Kentik vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor comparison

Kentik and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Kentik is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.8, while SolarWinds is ranked #31 with an average rating of 7.6. Kentik holds a 1.7% mindshare in NMS, compared to SolarWinds’s 0.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Kentik users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Kentik

Read 22 Kentik reviews

7,438 Views
6,471 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Network Device M...

Read 23 SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reviews

3,499 Views
3,429 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Kentik

SolarWinds Network Device M...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor and Kentik compete in network monitoring solutions. SolarWinds appears to have the upper hand regarding value, pricing, and customer service, while Kentik provides superior analytics and data insights.

Features: SolarWinds Network Device Monitor offers robust monitoring with simplified dashboards and effective alerting, ideal for straightforward network management. It provides real-time device status tracking, customizable alerts, and detailed network insights. Kentik focuses on in-depth traffic analysis and anomaly detection, offering comprehensive network visibility and customizable analytics reports. It provides proactive alerting and real-time traffic dashboards for extensive data insights.

Room for Improvement: SolarWinds could enhance its analytics capabilities and integration options, and improve support for larger network environments. SolarWinds may also benefit from expanding its mobile accessibility. Kentik's setup process could be simplified to reduce the complexity of initial deployment. The platform might improve its cost-effectiveness and offer more flexible pricing options. Kentik could also bolster its user-friendly interface for better ease of use.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds provides a straightforward deployment process with excellent customer service, making onboarding smooth and fast. Its support team is known for quick and effective problem resolution. Kentik's deployment often involves integrating with existing systems, requiring a more intricate setup. However, its customer service is responsive and helpful in addressing deployment challenges, ensuring support for complex network environments.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is generally more budget-friendly with a lower initial setup cost, appealing to organizations with tight budgets. It offers a quicker ROI due to its efficient monitoring capabilities. Kentik, though having a higher setup cost, offers a competitive ROI through its advanced analytics features, making it a suitable choice for larger enterprises that prioritize data-driven decision-making. Kentik's enhanced analytical capabilities justify its higher cost.

To learn more, read our detailed Kentik vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Kentik vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

August 2026

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Helped 909,099 peers since 2012

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

Kentik

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

12th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection (7th)

SolarWinds Network Device M...

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

31st

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Kentik is 1.7%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is 0.8%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Kentik	1.7%
SolarWinds Network Device Monitor	0.8%
Other	97.5%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Gcecilio

Network Engineer at a media company with 51-200 employees

Traffic insights have reduced transit costs and support secure, direct connections with providers

The best features that Kentik offers are the ability to identify traffic end-to-end and to know which transit is used, if it goes through any other transit, to see the entire flow, from the subscriber to the content provider and vice versa, from the content provider to the subscriber.I can also determine whether it is symmetric or asymmetric traffic, and if it goes through any provider that has some kind of bottleneck. That is very important. Regarding the security part, which is also possible to handle through Kentik, you can configure it in a way that makes the network more secure and reduces the amount of dirty traffic or attacks received. Kentik has had a high positive impact on my organization. Besides the cost reduction, it has been possible to perform troubleshooting more effectively, and also regarding DDoS-related attacks. In addition to cost reduction, we had a more reliable connection. Since the moment we identified that it was possible to have a direct connection with content providers like CDN77, Cloudflare, and Akamai, we established a direct connection there through a PNI with these content providers, making the network less dependent on an IP transit provider.

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Sorin Gogean

IT Infrastructure Senior Network Technician at Autoliv

Offers some features but needs better customization and analysis tools

There are solutions that can perform better, but due to pricing for our corporate implementation, we had to stay with this solution. It accomplishes the necessary tasks, but there is room for improvement. The features are not as customizable as we would prefer, but they are workable. If configured properly, you can perform a drill-down analysis. However, I have not used this feature much for our infrastructure on the network side.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This product is easily the best network monitor that I’ve ever seen or heard about."

"It offers a simple yet powerful feature of classifying applications, going beyond basic statistics."

"Overall, the ease of use and the fact that it meets client expectations are major positives."

"We're pretty happy with the API functionality. It's web, and it's very simple to set up queries. It has served us well and you don't need to be an expert on the API or the product to set these things up."

"The biggest thing Kentik has given us is the amount of visibility we have into our own network now and knowing what's going on at a given time."

"In terms of the solution’s real-time visibility across our network infrastructure, I have not been able to find any other monitoring or netflow visualization tool that gives me the kind of information I get from Kentik. If I need to take a deep-dive into something that I see, it's really easy for me to do that. Whereas with most other things, I have to use five or six other tools to get that kind of data, with Kentik, I have it all in one place."

"Kentik has had a high positive impact on my organization; besides the cost reduction, it has been possible to perform troubleshooting more effectively, and also regarding DDoS-related attacks."

"Good NetFlow visualization and analysis tools are valuable to anybody who needs to understand the traffic that flows in and out the network."

More Kentik pros

"The most valuable feature of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is it can alert you when a device is not working."

"In terms of general network monitoring features, I find SolarWinds Network Device Monitor very flexible and comfortable to use. The software itself is extremely useful when it comes to monitoring how our data moves between different networks and environments."

"The solution is very user-friendly and very easy to use."

"The product is useful for switches and IP phones."

"This product has been quite stable and we are very likely to continue using it in the future."

"I rate the product's initial setup process a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one means it is a difficult phase and ten is an easy process."

"The most valuable feature of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is monitoring."

"The Network Device Monitor itself is very useful."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pros

Cons

"Sometimes, the tool has complications, so we must deal with the additional support from the tool's end."

"It also detects anomalies proactively, but the same is not so true when it comes to real network problems, since they tend to just happen."

"Sometimes it's difficult to order the dimensions correctly when trying to make Sankey flow diagrams."

"Version 4 of the platform is good and going in the right direction."

"I've checked out the V4 version of the interface and it's still a little bit clunky for me to use. I still go back to the old interface. That's definitely one that they still need to work on. It doesn't seem like everything that you get in the V3, the older interface, is there. For instance, I was trying to add a user or do the administrative tasks in V4, and I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to do that."

"I've checked out the V4 version of the interface and it's still a little bit clunky for me to use."

"There is room for improvement around the usability of the API. It's a hugely complex task to call it and you need a lot of backing to be able to do it. I should say, as someone who's not in networking, maybe it's easier for people who are in networking, but for me that one part is not very user-friendly."

"I believe they're already working on this, but I would love for them to create better integrations from network flow data to application performance — tracing — so that we could overlay that data more readily. With more companies going hybrid, flow logs and flow data, whether it be VPC or on-prem, matched with application performance and trace data, is pretty important."

More Kentik cons

"The solution should have AI-powered issue-resolving capabilities"

"The initial setup is a bit complex. It's not for anyone who is a beginner to work in the products to do it."

"In terms of price, it could be less expensive."

"The security needs improvement, which is why we are moving away from Solar Winds. We have security concerns."

"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor lacks the granularity of other monitoring tools like LiveNX."

"It would be beneficial if SolarWinds Network Device Monitor could provide a feature to monitor CRC errors specifically on individual interfaces rather than the entire device. This would help in detecting intermittent issues and packet drops on main links more accurately, especially when there are CRC errors. It's important for us to be aware of these issues to avoid any voice quality problems or interruptions on our MTS links."

"There are solutions that can perform better, but due to pricing for our corporate implementation, we had to stay with this solution."

"The data is in the system but we are unable to pull it because reporting is not integrated and versatile."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is cheaply priced."

"We have an annual contract with Kentik that we renew each year for a set number of licenses. We also have some burstable licenses which we can spin up and spin down, and those are paid as they are used."

"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is not an expensive solution."

"When compared with other solutions SolarWinds is more expensive."

"I find the cost of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reasonable for our company. Though, I'm not aware of the exact licensing cost."

"The price of the SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is good."

"The product is expensive."

"Well, we had a perpetual license and the renewal was $20 to $25,000."

"The enterprise license is good for the SolarWinds Network Device Monitor. However, it is expensive, they should reduce their price."

"I rate the product's price as three to three and a half or on a scale of one to ten, where one means low price, and ten means high price."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Construction Company

Media Company

Manufacturing Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	14

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kentik?

My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing has been limited because I was not responsible for that in my company, but I have spoken with my boss, and he reported that the licensing mode...

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What needs improvement with Kentik?

I do not currently use Kentik's anomaly detection. I had communication with Kentik's technical support through a WhatsApp group. When I faced any issues or there were problems with my Kentik collec...

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What is your primary use case for Kentik?

I'm using Kentik for my own internal use. My primary use case is to monitor our equipment and to get a more detailed view of where our inbound and outbound traffic is going.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

I am not a positive person regarding SolarWinds Network Device Monitor.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

I have experience regarding the AD part, but my focus for the last 15 years has been oriented to the network side. My experience with identity tools comes more from a network perspective. We used N...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Kentik

August 2026

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Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

July 2026

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor report

Download SolarWinds Network Device Monitor product report

Also Known As

No data available

Network Device Monitor

Overview

Kentik provides real-time visibility into network infrastructure, focusing on monitoring, data visualization, and flow analysis to manage traffic patterns efficiently.

With robust analytics capabilities, Kentik offers insights into BGP peering status, aids in DDoS detection, and allows for detailed telemetry through its intuitive interface. The platform's SaaS nature simplifies operations by eliminating server maintenance concerns. Multi-vendor support and synthetic testing enhance network security and performance by simulating customer scenarios, while its API offers automation for querying and reporting tasks.

What are the key features of Kentik?

Real-Time Visibility: Monitors network infrastructure effectively.
Data Visualization: Offers powerful tools for viewing complex data.
Flow Analysis: Analyzes traffic flow for optimal management.
BGP Peering Insights: Provides in-depth peering status checks.
DDoS Alerting: Notifies about potential DDoS threats.
Data Explorer: Aids in understanding traffic patterns.
Synthetic Testing: Simulates scenarios to enhance security and performance.

What benefits can be found in user reviews?

Automation: Users value the flexibility of its API for automating tasks.
Ease of Use: SaaS model streamlines user engagement, eliminating server maintenance.
Flexibility: Report customization and query settings are highly appreciated.
Enhanced Observability: Telemetry and multi-vendor support increase oversight.

Industries implement Kentik for network monitoring, traffic management, and flow data analysis across both on-prem and cloud setups. It proves valuable for detecting DDoS events, managing peering relationships, and optimizing costs, besides managing CDN configurations and performing synthetic tests in diverse environments.

Kentik

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor offers comprehensive real-time network monitoring capabilities with seamless integration across multiple vendor devices, ensuring efficient network operations.

Offering features like cloud workload monitoring, quick deployment, and a user-friendly interface, SolarWinds Network Device Monitor supports real-time alert thresholds, accurate link readings, historical utilization metrics, and customizable dashboards. Its ability to integrate with multiple vendor devices and perform network discovery enhances operational efficiency. Comprehensive bandwidth and fault management features provide stable network monitoring, benefiting devices such as switches and IP phones. However, there is room for improvement in integration with tools like ServiceNow and Excel, support response times, and enhanced security. Users highlight the need for a mobile version, improved reporting, and better customization options, alongside concerns about setup complexity and licensing costs.

What are the key features?

Cloud Workload Monitoring: Monitors workloads hosted in the cloud.
User-Friendly Interface: Offers an intuitive experience for users.
Quick Deployment: Simplifies installation and setup processes.
Real-Time Monitoring: Provides immediate alerts for network statuses.
Customizable Dashboards: Enhances network visibility with tailored displays.

What benefits can users expect?

Proactive Problem Solving: Real-time alerts facilitate quick issue resolution.
Efficiency: Automated network monitoring streamlines operational workflows.
Insightful Analytics: Provides valuable data on memory and CPU usage.
Cost-Effective: Monitors bandwidth and fault management to reduce outages.

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is implemented prominently in industries needing robust network infrastructure monitoring, like tech and manufacturing. Companies rely on its capabilities for IP address management, cloud workload monitoring, and remote equipment monitoring, gaining insights into system performance and ensuring compliance checks are met effectively.

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

Pandora, Yelp, Neustar, Box, University of Washington, Zoom, Tata, and Cogent.

Air Rarotonga

Buyer's Guide

Kentik vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

August 2026

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