Netwrix Auditor vs. PRTG Network Monitor

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Netwrix Auditor
Score 8.6 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. Moreover, Netwrix…N/A
PRTG
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
PRTG Network Monitor is the flagship offering from German software company Paessler, for monitoring local and wide area networks (LANs & WANs), servers, websites, apps, and more.
$2,149
per year
Pricing
Netwrix AuditorPRTG Network Monitor
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
PRTG 500
$2,149
per year
Hosted 500
$2,149
per year
PRTG 1,000
$3,899
per year
Hosted 1000
$3,899
per year
PRTG 2,500
$8,099
per year
Hosted 2500
$8,099
per year
PRTG 5,000
$14,199
per year
Hosted 5000
$14,199
per year
PRTG 10000
$17,899
per year
PRTG Enterprise
Custom Pricing
subscription license
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Netwrix AuditorPRTG
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Netwrix AuditorPRTG Network Monitor
Considered Both Products
Netwrix Auditor
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 …
PRTG
Chose PRTG Network Monitor
Price is better than SolarWinds, and cost per sensor is a direct impact in making decisions in a medium sized business.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Netwrix AuditorPRTG Network Monitor
Network Performance Monitoring
Comparison of Network Performance Monitoring features of Product A and Product B
Netwrix Auditor
-
Ratings
PRTG Network Monitor
7.8
65 Ratings
4% below category average
Automated network device discovery00 Ratings8.158 Ratings
Network monitoring00 Ratings9.464 Ratings
Baseline threshold calculation00 Ratings7.655 Ratings
Alerts00 Ratings8.765 Ratings
Network capacity planning00 Ratings6.746 Ratings
Packet capture analysis00 Ratings6.733 Ratings
Network mapping00 Ratings7.046 Ratings
Customizable reports00 Ratings7.155 Ratings
Wireless infrastructure monitoring00 Ratings7.547 Ratings
Hardware health monitoring00 Ratings8.862 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Netwrix AuditorPRTG Network Monitor
Small Businesses
Oracle Audit Vault and Database Firewall
Oracle Audit Vault and Database Firewall
Score 7.0 out of 10
NinjaOne
NinjaOne
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
Score 9.6 out of 10
Nmap
Nmap
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
Score 9.6 out of 10
Nmap
Nmap
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Netwrix AuditorPRTG Network Monitor
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(20 ratings)
8.8
(65 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(4 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(2 ratings)
8.7
(5 ratings)
Support Rating
8.6
(3 ratings)
8.0
(18 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Netwrix AuditorPRTG Network Monitor
Likelihood to Recommend
Netwrix
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.
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Paessler
integrates seamlessly with Windows servers via WMI and PowerShell, providing deep insights into resource usage, performance metrics, and system health. It's excellent at tracking CPU, memory, disk space, and event logs, enabling rapid troubleshooting and proactive maintenance. PRTG Network Monitor also effectively monitors Fortigate devices, providing detailed data on firewall health, traffic patterns, bandwidth utilization, VPN status, and security alerts. This visibility helps detect and resolve network security issues promptly.
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Pros
Netwrix
  • Netwrix Auditor performs the audit collection process in a method that does not burden the systems it is auditing. It usually just pulls the log and event logs data from the machine it is auditing and then performs the extraction of the information in these files on the Netwrix Auditor server. This reducing the audit processes to only pulling log data from the server but does not keep the server busy processing the data.
  • Once the log data has been pulled from a server being audited, Netwrix will store the log data in a compressed form in its Long Term Archive. This allows the database to be kept smaller than the all the data being kept in the Log Term Archive and therefore makes creating reports much faster since the database is not as big as it could be.
  • Since Netwrix Auditor uses standard Microsoft SQL Server and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) to perform reporting, working with the results of the audit is much easier. Anyone who knows SQL Server and SSRS can work with the data and create their own reports.
  • The predefined reports that come with Netwrix Auditor cover most of the items required to properly report on the status of a system. They have many predefined reports for FedRamp, PCI, HIPPA, and other compliance regulations.
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Paessler
  • Switch monitoring and finding out if there are communication issues or throughput alerts are reached
  • Big picture view of the whole infrastructure and what is functioning and what is not
  • Uptime tracking is great and lets us know for how long a device is down or overall uptime
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Cons
Netwrix
  • There is a bit of a learning curve. The interface is fairly intuitive, but I think there is room for improvement.
  • There is a LOT of functionality which can be quite overwhelming at first, but in and of itself, not a bad thing.
  • I think this software would benefit from a "Simple" mode and "Advanced" mode. This would ease the learning curve a bit.
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Paessler
  • Licensing on a per entity basis can be cumbersome for devices which have a ton of monitoring points like network switches\routers. Each sensor may count against a license, which could be a lot of you were monitoring every TX\RX of an SFP for example
  • A better method to easily template\copy monitors across devices
  • The navigation in the web GUI could be a little more straightforward in terms of the hierarchy
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Likelihood to Renew
Netwrix
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
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Paessler
I would renew it because the platform has brought us many technical and economic benefits that make the cost-benefit ratio very good. Additionally, to do so does not require large investments in training, licensing or infrastructure, and at the administration level, extensive knowledge is not required to be able to bear it.
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Usability
Netwrix
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.
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Paessler
The tool is very intuitive to use and it is Windows-based (everybody knows how to use Windows) so it's easy to get into. Every time is setup in a hierarchy so if you have a good initial hierarchy design, it will really reduce administrative effort down the road.
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Support Rating
Netwrix
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
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Paessler
PRTG does everything we need it to do and more. Ease of use, ease of management and maintenance and clarity of monitoring of hundreds of different types of device and service gives this a large advantage over other products on the market that I have tried. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who needs a network monitoring product in their environment and even to people who don't know they need a solution yet!
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Implementation Rating
Netwrix
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
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Paessler
It's very important that de project's teams have different member of the TI. We have learned too late the importa of Security Analyst at the design architecture moment. We have to rebuild part of the implementation for made this big mistake.
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Alternatives Considered
Netwrix
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 tweeking with the SolarWinds product.
Read full review
Paessler
PRTG offers more versatility in monitoring when compared to the other solutions we tested. The other solutions were also limited as far as customization options, which made them less adaptable to our networks. When compared to Auvik, for instance, we prefer PRTG as it offers immediate notifications through the desktop client - not limited to email notifications as with Auvik. We also appreciate the fact that PRTG can be self/on-prem hosted vs Auvik's cloud model. This makes for an easier deployment and less firewall adjustments to allow traffic to cloud-hosted solutions.
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Return on Investment
Netwrix
  • 2 men 4 four rule is eliminated.
  • System administrators are on their toes now and very attentive before performing and change.
  • Change management is followed properly.
  • Compliance is implemented as it should be.
  • Housekeeping of servers is done.
  • AD users maintained well.
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Paessler
  • The ability to analyze multiple pieces of information in one place, especially with historical data, has saved our IT department time and headaches. It would be so much more difficult to trace an issue without PRTG, just relying on event logs and an open task manager window.
  • The cost is not cheap, so it's an expense that hits the bottom line like everything else. Figure in hardware costs as well, ideally a server outside of your main environment.
  • I keep saying this, but the historical data piece is worth so much. There's really no good way to collect all of that information in one place without something like PRTG. And that definitely saves time and money in the long run.
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ScreenShots

Netwrix Auditor Screenshots

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