SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs WhatsUp Gold comparison

SolarWinds and Progress Software are both solutions in the Configuration Management category. SolarWinds is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.0, while Progress Software is ranked #20 with an average rating of 8.0. SolarWinds holds a 3.1% mindshare in CM, compared to Progress Software’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of SolarWinds users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Progress Software users who would recommend it.

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager and WhatsUp Gold based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Configuration Management solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs. WhatsUp Gold Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs. WhatsUp Gold

June 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

Microsoft Intune

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Configuration Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 4.9%, down from 10.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is 3.1%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WhatsUp Gold is 1.7%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Configuration Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Intune	4.9%
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager	3.1%
WhatsUp Gold	1.7%
Other	90.3%

Configuration Management

Featured Reviews

OluwashileAdeniyi

Senior Infrastructure Security Engineer at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees

Centralized endpoint security has improved and supports hybrid work and BYOD policies

Regarding what I dislike about Microsoft Intune and its downsides, I would say that more Mac controls are needed because we have limited Mac and Linux control. When comparing controls and policies between Windows, Mac, and Linux, Windows has almost everything you can think of, while Mac and Linux have limited types of control. You cannot implement certain things on Mac and Linux that you can on Windows. The limited controls are a major issue. Additionally, if Microsoft could find a way to embed servers into Microsoft Intune, that would be beneficial. Microsoft Intune is not really designed for servers or Windows servers. It is more tailored towards Windows 11 and Windows 10 operating systems. Windows servers are not fully supported. Enterprise organizations usually have both servers and endpoints, which are users' workstations. For servers, most people look for other solutions such as SCCM, which is Configuration Manager. However, SCCM is what Microsoft Intune is trying to replace. Both SCCM and Microsoft Intune belong to Microsoft. Microsoft is trying to transition organizations into Microsoft Intune, the native cloud solution. However, because this update is still in process, servers are not fully compatible with Microsoft Intune and cannot be managed by it. The current policy that has emerged from issues with clients is what they call co-management, which is relatively new, and I do not know if adoption is significant. Many legacy or older customers who have been using these products for decades still have SCCM. When it is time for them to manage their Windows devices, they use what is called cloud attach. Cloud attach is a term whereby your SCCM is connected to your Microsoft Intune. Most people do not know about it, but I have deployed it for several organizations. Cloud attach and co-management work together so that your device is in SCCM, but some policies are pushed from Microsoft Intune. It is like two different solutions working hand in hand. That is what they call co-management. Microsoft Intune does not bring all of your endpoint and security management tools into one place, which is the goal and how it should be. However, as I mentioned, servers are not included. If we talk about end users, Microsoft Intune does bring all your devices together. In a typical enterprise environment, you have end users with workstations, laptops, company-issued phones, and bring your own devices. You can create policies for all of these. However, for the backend, your servers do not have much coverage. Servers are not really covered by Microsoft Intune in that way.

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reviewer1327239

Software Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Automated configuration management has improved monitoring, backups, and policy control

I do not think there is anything I would like to improve at this point in time because SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager compares almost perfectly to what it is supposed to do. I think it is one of the best products in its category. Regarding the automation capabilities of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager, I think that is an area they will need to explore in making it more autonomous. Discovery happens through IP address scanning, but building out automation is something they need to focus on. I absolutely believe in providing automation for SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager. It is essential to address how to deploy, discover, and remediate wherever possible. I think that is something they should already be looking at because AAFS is currently something everybody is focused on, and storage also needs to consider it.

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Erik Cheng

Technical Manager at Quan Hung Gourmet

Efficient monitoring with detailed customization, yet complexity remains

The best feature of WhatsUp Gold is the automatic generation of topology and its integration with virtualization and wireless. I have used the automated device discovery with this topology feature. The interactive map feature helps me manage the topology because sometimes we cannot draw the topology correctly, so we need to manually edit the connections. The alerting system is very tunable and customizable, but it's a little complicated to use. Many customers cannot manage it by themselves and need support from us, the provider. We always use the dashboards in the SOC, where we constantly display a dashboard or multiple dashboards. This allows us to know immediately if the connection or bandwidth is full or if the connection is broken.

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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

"The solution is fully integrated with the Microsoft platform and the Autopilot feature, which is a unique feature."

"The most valuable feature of Intune is the central dashboard for compliance and policy management."

"This product works very well for companies already using the full Microsoft suite."

"The ability to block and erase remote devices is valuable to us, especially when those devices are lost."

"The best part of Intune is device control. If we need to block a user from opening something in their organization's system, we can do it from Intune. If we want to restrict the movement of an organization's data to prevent users from copying the data into Outlook, WhatsApp, or their personal Gmail, we can limit that via Intune. It secures all corporate data."

"We like Intune's Autopilot functionality, which enables one-touch deployment. Dynamic grouping is another feature we find valuable working in academia. We have people in buckets based on their roles in the university, such as faculty, staff, alum, or grad. Sometimes, they will fit into multiple places, and dynamic grouping helps with that."

"Overall, the stability is good."

"It significantly reduces the overhead associated with providing support."

More Microsoft Intune pros

"We push all our configurations to the servers with ease and the logs capture almost all the transactions needed for an internal audit."

"Configuration pushing, upgrade capabilities, job backup, configuration backup, and real-time configuration change monitoring are highly beneficial features of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager."

"SolarWinds NCM provides updates on the status of your network infrastructure. If any issues arise, such as a link failure or a device going offline, you will receive notifications and alerts. Additionally, if someone unplugs a cable, SolarWinds NCM will detect it. It also features a Topology Mapper that displays the connectivity of your network devices, giving you a visual representation of the network's structure. With SolarWinds NCM, you have a clear understanding of what's happening within your network and can generate comprehensive reports."

"We can proactively monitor our infrastructure in a single pane of glass, unlike before when there were a lot of network management tools that would need to be looked at."

"This solution has helped our organization by allowing us to store all the device configurations for the various network devices in NCM and making it easy for us to retrieve and look them over."

"The features we find most valuable is the configuration backup automation, the configuration compliance, the security vulnerability detection and upgrading devices."

"SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager can be used for backing up network device configuration, which helps you be more secure because when you have a system failure, you can get the information back."

"The solution's view is very nice, and they have a great customized dashboard."

More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager pros

"The product is reasonably priced."

"We primarily use the solution to check the state of the network, monitoring thousands of devices and all of the internal network, and it is the first tool we use to see the state of the network for real-time monitoring."

"We've been using it for many years and we use it typically for early warning, as it notifies customers of problems prior to failure."

"Auto scanning is most valuable. It looks for rogue devices on your network."

"In terms of pricing, I'd say that the pricing is nice and the product is good."

"One thing good about WhatsUp Gold is that it is fairly stable."

"The visual map and email alerts are very useful to have in real time so we always know the state of our network."

"The tool's most valuable feature is the visibility it offers of everything in the network and infrastructure."

More WhatsUp Gold pros

Cons

"It just doesn't handle software updates well at all by itself. You need to be a scripting wizard to make those happen properly, or you use third-party tools."

"There can be some added features, such as an improved dashboard. Any new feature that could be a benefit to our customers would be good."

"There is room for improvement in the reporting capabilities, specifically app reporting. It is challenging to report which apps are installed on which device."

"I, as such, do not have any specific inputs or needs. However, there is always room for improvement when it comes to scalability."

"In an upcoming release, I would like to see some kind of analytics report."

"I'd like to see an ability to deploy more ways of management, managing devices and processing the policies."

"The reports aren't complete, and it's not easy to build custom reports. For example, Windows Autopilot isn't working well in cases where the computers don't have a good internet connection. Then the option is not good enough."

"The installation is very easy. However, to be able to configure it you will need special knowledge, such as training or self-studies to have a proper level of security. There are many settings one has to understand before being able to implement Microsoft Intune."

More Microsoft Intune cons

"Improvements are needed in the automatic network mapping function."

"Regarding the automation capabilities of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager, I think that is an area they will need to explore in making it more autonomous."

"The AI features do not work well."

"Its look and feel can be improved. They can also put in more effort into building the THWACK community and use the information about various customer issues and requests to build the new releases."

"I will email them and I won't see the response for another two or three hours. I have to give them a call and it's a pain, it's a nightmare."

"The third-party plugins available in the solution could improve. I have received some issues with the templates."

"We do health checkups for the network devices. However, compared to NetBrain, the NCM health checkup is getting very bad."

"When we run the SolarWinds NCM jobs at the cellular line, it runs in the morning. They're just not finishing. We're getting false processing."

More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager cons

"The interface needs some work."

"I would like to see better integration with switches so that you can see what is connected to each port, what the traffic is, and have a network map automatically generated."

"The point system is not clear and clarity around this would improve our understanding of the system."

"Regional product team support is not very good."

"Users want SMS available via Whatsapp Gold. They don't want to go through third party SMS servers. The solution should work to make this possible."

"This product should add other options for monitoring. It does not currently meet the broader needs of the banking industry in the version we have deployed."

"I might like to see a better interface in the future. It's not necessarily easy to integrate the product with other vendors."

"The tool should focus on increasing its market share, as it is the only area of concern where improvements are needed."

More WhatsUp Gold cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is very reasonable."

"Intune is included with our F3 and E5 licenses."

"I liked the tool's pricing until P2 came into effect. I am unsure about the current value versus the cost of the new licensing model."

"The tool is cheaper than our company's other MDM tools."

"Intune comes with the licensing that is common for large organizations. However, Microsoft has recently released many add-ons that are very expensive, especially for large organizations or corporations."

"Its price is fair. It's a normal price. It isn't too expensive or too cheap."

"The purchase of the product was handled by someone else."

"As a partner, we always look for how we can generate more revenue from a consulting point of view, but I do not see any complaints from the customer side regarding pricing, so they are satisfied with it."

More Microsoft Intune pricing and cost advice

"With a minimal bundle, we pay about $3000 a year in licensing costs. If you have multiple devices in your network, you must buy the bundle, which is 100% identical for your infrastructure. If you have 15 devices, you need 15 licenses, for example. That's one bundle. You don't pay for anything over and above that."

"There is a license needed to use SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager."

"We have to pay additionally for its support and maintenance."

"I have a yearly subscription."

"The pricing is good."

"There is a license for the use of this solution and it is priced well, there is a lot of value for the money."

"In Africa, the cost is a major factor in decision-making for many companies. As a result, some companies may choose cheaper solutions, even if they are open-source, over more expensive ones, such as SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager. However, as an engineer, I believe that the functionalities and services offered by SolarWinds justify the cost. Nonetheless, many companies in Africa may still view the prices as unaffordable."

"You have a base license for 50 devices, and then you can add more licenses as you go."

More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager pricing and cost advice

"I'm not sure, but it's expensive. We don't pay any additional fees."

"There are some subscription charges that are quite heavy. I need to pay for support every year and these charges can be quite expensive. Aside from the initial cost for the tool, you need to pay additionally for support."

"The tool's price is reasonable. WhatsUp Gold is cheaper than SolarWinds."

"The most valuable feature is the cost compared to other solutions."

"The pricing can be on the expensive side when considering competing products."

"The price of WhatsUp Gold is good."

"The choice of version depends on the number of points, or devices, that you want to monitor, and this makes the product expensive."

"There is a license needed to use WhatsUp Gold."

More WhatsUp Gold pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	192
Midsize Enterprise	62
Large Enterprise	185

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	9

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	14

Questions from the Community

How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?

Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes ...

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What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?

Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of...

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How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?

Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?

On pricing, I would rate SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager as one of the best in its segment among leading pro...

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What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?

I do not think there is anything I would like to improve at this point in time because SolarWinds Network Configurati...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is used for managing a large number of IPs, distributing them within my ente...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for WhatsUp Gold?

Clients find the licensing calculator confusing, but we simplify this for them by collecting relevant information fir...

See all answers

What needs improvement with WhatsUp Gold?

It would be great if WhatsUp Gold could add features that simplify management with AI, as it is currently too complic...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for WhatsUp Gold?

My use case for WhatsUp Gold includes all device availability checks, bandwidth usage, CPU, and memory usage, as well...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Intune

June 2026

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Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

May 2026

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager report

Download SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

WhatsUp Gold

May 2026

Download WhatsUp Gold product report

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager

SolarWinds NCM

No data available

Overview

Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service designed for device management, security, and compliance. It supports automation and facilitates endpoint management for Windows, iOS, and Android devices, ensuring data protection and efficient policy enforcement.

Microsoft Intune offers seamless integration with tools like Windows Autopilot to automate device setup and deployment. Integrated with Azure Active Directory, it enhances policy management while providing robust reporting and analytics tools for compliance tracking. Despite its intuitive interface aimed at simplifying navigation and device security management, there are challenges such as compatibility issues with Linux and Mac, limited policy support for Android, and demands for better third-party integration. It's widely used for both corporate-owned devices and BYOD scenarios in dynamic IT environments.

What are the key features of Microsoft Intune?

Windows Autopilot: Automates device setup for rapid deployment.
Azure Active Directory Integration: Enhances user policy management.
Reporting and Analytics: Improves compliance visibility.
Mobile Application Management: Ensures app security without compromising personal data.
Cloud-Based Management: Allows management from any location.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Time Efficiency: Automation reduces time in policy enforcement and configuration updates.
Enhanced Security: Ensures data protection across corporate-owned and BYOD devices.
Improved Compliance: Advanced reporting tools enhance compliance visibility.
Flexible Management: Cloud-based nature supports management from any location.

In industries such as finance and healthcare, Microsoft Intune is implemented to ensure data protection and compliance with regulatory standards. Manufacturing sectors utilize Intune for managing a distributed workforce across global locations, while educational institutions employ it to secure and manage devices in learning environments supporting both students and faculty.

Microsoft

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager provides essential tools for network performance monitoring, configuration compliance, and vulnerability management, ensuring streamlined operations for network administrators with real-time change detection and backup automation capabilities.

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager offers extensive features that empower network management through integration with platforms like Microsoft Teams and ServiceNow. It manages network devices effectively, automating backups and streamlining configuration compliance. Users find it flexible and reliable for network configuration and security management, including support for IP SLA management, which enhances device health checks. The solution facilitates remote network configuration, mass changes across devices, and efficient backup and restore procedures for disaster recovery. While improvements in node-related limitations, AI features, and integrations are noted, the tool remains critical for aligning configurations with enterprise standards and ensuring network visibility.

What are the key features?

Network Performance Monitoring: Provides insights into network health and potential issues.
Configuration Compliance: Ensures all network configurations align with internal policies.
Real-Time Change Detection: Alerts users immediately about configuration changes.
Backup Automation: Simplifies backup processes for network configurations.
Vulnerability Management: Identifies and manages security vulnerabilities effectively.
IP SLA Management: Enhances device health checks through service level agreements.
Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Teams, ServiceNow, and more.

What benefits should users consider?

Enhanced Security: Protects networks with robust vulnerability management.
Streamlined Operations: Automates routine tasks to save time and resources.
Improved Compliance: Ensures adherence to configuration policies and standards.
Comprehensive Network Visibility: Offers a clear view of network performance and issues.
Disaster Recovery Support: Facilitates quick recovery from network failures with efficient backups.

In industries such as telecommunications, finance, and healthcare, SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is implemented to manage complex network infrastructures, optimize performance, and maintain security compliance. These sectors rely on the tool's ability to conduct mass device configurations and ensure continuous network monitoring, which is crucial for operations that require consistent uptime and quick response to potential security threats.

SolarWinds

WhatsUp Gold stands out with its comprehensive network monitoring, dynamic mapping, and real-time alerts, offering essential tools for managing extensive IT infrastructures.

WhatsUp Gold provides robust capabilities in network visibility through dynamic mapping and NetFlow analysis. The platform's interactive topology aids in pinpointing issues effectively. Auto-discovery ensures complete network device tracking. While offering an intuitive interface and integration with Cisco ServiceNow, users find server performance monitoring useful for incident handling. However, improvements are anticipated in application monitoring and Active Directory integration. The pricing model and customization options leave room for enhancement. Despite these, users benefit from its integrated dashboards for immediate device health checks and network updates, making it beneficial for large-scale infrastructure management.

What features does WhatsUp Gold offer?

Network Monitoring: Provides continuous oversight of network components
Dynamic Mapping: Offers visual representation of network topology
NetFlow Analysis: Delivers insights into bandwidth utilization
Threshold Alerts: Notifies users upon reaching set performance thresholds
Auto-Discovery: Detects devices automatically for complete network coverage

What benefits should users expect from reviews?

Comprehensive Visibility: Enhanced understanding of network elements
Real-Time Monitoring: Immediate insights into network and device status
Cost-Effectiveness: Competitive solution suitable for expansive networks
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies the management of complex networks

Organizations in sectors like telecommunications, education, and healthcare utilize WhatsUp Gold for their network monitoring needs. Telecom companies track switches and routers, educational institutions manage bandwidth usage, and healthcare facilities monitor device availability to ensure seamless operations.

Progress Software

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway

United Lincolnshire Hospitals, Air Rarotonga, NetSuite, Thai AirAsia, REA Group, 335th Signal Command, Agilisys, Marine Expeditionary Force

Artoni Trasporti, Austin Independent School District, Banca Marche, Burke County North Carolina, Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine, Clayco, Community Integrated Care, Desca, Deutsche Bergbau, Flexi-Van, Gropper, Hamleys, Hammonds Furniture, Knowledge IT, Idras S.P.A., Sibeg, Swann Engineering, Trivium Lindenhof

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs. WhatsUp Gold

June 2026

Free Report: SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs. WhatsUp Gold

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