Nagios Core vs Observer GigaStor comparison

Nagios and Viavi Solutions are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Nagios is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.5, while Viavi Solutions is ranked #94. Nagios holds a 2.8% mindshare in NMS, compared to Viavi Solutions’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Nagios users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Viavi Solutions users who would recommend it.

Nagios Core

Read 51 Nagios Core reviews

4,590 Views
4,039 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Observer GigaStor

Read 7 Observer GigaStor reviews

558 Views
257 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Nagios Core

Observer GigaStor

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Observer GigaStor and Nagios Core compete in network monitoring and analysis. Observer GigaStor appears to have the advantage due to its comprehensive packet capture and support satisfaction.

Features: Observer GigaStor provides high-speed packet capture, detailed network performance analysis, and faster data retrieval. Nagios Core includes robust monitoring capabilities, flexible configuration options, and an open-source framework.

Room for Improvement: Observer GigaStor could reduce hardware complexity, enhance its user interface, and improve integration with third-party systems. Nagios Core could benefit from more official support, streamlined configuration processes, and enhanced out-of-the-box reporting tools.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Observer GigaStor requires complex hardware setup but provides strong customer support for a smoother deployment experience. Nagios Core is simpler to deploy with minimal infrastructure requirements but predominantly relies on community support for assistance.

Pricing and ROI: Observer GigaStor has higher initial costs due to its hardware dependencies but offers substantial ROI through advanced features. Nagios Core's open-source nature results in lower expenses, presenting a cost-effective solution with significant customization potential.

To learn more, read our detailed Nagios Core vs. Observer GigaStor Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Core vs. Observer GigaStor

July 2025

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Helped 861,524 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

Nagios Core

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

10th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (9th)

Observer GigaStor

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

94th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Troubleshooting (14th), Network Packet Broker (NPB) (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Nagios Core is 2.8%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Observer GigaStor is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Nishith-Vyas

Tech Lead at STL Digital Limited

Valuable reporting and alert system with room for PDF export improvements

The NetEase reporting structure needs improvement, especially the availability report, which is weak. It should be generated automatically with minimal human intervention and should be exportable as a PDF. Besides that, an integrated PDF export feature for reports is necessary. Also, the alert mechanism and graphing mechanism need to be integrated properly into Nagios Core. Currently, integrating these requires advanced Linux knowledge. Integration of more visualization tools like Grafana and Prometheus for better graphing and visualization is also recommended.

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Jeroen-Dubbelman

Director at Bitrate

Aids significantly in the threat-hunting process and provides a score-based evaluation of user experience

There are many valuable features, but understanding end-user response times stands out. It provides a score-based evaluation of user experience, helping customers quickly pinpoint whether issues originate from the network, server, client, or application. Additionally, it facilitates in-depth analysis of application dependencies. The retrospective network analysis capability of Observer GigaStor has been beneficial. It's a pivotal feature for network performance solutions. However, I prefer to consider the entire solution suite - GigaStor, along with GigaFlow and Apex - for comprehensive network visibility and monitoring. So, I prefer to integrate all three solutions to provide the best visibility. They complement each other well, with Apex aggregating and correlating data from both GigaStor and GigaFlow to enhance environmental understanding and troubleshooting efficiency.

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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

"The most valuable features are the reports and the way it generates the report in a graphical manner."

"Dashboard provides monitor of total assets."

"Other products are good but from the configuration point of view Nagios is really very lightweight. The price is really good in my opinion. Another important thing is that my Nagios engine still works with Dual core 8GB ram for the last 10 years."

"Key features include the GUI interface, its notification capabilities, and the real-time reporting."

"Alert calls occur anytime a service goes down or a matrix is difficult and that helps us to quickly restore service and transfer work."

"The most valuable feature of Nagios Core is the ability to check the availability of the server for network connectivity. Additionally, the interface is good."

"What I like about Nagios Core is that it helps me ensure everything is running smoothly by checking the status of hosts and services."

"The most valuable feature depends on the project. It's great if you need to check to ensure a service is running 24/7. I can use the full solution for free, and it's flexible. If I need to add a dashboard, I can integrate it with Nagios. Cloud synchronization is wonderful."

More Nagios Core pros

"It's able to capture packets and, after a long time, you can come and use that information; to check, to analyze - everything you would want to do. So it's very good and helpful if you want to protect your data. It is stored in a certain place where you can access it every time you want to analyze it."

"This solution allows us to see exactly what is going on in the network and we can very quickly solve issues with users."

"I also have the ability to see an application's performance, to see what's going on, why a network is slow, why this program for this user is experiencing a delay or some network issue"

"The ability to capture packets. It is not only for monitoring. That is very important for a company that wants to keep an eye on the packets, the transactions, the flows..."

"There are many valuable features, but understanding end-user response times stands out. It provides a score-based evaluation of user experience, helping customers quickly pinpoint whether issues originate from the network, server, client, or application. Additionally, it facilitates in-depth analysis of application dependencies."

"It can help to write your rules, organize firewalls, your block, and also your protocols and IP address to come in or out of your network."

Cons

"t was a little hard to get our setup represented in the configuration."

"The UI is a little outdated and graphics could be displayed in a better way."

"I believe Nagios Core will need to provide an option for big data platforms in the future."

"The NetEase reporting structure needs improvement, especially the availability report, which is weak."

"The interface could be improved."

"The scalability needs improvement, it's not scalable at this time."

"Nagios Core is limited in terms of distributed setups, and there is no central view for remote data centers."

"Bandwidth monitoring is the pain point for me because Nagios Core does not monitor bandwidth effectively like Cacti does."

More Nagios Core cons

"GigaStor feeds into Apex. So, the area where there could be improvement would be in artificial intelligence. For example, the incorporation of more advanced machine learning or AI capabilities could enhance its functionality."

"Maybe the graphical user interface could be simplified to allow people to use it more easily. It's already good, but they can work more on it to make it even easier."

"Graphics need improvement. Because a lot of the information there you have to input first in some case to have full potential. It could be more automated."

"I would like to have more than 4TB of storage available in the portable version of this solution."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We are using the free version."

"It's free."

"We are using the free version of Nagios Core."

"Nagios Core is an open source solution, and there are no licensing fees."

"We have saved a lot of time, money, and effort in reducing disaster times, which is owed to Nagios quick alerting."

"We are using the open-source, unpaid version."

"Most the plugin features are free."

"It's free."

More Nagios Core pricing and cost advice

"It's quite expensive."

"It depends on the requirements you have. There are three types of license. There's the updates license, the work group license, and the workstation license."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

20%

Computer Software Company

19%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Nagios Core?

What I like about Nagios Core is that it helps me ensure everything is running smoothly by checking the status of hosts and services.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nagios Core?

Nagios Core is a free and open-source product. We don't charge for the product itself, but we charge for the man-hour costs related to installation, configuration, ongoing operation, and maintenance.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Nagios Core?

The dashboard should be improved. It's very simple. I don't have a very clear or specific suggestion. You can change the skin of the dashboard, however, it's good for me.

See all answers

What do you like most about Observer GigaStor?

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Observer GigaStor?

I would rate the pricing a ten out of ten. It's quite expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Observer GigaStor?

GigaStor feeds into Apex. So, the area where there could be improvement would be in artificial intelligence. For example, the incorporation of more advanced machine learning or AI capabilities coul...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Core

June 2025

Download Nagios Core product report

Buyer's Guide

Observer GigaStor

June 2025

Download Observer GigaStor product report

Overview

This is IT infrastructure monitoring's industry-standard, open-source core. Free without professional support services.

Nagios

Observer GigaStor is a network analysis tool that comes in a variety of form factors, including rack mount, portable, and virtual. Capable of storing up to a petabyte of traffic for later analysis, GigaStor helps ensure optimal network and application performance.

Viavi Solutions

Sample Customers

Airbnb, Cisco, PayPal, FanDuel

Cisco Systems, Hawaiian Telecom, Renown Health, State of Nevada, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Allstate Insurance, Jack Henry & Associates, United States Airforce, US Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Chicago Board Options Exchange

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Core vs. Observer GigaStor

July 2025

Free Report: Nagios Core vs. Observer GigaStor

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