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Nagios Core vs ObserverLIVE comparison

Nagios and Viavi Solutions are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Nagios is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.7, while Viavi Solutions is ranked #112. Nagios holds a 1.9% mindshare in NMS, compared to Viavi Solutions’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Nagios users are willing to recommend the solution.
Nagios Core
Read 51 Nagios Core reviews
  • 5,494 Views
  • 4,505 Comparison Views
80% willing to recommend
ObserverLIVE
Read 1 ObserverLIVE review
  • 445 Views
  • 436 Comparison Views
0% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between Nagios Core and ObserverLIVE based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Zabbix, Auvik, Datadog and others in Network Monitoring Software.

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To learn more, read our detailed Network Monitoring Software Report (Updated: March 2026).
Buyer's Guide
Network Monitoring Software
March 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Nagios Core
Ranking in Network Monitoring Software
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
IT Infrastructure Monitoring (10th)
ObserverLIVE
Ranking in Network Monitoring Software
112th
Average Rating
0.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.3
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Nagios Core is 1.9%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ObserverLIVE is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Nagios Core1.9%
ObserverLIVE0.2%
Other97.9%
Network Monitoring Software
 

Featured Reviews

HY
Husham Yaqoob
Senior System Administrator at Interactive Group
Monitoring solution provides comprehensive visibility across IT infrastructure
The good thing about Nagios Core is it covers everything. Everything in the IT domain, you can monitor anything. You can even monitor printers, the ports of printers, Core workstations, and storage. You can monitor the workflow Core and the utilization of computes. If you want to grasp everything of your IT equipment on a single interface, you can use Nagios. It's the best one. It provides dashboards, and you can also configure your emails and alerts with it. If something is critical, you can configure it to notify via emails. It has a very handy dashboard, providing live alerts and visibility for everything.
Read full review
M
MOHAMEDABDELAZIM
IT manager at Mannai
Seamless packet analysis, deep visibility, and end-to-end network monitoring
We have experience with the VIAVI solutions, specifically the ObserverLIVE platform, which we use for network performance monitoring VIAVI helps by providing deep visibility on packet analysis end-to-end, which assists in identifying issues quickly and efficiently. VIAVI is very strong when it…
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

"We can get real time statistics of our servers which improves our monitoring."
"We have saved a lot of time, money, and effort in reducing disaster times, which is owed to Nagios quick alerting."
"The most valuable feature is the performance parameters of the system."
"The reporting structure and the feature set are valuable to me."
"The most valuable features are the reports and the way it generates the report in a graphical manner."
"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 solution's most valuable feature is that it offers proper alerting capabilities."
"Provides timely notifications."
More Nagios Core pros
"VIAVI is very strong when it comes to packet analysis, especially with SDN, ACI, and Cx."
 

Cons

"Nagios Core does not have a graphic display."
"The mapping is a little hard."
"It is a bit slow due to latency."
"The initial setup process could be easier."
"Nagios Core is not easy to use, so I don't recommend it for everyone."
"The core version is no match for the XI version."
"Nagios SLA. I'm currently working on Nagios Digger, which has many code-level problems."
"I would like to see more training videos."
More Nagios Core cons
"VIAVI needs to include a Simple Network Monitoring Protocol (SNMP) for end-to-end monitoring solutions."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is cheaply priced."
"Nagios Core is free to use."
"We are using the free version of Nagios Core."
"It's free."
"The enterprise version has technical support. The version we are using is free."
"It's free."
"Lessening the price point would be an improvement."
"Nagios Core is a cheap solution."
More Nagios Core pricing and cost advice
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise23
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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 is your primary use case for Nagios Core?
I was a senior system administrator. I've been using Nagios Core for more than ten years now. It can be used to monitor hosts, such as machines, and monitor services of any kind. I'm using it to mo...
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ObserverLIVE?
The price is reasonable. I would rate it nine out of ten for cost-effectiveness.
See all answers
What needs improvement with ObserverLIVE?
VIAVI needs to include a Simple Network Monitoring Protocol (SNMP) for end-to-end monitoring solutions. Currently, it lacks the ability to measure the health and status of devices such as switches ...
See all answers
What is your primary use case for ObserverLIVE?
We have experience with the VIAVI solutions, specifically the ObserverLIVE platform, which we use for network performance monitoring.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 7% of the time
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Icinga vs Nagios Core
Compared 5% of the time
Zabbix vs Nagios Core Logo
Zabbix vs Nagios Core
Compared 5% of the time
OpenNMS vs Nagios Core Logo
OpenNMS vs Nagios Core
Compared 5% of the time
Centreon vs Nagios Core Logo
Centreon vs Nagios Core
Compared 5% of the time
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NetMon vs ObserverLIVE Logo
NetMon vs ObserverLIVE
Compared 30% of the time
Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance vs ObserverLIVE Logo
Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance vs ObserverLIVE
Compared 22% of the time
InfoVista VistaInsight vs ObserverLIVE Logo
InfoVista VistaInsight vs ObserverLIVE
Compared 19% of the time
Zabbix vs ObserverLIVE Logo
Zabbix vs ObserverLIVE
Compared 15% of the time
Opsview vs ObserverLIVE Logo
Opsview vs ObserverLIVE
Compared 14% of the time
More ObserverLIVE Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Nagios Core
March 2026
Nagios Core reportDownload Nagios Core product report
Buyer's Guide
Network Monitoring Software
March 2026
ObserverLIVE reportDownload ObserverLIVE product report
 

Overview

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

Nagios

ObserverLIVE helps IT operations and network teams in hybrid IT environments ensure that their users can access and use the business applications they need – wherever they are hosted.

Viavi Solutions
 

Sample Customers

Airbnb, Cisco, PayPal, FanDuel
Exmark Manufacturing, Foskor, US Deptartment of Veteran Affairs
Buyer's Guide
Network Monitoring Software
March 2026
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Find out what your peers are saying about Zabbix, Auvik, Datadog and others in Network Monitoring Software. Updated: March 2026.
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