Essential network monitoring software buying information
Network monitoring software assesses and evaluates computer systems and networks in order to maximize availability of system resources. These applications provide an integrated solution for ongoing observation, evaluation, and forecasting, as well as historical assessments.
A wide variety of professionals use network monitoring software—including employees in IT, software development, engineering, and administrative roles—to identify problem areas and make strategic resource decisions regarding their technology operations.
Network monitoring software pricing is typically on a per user, per month basis, with different pricing plans ranging from $1 to $17.1
First-time buyers should begin evaluating with a budget, number of users, specific use cases, and necessary integrations in mind. Ensure you’ve consulted with stakeholders on a list of critical questions to help you evaluate systems based on your needs, such as:
What are the alerting capabilities of network monitoring software? Can you receive emails and text messages when issues arise in specific network areas?
Does the software include detailed information about the problem, including its location, severity, and impact on the overall network, to minimize the need for guesswork when troubleshooting?
Does the software feature built-in security features such as firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and encryption.
Is data analysis and reporting available with this tool?
Pro tip: Reflect on the complexity of your needs
Amanda Johnstone2 an AI technologist and CEO with more than 20 years of experience, advises first-time buyers to do an exercise called a “consequence table" where they list all the potential risks their business faces to get a better sense of their network monitoring needs.
“Speaking as a business founder, I think it’s critical to know exactly what the impact is of [network disruption] incidents on things like your finances, your reputation, and your organization,” she says. “Based on the outcomes of your consequence table, you can decide on the required level of network monitoring for your company.”
What are the most reviewed network monitoring tools?
Capterra Shortlist identifies the best network monitoring systems based on a proprietary blend of user ratings and popularity, helping small businesses efficiently find the most effective network monitoring solution for their needs.3 Here are the five most reviewed products in our Capterra Shortlist for this category:
Product | Overall score | Popularity score | Ratings score |
|---|
Datadog | 98/100 | 50/50 | 48/50 |
Atera | 91/100 | 43/50 | 48/50 |
NinjaOne | 87/100 | 40/50 | 47/50 |
Site24x7 | 83/100 | 34/50 | 49/50 |
PRTG | 83/100 | 34/50 | 49/50 |
These rankings are determined by combining verified user ratings and publicly available web search popularity data:
Ratings score: Relative score of the software based on ratings given by users on Capterra, normalized for number and recency of reviews.
Popularity score: Relative popularity of software based on web search trends and products’ web presence.
What is network monitoring software?
Network monitoring is the process of constantly monitoring a computer network and providing the information needed to network administrators wherever the network is running optimally.
Network monitoring software is a solution that helps evaluate IT infrastructure performance and internet traffic over an organization's network to optimize IT resource utilization. It also monitors connected servers and other peripherals on a continuous, real-time basis to anticipate possible issues. In addition, the software can identify abnormalities in the network and take strategic actions to minimize or avoid damage.
“Network monitoring software is essential for all technology businesses, and having the right protection will save you money, time, and threat in the long term,” says Johnstone. “Without proper software in place, the likelihood of gaining competitive rates on cyber insurance—for example, is a direct consequence.”
Capterra covers up to 410 network monitoring products about which we received 1,583 reviews over the past year.4
Network monitoring software pricing
Most network monitoring tools on the market are priced on a monthly basis, with a typical entry-level plan costing between $1 and $3 per month. Mid-range plans range from $3 to $16 per month and high-end plans start at $17. An enterprise or premium product priced higher may include additional features—for example, baseline manager, IP address monitoring, internet usage monitoring, and web traffic reporting.
Many products offer a free trial version so that organizations can try the product first and see if it has all the features they need. Some products even offer a free version with limited functionality. While many network monitoring tools offer free plans, it's important to be aware of hidden costs. You might be charged extra for installation, customization, or integration. Be sure to inquire about these fees when evaluating network monitoring options.
One aspect that small businesses often overlook when making their budget decisions is the potential costs of scaling the system, explains Johnstone. “If you haven’t thought ahead of time about how to act when your business suddenly starts expanding, you know you're going into the woods with your eyes closed. It's really important that you ask vendors and trusted advisors about the costs related to scaling up fast.”
Network monitoring software features rated by users
All network monitoring tools include real-time monitoring, alerts/notifications and network mapping and most share a variety of common features such as event logs, network analysis and server monitoring.
Core network monitoring features
Real-time monitoring: Real-time monitoring allows users to track system's health and performance continuously with information and updates being available instantly at any point in time. This feature is rated as a critical or highly important feature by 94% of reviewers.
Alerts/notifications: Users can elect to have alerts and notifications within the system sent to them once an event has taken place. This feature is rated as a critical or highly important feature by 92% of reviewers.
Network mapping: Network topology maps providing infrastructure visualization for devices, connections, configurations, etc.
Performance metrics: A set of indicators that tracks the performance of networks, applications, systems, teams, etc.
Common network monitoring features
Our analysis of proprietary reviews data reveals other common network monitoring features users rate as valuable:
Server monitoring: Users can continuously scan servers on a designated network to monitor health and search for any irregularities or failures. This feature is rated as a critical or highly important feature by 84% of reviewers.
Network analysis: Users can run tests on the network to find the root cause of the network issues. This feature is rated as a critical or highly important feature by 78% of reviewers.
Bandwidth monitoring: Bandwidth monitoring allows users to measure the actual bandwidth available on a local network (LAN or WiFi).
Dashboard: An assembly of graphs and charts for visualizing and tracking statistics and metrics.
IP address monitoring: Allows users to monitor the IP addresses of the incoming traffic.
Patch management: With patch management users can install software updates and fix bugs remotely.
Uptime reporting: With uptime reporting users track the time for which a designated network or a website is available to the users over a given period of time.
Threshold alerts: Alerts for when traffic utilization or network performance deviates from predefined threshold settings.
Top network monitoring software benefits identified by users
Threat security improves protection: A highly rated network monitoring software benefit is the threat security. Users mention that the software can detect malware and protect their business from it.
“The on-demand scanning is very useful as it allows us to find low-demand malware and helps us detect threats that are not detected by real-time protection.”
–Victoria L., chief risk officer, pharmaceuticals
Network monitoring tools improve productivity: By providing real-time insights into network performance, network monitoring tools enable organizations to proactively address issues and optimize their IT infrastructure, leading to a curve of improvement in overall productivity.
“The platform's intelligent analytics have allowed us to identify patterns and trends that were previously hidden, leading to improved performance and better resource allocation.”
–Yogesh B., architect, information technology and services
Managing devices is more streamlined: Network monitoring software allows organizations to add and monitor various devices on their network, ensuring optimal performance and efficient port utilization.
“It was particularly useful for my organizations to manage configurations across a diverse set of network devices, ensuring consistency, compliance, and timely response to changes.”
–Kirti A., quality engineer, information technology and services
Common challenges of network monitoring software identified by users
Issues with ticketing systems is the biggest challenge for network monitoring software users. Ineffective ticketing systems can lead to delayed issue resolution, reduced customer satisfaction, and increased operational costs. Organizations should implement a robust ticketing system, ensure proper training for staff, and regularly review and optimize the ticketing process to identify and address issues.
Issues with documentation is another of the most common challenges of network monitoring software. Incomplete documentation can hinder troubleshooting, onboarding new staff, and maintaining the network infrastructure. Organizations should create and maintain comprehensive documentation for all network components, including configuration settings, troubleshooting steps, and best practices.
Many users also encounter difficulties with website blocking. Website blocking can disrupt business operations and limit access to critical information. Organizations should implement a network monitoring solution that can identify and address website blocking issues in real time and regularly review and update firewall rules to ensure that only necessary websites are blocked.
To anticipate potential challenges with network monitoring tools, Johnstone advises buyers to make an extensive list of requirements that the system must meet. “You should look at it not just from a technical perspective, but also from a business perspective: What is essential for your specific business?”
These are some of the most important questions Johnstone recommends decision-makers to ask software vendors:
How scalable is the system?
How does the system fit our purpose?
How user-friendly is the system?
Does the system have intelligent alerts based on the defined level of consequence and urgency?
How customizable is the system?
Can the system be accessed remotely?
Who uses network monitoring software?
Network monitoring software is essential for anyone who wants to maintain a reliable, secure, and efficient network.
Conversations with buyers reveal some of the most common kinds of users are from information technology and services, telecommunications, and computer software, and also companies with between 11 to 200 employees.
Reviews by our users reveal that network monitoring software is used most often by employees in IT and software development roles, followed by administrative roles and engineering.
Common network monitoring software integrations
We analyzed our extensive reviews database and determined the three categories that most often integrate with network monitoring tools are:
Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity software and network monitoring are essential components of a robust security strategy. While network monitoring identifies behaviors that may indicate a cyberattack, security software can analyze these alerts to determine if they pose a threat and provide immediate notifications to security teams.
Cloud storage: Cloud storage is an important integration, because network monitoring generates a huge amount of data that needs to be stored. Storing this information in the cloud ensures high availability and prevents data loss.
ITSM: The integration of ITSM and network monitoring software enhances the efficiency of IT operations. Network monitoring can detect performance issues before they escalate and ITSM tools can automatically trigger incident tickets based on monitoring alerts, enabling faster response times. By analyzing network data, ITSM can help identify the underlying causes of issues.
Recent trends in network monitoring software
Infrastructure and operations leaders focused on network monitoring should consider the following trends:
Shifting investments to versatilist network tools: There is a growing trend towards prioritizing investments in network tools designed for versatilists—or, generalists—rather than traditional network engineers in order to mitigate the impact of the network skills gap.
Prioritizing investment in other analytics tools: Organizations are increasingly investing in advanced analytics tools capable of handling network data at scale, as packet capture and transport become standardized and commoditized capabilities.5
Enhance network monitoring with GenAI: Companies can improve network monitoring products by combining generative AI (GenAI) with network automation capabilities to help product teams predict and solve the root cause of issues quickly in more complex networking environments.6
