As networks evolve and become more complex, having the right network monitoring tool becomes an essential part of every business.
Constant monitoring of the network is essential to proactively avoid security risks and network failures.
There are many different network monitoring tools available today, and each comes with its own share of advantages and disadvantages.
So, it is important to zero in on the one that best fits your needs.
In this guide, we will be comparing two well-known network monitoring solutions – Paessler PRTG vs WhatsUp Gold.
We will give you the pros and cons of each tool followed by direct comparison to help you decide if either of the two would work for you.
Here’s a Quick Rundown of Each software package and some of their Pro’s and Cons.
Paessler PRTG – FREE TRIAL
Paessler PRTG is a popular network monitoring tool that helps to monitor thousands of devices, so you get real-time information in the event of failures or problems.
Pros
You get the following advantages from Paessler PRTG.
- Accurate bandwidth monitoring
- Powerful API integrations
- Can be deployed within just a few minutes
- Easy to use
- Accurate alerts, so you don’t waste your time fixing the wrong issues.
- Comes with a web-based GUI and a dedicated client, and that gives more flexibility
- Generates excellent graphs and reports
- Ideal for mid and large size organizations
- Works well with most popular equipment available in the market today.
- Auto updates make it easy for administrators.
Cons
Some possible shortcomings of Paessler PRTG are:
- Sensor allocations get used by quickly, so you’ll have to spend more money to monitor a wide range of devices.
- Sometimes, it is too much work to setup specific alarms, like monitoring high CPU usage.
- SNMP usage is a little technical
WhatsUp Gold
WhatsUp Gold is a popular network monitoring tool from a company called Ipswitch that aims to simplify troubleshooting and monitoring of IT environments.
Pros
The pros of WhatsUp Gold are:
- Monitors the complete network as well as specific endpoints.
- Generates excellent reports that reflect performance of the network and its endpoints.
- User-friendly and intuitive
- Quick alerts help IT people to fix problems, so it doesn’t impact users in a big way.
- Supports remote monitoring
- Creates maps for end-users to simplify monitoring
- Excellent backup configuration and archiving.
Cons
Some shortcomings of WhatsUp Gold are:
- Layout maps can include more visibility for devices.
- Add-on plug ins cost extra.
- SNMP tuning requires in-depth knowledge
- Training classes are expensive.
Now that we’ve seen the pros and cons of each product, let’s see how they stack up against each other.
Paessler PRTG vs WhatsUp Gold Differences & Comparison:
Features |
WhatsUp Gold |
Paessler PRTG |
MIB Compiler | No | Yes |
Web App | Available | Available |
Support for QR codes | No | Yes |
Sensor-Based | No | Yes |
Auto Discovery | Yes | Yes |
SNMP | Yes | Yes |
Support for Plugins | Yes | Yes |
Distributed Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
Trend Prediction | Yes | Yes |
Free Trial | Yes | No. First 100 sensors are free |
Request More Info | Download FREE |
Conclusion
To conclude, both Paessler PRTG and WhatsUp Gold are good monitoring tools with a ton of positive user feedback. The exact choice depends on what you exactly want, budget, network layout and model, and other pertinent factors.
Overall though, WhatsUp Gold is perfect for organizations that need to be notified of any particular event whereas PRTG is more of an all-round monitoring tool that will Scale up when your Business Grows!
Download a FREE Trial of Paessler PRTG to Get started Monitoring up to 100 Sensors FREE!
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