Kentik vs SolarWinds NPM comparison

Kentik and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Kentik is ranked #25 with an average rating of 9.0, while SolarWinds is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.4. Kentik holds a 1.9% mindshare in NMS, compared to SolarWinds’s 3.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Kentik users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Kentik

Read 16 Kentik reviews

5,036 Views
4,482 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SolarWinds NPM

Read 160 SolarWinds NPM reviews

15,453 Views
11,899 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Kentik

SolarWinds NPM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

SolarWinds NPM and Kentik compete in the network monitoring and management category. Kentik appears to have the upper hand due to its advanced traffic analysis capabilities and responsive customer service.

Features: SolarWinds NPM provides robust network fault management, SNMP-based monitoring, and customizable alerts. It supports a wide range of network devices and effectively integrates with other SolarWinds tools. Kentik offers traffic analysis, network flow insights, and effective DDoS detection. It provides deep traffic visibility, essential for optimizing performance and data exploration.

Room for Improvement: SolarWinds NPM needs to address heavy resource usage, scalability in large environments, and challenges in custom metric creation. Kentik lacks actionable DDoS mitigation features and has an API complexity issue that could be simplified for ease of use.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds NPM, mostly on-premises, allows for hybrid cloud deployment but has a learning curve for large-scale setups. Its customer service receives mixed feedback, with some users relying on community help. Kentik, being SaaS-based, is easier to deploy but less varied compared to SolarWinds. Its technical support is highly rated for responsiveness and proficiency.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds NPM uses an element-based pricing model that can be costly but offers good ROI through improved visibility. Kentik's device-based pricing accounts for flow volume, potentially expensive but provides substantial value with its comprehensive data analysis capabilities, especially in large network environments.

To learn more, read our detailed Kentik vs. SolarWinds NPM Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Kentik vs. SolarWinds NPM

April 2026

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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:

ROI

Sentiment score

7.0

Kentik enhances network management and cost efficiency, offering data insights while reducing engineering efforts, boosting operational efficiency and security.

Sentiment score

7.0

SolarWinds NPM enhances network management and cost efficiency, providing superior monitoring, fast issue resolution, and significant ROI.

In production environments, especially for service providers on IP networks and data centers, Kentik helps in reducing the time to identify and resolve issues.

reviewer2695314

BDM at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Kentik report

The return on investment is significant as the solution effectively reduces costs while being worth its expense.

Wahyu Krisnamukti

Network Administrator at PT Bni Life Insurance

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

8.3

Kentik's customer service is efficient and responsive, with proactive communication and expertise, greatly enhancing user satisfaction.

Sentiment score

6.9

SolarWinds NPM support is knowledgeable and helpful but faces criticism for slow responses and aggressive sales tactics.

I have mostly used forums for any support needed because the setup is straightforward and the documentation is quite good.

reviewer2695314

BDM at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees

They have monthly calls and discuss the product roadmap with us to determine what is needed.

Shubham-Saxena

Network Engineer III at Fortanix

For more quotes and insights, download the Kentik report

If there is no timely response, getting a resolution is more difficult.

SJ6

Network Security Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

We had contact with SolarWinds regarding the implementation, and they were helpful.

Wahyu Krisnamukti

Network Administrator at PT Bni Life Insurance

They have good technical support.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

8.3

Kentik is praised for its scalability in large, global installations, handling increased data flows and integrating with Kubernetes.

Sentiment score

6.9

SolarWinds NPM offers scalable solutions for various environments, with possible increased costs and challenges on virtual platforms.

Kentik's integration with Kubernetes makes scaling easier.

reviewer2695314

BDM at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees

You can scale as many devices and tests as you want, but you should have a good number of credits in your accounts.

Shubham-Saxena

Network Engineer III at Fortanix

For more quotes and insights, download the Kentik report

SolarWinds NPM is scalable and effective in handling large network infrastructures.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.1

Users commend Kentik for its strong stability, minimal disruptions, efficient issue resolution, and satisfactory performance, especially in lab settings.

Sentiment score

7.5

SolarWinds NPM is stable, with issues arising during upgrades; regular updates and support enhance its performance.

Based on stability, I would give Kentik a nine.

Shubham-Saxena

Network Engineer III at Fortanix

In production, however, dimensioning of the underlying platforms is something to be mindful of.

reviewer2695314

BDM at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Kentik report

The NPM product is stable, particularly when used for simple network monitoring.

SJ6

Network Security Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

Room For Improvement

Kentik users desire enhanced permissions, UI, API access, integrations, AI, insights, cost-effectiveness, and alert and data features.

SolarWinds NPM users seek improvements in network discovery, interface, integration, resource usage, cloud support, security, and pricing adjustments.

More work is required to integrate AI for troubleshooting, simplifying root cause analysis, and providing suggested solutions for network issues.

reviewer2695314

BDM at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Kentik report

Customers have given feedback about the delayed response times from the technical team.

SJ6

Network Security Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

SolarWinds needs to upscale on observability and add full-fledged observability features, including security features.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

I would need a feature in SolarWinds in the future for some kind of malfunctioning detection, such as malware attacks or that type of environment.

Vivek Jaiswal

Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

Setup Cost

Kentik's pricing depends on usage factors, offering discounts for education, with annual and multi-year contracts available.

SolarWinds NPM pricing is competitive yet complex, appealing to some while being costly for smaller enterprises or multi-module needs.

Kentik’s pricing is competitive in the marketplace.

reviewer2695314

BDM at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees

The pricing is good and aligns with the market target.

ADRIANA SALDARRIAGA TOBON

Sales Manager at IFX NEtworks

For more quotes and insights, download the Kentik report

It is not too pricey and is adequate.

Vivek Jaiswal

Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

PRTG's package offers all features in one bundle, which is cost-effective.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

The solution is considered expensive.

Wahyu Krisnamukti

Network Administrator at PT Bni Life Insurance

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

Valuable Features

Kentik offers real-time network visibility, customizable dashboards, and automation, enhancing security, performance, and user experience efficiently.

SolarWinds NPM offers easy deployment, strong monitoring, and seamless integration, enhancing network management with intuitive dashboards and real-time insights.

One of the most valuable features of Kentik, especially for service providers, is its ability to visualize all the BGP peering and the status of the BGP peering platform.

reviewer2695314

BDM at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees

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

ADRIANA SALDARRIAGA TOBON

Sales Manager at IFX NEtworks

Kentik is easy to use and set up.

Shubham-Saxena

Network Engineer III at Fortanix

For more quotes and insights, download the Kentik report

Whenever any node is down in our network, whether it is a server or any network device, we receive information through email that the device is down.

Vivek Jaiswal

Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

It provides a detailed overview of the network, which is valuable.

SJ6

Network Security Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

SolarWinds NPM has specific modules for monitoring different network capabilities, which provides rich features for carrying out specific tasks.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

Categories and Ranking

Kentik

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

25th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection (15th)

SolarWinds NPM

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

160

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (5th), Cloud Monitoring Software (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Kentik is 1.9%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds NPM is 3.6%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
SolarWinds NPM	3.6%
Kentik	1.9%
Other	94.5%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Shubham-Saxena

Network Engineer III at Fortanix

Integrating synthetic tests and network monitoring enhances traffic pattern visualization

The Kentik support team is good. If you want me to rate them on a scale, I would give them eight. I had a call with the Kentik support team for fifteen minutes, so I'm going to give them eight for now. The reason for giving them an eight is that they are good and address our issues. They have monthly calls and discuss the product roadmap with us, including what is needed and what is not. However, when we are working on some real issues with Kentik, I sometimes feel there's a delay due to the busyness of their teams. We faced some outages and were not able to get the desired results from Kentik tools, so that took a little time to resolve.

Read full review

Vivek Jaiswal

Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Central monitoring has improved outage alerts and now needs smarter detection and modern dashboards

Regarding the automated network topology and mapping feature in SolarWinds NPM, I am not satisfied with it. For static monitoring, it is acceptable. However, if it is possible, I would need a feature in SolarWinds in the future for some kind of malfunctioning detection, such as malware attacks or that type of environment. We did not have any facility to detect that in SolarWinds. I think it would be better to incorporate those types of features. Regarding customization options in SolarWinds, the ability to customize the dashboard has room for improvement. The dashboard is quite old, and we need some improvement in it. Nowadays, we have multiple tools with AI-based monitoring and web-based dashboards. SolarWinds also has a web-based dashboard, but I think there is scope for improvement in the UI. There may be other areas I would like to improve in SolarWinds NPM.

Read full review

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Comparison Review

it_user174738

IT Developer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

May 31, 2015

Nagios vs. Zabbix vs. PRTG vs. Spiceworks vs. Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor

I have researched a quite a few network monitoring tools which can be used for various monitoring purposes of not only the servers, but the intermediate routers as well. There are majorly three types of these softwares. Ones which are completely open-source, you can do almost anything you want…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	8

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	59
Midsize Enterprise	33
Large Enterprise	85

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kentik?

I would say Kentik's pricing is not cheap. From my perspective as part of the technical team, I would not categorize it as expensive, but I know it is not cheap.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Kentik?

There's always room for improvements and better relations when using any kind of product. We faced some issues with Kentik UI and alerting, which we asked them to fix, and they succeeded. They have...

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What is your primary use case for Kentik?

We are using Kentik mostly for synthetic tests, and from one last year, network monitoring as well. We are using it for inter DC BGP tests and server monitoring as well.

See all answers

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

It actually depends on the exact purpose or kind of devices (network devices, servers, something else). Some tools are better for only network devices while others are better for a cloud monitoring...

See all answers

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

From my point of view, SolarWind is the best tool.

See all answers

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

We are partners with SolarWinds and we sell a lot of Network management to large enterprises also because of scalability, products like Network Performance Monitor & Netflow Traffic Analyzer ar...

See all answers

Comparisons

LogicMonitor vs Kentik

Compared 6% of the time

DX Spectrum vs Kentik

Compared 5% of the time

vRealize Network Insight vs Kentik

Compared 5% of the time

Auvik Network Management (ANM) vs Kentik

Compared 5% of the time

LibreNMS vs Kentik

Compared 5% of the time

More Kentik Competitors

ManageEngine OpManager vs SolarWinds NPM

Compared 4% of the time

Zabbix vs SolarWinds NPM

Compared 3% of the time

DX Spectrum vs SolarWinds NPM

Compared 3% of the time

Nagios XI vs SolarWinds NPM

Compared 3% of the time

WhatsUp Gold vs SolarWinds NPM

Compared 2% of the time

More SolarWinds NPM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Kentik

April 2026

Download Kentik product report

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds NPM

April 2026

Download SolarWinds NPM product report

Also Known As

No data available

Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor, SolarWinds Network Bandwidth Analyzer

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 NPM is a network performance monitoring tool offering a user-friendly interface with customizable dashboards. It provides real-time tracking of device health, latency, and bandwidth utilization, supporting diverse integration and scalability needs.

SolarWinds NPM's robust features include real-time monitoring of network performance and efficient tracking of device health, latency, and bandwidth utilization. The tool is appreciated for its ease of deployment, scalability, and support for integration with other tools. Features like SNMP monitoring, NetPath, and comprehensive reporting enhance its diagnostic capabilities and network visibility. However, users identify areas for improvement such as real-time analytics, advanced customization options, and enhanced scalability for larger enterprises. Better customer support, improved integrations, and security measures are also desired.

What are the key features of SolarWinds NPM?

User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies navigation and operation.
Customizable Dashboards: Allows personalized data views.
Real-Time Monitoring: Provides instant updates on network performance.
Strong Alerting Capabilities: Offers immediate notifications for issues.
Scalability: Supports growth with ease.
Integration: Works smoothly with other tools for comprehensive monitoring.
SNMP Monitoring: Tracks device stats effectively.
NetPath: Helps visualize network paths and performance.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Improved Network Visibility: Enables proactive issue resolution.
Enhanced Diagnostics: Facilitates quicker troubleshooting.
Real-Time Performance Data: Supports informed decision-making.
Ease of Deployment: Reduces setup time and complexity.
Infrastructure Monitoring: Ensures network stability and reliability.
Custom Integration: Adapts to existing IT environments.

In enterprise environments, SolarWinds NPM is deployed to monitor network health and device status, sending alerts for any issues. It provides visibility into network performance, tracking bandwidth utilization and server metrics efficiently. Its applications span from monitoring routers, switches, and firewalls to supporting infrastructure monitoring across industries.

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

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

Microsoft, Federal Express, Hewlett-Packard, and MasterCard

Buyer's Guide

Kentik vs. SolarWinds NPM

April 2026

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