SolarWinds NPM is used for searching equipment in the network, troubleshooting the network, and mapping the networking.
Director of Operations at 802BR
Useful diagnostic, beneficial network search, and good support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features in SolarWinds NPM are the network search and diagnostic tools."
- "SolarWinds NPM could improve by adding the deepest inspection, performance networking, and IP address discovery."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features in SolarWinds NPM are the network search and diagnostic tools.
What needs improvement?
SolarWinds NPM could improve by adding the deepest inspection, performance networking, and IP address discovery.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SolarWinds NPM for approximately three months.
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SolarWinds NPM
June 2025

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SolarWinds NPM is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of SolarWinds NPM is easy to do.
We have three or four users using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support is very good for SolarWinds NPM.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of SolarWinds NPM is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost of the personal perpetual license for SolarWinds NPM is approximately $2,000.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution to others.
I rate SolarWinds NPM a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

CEO/Consultant at CIL
Stable and scalable product for enterprise-level users
Pros and Cons
- "SolarWinds dashboard is very fast. Also, their interface is very good, it looks very user-friendly. The product allows me to see a summary of the network being monitored at a glance."
- "The product is scalable, but at a cost. Extra modules have to be purchased for each extra server. The initial set up isn't complex, but will require someone who is experienced with the network monitoring system"
What is our primary use case?
We use it for network monitoring, internet monitoring purpose and server monitoring purposes.
How has it helped my organization?
It allows me to see a summary of the network being monitored at a glance.
What is most valuable?
SolarWinds dashboard is very fast. Also, their interface is very good, it looks very user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
The time monitoring could be improved from every five seconds to every second. If they can move to an every-second basis, then it will improve the monitoring analysis.
I would also like to see the security system updated to prevent virus attacks.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SolarWinds NPM for around 10 to 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have found it is definitely stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This product is scalable by purchasing extra modules for more servers.
How are customer service and support?
They're one of the most responsive companies when it comes to support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup wasn't complex, but not as easy as some systems either. It requires someone with experience with the network monitoring system.
What about the implementation team?
It was implemented in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The charge is currently made per module for the product, and there is no option to buy it as a full system bundle which makes it costly. Also, charges are made annually, it's not a perpetual purchase.
It would not be affordable for SME level organizations.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The other solutions I evaluated were:
- PTRG
- Cisco
- WhatsUp Gold.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this product at 7.5 out of 10.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Buyer's Guide
SolarWinds NPM
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about SolarWinds NPM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Consaltant at a consultancy with self employed
It's an effective solution for the banking sector, but the price is beyond the budget of smaller businesses
Pros and Cons
- "Network performance is the main issue clients are facing. SolarWinds checks if a node is down, and we can set thresholds for performance metrics. For example, we set it up to get an alert automatically if a value is over 80 percent. It has a full dashboard that covers CP, hard disk, and node monitoring."
- "Each model has different features, so clients need to purchase a separate model for SQL monitoring, database monitoring, network traffic analyzer, HTTP traffic, etc. So each feature they need is in a different model, but customers would prefer an all-in-one solution."
What is our primary use case?
One of my clients is a bank. SolarWinds is primarily used in banking to limit network downtime to less than one or two minutes. All the ATMs are connected with SolarWinds, so the bank can respond quickly when the network is down. You only need about three or four people monitoring this software at a time. SolarWinds is deployed on-premises for security reasons. Banks do not allow cloud solutions for this purpose.
What is most valuable?
Network performance is the main issue clients are facing. SolarWinds checks if a node is down, and we can set thresholds for performance metrics. For example, we set it up to get an alert automatically if a value is over 80 percent. It has a full dashboard that covers CP, hard disk, and node monitoring.
What needs improvement?
Each model has different features, so clients need to purchase a separate model for SQL monitoring, database monitoring, network traffic analyzer, HTTP traffic, etc. So each feature they need is in a different model, but customers would prefer an all-in-one solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with SolarWinds NPM for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SolarWinds is stable. We sometimes have crashes here and there because we are monitoring so many features and routers.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
SolarWinds is easy to scale.
How are customer service and support?
We don't use technical support because we handle everything in-house. We already make customized dashboards, reports, notes, etc. ourselves.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used PRTG, but it's not used in any banks. About 80 percent of banks I know use SolarWinds. PRTG is mostly popular in manufacturing companies. It's cheaper, so manufacturers can easily afford it.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up SolarWinds is somewhat complex because the data is encrypted and banks require so many policies. The reporting and dashboards are also complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SolarWinds is expensive. That's why it's primarily banks using the solution. Small businesses can't afford it. Due to its pricing, most smaller enterprises like manufacturing companies are not interested. For example, we have a client who is also interested in traffic monitoring, but they are not purchasing SolarWinds because of the cost.
What other advice do I have?
I rate SolarWinds NPM seven out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Network Engineer at a mining and metals company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Responsive support, beneficial performance monitoring, but database optimization could improve
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of SolarWinds NPM is the performance monitoring to see the memory, and CPU utilization."
- "SolarWinds NPM can be very slow at times. The database optimization can be done to improve the product performance."
What is our primary use case?
SolarWinds NPM is used to monitor our devices' to see uptime, availability, and performance.
How has it helped my organization?
SolarWinds NPM has helped our organization by proactively indicating if we are low on resources for a particular server.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of SolarWinds NPM is the performance monitoring to see the memory, and CPU utilization.
What needs improvement?
SolarWinds NPM can be very slow at times. The database optimization can be done to improve the product performance.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SolarWinds NPM for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SolarWinds NPM is very unstable. We often have website loading issues. We have to call support, and they fix it. Then a month later, we're going to have the same problem.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
SolarWinds NPM can be used at multiple locations, and increase the capacity as needed with additional licensing. It's very scalable.
We have three people using this solution. It's used globally at all our sites and we plan to increase our usage in the future.
How are customer service and support?
SolarWinds NPM technical support is very responsive. They're available by phone, which is a plus.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I did not use a solution previously.
How was the initial setup?
SolarWinds NPM's initial setup was straightforward. It took about a year to complete the full process of the implementation. The strategy we used was we worked on the setup of vCore and Microsoft Azure, and then for each of our sites, we did afterward.
What about the implementation team?
We did the deployment in-house.
What was our ROI?
I have not seen a substantial return on investment with SolarWinds NPM.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay approximately $4,000 annually for SolarWinds NPM. There are no additional fees required other than the standard fees.
I rate the price of SolarWinds NPM a three out of five.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated other solutions, such as PRTG Network Monitor and WhatsUp Gold. We choose SolarWinds NPM because it had better licensing and architectural options.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others is to follow the best practices.
I rate SolarWinds NPM a seven out of ten.
The solution has good support they're constantly improving it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IM Infrastructure Specialist at Anglo American
Efficient support, easy installation, and helpful for monitoring our operations
Pros and Cons
- "Their support team is efficient, and it is easy to set up."
- "The root cause analysis and installation faults are not clear."
What is our primary use case?
We are a mining company, and we use this solution to monitor our system operations. We monitor the truck service, and we have the network devices installed onto the equipment.
What is most valuable?
Their support team is efficient, and it is easy to set up.
What needs improvement?
The root cause analysis and installation faults are not clear.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is good.
How was the initial setup?
It was easy to set up. It took less than a month.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution. I would rate it an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Server and Network Monitoring Manager at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
User friendly console for the end user
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the way it monitors the environment, and how user-friendly the console is for the end-user. The interface is also very easy and it captures all the information very well."
- "This product could improve by adding cloud monitoring. I want SolarWinds NPM to do much more integration, and have more involvement in cloud monitoring, like AWS or Google, or Azure. I feel like it requires lots of improvement for cloud monitoring in NPM."
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the way it monitors the environment, and how user-friendly the console is for the end-user. The interface is also very easy and it captures all the information very well.
What needs improvement?
This product could improve by adding cloud monitoring. I want SolarWinds NPM to do much more integration, and have more involvement in cloud monitoring, like AWS or Google, or Azure. I feel like it requires lots of improvement for cloud monitoring in NPM.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with this product for almost ten years.
How are customer service and support?
The support could be improved. Within the last two, three years, I would say the support has declined. It has degraded, but not that bad. We are still getting solutions, but sometimes, calls stay on hold. When we try to call the support team, it continues to ring on their side. About half of the time it gets connected very quickly, but the other half takes some time to connect. Sometimes I wait more than 10 minutes. It's not totally bad, as we are still getting support. Nowadays, we prefer to send emails to them, so whenever they have someone available, they can revert back to us and we can schedule a call with them.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is reasonable. In the last year we tried to look for different applications and those other applications are even more expensive.
If someone wants to install this application, they need to be very specific what environment they want to monitor, whether they want to monitor in a hybrid environment or just cloud, or just on prem, because the setup is going to be quite different in all aspects. When it comes to installation, someone has to have a better understanding of what they're actually going to monitor, how many nodes they are going to monitor, how many network device they are going to monitor, etc. With respect to that, the licensing changes.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate SolarWinds NPM an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Assistant Director of Information Technology at TOWN OF CULPEPER
Reliable, effective monitoring, with good visibility, and dashboards
Pros and Cons
- "Being able to easily, and quickly obtain disc space statistics from servers and determine how much was free or used on various volumes."
- "I would like to see some enhancement on the reporting side, such as making it a little bit easier to create reports or having a larger assortment of canned reports."
What is our primary use case?
SolarWinds NPM is generally used for network monitoring for all of the switches, networking equipment, as well as physical and virtual servers in the environment.
What is most valuable?
We use the top 10 dashboards on a frequent basis, as well as the ability to put systems in maintenance mode when we need to perform patching or other maintenance.
Being able to easily, and quickly obtain disk space statistics from servers and volumes.
What needs improvement?
The interface can be a bit cumbersome at times. There is a steep learning curve if you wanted to get into it in any depth.
I would say that both the installation and use of it can be complicated initially. It isn't for someone who doesn't have a lot of expertise or knowledge. It does have a significant learning curve.
After the initial installation, the configuration is where more knowledge is required.
The reporting could be improved.
I would like to see some enhancement on the reporting side, such as making it easier to create reports or have a larger assortment of canned reports.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with SolarWinds NPM for eight years. Most recently version 2020.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SolarWinds NPM seems to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In our environment, scalability wasn't really a factor. The environment we had, and the method we used for the initial install were sufficient.
In our organization, we had about 20 users consistingn of IT server and network engineers as well as business analysts.
This is a tool that we utilize on a regular basis.
How are customer service and support?
Although technical support is adequate, it could be better, but that appears to be the situation in the majority of businesses nowadays.
I would rate them seven out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was somewhere in middle.
This solution is maintained, deployed, and updated by a team of six people, and it is also automated for operating system upgrades. We have one or two server admins that are responsible for actual application upgrades.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend having a review with a SolarWinds tech first to make sure you understand the system requirements. It would be helpful to work with them also in regards to unique configurations.
I would rate SolarWinds NPM an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Group CEO at Flexsolutions
Stable with great functionality and perfect for mid-sized companies
Pros and Cons
- "It's a very good tool and a very stable tool."
- "They have had a rather large security breach in the past. It's cost some companies customers."
What is our primary use case?
If a customer is looking for a monitoring box solution, a medium-scale customer, and he's looking for something that can manage servers, routers, storage, applications, basic monitoring for applications, to cover everything, then SolarWinds is the right choice. However, he has to be a mid-tier customer. He cannot be an enterprise customer. If they are an enterprise customer, then SolarWinds is not the right choice as it will start to slow down.
What is most valuable?
It's a very good tool and a very stable tool.
For a medium-sized customer, it has everything that you're looking for.
It has all kinds of functionality that any network team or monitoring team is looking for. It's easy to integrate with any other tool, as it has an open database. It's easy to implement and has a very nice user experience.
What needs improvement?
One of the problems that SolarWinds has is when the data becomes too big, it will start getting slower.
It's not at all for enterprise customers. I don't recommend enterprises to go for SolarWinds. They should go for a bigger tool.
They have had a rather large security breach in the past. It's cost some companies customers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been dealing with the solution for ten years as a partner at least. It's been a long time. I've used it for about a decade at this point in that capacity. I've been dealing with SolarWinds for almost more than 17 or 18 years, personally.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have three to four customers on the solution.
It's best for a mid-tier company, and not a large enterprise.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is okay.
The only problem that they have is that last year they had a security hack issue. That is something that was a big problem SolarWinds in the market, as everybody is scared to use SolarWinds. They still have managed customers. Still, I have to say, there are very few customers that they don't have SolarWinds.
Whenever I go for meetings for security or monitoring or anything, I find some engineers still using SolarWinds. They may not be using it a lot, however, they are still using it for more than monitoring. Still, people did lose customers over it.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy and quite straightforward. It's not overly difficult or complex.
The implementation is fast and doesn't take more than a month or a month and a half.
We only need one consultant to handle implementation.
What about the implementation team?
We are able to handle the setup for our clients.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing process is pretty simple. it's not too complex.
What other advice do I have?
We've done a couple of implementations at this point. We're actually a partner.
For a mid-tier customer, I would rate the solution at about an eight.
I'd recommend the solution t a mid-tier customer. I wouldn't if the company was quite sizable.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner

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Updated: June 2025
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