Network / NMS
Paessler PRTG
Paessler AG
All-in-one "monitor everything" tool popular with SMBs and IT generalists; one agent, a sensor per metric, a gentle learning curve.
- Category
- Network / NMS
- License
- Proprietary
- Deployment
- SaaS or self-hosted
- Cost
- Medium
- Free tier
- Yes
- Self-host effort
- Moderate
- Maturity
- Incumbent
- Popularity
- Very popular SMB/mid-market tool
The catch
Sensor math bites — you average ~5-10 sensors per device, so a "500 sensor" license covers far fewer devices than buyers expect, and the core server is Windows-only.
Monitors
NetworkServersMetricsSyntheticsCloud
Protocols
SNMPWMINetFlow / sFlow / IPFIXICMP / ping
Capabilities
AlertingDashboardsAutodiscoveryTopology mappingAPIMobile app
Built for
SMBMid-market
The honest take
The “I just want one tool that watches everything” pick, and it delivers — until you do the sensor arithmetic. Count ~5-10 sensors per real device before you choose a tier, or you’ll buy twice.
Pricing in the real world
- PRTG 500 ≈ $2,399/yr
- PRTG 10000 ≈ $19,699/yr
Flat sensor-tier pricing with predictable renewals.