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Best Zabbix Alternatives for Network Monitoring & Management

zabbix alternative for network monitoring

Marc Wilson UPDATED: October 21, 2022

Finding a suitable alternative to Zabbix that can replace all its functionality can be a complicated process – but we're here to assist in decision making process by outlining some of the best alternatives to Zabbix for Network monitoring and management.

The software packages listed below will be categorized into a couple categories – Either Paid or Free options – since price is usually the most important factor to consider when looking for a replacement, along with ease of use and configuration, which is the main reason many admins are looking for an alternative.

Some of the main features we're looking for when looking for another solution for Zabbix are as follows:

  • Monitor Hosts within your Network, along with major performance metrics and services, including:
  • Problem Detection and prediction
  • Network Mapping functionality
  • Notifications and Alerts/Messaging System
  • User Security and Authentication Management Functionality
  • Templating and Import/Export Capabilities
  • Auto Mapping and Discovery of Network Devices, Hosts and Hardware
  • System Management Capabilities (Custom Scripts)

What is a Good Alternative to Zabbix?

These are a few of the features we are looking to match with a replacement software package for Zabbix. Below you will find a list of software that is Fully featured and comes with at least the functionality and options mentioned in the above list.

1. SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor – FREE TRIAL

solarwinds npm

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor – also known as NPM – is going to be our top choice as a replacement for Zabbix due to its ease of use and closely aligned feature set. NPM can be setup within Minutes due to its automatic network discovery features that are very robust and thorough when searching, indexing and cataloging network connected devices.

Some main features of NPM include the following:

  • Automatic and Dynamic Mapping of Network Devices (Wired and Wireless) – Displays important information and meters regarding each device including performance info, utilization and link connections of each device.
  • Network Monitoring for all networked devices (including wireless devices) along with Extensive monitoring of critical network and backbone components.
  • Customizable Reporting features and alerts for events, conditions and devices.
  • Capacity and Forecast planning for future usage, including calculations based on data usage in peak and average hours.
  • Hardware Monitoring, including heath checks on Fans and Fan Speeds, Temperature, Power Supply and other critical Components.
  • Customizable and Mobile accessible web interface with fully customizable Dashboard.
  • Schedule reports to generate at any given time with over 100 pre-built templates and can identify over 1200 applications for Packet analysis
  • Hop-by-Hop analysis of Network Paths
  • VLAN Analysis and Information
  • and Much Much More!

SolarWinds NPM is by far the most fully-featured software package that can replace your Zabbix installation and actually add functionality to your monitoring solution.

Pros:

  • Takes a holistic approach to server performance and health monitoring
  • Supports auto-discovery that builds network topology maps and inventory lists in real-time based on devices that enter the network
  • Supports both SNMP monitoring as well as packet analysis, giving you more control over monitoring than similar tools
  • Uses drag and drop widgets to customize the look and feel of the dashboard
  • Robust reporting system with pre-configured compliance templates

Cons:

  • Designed for IT professionals, not the best option for non-technical users

We constantly hear that Zabbix is hard to configure and get running quickly and that's why SolarWinds NPM solution our top candidate as a replacement. Network Device discovery and pre-built templates really streamline the process of setting up the software and you'll be running with minutes, not days. Download a 30-day fully functional free trial.

Full Documentation and Information: http://www.solarwinds.com/network-performance-monitor

Download Now

2. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor – Free Trial

prtg

Paessler PRTG Network Monitor is another great network management and monitoring software suite that will give you a lot of the features as Zabbix does along with some additional features that you may not get from it. Their pricing is quite a bit Higher than SolarWinds when you realize how many network devices you are really monitoring, as their pricing model revolves are number of sensors you want to monitor. As you can imagine, each device has multiple sensors that you will want to monitor and pricing can get fairly high (upwards to $16,000!).

But nonetheless, its a great software suite if the above recommendation does not fit your bill. Some features of PRTG include the following:

  • Configuration is fast and easy and can also be installed and configured with a couple minutes, just like the SolarWinds NPM.
  • Mobile ready dashboard that's fully Customizable to your needs and preferences.
  • Network Monitoring capabilities, along with a fully featured set of protocols and applications to monitor
  • Pre-packaged alert monitors and templates
  • Map Designer for your Network devices
  • Remote Probes for DMZ's and other LANs
  • and much more!

Pros:

  • Drag and drop editor makes it easy to build custom views and reports
  • Supports a wide range of alert mediums such as SMS, email, and third-party integrations into platforms like Slack
  • Highly flexible in terms of pricing and platform scalability
  • Supports a freeware version

Cons:

  • Is a very comprehensive platform with many features and moving parts that require time to learn

PRTG is a well-rounded software that really stands out amongst competitors and really takes monitoring to new level. As we always say, its best to download and install the software to get a true feeling of its options and GUI to see if it fits your needs. Download the 30-day free trial.

Full Documentation and Information: https://www.paessler.com/zabbix-alternative

Download Now!

3. ManageEngine OpManager – FREE TRIAL

manageengine

ManageEngine has really upped their offerings as of the last several years with their OpManager platform, providing a wide array of features that may really come in handy when looking for replacement suite. Some of the features of Management are as follows:

  • Monitor for packet loss of your network, response and performance metrics and times of network devices within your perimeter, including switches (L2 and L3), routers, servers, VM hosts and Virtual Machines.
  • Monitor and Analyze Bandwidth that is used by end-users and applications using the most popular flow analysis protocols including NetFlow, sFlow, jFlow, and IPFIX.
  • Collect, analyze, and archive Logs from your firewall devices to view potential intrusions, security loop holes and ensure compliance standards.
  • Backup, push, and revert devices configurations over the Network and setup alerts and monitors to receive messages and notifications for changes that were not authorized.
  • Keep track of your IP addresses to ensure correct IP address mapping and assignment, along with tracking of switch ports and any other devices connected to them in Real-Time.
  • ….. Along with many more features!

Pros:

  • Designed to work right away, features over 200 customizable widgets to build unique dashboards and reports
  • Leverages autodiscover to find, inventory, and map new devices
  • Uses intelligent alerting to reduce false positives and eliminate alert fatigue across larger networks
  • Supports email, SMS, and webhook for numerous alerting channels
  • Integrates well in the ManageEngine ecosystem with their other products

Cons:

  • Is a feature-rich tool that will require a time investment to properly learn

Price: Start with a 30-day free trial.

Full Documentation and Information: https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/

Download: https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/download.html

Download Now!

4. Site24x7 – FREE TRIAL

Site24x7

Site24x7 is a good match for the functionality offered by Zabbix because it monitors networks, servers, and applications. However, this system is easier to manage because it is cloud-based. You don’t have to download and install any software to use the Site24x7 system. You just access the dashboard through any standard Web browser.

The Site24x7 system isn’t free, but it has extra functions that you won’t find in Zabbix:

  • Automatic set up through the download of a small agent program
  • Network discovery that creates a network inventory and topology map – they are kept constantly up-to-date
  • Device health checks through SNMP with alerts for status issues
  • Network traffic analysis through NetFlow, J-Flow, sFlow, CFlow, IPFIX, NetStream, and AppFlow
  • Network speed tests
  • End-to-end network path analysis
  • Server hardware monitoring
  • Process checker with capacity monitoring for CPUs
  • File space analyzer
  • Server I/O performance monitoring
  • Real-user monitoring and synthetic monitoring for websites that can be launched from a choice of more than 120 locations
  • Application performance monitoring with dependency mapping
  • Root cause analysis
  • Alerts for performance problems sent by email, SMS, push notification, voice call, or RSS

Pros:

  • Flexible cloud-based monitoring option
  • Offers a host of out-of-box monitoring options and dashboard templates for SQL server
  • Allows administrators to view dependencies within the application stack, good for building SLAs and optimizing uptime
  • Offers root cause analysis enhanced by AI to fix technical issues faster
  • Can unify SQL monitoring across multi-cloud environments

Cons:

  • Site24x7 is a feature-rich platform with options that extended beyond databases management, may require time to learn all options and features

Site24x7 offers editions that are tailored to different requirements, such as Web-based business, MSPs, or office setups. All plans are charged for by subscription and you can get any of them on a 30-day free trial.

For more information: https://www.site24x7.com/zabbix-alternative.html

Start FREE Trial!

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