Nagios Core vs PRTG Enterprise Monitor comparison

Nagios and Paessler GmbH are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Nagios is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.7, while Paessler GmbH is ranked #32 with an average rating of 7.4. Nagios holds a 1.9% mindshare in NMS, compared to Paessler GmbH’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Nagios users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Paessler GmbH users who would recommend it.

Nagios Core

Read 51 Nagios Core reviews

4,463 Views
3,749 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

PRTG Enterprise Monitor

Read 11 PRTG Enterprise Monitor reviews

925 Views
925 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Nagios Core

PRTG Enterprise Monitor

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Nagios Core and PRTG Enterprise Monitor are competing network monitoring solutions. PRTG Enterprise Monitor seems to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive suite of features, despite higher costs and complexity.

Features: Nagios Core offers flexible plugin architecture, enabling broad customization and integration with third-party tools. It provides a modular approach that allows organizations to tailor their monitoring needs but may require more technical input. PRTG Enterprise Monitor provides an all-in-one platform, including bandwidth monitoring, traffic analysis, and a variety of pre-configured sensors. It is designed to handle larger IT environments with an integrated feature set, offering robust monitoring capabilities out of the box.

Room for Improvement: Nagios Core could improve in ease of deployment and direct customer service, as it relies heavily on community support. Its interface might be enhanced for a more modern user experience. PRTG Enterprise Monitor could benefit from offering more flexible pricing models to accommodate smaller organizations. Reducing complexity in its feature set might appeal to users with less technical expertise. Improving the depth of customization options could help cater to specific advanced monitoring scenarios.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: PRTG Enterprise Monitor facilitates a user-friendly setup with guided configurations and strong customer service support, making it suitable for fast deployment scenarios. Conversely, Nagios Core requires a higher level of technical expertise for installation and configuration, as it lacks formal direct customer support services. However, its open-source nature offers extensive community-driven assistance, which may be attractive to technical teams.

Pricing and ROI: Nagios Core’s open-source model reduces setup costs, potentially offering higher ROI for organizations able to leverage its community-driven ecosystem. PRTG Enterprise Monitor, with its all-inclusive pricing strategy, simplifies budgeting and delivers value through its comprehensive feature set and service. Despite higher initial costs, it offers a substantial ROI for enterprises needing robust, all-encompassing monitoring solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Nagios Core vs. PRTG Enterprise Monitor Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Core vs. PRTG Enterprise Monitor

December 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 881,114 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 (11th)

PRTG Enterprise Monitor

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

32nd

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 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 PRTG Enterprise Monitor is 0.6%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Nagios Core	1.9%
PRTG Enterprise Monitor	0.6%
Other	97.5%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

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

Moshiur-Rahman Khan

CEO at IOPoint.com

Offers perfect real-time bandwidth monitoring and SNMP functionality

The licensing policy needs to change. The current model requires customers to purchase a minimum of two thousand licenses, which is not flexible for all customers. They should consider a more flexible licensing approach. Furthermore, alignment with customer expectations rather than offering numerous features that are not requested would be beneficial.

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

"Dashboard provides monitor of total assets."

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

"It has made the life of the network operations staff more proactive in managing the resources of the infrastructure. It prevents disasters long before they can take place."

"Provides timely notifications."

"I would rate the overall solution ten points out of ten."

"I like the way the solution sends alerts and how it keeps on escalating them."

"Nagios Core is very configurable. Whatever you want, you can do it."

More Nagios Core pros

"The product is easy to understand."

"It can identify downtimes and disruptions."

"From a technical perspective, the product's most valuable feature is SNMP, an open standard monitoring protocol that works across various network devices and operating systems, including UNIX and Windows."

"The solution's ability to monitor each and every aspect of our devices, such as memory utilization and port connectivity, is valuable."

"The solution offers perfect real-time bandwidth monitoring and SNMP functionality."

"PRTG is good and very easy to use."

"It provides a vast array of options for dashboard creation and monitoring of the activities within the environment."

"If an event is detected, such as a resource running low on storage or RAM, the product will notify you via email. Upon receiving the notification, action must be taken to address and resolve the issue. The feature I find most effective is its comprehensive nature. It's like having a permanent eye monitoring the network and all its nodes. Instead of manual monitoring, it detects anomalies automatically and alerts us accordingly."

More PRTG Enterprise Monitor pros

Cons

"The dashboard should be improved."

"It's not that easy to install the product itself. Also, the UI is a bit hard for regular users to navigate through."

"There is room for improvement in the graphics."

"Nagios Core could improve by adding a user interface. If you want the user interface you have to use Nagios XI."

"The core version is no match for the XI version."

"I would like to see more training videos."

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

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

More Nagios Core cons

"The solution could be improved by introducing security features similar to those available in Teams, as the current version only monitors devices and does not integrate IoT or OT devices."

"When it comes to dashboard customization in PRTG Enterprise Monitor, there are not too many options, and I think that would not be a strong point for PRTG, but for our use cases, we do not really need that kind of customization."

"PRTG Enterprise Monitor should include more functionalities and features that are similar to SolarWinds."

"In my opinion, one area that could be improved in PRTG Enterprise Monitor is the capability to send SMS notifications. Notifications are crucial for alerting us to areas that require attention."

"The solution could be improved by including a processing monitor, possibly with a language interface like Lua, allowing for writing custom sensors and processing outcomes of inputs."

"The support must be improved."

"The licensing policy needs to change. The current model requires customers to purchase a minimum of two thousand licenses, which is not flexible for all customers."

"They should work on minimizing false positives by sending alerts promptly and confirming errors with minimal troubleshooting requirements."

More PRTG Enterprise Monitor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is expensive."

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

"The product is cheaply priced."

"We are using the free version."

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

"Nagios Core is a cheap solution."

"The enterprise version has technical support. The version we are using is free."

"It's free."

More Nagios Core pricing and cost advice

"The solution is affordable."

"I rate the product's pricing an eight to seven out of ten."

"The pricing is $2,149 for software without maintenance, and licenses are sold in the minimum bundle of 500 interfaces."

"PRTG Enterprise Monitor is an expensive product."

"PRTG Enterprise Monitor's pricing is reasonable."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Monitoring Software solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Educational Organization

11%

University

10%

Healthcare Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	20
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	22

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	2

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 do you like most about PRTG Enterprise Monitor?

If an event is detected, such as a resource running low on storage or RAM, the product will notify you via email. Upon receiving the notification, action must be taken to address and resolve the is...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PRTG Enterprise Monitor?

I would rate the pricing of PRTG Enterprise Monitor maybe a six. I think a six is fine, as it is reasonable and not expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with PRTG Enterprise Monitor?

When it comes to dashboard customization in PRTG Enterprise Monitor, there are not too many options, and I think that would not be a strong point for PRTG, but for our use cases, we do not really n...

See all answers

Comparisons

Icinga vs Nagios Core

Compared 11% of the time

Zabbix vs Nagios Core

Compared 7% of the time

Nagios XI vs Nagios Core

Compared 7% of the time

LibreNMS vs Nagios Core

Compared 6% of the time

Centreon vs Nagios Core

Compared 5% of the time

More Nagios Core Competitors

PRTG Network Monitor vs PRTG Enterprise Monitor

Compared 41% of the time

Checkmk vs PRTG Enterprise Monitor

Compared 12% of the time

HPE Aruba Networking UXI vs PRTG Enterprise Monitor

Compared 11% of the time

DX Spectrum vs PRTG Enterprise Monitor

Compared 8% of the time

ThousandEyes vs PRTG Enterprise Monitor

Compared 4% of the time

More PRTG Enterprise Monitor Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Core

January 2026

Download Nagios Core product report

Buyer's Guide

PRTG Enterprise Monitor

January 2026

Download PRTG Enterprise Monitor product report

Overview

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

Nagios

PRTG Enterprise Monitor serves enterprises by ensuring comprehensive monitoring of servers, services, and applications, empowering users to track sensor data effectively and detect performance or security issues across their networks.

PRTG Enterprise Monitor is widely recognized for its capability to efficiently monitor technical sensors such as ping, uptime, CPU load, and memory usage. It supports users in tracking network resource performance, detecting malicious activity, and preventing failures. Its custom frameworks enable monitoring of certificate expirations and process availability. The intuitive interface requires no specialized IT background, featuring agentless operations that enhance responsiveness and SNMP monitoring valued across platforms. The tool is appreciated for its anomaly detection and notification features, allowing users to address issues proactively. Installation is straightforward and support is robust, although users seek enhancements in real-time SMS alerts, SAP system integration, fault management, and more flexible manual configurations.

What are the key features of PRTG Enterprise Monitor?

Network Analysis: Offers in-depth insights into network performance.
Custom Dashboards: Provides a library for tailored dashboard creation.
Alerting System: Effective user notifications prevent escalation of issues.
Agentless Monitoring: Enhances response times without installing agents.
SNMP Monitoring: Useful for monitoring multiple platforms.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Easy Installation: Simplifies the setup process for companies.
Proactive Anomaly Detection: Identifies and resolves issues swiftly.
Comprehensive Coverage: Ensures efficient fault detection and management.
User Support: Strong support capabilities aid troubleshooting.

Enterprises in industries such as IT services, finance, and healthcare rely on PRTG Enterprise Monitor for monitoring critical infrastructure. This includes ensuring internet connectivity, monitoring mail services, and tracking network performance and security, thereby maintaining operational efficiency and service availability.

Paessler GmbH

Sample Customers

Airbnb, Cisco, PayPal, FanDuel

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Core vs. PRTG Enterprise Monitor

December 2025

Free Report: Nagios Core vs. PRTG Enterprise Monitor

Find out what your peers are saying about Nagios Core vs. PRTG Enterprise Monitor and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Nagios Core vs. PRTG Enterprise Monitor report.

See our list of best Network Monitoring Software vendors.

We monitor all Network Monitoring Software 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.