Nmap vs PRTG Network Monitor comparison

Nmap and Paessler GmbH are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Nmap is ranked #19 with an average rating of 8.6, while Paessler GmbH is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4. Nmap holds a 0.7% mindshare in NMS, compared to Paessler GmbH’s 3.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Nmap users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Paessler GmbH users who would recommend it.

Nmap

Read 22 Nmap reviews

2,129 Views
1,937 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

PRTG Network Monitor

Read 113 PRTG Network Monitor reviews

10,333 Views
7,233 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Nmap

PRTG Network Monitor

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

Nmap and PRTG Network Monitor are competitors in the network management category, with PRTG Network Monitor appearing to have the edge due to its comprehensive features, despite Nmap's competitive pricing and perceived efficiency.

Features: Nmap excels in its open-source availability and robust network scanning capabilities, enabling detailed security audits, network exploration, and open port identification. PRTG Network Monitor stands out with extensive monitoring functions such as bandwidth usage, uptime analytics, and network mapping. It provides a myriad of sensors that cover diverse IT needs.

Room for Improvement: Nmap can enhance its deployment simplicity and user interface, as its steep learning curve may pose challenges for non-technical users. Additionally, adding more real-time integration features would be beneficial. On the other hand, PRTG Network Monitor could improve its price point for smaller budgets, simplify complex configuration processes, and offer deeper customizability options to better meet unique organizational requirements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: PRTG Network Monitor offers easy deployment with robust support options, making it viable for diverse organizations. It provides customer assistance, online resources, and community forums. Nmap, being open-source, necessitates more technical expertise for its setup but offers extensive community support for troubleshooting and queries.

Pricing and ROI: Nmap provides high ROI due to its free, open-source model, making it accessible for smaller teams. PRTG Network Monitor incurs higher initial costs; however, it offers a scalable solution that presents significant long-term ROI through features like real-time monitoring and alert systems, justifying its investment for comprehensive network management needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Nmap vs. PRTG Network Monitor Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Nmap vs. PRTG Network Monitor

February 2026

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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

Nmap

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

19th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

PRTG Network Monitor

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

113

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (4th), Cloud Monitoring Software (8th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Nmap is 0.7%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PRTG Network Monitor is 3.3%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
PRTG Network Monitor	3.3%
Nmap	0.7%
Other	96.0%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

MoshiurRahman Khan

CEO at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

Improves network monitoring and offers insights into traffic, including VPNs

The real-time reporting feature of Nmap is particularly valuable. It generates detailed reports on the source and destination IP addresses, the protocols used, and the types of traffic. This feature is crucial for law enforcement agencies to monitor and analyze network connectivity effectively. It also has traffic analysis. For example, assessing bandwidth usage and configuring the tool to track specific types of traffic is crucial. Unlike SolarWinds, which requires configuration for this, Nmap has built-in functionality that allows it to check all 4,000 computer ports. It identifies the type of traffic each port is using and can easily generate reports on network communications between computers, whether there are 100 or 1000 in the network.

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madhan kumar hs

software engineer at Capgemini

Alerting precision has reduced incident response times and improved department-level network visibility

The auto-pause sensor during the maintenance window is good without any false alerts, and it prevents me from getting flooded with alerts during planned maintenance, helping department heads understand their own network usage better. It has reduced incident response time by giving clearer ownership of each alert, ensuring alerts go to the proper recipient. SNMP testers and auto-pause are among the best features of PRTG Network Monitor, which is particularly useful for different departments such as HR and finance, where alerts can be filtered accordingly. The alerting features and dashboard of PRTG Network Monitor are very helpful, especially in our industry. However, the dashboard can look cluttered on smaller screens, which is one negative aspect. PRTG Network Monitor has impacted us positively; we have stopped getting flooded with alerts during planned maintenance or unplanned outages. Compared to others, this gives specific alerts very quickly and helps department heads understand their own network usage better, thus reducing incident response time so that each alert has clear ownership.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Nmap has a powerful command line tool and a set of diagnostic features."

"Nmap is mostly helpful during compliance checks. We run the scanner to see how many devices are on our network and find vulnerabilities in those that aren't compliant. We also use it monthly to scan our network and identify devices that aren't connected properly. This helps us detect any issues related to the operating systems of these devices."

"The real-time reporting feature of Nmap is particularly valuable. It generates detailed reports on the source and destination IP addresses, the protocols used, and the types of traffic."

"Nmap's performance is great, and I've never noticed any issues in this respect. It really doesn't put a heavy load on the machine when using it."

"Nmap is easy to use. It's a command-line interface, and the output is quite good."

"It is a very user-friendly product."

"It helps us secure the network infrastructure."

"From a functionality standpoint, it's robust and straightforward to comprehend."

More Nmap pros

"It is great for service level agreements and can comply fully with internet monitoring or any interface."

"The initial setup was easy. We didn't have any issues with the process and everything rolled out smoothly."

"The alerting is the most valuable feature. I also like the iPhone app. I get alerts in an email on the iPhone app."

"PRTG Network Monitor is user-friendly and offers flexible alerting systems."

"The initial setup is pretty easy."

"The reporting module is easy to configure."

"PRTG Network Monitor has positively impacted my organization as the hourly basis has been reduced, making a significant impact."

"The real-time monitoring and alerting are its most valuable features."

More PRTG Network Monitor pros

Cons

"The price is high and could be cheaper."

"The solution is not that easy for a beginner to learn."

"There is room for improvement in the design, the GUI. It looks a bit odd. Maybe Nmap should improve it or add more widgets to make it more attractive, but the basic functionality is good and provides what we need."

"Nmap needs to improve its scanning speed."

"Since I started using Nmap, it has been completely based on the command prompt and I think it would help other users if they implemented a decent GUI as well."

"It takes a bit of time to get familiar with the solution and its options."

"The challenge often lies in finding suitable courses and professional resources."

"The solution's initial setup could be better."

More Nmap cons

"Needs ability to monitor standard notification time (notify after X time)."

"It probably has this already, but if it had a mobile app that would be helpful. For example, on a day like today when I'm out, if I could just fire it up and see green, green, green, green, green or red, that would be good."

"This solution is a good product so far, but I haven't been using it long enough to know how it could be improved."

"There is room for improvement in this solution for the performance and third-party monitoring protocols. They need to be updated to the latest ones."

"Along with more room for automation, more room for advanced configuration can be integrated into the solution."

"The only sort of limitation is the actual probes. So, if you don't have enough probes on there, you can over flip them and cause the WMI sensors and SNMP sensors to sort of overload. Sometimes, they might timeout for a minute, but they do come back."

"PRTG access works best from the web GUI. There are dedicated apps on Windows/Android/iOS, but they are slow and don’t work as well as the web GUI."

"Its price can be better. Its price is a problem for us because it is in dollars, and there is a high conversion rate. In terms of new features, it can have BGP monitoring. It should also have a dashboard and maps editor."

More PRTG Network Monitor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Nmap is an open-source product. You don't need a license to install it."

"The solution is free of cost."

"Nmap is an open-source and free product."

"The solution is open source so it is free."

"I am using the standard free version of Nmap."

"It's an open-source product, and I haven't seen any premiums. Options are available for those who purchase, but for my use case, everything I need is available in the community and forums."

"It's an open-source solution. Commerically, only the support service is available."

"I am using the free version of Nmap."

More Nmap pricing and cost advice

"All monitoring system is close to the same pricing scheme."

"The pricing is comparable."

"The pricing is not too bad. It's not massively expensive, and the ability to upscale or even downscale licenses every year is brilliant for us."

"At the moment I'm only using 500 sensors. I pay yearly, so it's a cost that's easily swallowed."

"I would like better pricing models for smaller businesses. The free version is fantastic, but it's too restrictive. If they could just get up to 200 sensors for a reasonable fee for on-premise, I would give PRTG my credit card right now."

"We are satisfied with the price."

"We have an unlimited license for this solution."

"Right now, the smallest sensor pack that they have is just a bit out of range for me, as a business. This kills me, as I need the product. Therefore, there is always a balance between needing to buy it or continuing their free version."

More PRTG Network Monitor pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user174738

IT Developer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

May 31, 2015

Nagios vs. Zabbix vs. PRTG vs. Spiceworks vs. Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor

I have researched a quite a few network monitoring tools which can be used for various monitoring purposes of not only the servers, but the intermediate routers as well. There are majorly three types of these softwares. Ones which are completely open-source, you can do almost anything you want…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

13%

Government

University

Retailer

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	11

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	59
Midsize Enterprise	19
Large Enterprise	49

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Nmap?

Nmap is mostly helpful during compliance checks. We run the scanner to see how many devices are on our network and find vulnerabilities in those that aren't compliant. We also use it monthly to sca...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nmap?

I am using the free version of Nmap.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Nmap?

Nmap is used for network scanning to map the network, identify devices, and assess their status. It helps determine open ports and services running on a particular endpoint or server within an ente...

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What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

PRTG network monitor is one of the best tool i have ever used for the monitoring. It have auto discovery option. it avoid the configuring the device in PRTG. It automatically discover the device an...

See all answers

What do you like most about PRTG Network Monitor?

The tool is integrated with our email for the alerts.

See all answers

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

The pricing was higher at the beginning, but the recurring licensing cost is affordable and reasonable. Overall, the pricing, setup cost, and licensing is fair for our industry. They have quoted us...

See all answers

Comparisons

LiveNX vs Nmap

Compared 9% of the time

Zabbix vs Nmap

Compared 8% of the time

Domotz Pro vs Nmap

Compared 8% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Nmap

Compared 7% of the time

Meraki Dashboard vs Nmap

Compared 7% of the time

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Zabbix vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 5% of the time

Centreon vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 5% of the time

Checkmk vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 4% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 4% of the time

Nagios XI vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 3% of the time

More PRTG Network Monitor Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Nmap

January 2026

Download Nmap product report

Buyer's Guide

PRTG Network Monitor

January 2026

Download PRTG Network Monitor product report

Overview

Nmap ("Network Mapper") is a free and open source (license) utility for network discovery and security auditing. Many systems and network administrators also find it useful for tasks such as network inventory, managing service upgrade schedules, and monitoring host or service uptime. Nmap uses raw IP packets in novel ways to determine what hosts are available on the network, what services (application name and version) those hosts are offering, what operating systems (and OS versions) they are running, what type of packet filters/firewalls are in use, and dozens of other characteristics. It was designed to rapidly scan large networks, but works fine against single hosts. Nmap runs on all major computer operating systems, and official binary packages are available for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. In addition to the classic command-line Nmap executable, the Nmap suite includes an advanced GUI and results viewer (Zenmap), a flexible data transfer, redirection, and debugging tool (Ncat), a utility for comparing scan results (Ndiff), and a packet generation and response analysis tool (Nping).

Nmap

PRTG Network Monitor runs on a Windows machine within your network, collecting various statistics from the machines, software, and devices which you designate. PRTG comes with an easy-to-use web interface with point-and-click configuration. You can easily share data from it with non-technical colleagues and customers, including via live graphs and custom reports. This will let you plan for network expansion, see what applications are using most of your connection, and make sure that no one is hogging the entire network just to torrent videos.

To monitor a large IT environment, it's important to be able to scale PRTG up. Paessler PRTG Enterprise Monitor includes all the proven capabilities of PRTG Network Monitor, which are enhanced by exclusive ITOps Board for a service-oriented, central overview of multiple PRTG servers.

Paessler GmbH

Sample Customers

Lockheed Martin, Eastern Bank Boston, Perspecta, Harris Corporation, Discovery Communication

Jameson Bank, Sidnix, RungeICT, MedicalAnimal, Truck-lite, GamingGrids, The Covell Group, Forsythn County Schools, NetMass, Musgrove Park Hospital, Lanes Health, Columbia Southern University, Vodafone, Intrust Bank

Buyer's Guide

Nmap vs. PRTG Network Monitor

February 2026

Free Report: Nmap vs. PRTG Network Monitor

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