Network monitoring software is essential for all organizations that utilize online networking. It can be used to monitor and manage online traffic over a network. It also allows users to automate operations and workflow. Network monitoring software tracks a network’s uptime, response time, and availability in real-time. It also keeps a close tab on unusual activities and malware that can pose potential threats to the network. And in case of any issue, it immediately sends a notification to the main server.
Network monitoring software connects to all the active devices and equipment. It tracks each system through its IP address. In an IT infrastructure, monitoring software connects to all networking components like routers, switches, firewalls, servers, printers, VMs, load balancers, and more.
Network monitoring software can be deployed for both physical and wireless networks. It also helps in optimizing apps and services online. This guarantees that all systems are connected and operations run smoothly at all times. It also ensures that there is no data loss due to technical issues.
There are both paid and free network monitoring software available in the market. But if you are a beginner, it is better to start with free platforms before investing money for the same. This provides users with hands-on experience and a better understanding of software operations. In this article, we will discuss the 5 best free and open-source network monitoring tools in 2021.
Table of Contents
What should users look for in an Open-Source Network Monitoring Software?
Before the deployment of any software, users need to understand its feasibility and application. Following are the key features that make network monitoring software efficient and suitable for businesses of all sizes.
- Real-time network performance updates
- Network mapping
- Automatic device discovery
- Network performance alerts and notifications
- Root cause analysis
- Business scalability
- Intuitive dashboard
- Customizable features
- Custom user support
- Resource management
- Diagnostic tools
- Web traffic reporting
- Bandwidth monitoring
- SLA monitoring
Which are the 5 best free network monitoring software?
Following are the 5 best free and open-source network monitoring tools for business in 2021. In this article, we will discuss the key features, pros, and cons, and pricing details of the network monitoring platforms to help you make an informed decision.
- Zabbix – Enterprise network monitoring tool
Zabbix is one of the best free network monitoring tools. It offers a mature platform for network monitoring solutions. Zabbix provides effortless operation modules that can be deployed for all businesses even for large-scale enterprises.
Zabbix offers both network monitoring and application monitoring tools. It also provides users with real-time updates on network performance. This not only helps users optimize operations and fix issues as they occur but also maintains a high-performing and efficient networking system.
With Zabbix, users can monitor internet usage, uptime, bandwidth, IP address, servers, and more. It also comes with in-built real-time analytics and diagnostic tools for web traffic monitoring. It immediately notifies users in case of unauthorized actions or any malicious activity.
Key features of Zabbix include:
- Resource management
- Internet usage management
- Server monitoring
- SLA monitoring
- Real-time analytics
- Root cause analysis
- Customizable features
- Custom user support
- Business scalability
- Intuitive dashboard
- Web traffic reporting
- Bandwidth monitoring
- Resource management
- Diagnostic tools
Technical details
| Customer Support | 24X7 live online customer support |
| API integration | Yes |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud |
| Scalability | Suitable for businesses of all sizes |
| SW score | 95% |
Pros and cons
| Pros | Seamless integrationMulti-tenancy supportFlexible featuresCustomizable dashboard |
| Cons | Installation, operation, and PHP tuning require professional training. |
Pricing
Zabbix is an open-source network monitoring tool. It offers a freemium plan for public use that offers features like analytics, reporting, network authentication, real-time updates, auto-discovery, API integration, and more.
- Nagios XI – Most reliable network monitoring platform
Nagios is a host network monitoring platform with highly reliable monitoring solutions. It offers a range of network monitoring features like server monitoring, resource management, SLA monitoring, internet usage monitoring, uptime monitoring, bandwidth monitoring, and more. It also has in-built analytics and diagnostic tools with smart features to take care of all your networking needs.
Nagios monitors and ensures that all networking pieces of equipment such as servers, switches, routers, etc. are in place and running smoothly. It offers an intuitive and customizable user interface which makes it easy for even beginners to understand and operate.
Key features of Nagios XI include:
- Internet usage management
- Bandwidth monitoring
- Server monitoring
- Automatic device discovery
- Web traffic reporting
- SLA monitoring
- Resource management
- Real-time analytics
- IP address monitoring
- Root cause analysis
- Custom user support
- Business scalability
- Intuitive dashboard
- Resource management
Technical details
| Customer Support | Online customer support during business hours |
| API integration | Yes |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud |
| Scalability | Suitable for large enterprises, medium enterprises, and small businesses |
| SW score | 97% |
Pros and cons
| Pros | Seamless integration, Cluster Service monitoring, Multi-tenancy support, Flexible features |
| Cons | Graphical UI can be improved and made more intuitive. |
Pricing
Nagios XI is a free home monitoring software. It offers a freemium plan for public use without any charges. It also offers a free trial on all its paid subscription plans. In addition, users can buy a one-time license with all advanced features for $1,995.
- Cacti – RRDTool-based network monitoring solution
Cacti offer a complete network tracking solution. It is an RRDTool powered platform that offers high-performance network graphing functionality. Cacti offers open-source network monitoring tools that provide monitoring services for free.
Cacti is a cloud-based platform with online data storage space. Users can easily store their networking history on the cloud and track changes in case of any issue or generate progress reports. Users can also define custom scripts for networking data using the data input mechanism offered by Cacti. It facilitates users to gather and sort data according to their preferences.
Key features of Cacti include:
- Internet usage management
- Real-time network performance updates
- Bandwidth monitoring
- Server monitoring
- Network mapping
- Root cause analysis
- Custom user support
- Automatic device discovery
- Resource management
- SLA monitoring
- IP address monitoring
- Business scalability
- Intuitive dashboard
- Web traffic reporting
- Real-time analytics
- Resource management
Technical details
| Customer Support | Online customer support |
| API integration | Yes |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud |
| Scalability | Suitable for freelancers, medium enterprises, and small businesses |
| SW score | 76% |
Pros and cons
| Pros | Seamless integration, Fast poller, Graphs feature available from language-independent scripts, Bind 9 Statistics |
| Cons | The GUI of Cacti is not very good. |
Pricing
Cacti is a free network monitoring software. It offers customized subscription plans that offer advanced features for network monitoring.
- Pandora FMS – Hybrid network monitoring software for large enterprise
Pandora FMS is a flexible network monitoring software. It is a free home monitoring software that is compatible with hybrid work environments. Pandora is a scalable software that can be deployed for business of all sizes, even large enterprises with a complex workflow.
Pandora FMS offers in-built tools for real-time analytics and reporting that allow IT professionals to address and fix immediate and predicted unforeseen operational issues. Pandora FMS can support more than 100 devices simultaneously where it can be used to monitor networks, systems, servers, applications, and more using one platform.
Key features of Pandora FMS include:
- Bandwidth monitoring
- Server monitoring
- Resource management
- SLA monitoring
- IP address monitoring
- Root cause analysis
- Custom user support
- Automatic device discovery
- Web traffic reporting
- Real-time analytics
- Resource management
- Business scalability
- Intuitive dashboard
- Network mapping
Technical details
| Customer Support | 24X7 live online customer support |
| API integration | NA |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud, Android/iOS |
| Scalability | Suitable for businesses of all sizes |
| SW score | 92% |
Pros and cons
| Pros | Custom module, SMTP compatibility, Flexible features |
| Cons | Network monitoring operations can be made more user-friendly and easier to use for beginners. |
Pricing
Pandora FMS offers a free trial on all its subscription plans 850€/year. It offers separate plans for small and large-scale enterprises.
- Spiceworks Network Monitor – Easy-to-use network monitoring software
Spiceworks Network Monitor offers an easy-to-use network monitoring platform. It can be deployed at any workstation or server by configuring application URLs. It is easy to install software with an intuitive user interface. It also has in-built analytics and reporting tools that provide real-time network updates. This ensures the optimum and smooth functioning of systems at all times.
Spiceworks Network Monitor offers a dynamic dashboard with virtual monitoring features for the network. Many businesses are using this platform for tracking the up/down status of their services and web applications. It can be useful in automating daily repetitive tasks which will not only save time but also the manual effort and expenses required otherwise.
Key features of Spiceworks Network Monitor include:
- Resource management
- SLA monitoring
- Resource management
- Intuitive dashboard
- IP address monitoring
- Root cause analysis
- Business scalability
- Custom user support
- Automatic device discovery
- Bandwidth monitoring
- Baseline manager
- Server monitoring
- Web traffic reporting
- Real-time analytics
- Server monitoring
- Network mapping
Technical details
| Customer Support | Online customer support |
| API integration | NA |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud |
| Scalability | Suitable for large enterprises, medium scale organizations, and small businesses |
| SW score | 85% |
Pros and cons
| Pros | Intuitive UI, All-in-one helpdesk solution, Seamless integration |
| Cons | It is not compatible with SQL servers. |
Pricing
Spiceworks Network Monitor is a free network monitoring software. It is available for public use free of charge.
Conclusion
Network monitoring software is a must-have platform for all online businesses and IT companies. It offers smart features that can be used to automate all networking requirements of an enterprise. Most network monitoring platforms have in-built tools that can connect all systems in a network. They also perform real-time analytics and generate regular reports for users to help them track progress and fix issues if any.
There are several software options available in the market for network monitoring, both paid and free. For beginners, it is better to start with free platforms to first get an understanding of the operation and feasibility of the software for a particular need. In this article, we have listed the top 5 open-source and free network monitoring software that can be deployed for different scale businesses in 2021. We have discussed everything that you need to look for in-network monitoring software. However, if you have any further questions or you wish to try other tools, get in touch with us at SaaSworthy.
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