FortiMonitor vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor comparison

Fortinet and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Fortinet is ranked #22 with an average rating of 9.0, while SolarWinds is ranked #27 with an average rating of 7.9. Fortinet holds a 0.7% mindshare in NMS, compared to SolarWinds’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

FortiMonitor

Read 15 FortiMonitor reviews

2,256 Views
1,579 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Network Device M...

Read 23 SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reviews

1,914 Views
1,876 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

FortiMonitor

SolarWinds Network Device M...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor and FortiMonitor are products in the network monitoring space. FortiMonitor appears to have the upper hand due to its superior features, providing deeper insights into network operations, despite its complex deployment.

Features: SolarWinds Network Device Monitor offers reliable performance, efficient monitoring capabilities, and straightforward pricing. FortiMonitor includes advanced analytics, integration capabilities, and a broader feature set, appealing to those seeking comprehensive monitoring solutions.

Room for Improvement: SolarWinds Network Device Monitor could enhance its advanced analytics capabilities, integration options, and broaden its feature set. FortiMonitor might improve by simplifying deployment, offering more budget-friendly pricing, and refining its user interface for easier navigation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is known for its easy deployment and effective customer support, attracting organizations seeking a quick setup. FortiMonitor has a more complex deployment model but provides comprehensive customer support, guiding users through its complexity.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds Network Device Monitor has competitive setup costs, offering a strong return on investment for basic monitoring needs. FortiMonitor requires a higher initial investment but delivers excellent returns for organizations needing detailed network insights, highlighting the value of its comprehensive capabilities against the economical value of SolarWinds for simpler requirements.

To learn more, read our detailed FortiMonitor vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

FortiMonitor vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

March 2026

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Helped 885,264 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

FortiMonitor

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

22nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (24th), IT Alerting and Incident Management (13th), Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM) (8th)

SolarWinds Network Device M...

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

27th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of FortiMonitor is 0.7%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is 1.0%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
FortiMonitor	0.7%
SolarWinds Network Device Monitor	1.0%
Other	98.3%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

reviewer2677554

Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Managing diverse networks with detailed alerts enhances device oversight

FortiManager is very helpful in managing our networks. We use it to manage 20 farms and various networks with hundreds of devices. The version we are using provides more detail than the older dashboard. We appreciate the alerting capabilities, which are integrated with SolarWinds to notify our team via SMS.

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Sorin Gogean

IT Infrastructure Senior Network Technician at Autoliv

Offers some features but needs better customization and analysis tools

There are solutions that can perform better, but due to pricing for our corporate implementation, we had to stay with this solution. It accomplishes the necessary tasks, but there is room for improvement. The features are not as customizable as we would prefer, but they are workable. If configured properly, you can perform a drill-down analysis. However, I have not used this feature much for our infrastructure on the network side.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Overall, I would recommend FortiMonitor to others."

"The most valuable feature of FortiMonitor is the overall ability to monitor the health of the environment."

"FortiMonitor is a great compliment to Cradlepoint; we have big backups for our Cradlepoint solutions, but FortiMonitor is a great routing device and we love working with them."

"In FortiMonitor, we're linked up with our Netgear, CactusServer, and NOC. It's really valuable because everything's migrating to one dashboard for us system engineers. We can keep an eye on traffic, blocked sites, and the health of our hardware. That last part, about knowing if something's going to fail soon, is super important. It gives us time to sort things out before any big problems happen. As a system engineer, I need to keep tabs on everything – temperature, monitoring systems, and network operations. This data is really handy because it helps me ensure our site runs smoothly, whether it's turning systems on or off. Just last night, there was a system failure, but thanks to real-time monitoring, I quickly identified the problem and got the necessary replacement parts."

"FortiMonitor has a very intuitive dashboard, which makes it particularly helpful for analyzing traffic, alerts, and other information."

"FortiMonitor is really easy to use for monitoring the logs on FortiGate...It is a stable product."

"FortiMonitor is 100% stable."

"The product's initial setup phase is easy."

More FortiMonitor pros

"In terms of general network monitoring features, I find SolarWinds Network Device Monitor very flexible and comfortable to use. The software itself is extremely useful when it comes to monitoring how our data moves between different networks and environments."

"This product proactively tells us about issues before the users notice."

"The most valuable feature of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is it shows you the utilization of devices to allow you to take proactive action before something goes down or reaches the saturation point."

"Since our devices are spread out across the world, we can see the status of these devices without having to send someone physically to a remote location, which saves money."

"In terms of general network monitoring features, I find SolarWinds Network Device Monitor very flexible and comfortable to use."

"The solution and its interface are elaborate and fully integrate all monitored items for easy analysis and troubleshooting."

"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is a straightforward product with valuable functionality."

"The Network Device Monitor itself is very useful."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pros

Cons

"Additionally, there are no AI features in FortiMonitor, which might be an area for enhancement."

"FortiMonitor could be improved by making it more convenient for smaller workloads, such as when configuring a few branches."

"FortiMonitor could improve by having compatibility with other operating systems, such as Linux."

". Enhancements in the dashboard, such as clearer alerting, maintenance window management, software version tracking, and better visualization, would be beneficial."

"There is room for improvement in the FortiMonitor report. It is not ideal for showcasing to tech customers or managers, especially when trying to display high CPU usage from logins within a specific range of months or the most recent month."

"FortiMonitor could improve by having compatibility with other operating systems, such as Linux."

"There are no AI features in FortiMonitor, which might be an area for enhancement."

"We use FortiToken, and it's a pain to use because you have to send things through your phone and then confirm by email."

More FortiMonitor cons

"Although I haven't explored all of the features available, I wouldn't mind if the software were made to be a bit more customizable."

"There is no mobile version of this product, and our team should be able to access it using a mobile device."

"The initial setup of the SolarWinds Network Device Monitor could be easier. It took us approximately one month to complete the implementation."

"There is no mobile version of this product, and our team should be able to access it using a mobile device."

"The main disadvantage of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is the licensing cost, which is expensive."

"The solution lacks in performance monitoring."

"When an organization's network grows, the complexity of the dashboard becomes an area of concern where improvements are required."

"In terms of price, it could be less expensive."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool's pricing model in Vietnam is a bit high. I rate the product price as an eight out of ten."

"The price of FortiMonitor is approximately $200 annually for 225 users. The price is competitive."

"Compared to other solutions, FortiMonitor is a very expensive solution."

"We have a large customer base for Fortinet, and the additional buying power got us really great discounts."

"FortiMonitor's price is very high."

"In terms of licensing, while it may not be the most expensive option on the market, it's relatively cost-effective. You can obtain licenses at a lower cost, with the calculation being straightforward. For example, if you onboard around 5,000 devices, you'll need approximately 5,000 licenses, as each device typically counts as one license."

"There are additional costs needed for certain functionality, such as scalability."

"On a scale from one to ten, I rate the pricing a nine since it is a good solution that is available at a cheap price."

"The product is expensive."

"The price of the SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is good."

"Well, we had a perpetual license and the renewal was $20 to $25,000."

"When compared with other solutions SolarWinds is more expensive."

"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is not an expensive solution."

"I find the cost of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reasonable for our company. Though, I'm not aware of the exact licensing cost."

"The enterprise license is good for the SolarWinds Network Device Monitor. However, it is expensive, they should reduce their price."

"Thankfully, it doesn't take a lot of manpower to install and deploy."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

14%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	14

Questions from the Community

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

I have a clear bias because I work for Panopta. We aren't a fit for everyone, but I can confirm that Panopta is a lot less work to stand up and maintain. It's also a lot easier to use and onboard n...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiMonitor?

FortiMonitor does save time but not significantly on costs, as there are still expenses related to procurement, installation, and licensing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with FortiMonitor?

There are areas for improvement that FortiManager is addressing. We have not yet upgraded to the latest software versions, being a full revision behind, but we plan to update soon since the current...

See all answers

What do you like most about SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

I rate the product's initial setup process a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one means it is a difficult phase and ten is an easy process.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

I am not a positive person regarding SolarWinds Network Device Monitor.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM)

March 2026

Download FortiMonitor product report

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

February 2026

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor report

Download SolarWinds Network Device Monitor product report

Also Known As

Panopta

Network Device Monitor

Overview

FortiMonitor is a comprehensive, SaaS-based digital experience monitoring (DEM) platform that helps organizations modernize their performance-monitoring tools. It provides visibility into endpoint application performance and digital experience—no matter where the user resides or where the application is hosted.

Fortinet

Network Device Monitor is a free tool that makes it easy to monitor the real-time performance and health of a single device on your network with a desktop dashboard that alerts you when your device is in trouble.

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

SONY, GoDaddy, HCL, ING, ARMOR, billboard

Air Rarotonga

Buyer's Guide

FortiMonitor vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

March 2026

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