ManageEngine ADAudit Plus vs. Netwrix Auditor

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
Score 9.0 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
ADAudit Plus offers real-time monitoring, user and entity behaviour analytics, and change audit reports that helps users keep AD and IT infrastructure secure and compliant. Track all changes to Windows AD objects including users, groups, computers, GPOs, and OUs. Achieve hybrid AD monitoring with a single, correlated view of all the activities happening across both on-premises AD and Azure AD. Monitor every user's logon and logoff activity, including…
$595
per year Both licensed based on number of Domain Controllers, Azure AD tenants, file servers, Windows member servers, and Workstations.
Netwrix Auditor
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Netwrix Auditor is designed to enable auditing of the broadest variety of IT systems, including Active Directory, Exchange, file servers, SharePoint, SQL Server, VMware and Windows Server. It also supports monitoring of privileged user activity in all other systems. According to the vendor, Netwrix Auditor eliminates these blind spots by delivering complete visibility into all changes to system configurations, content and permissions across the IT infrastructure.…N/A
Pricing
ManageEngine ADAudit PlusNetwrix Auditor
Editions & Modules
Standard
$595
per year Both licensed based on number of Domain Controllers, Azure AD tenants, file servers, Windows member servers, and Workstations.
Professional
$945
per year Both licensed based on number of Domain Controllers, Azure AD tenants, file servers, Windows member servers, and Workstations.
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ManageEngine ADAudit PlusNetwrix Auditor
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsADAudit Plus is licensed based on number of Domain Controllers (not per-user). Add-ons are available for Windows File Servers, NAS File Servers, Azure AD tenants, Windows Servers, Workstations, AD Backup and Recovery, and File Analysis. For more than 20 domain controllers, ManageEngine directs customers to contact sales for a personalized quote. Pricing is dependent on the number of domain controllers and starts at $595/year for the Standard edition, and $945/year for the Professional edition.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ManageEngine ADAudit PlusNetwrix Auditor
Considered Both Products
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
We use the ManageEngine Log360 bundle, which includes ADAudit Plus and EventLog Analyzer. Back in 2016, when we evaluated the ManageEngine solution, we compared it to an existing Juniper JSA deployment, mapping specific PCI DSS requirements against both products. That was 10 …
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
Compared to similar solutions, ManageEngine ADAudit Plus offers a user-friendly interface, comprehensive audit reports, and reliable real-time alerts at a competitive price, making it a practical choice for our organization.
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
We have had it for so long, I don't remember what we compared agains. It does what we need and the price is good enough that we don't need to look elsewhere.
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
While Netwrix is a great tool, we found ADAudit Plus more attractive due to its pricing. We also use other ManageEngine products, so we're familiar with their ecosystem and support, and it makes co-term renewals really easy for administrative purposes - we can send one renewal …
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
We did not try any other products. We started with ManageEngine, and we're happy with it.
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
Beats them on price and functionality
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
For AD auditing management, an AD audit is one of the top tools on the market. I have not found anything lacking or missing in either the reports or the platform.
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
very easy and friendly use. also upgrades
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
We selected ManageEngine ADAudit Plus because the reporting and alerting features are useful and the cost of the product is not prohibitive
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
Very different to compare
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
We were using the Snare client that was only capable of forwarding logs to some type of syslog server. To be able to get meaning full reports or alerts from that system it would all need to be customized. This would require that you had the expertise on staff to set up these …
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
We selected ManageEngine ADAudit Plus for two simple reasons. One is it is so easy to use. Logging in and being able to easily see data, find data and gather data is so much easier then other products on the market. The other reason is what you get out of the product. We get …
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
I think their product is slightly different but has overlap, better long-term logging in ManageEngine ADAudit Plus but much better real time metrics and response from Tenable
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
We use Varonis for different things than ManageEngine ADAudit Plus. They complement each other well.
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
I have not looked at other products like AD AUdit
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
We haven't haven't previously used any similar product before ManageEngine ADAudit Plus.
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
Choice for ManageEngine was made on support, ease of implementation and cost. We were looking for a monitoring solution that was on premises and cost effective.
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
ManageEngine ADManager Plus
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
We are still using both but I prefer ManageEngine for AD auditing by a mile. The gui interface and prebuilt reporting is great
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
ADAudit Plus was the clear winner for us. Price, features, ease of use, etc.
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
In terms of features, ADAudit Plus offers a comprehensive set of features for monitoring and auditing Active Directory, including real-time alerts, detailed reports, and user behavior analytics. The platform also offers support for multiple platforms, including Windows, UNIX, …
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
All products have their niche.
What stood out for us - 1) we use other products from manageengine. Made sense to keep it to one pane of glass, so to speak.
2) price. at the price point we got a lot for our buck. 3) features. It does exactly what we needed.
Chose ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
ADAudit had a better ability to easily customize reports. Also the interface was snappier. Netrix was kind of clunky to use and not as intuitive.
Netwrix Auditor
Chose Netwrix Auditor
More lightweight and easier to deploy across the organization the reporting is hands-down above what SCCM can deliver even with PowerShell scripting. The value in the software is quickly realized once the installation is complete and you have the visibility into the active …
Chose Netwrix Auditor
Have not actively compared another product against Netwrix, as Netwrix has performed well for our organization. No further investigation or products were offered to be evaluated alongside Netwrix. It has been used in our organization longer than I have worked for this company. …
Chose Netwrix Auditor
I tried a demo of a competing software, whose name escapes me, and was completely lost. I didn't know how to find anything or how to use it if I did. Their support documentation didn't help very much either. That's why I appreciated the guidance Netwrix provides on usage and …
Chose Netwrix Auditor
We didn't search any other tool, we directly purchase and use it as it is very easy to use and manage.
Chose Netwrix Auditor
I find Netwrix Auditor to be more useful when reviewing security events. It works faster, is easier to gather information from, and easier to get help with support from issues. The only thing I prefer about Security Events Manger from Solarwinds is that they provide more …
Chose Netwrix Auditor
Netwrix Auditor is a visibility and governance platform that allows you to monitor changes, configurations and access in IT infrastructure of important IT infrastructure components such as Active Directory, event logs, Exchange, Office 365, SQL Server, and others. Apart from …
Chose Netwrix Auditor
This was using its logs e.g IIS logs and loading them to Log Parser. Netwrix Auditor has all the audit tools you need, there are no fetching logs somewhere and loading to it manually. The reporting is robust and you can see an executive summary of risks in your environment in …
Chose Netwrix Auditor
As I mentioned previously, we used to use Varonis to audit our NetApp file servers. Varonis did perform the data collection on the NetApp file servers, but the cost was almost twice that of Netwrix Auditor and it was only auditing the NetApp File server. For one price, we have …
Chose Netwrix Auditor
We evaluated SolarWinds Log & Event Manager as well as SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager. In the end, it came down to the features and ease of use. While Netwrix Auditor has some slight shortcomings when it comes to intuitiveness, we found it better in that regard than …
Chose Netwrix Auditor
I can only compare it to SolarWinds. Their similar products have larger foot prints and seem a little clumsy in comparison. The Netwrix product turns on a lot of the auditing options that were required for the product to work properly where it seemed I had to do a lot of manual …
Best Alternatives
ManageEngine ADAudit PlusNetwrix Auditor
Small Businesses

No answers on this topic

Oracle Audit Vault and Database Firewall
Oracle Audit Vault and Database Firewall
Score 7.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
InsightIDR
InsightIDR
Score 8.4 out of 10
Oracle Audit Vault and Database Firewall
Oracle Audit Vault and Database Firewall
Score 7.0 out of 10
Enterprises
InsightIDR
InsightIDR
Score 8.4 out of 10
Oracle Audit Vault and Database Firewall
Oracle Audit Vault and Database Firewall
Score 7.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ManageEngine ADAudit PlusNetwrix Auditor
Likelihood to Recommend
9.4
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.1
(0 ratings)
8.6
(0 ratings)
Online Training
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.7
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
6.4
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
ManageEngine ADAudit PlusNetwrix Auditor
Likelihood to Recommend
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus is well suited for monitoring Active Directory changes, tracking user activity, and meeting compliance requirements. Its real-time alerts and audit reports help quickly identify security issues and simplify troubleshooting. It may be less suitable for very small environments that have minimal auditing needs
Read full review
Netwrix [Auditor] is a great tool for any SysAdmin no matter the company size. Licensing is determined by users, not employee count, and that makes it a great product from a small business to an enterprise application. The time savings coupled with the increased productivity is a key factor is determining this tool over other products.
Read full review
Pros
  • ManageEngine ADAudit Plus changes for user and group management can be looked up in builtin reports
  • You can build your own reports based on almost every logic you can think of
  • You have the ability to create alerts based on logic and filters and sendout custom alerts to email, SMS or other means.
  • First you need to understand the basics of the software, after that the software itself is very helpfull in configuring specific items.
  • I really love the support that ManageEngine is giving the customer, for all questions I use the chat on their website. This is for me the best remote support I ever saw, and I saw a lot in my 20 years of experience in IT.
Read full review
  • The reporting features within Netwrix Auditor are by far the best feature, with a wide range of "pre-built" reports. The ability to create/generate your own reports makes it quite easy to look into the various items being monitored in the environment.
  • The set-up & ease of use of Netwrix is hard to match, not to mention the upgrades. To date, we've only had to contact support for one issue and it was an easy fix once we found the detailed information in their Knowledge Base.
  • Automation features within Netwrix help our daily tasks by ensuring we are not having to constantly monitor Netwrix, this is a huge time saver!
Read full review
Cons
  • It's based on Java engine that is slow -- reports are often difficult to build (we are going to upgrade the machine it's running on to see if this is the issue)
  • Keeping this software up to date is a pain; there should be a better "update" function
  • The naming and navigation are terrible -- it's never clear which feature you're looking for and where it's hidden in the menus
  • Adding machines is not as easy as it should be; occasionally there are IP conflicts that are nearly impossible to resolve
Read full review
  • They have a screen capture function that I have never been able to get to work properly. However, I have never called their support on this issue so it is not necessarily a big ding against them. I am only mildly interested in this feature. We have enough network monitoring so I already know what my users are doing I don't need a capture.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
It works great for everything we need and use. Any issues in the software are pretty easy to resolve with tech support. And they are very responsive to resolving issues. Even ones where a fix/patch are required. At present, the software does everything we need it to for compliance, audit, and account review.
Read full review
We have renewed already the licensing of the product minus SQL Server and Oracle Database because the organisation believes the modules are very expensive and have identified a different product for auditing Databases Other modules are very important like the User Activity monitor, AD queries that we can not get from the native AD itself or you have to run complicated powershell scripts! Easy to use interface Pre-defined Reports Easy way to subscribe to important alerts e.g Privilege account group membership changes
Read full review
Usability
ADAudit with its cloud and on prem install option allows any organization to get in on AD report management. Whether you need to report internally only for for external audit controls its a great tool with flexibility to handle most any user or group report capability. Since this also includes m365 integration it enables IT pros to administer usage, license, cost control and permission access to most anything in Microsoft's portfolio. Its a great tool all around for AD integrated access needs.
Read full review
Netwrix is easy to use; it has a simple reporting system and modules for each area, e.g., exchange, active directory, and Azure. The user interface is quite basic but easy to navigate and is only seen by administrators anyway. Reports can be generated that are meaningful and in a clear format.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
uptime good
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Performance
Integration/overlap between products could be improved
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Support is always helpful, but they can sometimes be difficult to understand which adds a level of complexity to troubleshooting an issue. They are very persistent at making sure you get your issue fixed though, which raises this rating substantially.
Read full review
Customer support has always been fast and helpful when we run into any issues. The smaller issues are usually resolved within a day or two. It is great support and I feel like I am in good hands anytime an issue comes up. However, we don't run into many issues
Read full review
Online Training
knowledgable and prompt response
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
The remote setup team helped when i needed it and setup weas very straight forward and easy. The advanced setup for an external db and customizations for our latest version AD environment went pretty easy once they found documentation on customization.
Read full review
Make sure you trial the software and understand the fundamentals of each module that you are interested in Make sure you get the buy in from both Management and most importantly your team members (the product users) for a successful implementation Watch the webinars of the product from the product website
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
We use the ManageEngine Log360 bundle, which includes ADAudit Plus and EventLog Analyzer. Back in 2016, when we evaluated the ManageEngine solution, we compared it to an existing Juniper JSA deployment, mapping specific PCI DSS requirements against both products. That was 10 years ago now; much may have changed, but at the time, the ManageEngine solution mapped well to the PCI DSS requirements, so we retired the Juniper JSA solution.
Read full review
As I mentioned previously, we used to use Varonis to audit our NetApp file servers. Varonis did perform the data collection on the NetApp file servers, but the cost was almost twice that of Netwrix Auditor and it was only auditing the NetApp File server. For one price, we have Netwrix Auditor auditing our Windows servers, SQL Server server, NetApp file servers, Windows file servers, Active Directory servers and many more. We haven't done it yet, but it can also audit Windows Exchange servers.
Read full review
Scalability
updates are effective and system is reliable
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
We no longer have to spend time or manpower digging through logs. The product presents the information you need (whatever that may be in your situation) on the dashboard, via à la carte reports, or automatically to your inbox. You save a lot of time not having to mine for data with this product. Everything is there in the morning for me to review, or on hand if I feel like looking before reports run.
  • ManageEngine ADAudit Plus has reduced the need for additional IT FTEs by allowing our lean staff to do their jobs well in the background.
  • It is not a very resource-intensive product, so you won't need a dedicated or high-performance server to run it. It runs in VMs or on bare-metal servers just fine.
  • The pricing is good. There are products that do more, but their cost can be exponentially higher, depending on the features.
Read full review
  • One of the biggest (if not the biggest) objectives of any IT department is to keep our users' data secure. This software, together with a firewall, end-point protection, and encouraging security best practices, helps us achieve that objective.
  • Our IT department is small for the number of users and clients we support. Netwrix Auditor helps us streamline day to day tasks with its reports showing us day to day administrative information for our servers. This saves us time and allows us to focus on fulfilling our other duties.
Read full review
ScreenShots

ManageEngine ADAudit Plus Screenshots

Screenshot of Active Directory Audit Dashboard
Track all critical AD changes — user modifications, group updates, GPO changes, and logon events — from a single console.Screenshot of User Logon Failures Report
Spot and investigate failed logon attempts across your environment with drill-down reports showing who, when, and from where.Screenshot of Attack Surface Analyzer Dashboard
Detect 25+ AD attack indicators including Kerberoasting, Golden Ticket, and DCSync attacks before they cause damage.Screenshot of Cloud Directory Audit Dashboard
Monitor sign-ins, role changes, and config modifications across Microsoft Entra ID with correlated on-premises and cloud visibility.Screenshot of Kerberoasting Attack Detection Report
Surface suspicious service ticket requests and identify compromised service accounts before attackers escalate privileges.Screenshot of Real-Time Alert Dashboard
Centralize and prioritize security alerts across your environment with configurable real-time email and SMS notifications.

Netwrix Auditor Screenshots

Screenshot of visibility into changes to critical IT systemsScreenshot of Out-of-the-box Compliance ReportsScreenshot of Customized Reports On-Demand and Easy Data Search