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IBM Tivoli NetCool vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper comparison

IBM and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. IBM is ranked #14 with an average rating of 7.7, while SolarWinds is ranked #11 with an average rating of 10.0. IBM holds a 2.7% mindshare in NMA, compared to SolarWinds’s 2.3% mindshare. Additionally, 83% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.
IBM Tivoli NetCool
Read 13 IBM Tivoli NetCool reviews
  • 1,022 Views
  • 797 Comparison Views
83% willing to recommend
SolarWinds Network Topology...
Read 2 SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper reviews
  • 399 Views
  • 399 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between IBM Tivoli NetCool and SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Network Management Applications solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

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To learn more, read our detailed IBM Tivoli NetCool vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Report (Updated: December 2025).
Buyer's Guide
IBM Tivoli NetCool vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper
December 2025
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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Tivoli NetCool
Ranking in Network Management Applications
14th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SolarWinds Network Topology...
Ranking in Network Management Applications
11th
Average Rating
9.6
Reviews Sentiment
2.7
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of IBM Tivoli NetCool is 2.7%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper is 2.3%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper2.3%
IBM Tivoli NetCool2.7%
Other95.0%
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

Petar Ganev - PeerSpot reviewer
Petar Ganev
Senior Enterprise Monitoring Engineer at Commerzbank
Reliable for enterprise monitoring but no longer actively developed
There are problems with the latest security requirements because many things have changed in recent years, and now the security audits are very strict. And we need to switch to something else. We need to patch it constantly. Moreover, it is a very old tool and a little bit difficult to support. Otherwise, they work okay.
Read full review
reviewer2687874 - PeerSpot reviewer
reviewer2687874
Design Engineer at a wholesaler/distributor with 501-1,000 employees
Effective tools simplify network mapping and analysis
I can't really articulate any areas that could be improved with the product right offhand. Just as long as they keep it around, since I know things are going into subscription models. One thing we do appreciate about the tool is that it's essentially a perpetual tool. Once you purchase it and the Engineer's ToolBox, it's been beneficial, serving as another utility tool on the network. I can't think of anything specific offhand for how SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper could improve, because I treat it as a simple utility tool that serves those needs. It scans the network for SNMP and ICMP echoes to map the topologies of the existing network. It's a small utility tool that's very helpful and beneficial, another option for us to utilize, and while there's always room for more features, that typically comes with a cost that we have to weigh.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The scalability of monitoring, the breadth of supported network components, the scale of the number of monitoring events, and the flexibility in customization make this a well-rounded product."
"It's very easy to use."
"Anything is possible with Tivoli. It's quite a robust system."
"The solution has very good integration capabilities."
"Tivoli NetCool allows us to grasp a lot of data that can be applied toward predictive analytics and auto-remediation."
"The tool is much easier to manage than running scripts and figuring out how many endpoints have been exceeded."
"The feature I have found most valuable with NetCool is how it collaborates all the alarms, and then it does a predictive analysis, providing a consolidated alarm view and management."
"NetCool has a huge database that can collect and process about one million alarms a day."
More IBM Tivoli NetCool pros
"It's user-friendly."
"One of the best features of SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper is that it has over 60 utility tools to utilize, so it offers a lot of different features, more than I have time to discuss at this moment, making it a good extra set of utility tools that we can incorporate onto our network."
 

Cons

"The solution is not user-friendly."
"The installation could be simplified, and technical support could be faster."
"Customization and integration that you need to do to make the product fit your needs is very complex. It is not a product that somebody could easily pick up without any prior training or experience."
"In terms of improvement, I would like to see more AIOps, Artificial Intelligent Operations in the next release. IBM develops new features for Power BI or Cognos Analytics, which is good. As of now, we use Cognos Analytics, we are not using Power BI. They have the Insight concept but we don't like that."
"Tivoli NetCool is based on a Linux platform, it would be beneficial if they moved it to Windows because not everyone is acquainted with Linux."
"The installation could be simplified, and technical support could be faster."
"Tivoli NetCool's has medium scalability - there are some problems with its replications not being mature."
"The solution does not have any AI capabilities."
More IBM Tivoli NetCool cons
"This is a relatively expensive product."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Customers are required to pay a licensing fee."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"It costs around 100k for every ten servers, which is lower than similar products from other vendors."
"The price of the product is too expensive."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
29%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Educational Organization
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
13%
Government
12%
Energy/Utilities Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise5
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?
I have worked from 1973 with all kind of systems in large enterprises across the world. And have experience with all kind of software in monitoring from infra to end to end, it depends on the funct...
See all answers
What do you like most about IBM Tivoli NetCool?
The tool had many built-in automation capabilities.
See all answers
What needs improvement with IBM Tivoli NetCool?
The main challenge is its licensing model, which is very complicated.
See all answers
What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?
I can't really articulate any areas that could be improved with the product right offhand. Just as long as they keep it around, since I know things are going into subscription models. One thing we ...
See all answers
What is your primary use case for SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?
In general, I use it for scanning IT and OT devices for networks and laying out their topology mapping. The industry I use it for is manufacturing. We specifically don't use it as our network manag...
See all answers
What advice do you have for others considering SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?
The Engineer's Toolset is something I use hand-in-hand with the Topology Mapper, and it complements it well. Regarding pricing and licensing with SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper, I haven't faced...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs IBM Tivoli NetCool Logo
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs IBM Tivoli NetCool
Compared 13% of the time
Fortinet FortiManager vs IBM Tivoli NetCool Logo
Fortinet FortiManager vs IBM Tivoli NetCool
Compared 13% of the time
DX Spectrum vs IBM Tivoli NetCool Logo
DX Spectrum vs IBM Tivoli NetCool
Compared 11% of the time
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Cisco Catalyst Center vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Logo
Cisco Catalyst Center vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper
Compared 28% of the time
DataMiner vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Logo
DataMiner vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper
Compared 20% of the time
Cisco DNA Center vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Logo
Cisco DNA Center vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper
Compared 17% of the time
Aruba Airwave vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Logo
Aruba Airwave vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper
Compared 13% of the time
More SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IBM Tivoli NetCool
December 2025
IBM Tivoli NetCool reportDownload IBM Tivoli NetCool product report
Buyer's Guide
Network Management Applications
December 2025
SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper reportDownload SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper product report
 

Also Known As

Tivoli NetCool
SolarWinds NTM
 

Overview

IBM Tivoli Netcool delivers near real-time, consolidated event management across business infrastructure, data centers, complex networks and IT domains. The software provides full management and automation to help you deliver continuous uptime of business services and applications.
IBM

Automate device discovery and mapping
Build multiple maps from a single scan
Export network diagrams to Visio
Auto-detect changes to network topology
Perform multi-level network discovery
Address regulatory PCI compliance

SolarWinds
 

Sample Customers

Claranet, Consolidated Communications, Telus, €sterreichische Bundesbahnen (€BB), Telekom Srbija, Bendigo Community Telco, Capgemini, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB)
Information Not Available
Buyer's Guide
IBM Tivoli NetCool vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper
December 2025
Free Report: IBM Tivoli NetCool vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Tivoli NetCool vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
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See our IBM Tivoli NetCool vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper report.
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We monitor all Network Management Applications reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.