Auvik vs. Plixer Scrutinizer

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Auvik
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Auvik Network Management is a vendor-agnostic cloud-based network monitoring and management solution providing automated network discovery. Auvik requires no service hardware or disruptive maintenance cycles and provides onboarding and training for new and existing users. Auvik delivers visibility and automation to reduce friction for IT teams and allow them to give end users the freedom to work wherever and however they…N/A
Plixer Scrutinizer
Score 6.0 out of 10
N/A
Plixer is a developer of network management software with a focus on network traffic analysis, network security, threat detection and network optimization, headquartered in Kennebunk, Maine. Plixer Scrutinizer collects, analyzes, visualizes, and reports on data from every network conversation and digital transaction to deliver security and network intelligence.N/A
Pricing
AuvikPlixer Scrutinizer
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AuvikPlixer Scrutinizer
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPricing is calculated per number of switches, routers, firewalls, and controllers. Everything else is monitored for free.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AuvikPlixer Scrutinizer
Considered Both Products
Auvik
Chose Auvik
Auvik was a much better to scale as an MSP and their support offering was far better from my research. Knowledge base, training, and dedicated support/account reps made it an easy decision. As an MSP we need less time maintaining and learning the tools and more time working …
Chose Auvik
Auvik's license structure is simple and affordable. Auvik's license is based on total network devices in your network. They charge only for total number of Switches, Routers, firewalls and Wireless controllers in your network. All other devices license would be free of charge
Chose Auvik
Auvik was the best overall feature set, pricing model, ease of setup, and great technical support.
Chose Auvik
Nicer GUI, easier setup, but considerably more expensive.
Chose Auvik
Auvik has an automatic discovery setting, where Zabbix has to be done per each machine. This slows things down and makes it a little more complicated especially when there is no credentials or anything that is available. Zabbix however has a better uptime compared to Auviks. …
Chose Auvik
Auvik can stand up against any of the big network management and monitoring solutions on the market. I've implemented and used SolarWinds at many organizations for over 15 years. The paradigm that SolarWinds, PRTG, Prime, etc., work under is completely different than Auvik. …
Chose Auvik
Ease of use, professional, and just a better overall product than every other tool out there.
Chose Auvik
Auvik is easier to deploy and more powerful
Chose Auvik
ConnectWise Automate has a network map feature but Auvik is much easier to use.
Chose Auvik
I have previewed several other products, and they all look like a joke compared to Auvik. I have not tested them, however, so I won't say anything further on that.
Chose Auvik
Auvik blows most of these out of the water. We have tried Nagios, Solarwinds and PRTG. We are happy with our choice of Auvik over those.
Chose Auvik
Auvik is a superior tool for MSPs due to its multi-tenant capability, speed of deployment for new customers, and integrations with the current common MSP tools stack. Intermapper is a very powerful and expensive application, so not directly applicable, but Auvik still has many …
Chose Auvik
Auvik is a better solution than Nagios.
Chose Auvik
I came onboard with Solarwinds already installed and running. It took me some time to learn my way around the Web interface. Nice product but a little convoluted for me. We weren't using it to it's full potential. It did work well for network monitoring, and configuration …
Chose Auvik
Auvik was better in two key respects: MSP-friendly pricing and also in the ability for less experienced technicians to set it up and use it.
Chose Auvik
Auvik does a better job of visually giving a representation of how items are connected in the network. Also, the alerts are fast and detailed, which allows fast response to issues when they arise. There are many SNMP details already in Auvik and they have the ability to monitor …
Chose Auvik
Opmanager is more customizable but requires way more man-hours to set up and operate.
Chose Auvik
I selected Auvik because they are based in Canada. The ease of use for documentation. The ongoing growth of our networks and simplicity to adding other super users and giving visibility into the networks. Dan the sales guy was good at his job and gave us a good insight into …
Chose Auvik
The out of the box features and alerting with Auvik have been incredibly helpful. The navigation is slightly behind the clarity within the SolarWinds portals, but the alerting is significantly better out of the box.
Chose Auvik
Since we have only evaluated auvik and have solely rested on this as a solution, we have no ability to compare and contrast other vendor offerings such as SolarWinds or HP's network discovery tools.
Chose Auvik
Auvik checks all the boxes in regards to the required features of network monitoring. The ongoing customer training and helpful online documentation make for a positive experience for daily administration. In our experience, the per-device license costs were also …
Plixer Scrutinizer
Chose Plixer Scrutinizer
Scrutinizer is a faster and simpler deployment while still delivering the tools and reports needed to gain accurate view traffic and network usage. Its cheaper than most alternatives and daily use is focused on understanding data, not making config changes so you can
Features
AuvikPlixer Scrutinizer
Network Performance Monitoring
Comparison of Network Performance Monitoring features of Product A and Product B
Auvik
7.9
Ratings
0% below category average
Plixer Scrutinizer
-
Ratings
Automated network device discovery9.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Network monitoring8.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Baseline threshold calculation7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Alerts8.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Network capacity planning7.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Packet capture analysis7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Network mapping8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable reports5.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Wireless infrastructure monitoring7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Hardware health monitoring8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
AuvikPlixer Scrutinizer
Small Businesses
NinjaOne
NinjaOne
Score 9.0 out of 10
Auvik
Auvik
Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA)
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA)
Score 9.3 out of 10
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA)
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA)
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA)
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA)
Score 9.3 out of 10
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA)
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA)
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
AuvikPlixer Scrutinizer
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.8
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.7
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
AuvikPlixer Scrutinizer
Likelihood to Recommend
Auvik is fantastic for managing multi-site, multi-company networks - very well suited for MSP or consultative technology companies. Navigation is simple and easy between clients and their sites. Auvik is less well suited for managing single sites or single companies - it is really meant to be used at a larger scale.
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If you need a network security forensic tool, this is a great fit. Scrutinizer collects everything you have configured as a target without losing data. If you need an in-depth analysis of your network flows, as in who is doing what with what this is a good fit. Scrutinizer translates a massive about of data into readable tables and reports.
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Pros
  • Maps out devices to switch ports.
  • Monitors, alerts, and reports on network device and port utilization.
  • Quickly created complete network diagrams.
  • Works well in a co-manage environment enabling teams full but restricted access to specific sites. Integrates well with site specific access in ConnectWise Automate.
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  • Once configured, Scrutinizer gives an accurate overview of network activity.
  • Scrutinizer is able to collect flows from a variety of devices, you are not limited to Cisco.
  • DSCP based reporting, which is helpful when attempting to determine how good your wireless network is from a QoS perspective.
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Cons
  • The map is not easy to quickly zoom in and out of or pan around. Usually requires a lot of filter toggling. Keyboard shortcuts for this would be nice.
  • Better global settings that can be pushed to multiple client organizations
  • Security groups/RBAC for user permissions across multiple clients
  • Ability to change the URL
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  • The free version has some limitations that make an accurate evaluation difficult, every day at midnight the data is flushed and you start over.
  • If you are purchasing the appliance, you won't have admin access to it.
  • Reporting could use some polished graphics and advance filtering features.
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Likelihood to Renew
Because it's an amazing product.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
The program can be a bit unwieldy at times, however the majority of information is displayed in a readable and friendly way. The maps and popup information box from the bottom can be harder to use on a smaller screen but on a 1080p+ display tends to work fine.
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No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
We have never had a major outage or impact that was noticeable.
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No answers on this topic
Performance
Pages can be slow to load on larger sites but tends to be fine for most clients.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Fast response and knowledgeable. If the technician does not know, they will look for the information and get back to you.
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Support is support, they are either there or they are not. Scrutinizer support has been there every time I've needed them. They rely a bit too much on email correspondence, sometimes I want a voice to tell me what to do, and fast
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Alternatives Considered
Auvik's license structure is simple and affordable. Auvik's license is based on total network devices in your network. They charge only for total number of Switches, Routers, firewalls and Wireless controllers in your network. All other devices license would be free of charge
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Scrutinizer is a faster and simpler deployment while still delivering the tools and reports needed to gain accurate view traffic and network usage. Its cheaper than most alternatives and daily use is focused on understanding data, not making config changes so you can understand data. Risk reduction and elimination is the primary focus, Scrutinizer helps you do that.
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Scalability
Auvik has worked on sites with 15+ offices connected with VPN's and we have not encountered any issues with the monitoring. On larger sites the map can be a bit cumbersome to read however it can be cleaned up easily with device filters.
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Return on Investment
  • We are at an initial stage of device onboarding and Auvik already provides quick network documentation without having to worry about updating; this is done dynamically.
  • Helpful for MSP in that it uses role-based access control to present customer-focused device management, and simplifying administration for monitoring and alerting, dashboards and reports, and billing.
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  • Scrutinizer is a great tool, extremely easy to implement, it lets you see your NetFlow without a large outlay.
  • WAN traffic monitoring gives you the ability to accurately predict the necessary bandwidth volume, you can now stop over buying.
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ScreenShots

Auvik Screenshots

Screenshot of a display of the big network picture used to narrow down possible devices to investigate. Auvik pulls data from sources like CDP, LLDP, and forwarding tables to meticulously model the Layer 1 network diagram. Layers 2 and 3 are built from ARP tables, IP assignments, and VLAN associations to show what’s on the network, where it is, and how it’s connected.Screenshot of Auvik’s automated inventory, which uses network protocols to detect and capture full details for every device on the network including make and model, serial number, IP address, and the physical switchport the device is connected to. If the device is known but not its location, Auvik can find the device and every other device it’s connected to.Screenshot of lifecycle data, pulled from supported devices to show whether they’re on current or expired support contracts, whether there are more up-to-date software versions available, if devices are eligible to receive critical security updates, and if devices are still available for purchase.Screenshot of Auvik's over 50 pre-configured alerts tuned to industry best practices and ranging from informational to emergency. Its pre-configured alerts can be tweaked, added to, and the frequency of how often notifications are sent can be changed.Screenshot of Auvik TrafficInsights, which leverages machine learning and traffic classification to show which applications—like Dropbox, Netflix, or Slack—or protocols are using up the bulk of the network’s bandwidth.Screenshot of Auvik's centralized syslog for all network devices where they can be viewed directly from the device dashboard for more context, to more quickly troubleshoot network issues.