Nagios Network Analyzer vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer comparison

Nagios and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) category. Nagios is ranked #11, while SolarWinds is ranked #3 with an average rating of 7.8. Nagios holds a 3.8% mindshare in NTA, compared to SolarWinds’s 5.8% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of Nagios users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Nagios Network Analyzer

Read 9 Nagios Network Analyzer reviews

483 Views
464 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic ...

Read 43 SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer reviews

2,260 Views
791 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Nagios Network Analyzer

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic ...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 2024

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer and Nagios Network Analyzer are tools used for network traffic analysis and monitoring. SolarWinds leads in ease of deployment and customer service, while Nagios stands out in pricing and ROI, making it a potentially superior choice for those prioritizing cost-effectiveness.

Features: SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer offers in-depth traffic insights, real-time monitoring, and detailed analytics. It has comprehensive reporting capabilities and integrates well with other SolarWinds products. Nagios Network Analyzer focuses on simple and effective data collection and visualization, providing customizable alerts. Its straightforward approach is well-received by users. While both tools have strong feature sets, SolarWinds excels with its advanced analytics and seamless integrations.

Room for Improvement: Users of SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer suggest improvements in scalability, performance under heavy traffic loads, and a more intuitive configuration process. For Nagios Network Analyzer, users want enhanced documentation, a more user-friendly setup, and advanced reporting options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is easier to deploy with a straightforward installation process and responsive customer support. Nagios Network Analyzer has a steeper learning curve and requires significant manual configuration. Customer service for Nagios is positively reviewed, but responsiveness can be an issue.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is on the pricier side but offers significant ROI due to its powerful features and efficiency. Nagios Network Analyzer is noted for its cost-effectiveness, offering robust monitoring at a lower price point. Users feel that the ROI of Nagios is excellent considering its capabilities and affordability.

To learn more, read our detailed Nagios Network Analyzer vs. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Network Analyzer vs. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer

December 2025

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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

Nagios Network Analyzer

Ranking in Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)

11th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic ...

Ranking in Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)

3rd

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) category, the mindshare of Nagios Network Analyzer is 3.8%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is 5.8%, up from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer	5.8%
Nagios Network Analyzer	3.8%
Other	90.4%

Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)

Featured Reviews

Gilbert Mwiinga

Baobab College logo System Administrator at Baobab College

Effectively monitors the uptime of all equipment and network connectivity

There is room for improvement on the setup side. It's not very user-friendly, especially for those who aren't tech-savvy. I find it a bit hard to set up initially. It could be done better to make it easier to configure. It would be beneficial for users. For additional features, I have an idea. I'm not sure if it's already there, but it would be great to have a feature that maps the network and shows which devices are connected. It could provide information about how traffic flows and offer a visual representation of how devices are physically connected to each other. It would be like a network audit feature that displays the connections between switches and other devices. So, in future releases, a network mapping and visualization feature would be valuable.

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Raja Xabi

Technical Manager at APRAL

Improved bandwidth management and network visibility have resulted in financial benefits and streamlined operations

There is always room for improvement in SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer, such as implementing instant reporting based on business intelligence reports and more granular filters in their dashboard to improve the GUI view and reporting. The licensing model of SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is always an issue for users because competitors offer unlimited and perpetual licenses, and SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer's model is quite costly compared to other brands. If users are comfortable with SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer, they have to make the hard decision to invest, and it's suggested from a user's perspective that SolarWinds should improve their financial model and licensing to become competitive, especially for small to medium businesses.

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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

"It is highly customizable and can be integrated well with third-party software."

"I have found that it has a good GUI and user-friendly administration."

"Network tracking is the most valuable feature of Network Analyzer."

"Its initial setup process is straightforward."

"The tool's UI is user-friendly, and pricing is affordable. It is very easy to deploy and learn."

"The solution offers very good system monitoring. It's easy to manage your network, as well as your hardware and software. It's really useful."

"The initial setup is easy."

"The network monitoring feature, especially, stands out to me."

More Nagios Network Analyzer pros

"We conduct network traffic analysis for a couple of key reasons. First, we look for traffic anomalies, such as unexpected increases or decreases in network traffic within specific segments. This helps us determine if the network needs to be re-architected."

"I can point out the exact root cause 'why.' If there is a slowness, I can point out what was before the issue or before the slowness, what it is, and what is now."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to look for any increases in bandwidth over time so that we can plan before it becomes critical."

"The most valuable feature is the alarm that is set up to trigger based on bandwidth utilization."

"So far, it is a very stable product."

"The most valuable features are the bandwidth analyzer, the monitoring, the network analyzer, it has overall good performance, and an easy deployment."

"It allows us to pinpoint which protocol is overloading the link."

"This solution gives us important information about the utilization of protocols, particularly in terms of how often they are used."

More SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer pros

Cons

"They need to have some automation models embedded in them."

"I think the reports can be improved. They're adopted."

"The bandwidth for its front-end version needs enhancement."

"It has an old-fashioned interface."

"It's very hard to install materials. You need a lot of documentation. They should make it easier to install and configure the solution."

"Nagios Network Analyzer should integrate an application monitoring solution to monitor application bandwidth usage."

"There is room for improvement on the setup side."

"The graphics and reports can be a little bit better."

More Nagios Network Analyzer cons

"This solution does not do a very good job when I am trying to look deeper into my internal network, in particular with respect to individual ports."

"The licensing model of SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is always an issue for users because competitors offer unlimited and perpetual licenses, and SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer's model is quite costly compared to other brands."

"The tool itself is very complicated, so training is required to handle it effectively."

"It's not a cheap product, so the pricing could be improved."

"An area for improvement in SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is application visibility because some applications aren't being recognized correctly. You can see applications such as Facebook and YouTube, but SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer needs to have more visibility into more applications. Currently, SolarWinds fails to detect more powerful applications, such as Zoom and Teams. If SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer can recognize every application and be able to report on each in terms of bandwidth, then that would be good. This is what I'd like to see in the next release of the solution."

"It can be complex to set up and configure."

"The analysis can utilize algorithms like K-means clustering or associative neural networks for predictions rather than relying on generative AI, which is more suited for text."

"As people always complain about the pricing for SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer, it's an area for improvement in the solution. People find it expensive. Another area for improvement in SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is support, as it could be better."

More SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is cost-efficient."

"They charge around ten thousand per month for one thousand nodes. That is their overall cost, but it differs on which company you are applying to, whether you are a service provider or an enterprise."

"I rate Nagios Network Analyzer's pricing a six out of ten."

"NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is reasonably priced."

"Pricing for SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is very high. I have a customer that needs the solution but doesn't have the budget for SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer because the problem is that you can't use the solution only. You have to buy requirements such as the SolarWinds NPM first, and some companies don't have the budget for all the required components and modules. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer can cost up to $10,000, and some customers don't have that budget. Another product has all the modules that SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer has, with a very low price, that can be a replacement, which is ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer. PRTG is another solution that can replace SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer."

"Licensing for SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is paid yearly, and there are no additional costs that you need to pay apart from the standard licensing fees because you don't need to purchase another solution to make SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer work. Pricing for SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is more expensive than other solutions."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"We have licenses for SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer. In terms of pricing, its license is not that expensive versus other tools such as HP."

"The pricing is really good."

"SolarWinds' pricing structure is the primary reason why some customers opt for another solution such as ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer. In NTA, you are charged per port, meaning that if you have a 24-port switch you will be charged for 24 individual nodes. ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer, on the other hand, charges per switch, such that if you add a switch, the entire switch will count as one single node."

"The solution's licensing is high-priced."

More SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

17%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Healthcare Company

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	26

Questions from the Community

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What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

I have worked from 1973 with all kind of systems in large enterprises across the world. And have experience with all kind of software in monitoring from infra to end to end, it depends on the funct...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer?

The licensing model of SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is always an issue for users because competitors offer unlimited and perpetual licenses, and SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer's model i...

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What needs improvement with SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer?

Regarding improvement, the application monitoring capabilities are not exceptional. If SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer could improve in that area, it would be helpful. It is less AIOps driven a...

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Compared 12% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer

Compared 6% of the time

Plixer Scrutinizer vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)

January 2026

Download Nagios Network Analyzer product report

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer

January 2026

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer report

Download SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer product report

Also Known As

No data available

Netflow Traffic Analyzer

Overview

Nagios Enterprises delivers official products, services, and solutions for and around Nagios – the industry standard in enterprise-grade IT infrastructure monitoring. With millions of users worldwide, Nagios is the undisputed champion in the IT monitoring space. Our team of dedicated professionals works to ensure total customer satisfaction with all the services we provide. Our extensive network of partners helps extend Nagios services and solutions to new organizations and markets worldwide to meet a variety of business needs. Nagios Enterprises was founded in 2007 by Ethan Galstad. Ethan created what would later become known as Nagios in 1999, and currently serves as the President of Nagios Enterprises.

Nagios

SolarWinds Netflow Traffic Analyzer enables you to capture data from continuous streams of network traffic and convert those raw numbers into easy-to-interpret charts and tables that quantify exactly how the corporate network is being used, by whom, and for what purpose.

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

NuBlue, St.Elisabeth Hospital, Akamit Systems, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, ValueClick, Sunrise Banks

Oceaneering International, Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, 335th Signal Command, Immofori

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Network Analyzer vs. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer

December 2025

Free Report: Nagios Network Analyzer vs. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer

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