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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Paessler PRTG

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/APRTG 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

    Wireshark

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/AWireshark is a free and open source network troubleshooting tool.

    $0

    Pricing
    Paessler PRTGWireshark
    Editions & Modules
    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
    Wireshark
    Free
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Paessler PRTGWireshark
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Paessler PRTGWireshark
    Considered Both Products
    Paessler
    No answer on this topic
    Open Source
    Chose Wireshark
    Firstly, Wireshark is a free tool!
    Easy to implement and its opensource. We had many reviews & recommendations from users in the industry. All our requirements were available in the tool.
    Incentivized
    Chose Wireshark
    Both are very good products, it just came down to the price for our decision.
    Incentivized
    Chose Wireshark
    Wireshark overall is just better put together and seems to operate better. Maybe it has jus been more mainstream for a longer period of time, but we like and trust it better than other alternatives at this time.
    Incentivized
    Chose Wireshark
    We tried Savvius Omnipeek, it has a better interface than Wireshark and a much less intense learning curve due to the improved UI it offers. It has better analyzing capability than Wireshark and the triggers are a nice feature it offers. However, it is not free and open-source …
    Incentivized
    Chose Wireshark
    It is free compared to solarwinds deep packet software. It is easier to use than tcpdump or ettercap, and it has a much better presentation of the data. It's not as in depth as PRTG Network Monitor, but for an on the spot analysis, it is better for resource management and much …
    Incentivized
    Chose Wireshark
    Wireshark is MUCH more in-depth and easy to use. Even though the files can get large and be a bit overwhelming, there are plenty of how-to articles and forums that can help you find the desired syntax for what you are looking for. Netflow Traffic Analyzer seems like a bit of an …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    98%
    Would buy again
    41 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    24 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    40 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    24 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    42 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    24 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    28 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    16 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    38 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    22 Answers
    Features
    Paessler PRTGWireshark
    Network Performance Monitoring
    Comparison of Network Performance Monitoring features of Paessler PRTG and Wireshark
    Feature
    Paessler PRTG
    7.3
    67 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Wireshark
    -
    Ratings
    Automated network device discovery7.260 Ratings00 Ratings
    Network monitoring9.666 Ratings00 Ratings
    Baseline threshold calculation8.557 Ratings00 Ratings
    Alerts8.867 Ratings00 Ratings
    Network capacity planning6.448 Ratings00 Ratings
    Packet capture analysis6.234 Ratings00 Ratings
    Network mapping5.447 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizable reports5.857 Ratings00 Ratings
    Wireless infrastructure monitoring6.249 Ratings00 Ratings
    Hardware health monitoring9.264 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Paessler PRTGWireshark
    Small Businesses
    Auvik
    Score8.8 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    PingPlotter
    Score9 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    Nmap
    Score8.7 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Paessler PRTGWireshark
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.7
    (68 ratings)
    9.6
    (32 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.9
    (5 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.3
    (7 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.0
    (19 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Paessler PRTGWireshark
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    I don't know of any other tool that works as well as Wireshark for packet capture an inspection. It's extremely easy to get up and running, and even with little to no knowledge of how to use the tool, you can be looking at all the traffic coming off a network interface.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    • Light-weight software - Does not require high end specifications; also runs smoothly on Legacy systems
    • Filter function - Lets you filter you packets from thousands to tens so as to find your target much easily
    • Simultaneous capturing on all the network adapters - You can capture packets from all the Network Interface Cards (NIC's) at once.
    Read full review
    Cons
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    • A more user-friendly interface would be nice, but then again it is not really designed for those who are not quite comfortable with this type of software.
    • Changes to functionality on updates - this can sometimes happen unexpectedly and can be an annoyance.
    • More powerful data processing would be welcomed
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    It's very simple and easy to use, although individuals not used to managing and administering networks would take some time to get familiar with it. Once they have mastered use of the application, it's easy to stay knowledgeable about it, iteration after iteration. It is well supported online through an open-source community network of professionals who are helpful in imparting knowledge and in providing assistance.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    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!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    I don't believe Wireshark has "true" support as the software is open source. However, there is an active & friendly community around Wireshark that are more than happy to help answer questions. From a comprehensive Wiki and FAQ section on the site to the Ask a Question forum and bug tracker section, there's plenty of support options to make sure your questions and issues are addressed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    Simple and easy setup.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    Wireshark is a free tool that came highly recommended by one of our former network security consultants. Using the tool he was able to resolve all of our higher tier network tickets, so we observed first hand why we needed to add Wireshark into our toolset. We received in-depth instruction and training scenarios that demonstrated the effectiveness and power of the product, so we didn't spend any time reviewing competing products.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    • Identifying bugs in the network has never been smooth and near-perfect.
    • Wireshark has made sure our equipment and software is working properly via analyzing network data.
    • Analysis of IP packets and Sip call flaws has saved us a lot of time and confident result.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots