Whether you're a system admin or network administrator, monitoring potential problems before they become production issues is crucial. There are a plethora of Network monitoring tools available in the market and choosing one is difficult.
Here is a curated list of Top 43 network monitoring tools for monitoring devices, services, ports, protocols and analyzing traffic on your network.
1) SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
This network monitor tool automatically discovers network devices and deploys within an hour. With the help of this tool, you can customize the web-based performance dashboards, charts, and views.
Features:
- Multi-vendor network monitoring
- Complete network Insights for better visibility
- NetPath and PerfStack for easy troubleshooting
- Smarter scalability for large environments
Download link: https://www.solarwinds.com/network-performance-monitor
2) Paessler PRTG
PRTG network monitoring software is known for its advanced infrastructure management capabilities. The tool monitors IT infrastructure using technologies like SNMP, WMI, Sniffing, REST APIS, SQL and others.
Features:
- PRTG can scan network segments by pinging defined IP ranges
- Helps you to create web pages with up-to-date monitoring data in the desired design
- Easy and flexible alerting
- Multiple User Interfaces
- Alerts you when it sees warnings or unusual metrics in your network.
Download link: https://www.paessler.com/prtg
3) ManageEngine OpManager
ManageEngine OpMangage is powerful, user-friendly network monitoring software. You can monitor routers, switches, firewalls, servers, and VMs with the help of this tool.
Features:
- Network Health Monitoring
- Monitors quality of the VoIP calls across WAN infrastructure and resolve problems regarding VoIP performance.
- Automatic network mapping to visualize every network outage
- Continuously monitors WAN link availability.
Download link: https://www.manageengine.com
4) WhatsUp Gold 2017
WhatsUp Gold shortly known as (WUG) is a network monitoring software. The dashboards are user-friendly and visually attractive. It can be customized to display IT infrastructure and alerts to fit your needs.
Features:
- Automatically find and Map Your Entire Network
- Continuously monitors your network's Health with Customizable Alerts.
- Reporting and Dashboards
- Discovery & Network Mapping
- Cloud Monitoring
Download link: https://www.ipswitch.com/application-and-network-monitoring/whatsup-gold
5) Zabbix
Zabbix is an open source monitoring tool. This network monitoring tool focuses on monitoring and trending functionality. This software is widely used for monitoring servers and network hardware. This tool can forecast future behavior based on historical data.
Features:
- Easy measurement of network performance & health
- Flexible and extendable data gathering
- Various metric collection methods and protocols
- Configuration changes
Download link: https://www.zabbix.com/
6) Incinga
It is open source infrastructure and service monitoring tool. Icinga alters and reports the health of your IT environment. All alert dependencies will be displayed in the dashboard and sent via email, SMS or mobile messaging apps.
Features:
- Monitoring of Services
- Supports both direct monitoring and SNMP monitoring
- Allows clustering and Zone Monitoring
- Configuration & Templates
Download link: https://www.icinga.com/
7) Datadog
Datadog is a monitoring tool which is built for hybrid cloud environments. Datadog helps you to analyze the performance of network, apps, and services. It allows you to create custom graphs, meters, and alerts.
Features:
- Allows you to check across systems, apps, and services
- Get full visibility into your applications.
- Analyze and explore log data in the context
- Build real-time interactive dashboards
- Fash alerts on critical issues.
Download link: https://www.datadoghq.com
8) ConnectWise Automate
ConnectWise Automate Solves IT Problems at the Speed of Business. The tool helps you to eliminate blind spots in your supported environments before they become a problem.
Features:
- Remove Delivery Roadblocks
- Gain Better visibility
- Increase Service at low cost
- Resolve Issues quickly
Download link: https://www.connectwise.com/software/automate
9) Logic Monitor
LogicMonitor is an automated SaaS network monitoring tool. The tool offers to customize dashboard, alerts, and reports. The tool can identify incoming issues by providing predictive alters and trend analysis.
Features:
- Discovers all network devices & interfaces
- Monitors CPU, Memory, Temperature, Fan and other hardware
- Track OSPF adjacencies and BGP sessions
- Watch & alert on Power Over Ethernet loads
- Wireless access-point monitoring
Download link: https://www.logicmonitor.com
10) OP5 Monitor
OP5 Monitor is a software product for the server, network monitoring, and management based on the Open Source project Nagios. The OP5 Monitor displays the status, health, and performance of the IT network.
Features:
- Log Server Monitoring
- Fully customizable and interactive dashboards
- Unparalleled Scalability across Distributed Environments
- Read, process and generate alerts from SNMP traps.
- Automatic Self Healing
Download link: https://www.op5.com/op5-monitor/
11) Fiddler
Fiddler is a web debugging & network monitoring tool. It allows you to captures HTTP traffic between your computer and the Internet. It will enable you to analyze incoming and outgoing data to monitor and evaluate requests and responses before they send to the browser.
Features:
- Web Session Manipulation
- Debug traffic from Pc, Mac or Linux systems and for mobile devices
- HTTP/HTTPS Traffic Recording
Download link: http://www.telerik.com/fiddler
12) Splunk
Splunk is a monitoring tool which allows you to simplify and modernize IT to increase uptime and a competitive edge. It will enable you to get seamless monitoring and troubleshooting.
Features:
- Prevent Business Outages
- Make Informed Decisions
- Real-time and Predictive Insights
- Visibility for IT and the Business
- Resolve Issues Quickly
Download link: https://www.splunk.com/download
13) Pandora FMS
Pandora FMS is an enterprise-ready monitoring solution. It offers you greater flexibility to address both immediate and unanticipated operational issues, including infrastructure and IT processes.
Features:
- Network monitoring
- WMI monitoring
- SLA and KPI metrics on reporting
- WYSIWYG Visual Console screens and Dashboards
- Multi-tenant, several layers of access control
- GIS tracking and viewing
Download link: https://pandorafms.org/en/
14) Angry IP Scanner
Angry IP scanner is network monitor program for Windows, Linux, and Mac. It can scan IP addresses in any range as well as any their ports. Angry IP scanner pings each IP address and checks whether it is alive or not.
Features:
- Scans Lan and Internet networks
- IP Range, Random or file in any format
- Exports results various different formats
- Extensible with many data fetchers
- Provides command-line interface
Download link: http://angryip.org/download
15) Advanced IP Scanner
Advanced IP scanner is free network scanner to analyze LAN. This network analysis tool helps you to access shared folders, remote controlling of computers and can even switch your computers off.
Features:
- No need of installation
- MAC addresses detection
- Export scan result to CSV
Download link: http://www.advanced-ip-scanner.com/
16) Capsa Free
Capsa is a free and open source network performance monitoring tool for troubleshooting, Ethernet monitoring, and analysis. It helps users to learn how to monitor network activities, find network issues, enhance network security.
Features:
- Improved efficiency to evaluate periodical and occasional network issues, etc.
- It offers you to stores network data for weeks or months, and browse historical network traffic.
- Decreased time and efforts need to reconstruct network issue scenarios.
- Offers sufficient evidence for network performance and security breach, etc.
Download link: https://www.colasoft.com/capsa-free
17) Nagios
Nagios network monitoring tool allows organizations to identify and resolve IT infrastructure problems before they affect critical business processes.
Features:
- Comprehensive Dashboard
- Allows you to keep track of specific subsets of network flow information
- Complete Insights on network traffic, bandwidth, and overall network health
- Receive alerts when the abnormal activity takes place
- Advanced user options allow IT teams to work together efficiently.
Download link: https://www.nagios.com/products/
18) The Dude
The Dude network monitor is a network monitoring tool which automatically scans all devices within specified subnets. You can draw layout and map of your networks. It also gives you an alert when some equipment is not working correctly.
Features:
- Auto network discovery and layout
- Discovers any type or brand of device
- SVG icons for devices are included for easy recognition. Even custom icons and backgrounds are supported.
- Direct access from remote control tools for device management
Download link: http://www.mikrotik.com/thedude
19) OpenNMS
It is an open source network solution which is designed for building network monitoring solutions. This tool comes with discovery engine to automatically configure and manage network devices without any human intervention.
Features:
- Collect performance metrics from SNMP, JMX, WMI, NRPE, and XMP agents
- The flexible and extensible architecture
- OpenNMS is built on an event-driven architecture.
- Helps you to discover your network and applications through manual, detected, or ReST API driven interfaces
Download link: http://www.opennms.org/
20) NetworkMiner
NetworkMiner is a Network Forensic Analysis Tool. The tool allows detecting the OS, hostname and open ports of network hosts by parsing a PCAP file or packet sniffing.
Features:
- Network forensics & Sniffing
- User credentials for supported protocols can be extracted under credentials tab.
- You can search sniffed or stored data for keywords.
- NetworkMiner Professional comes with specially designed USB flash drive.
Download link: http://www.netresec.com/?page=NetworkMiner
21) GFI LanGuard
Gif Languard is allowed you to scan your network for vulnerabilities, automated patching, and achieve compliance.
Features:
- Patch management for operating systems & third-party applications
- Vulnerability assessment
- Web reporting console
- Track latest vulnerabilities and missing updated
- Integration with security applications
- Support for Virtual Environments
Download link: https://www.gfi.com/products-and-solutions/network-security-solutions/gfi-languard
22) NetXMS
NetXMS is an open source monitoring tool which allows you to monitor entire IT infrastructures. It starts with SNMP-capable hardware and ending with applications on servers.
Features:
- Designed for maximum performance and scalability
- Distributed network monitoring
- Helps you to detect network automatically.
- Quick deployment with minimal configuration efforts
- Native support various platforms and operating systems
Download link: https://www.netxms.org/download/
23) Total Network Monitor
Total network solution provides solutions for monitoring LAN, computers, and services that needed careful attention and thorough control.
Features:
- Software License Management
- Network Inventory
- IT Asset Management
- SNMP Scanner
- Hardware Inventory
Download link: http://www.softinventive.com/total-network-monitor/
24) Zenoss Core
Zenoss is a hybrid IT monitoring tool. It allows you to analytics software, offer total visibility for the cloud, virtual and real IT environments. The tool also provides Open Source Core, Enterprise, and SaaS solutions as well as an open API and SDK.
Features:
- Cross-platform device performance and availability monitoring
- Customizable web-based console and dashboards
- Performance monitoring for devices, events, and networks
- Extensibility and rapid customization of monitoring environments via ZenPacks
- Device and device attribute management
Download link: http://sourceforge.net/projects/zenoss/
25) Microsoft Network Monitor
Microsoft Network Monitor is a protocol analysis and network traffic monitoring tool. This tool helps you to capture, view and analyze network traffic. It is also handy for troubleshooting network problems and applications on the network.
Download link: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id= 4865
26) WirelessNetView
WirelessNetView is a small network monitoring program which can run in the background of your desktop or laptop. It monitors the activity of wireless networks around you. It displays information like SSID, Average Signal Quality, Detection Counter, Authentication Algorithm, etc.
Features:
- Many of its utilities in this site were developed in C++, which make it fast, and useful tool
- All my utilities don't write anything to the Registry or your profile.
- USB Flash drive, without creating any record that you use
- You not require to or give your email to download from NirSoft.
Download link: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_view.html
27) monitors
Monitis helps you to optimize your network and avoid system downtimes. It also constantly health of your network. The tool provides agent-based and agentless monitoring for various network devices like switches, phone systems, and windows.
Features:
- Total visibility over your website
- Real-time reporting
- Allows web transaction monitoring
- Quickly detect and resolve network performance issue
- Network bandwidth monitoring
- Support for TCP protocols like SMTP, HTTP, UDP, SIP, etc.
Download link: http://www.monitis.com/network-monitoring
28) NMAP
Nmap is an open source software for network discovery and security auditing. This network monitoring tool allows you to perform tasks such as network inventory, maintaining service upgrade schedules.
Features:
- Nmap tool is available for free download, and also comes with complete source code
- Supports dozens of advanced techniques for mapping out networks filled with IP filters, firewalls, routers, etc.
- It can scan huge networks of literally hundreds of thousands of machines.
- Extensive support of a community of developers and users
Download link: https://nmap.org/
29) NTOP
Ntop offers high-speed web-based traffic analysis and flow collection. Ntop was written in a portable way to virtually run on any platform – Linux, Mac, and Windows.
Features:
- Real-time network traffic and active hosts
- Geolocate and overlay hosts in a geographical map
- Analyse IP traffic and arrange it according to the source/destination.
- Produce HTML5/AJAX network traffic statistics.
- Support for MySQL, ElasticSearch and LogStash export of monitored data
Download link: http://www.ntop.org/products/traffic-analysis/ntop/
30) Wireshark
Wireshark is a widely-used network protocol analyzer. It allows checking all the activities of your network.
Features:
- Deep inspection of hundreds of protocols
- Live capture and offline analysis.
- Runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, Solaris, and many others
- Captured all the network data that can be browsed via a GUI, or via the TTY-mode TShark utility.
- Rich VoIP analysis
Download link: https://www.wireshark.org/
31) NAGIOS CORE
Nagios Core acts as basic event scheduler, event processor, and alert manager. It features various API's that are used to extend its capabilities to perform additional task.
Features:
- Extensible architecture which is designed for flexibility and scalability
- Allows you to check scheduling, execution, and processing
- Offers extended features like configuration frontends, auto-discovery, and distributed monitoring
Download link: https://www.nagios.org/projects/nagios-core/
32) Spiceworks
Spice works are easy to use networking monitoring tool which offers real-time status and alerts for your critical devices.
Features:
- It is simple to install and easy to set up
- You can adjust alert thresholds for in-app notifications or emails.
- Support is entirely free. Online or on the phone, chat
- Get quick insights and spot slow, sluggish, or overwhelmed systems.
Download link: https://www.spiceworks.com/free-network-monitoring-management-software/
33) Pulseway
RMM software remotely monitors, manage and control Windows, Mac, Linux, and Applications from a single pane of glass.
Features:
- Remote Desktop Control
- Patch Management
- White Labelling and Reporting
- Advanced Automation
Download link: https://www.pulseway.com/
34) Observium
Observium is an auto-discovering network monitoring tool. It supports a wide range of device types, platforms, and operating systems. The tool offers an intuitive and straightforward interface to the health and status of your network.
Features:
- Traffic Accounting feature helps you in tracking and billing customer bandwidth usage
- Supports for numbers of third-party application
- Threshold alerting system helps you to configure thresholds and failure status of various entities.
- Improves your network's reliability by finding a number of potential issues
Download link: http://www.observium.org/
35) Monit
Monit is an Open Source network monitoring and managing tool specially designed for Unix systems. This monitoring tool performs automatic maintenance and repair. It can also execute meaningful actions in error situations.
Features:
- Monit can be used to monitor suspicious processes or similar programs running on localhost
- It can be used to monitor files, directories, and filesystems on localhost.
- UDP, TCP, UDP, and sockets are supported.
- Allows you to monitor general system resources on localhosts like overall CPU usage, Memory, and Load Average
Download link: https://mmonit.com/monit/
36) Dynatrace (Compuware APM)
Dynatrace system monitoring tool allows you to auto-discover and baseline your entire IT ecosystem in the very less time. It allows you to monitor and manage application performance and cloud infrastructure.
Features:
- Network Solutions for monitoring for business, operations, and development
- Offers Industry-leading monitoring capabilities
- Optimize customer experience
- Deliver high performing applications
- Monitor cloud-native application
Download link: https://www.dynatrace.com/
37) ThousandEyes
A thousand eyes networking monitoring software allows you to find the cause of problems anywhere. Share your findings instantly and respond to issues before it damages your customers, services, and revenue.
Features:
- Visualize multiple layers of network data to check diverse infrastructure, services, and apps
- Provide a unique insight across every part of the network from smart agents located across the Internet
- Helps you to find causes with the assistance of algorithms
- Integrate data and insights directly into existing workflows and systems
Download link: https://www.thousandeyes.com/
38) SevOne
SevOne offers complete visibility across the entire enterprise network, meeting the challenge of application performance management. It manages everything from on-premise apps to those running in the cloud.
Features:
- Provide Instant Graphs and Ad Hoc Reports
- You can view multiple graphical and tabular reports from a single view
- Automatically distribute reports to stakeholders.
- View critical network events and status maps
Download link: https://www.sevone.com/
39) AppNeta
AppNeta tools offer SaaS-based network and end-user experience performance monitoring for any cloud, remote locations, and for all type businesses.
Features:
- Automatic, continuous identification of all apps in use
- Identification of all apps in use
- Helps you to cut downtime and costs
Download link: https://www.appneta.com/
40) live-action
LiveAction is trusted network solution provider tool. It gives you rapid insight for performance assurance of your digital enterprise.
Features:
- Meaningful change to application performance across your entire network
- Helps you to deliver a better user experience for a users
- Plan, manage and troubleshoot network performance.
- Quality and service management for critical applications
- Insights into applications and end-user experience
Download link: https://www.liveaction.com/
41) NetCrunch
NetCrunch Network monitors your network infrastructure and traffic with the help of features like switch traffic monitoring and flow analyzer.
Features:
- Monitoring packs for various SNMP devices
- Policy-Based Configuration
- SNMP Traps & Notifications
- Full SNMPv3 support
- Monitoring Custom Network Service
Download link: https://www.adremsoft.com/
42) Vigilo NMS
Vigilo is a network monitoring solution which offers all type of services which is needed for performance monitoring. Like state monitoring, mapping, correlation, metrology, reporting.
Features:
- Provides advanced functions of geographic distribution for the server's collection
- You can deploy important modules in the system's architecture.
- Support for monitoring of equipment, systems, and applications that are natively interacting in SNMP
- Designed to handle thousands of equipment
- Provide support for the remote monitoring mechanism
Download link: https://www.vigilo-nms.com/en/home-page/
43) Shinken
Shinken is a monitoring framework. It's offer full virtualization integration and endless scalability and RAID-like availability.
Features:
- Fast monitoring of your servers and applications
- Allows to reuse Nagios configuration
- Load data from new sources like Puppet and Mysql, and add new export methods like Graphite
Download link: http://www.shinken-monitoring.org/
