cost extra).
Zabbix is open-source software with a strong community support. But it requires lots of manual configuration work to install and set it up. You also need to install agents on the monitored systems.
PRTG and ManageEngine might seem similar at first. However, with ManageEngine, you have to choose between individual functions and purchase several modules to access the full range of features.
Real-time notifications mean faster troubleshooting so that you can act before more serious issues occur.
Partnering with innovative IT vendors, Paessler unleashes synergies to create
new and additional benefits for joined customers.
baramundi and PRTG create a secure, reliable and powerful IT infrastructure where you have everything under control - from the traffic in your firewall to the configuration of your clients.
Combining PRTG’s broad monitoring feature set with IP Fabric’s automated network assurance creates a new level of network visibility and reliability.
Integrating monitoring results from PRTG into NetBrain maps makes the foundation for network automation.
Network Monitoring Software – Version 26.1.116.1532 (February 9th, 2026)
Download for Windows and cloud-based version PRTG Hosted Monitor available
English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese
Network devices, bandwidth, servers, applications, virtual environments, remote systems, IoT, and more
Choose the PRTG Network Monitor subscription that's best for you
Choosing between Paessler PRTG and WhatsUp Gold depends on several factors, such as your specific network monitoring needs, budget, and technical resources available in your organization.
PRTG is ideal:
WhatsUp Gold might be your choice:
PRTG offers a comprehensive overview of your IT systems in real time. It supports all the leading monitoring technologies, including:
In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive. On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.
Paessler 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.
You are interested to know if PRTG could be an alternative to your WhatsUp Gold implementation?