Nagios Core vs Pulseway comparison

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Nagios Core

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Pulseway and Nagios Core are competing products in IT infrastructure monitoring. Pulseway holds an advantage in customer service due to its user-friendly setup, while Nagios Core is preferred for its comprehensive and advanced features.

Features: Pulseway emphasizes real-time monitoring, mobile access, and a user-friendly interface. It is ideal for on-the-go management tasks, allowing IT professionals to monitor systems conveniently. Nagios Core provides extensive customization options, a wide range of plugins, and scalability, catering to complex and tailored monitoring needs.

Room for Improvement: Pulseway could enhance its plugin variety, increase capabilities for more advanced users, and offer more in-depth customization options. Nagios Core may benefit from simplified user interfaces, better-guided setup processes, and improved out-of-the-box functionality for quicker deployment.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Pulseway is known for quick deployment and strong customer support throughout the process, making it accessible even for less tech-savvy users. Nagios Core requires more technical expertise for setup due to its open-source nature but offers extensive community support.

Pricing and ROI: Pulseway operates on a subscription-based pricing model, offering predictability in costs and value. Nagios Core, being open-source, comes with zero initial software cost but may incur higher indirect costs due to integration and maintenance needs. Pulseway's model provides straightforward ROI calculation, whereas Nagios Core's lower initial costs might appeal to those with the necessary resources to manage it efficiently.

To learn more, read our detailed Nagios Core vs. Pulseway Report (Updated: August 2026).

Nagios Core vs. Pulseway

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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

19th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (16th)

Pulseway

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

51st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Server Monitoring (19th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (14th)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Nagios Core is 1.4%, down from 2.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Pulseway is 0.6%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Nagios Core	1.4%
Pulseway	0.6%
Other	98.0%

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.

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Pieter Plas

Owner at Beerepoot Automatisering B.V.

A solution with a great monitoring system and ability to control access remotely

The initial setup was straightforward. Deployment depends on the size of a customer. We make the customer in the enterprise server, and there is a download per customer for the installation package. We can also roll it out very easily, and when we install it on one or two systems, it explores the network for more systems. We can then fire a deployment package on the other systems. So in one hour, we can do a lot. Most of the time, 90% of the work is very easy, and the last 10% are the business-critical systems from a customer. Also, we manually install important customer systems, like special applications where we like to monitor specific services in the server itself.

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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

"We have used this product now for quite some time and we are happy with it."

"Before we implemented Nagios, we did not know which servers were up or down until a customer told us, and now I can see trends over time and it gives me perspective of what needs to be improved so we are able to work proactively as opposed to reactively."

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

"The solution is very complete and mostly easy to manage."

"This product covers all of our infrastructure health checks, and has triggers for us to alert us to any unusual behaviour of the monitored systems."

"Nagios Core is stable."

"The good thing about Nagios Core is it covers everything."

"Monitoring with Nagios Core is helpful because it provides immediate alerts if something goes down, such as a server, or wireless router, or if there's a cable break. This allows us to respond promptly to any issues."

More Nagios Core pros

"It has been very helpful to get notifications about various issues with my servers and network to help me take action to resolve problems before they become major issues."

"We like the patching of the window updates in the client's systems. You can automatically do updates with a single click."

"Using this platform has allowed us to reach and assist our remotely based clients, regardless of their location provided they have an internet connection."

"The setup is simple."

"So this solution allows for 24/7 support and is very handy."

"It gives you remote control and has a mobile app."

"The solution has great workflow and server modules."

"They provide a lot of features; it's good and easy software."

More Pulseway pros

Cons

"We're using the free version, which limits us in terms of the things that we can do. If we had the paid version, a lot of our issues would probably go away. For example, we can't isolate instances that are being built or updated with the production ones. When they're being built, on Nagios, they're showing in red. It'd be nice to be able to partition those off until they're all green, and then we can bring them into the environment. This is probably because we've got the free version and not the paid version. If we went for the paid version, it would probably allow us to do exactly what we want to or remove the restrictions that we have, but if we are able to isolate instances in the free version, it would make life much easier."

"Default interface is clunky and slow."

"Nagios Core can improve the graphical interface, it would make things a little easier."

"Nagios Core is not easy to use, so I don't recommend it for everyone."

"The dashboard and monitoring features could be improved."

"Nagios Core would benefit from aggregations if a particular server goes down."

"When compared to earlier versions, it looks like 4.x has lost the statusmap.cgi module."

"There is room for improvement in the graphics."

More Nagios Core cons

"Sometimes the speed is a problem. When I've been remote controlling people, from time to time, there were some issues with people in Hong Kong."

"They have good technical support but it's not excellent."

"There are some bugs or glitches."

"Remote Desktop Assistance for Mac endpoints - not having this functionality is a major inconvenience in having to have two systems for clients using this platform."

"Support needs to be improved because we've sometimes had to wait 24 hours to get a response."

"GUI needs to be improved and the solution lacks a process for monitoring VOIP calls."

"It would be nice if it also had a desktop application, similar to the phone app, which would allow me to monitor and control computers from my desktop."

"However, the solution does not allow you to make a script for just one customer, so it would be great if that is improved."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We are using the free version."

"The solution is expensive."

"Nagios Core is free to use."

"The Nagios Core (PNP4Nagios + Core) is free and can be setup by Netadmin within a few hours. The only additional cost is the cloud server."

"Most the plugin features are free."

"Nagios Core is a cheap solution."

"It's free."

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

More Nagios Core pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

12%

Outsourcing Company

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	20
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	24

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.

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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...

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Product Reports

Nagios Core

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Overview

Nagios Core offers a versatile monitoring solution that efficiently manages notifications, reporting, and resource usage. Its open-source architecture provides flexibility and customization options for comprehensive infrastructure health management.

Nagios Core, known for its extensible plugin architecture, proactively enhances infrastructure management with customizable notifications and reliable reporting. Seamlessly integrating various plugins, it offers real-time dashboards and efficient alerting systems for thorough monitoring. Its adaptability and ease of configuration make it popular among users seeking flexible monitoring solutions. However, improvements in the web interface, scalability, performance, and visualization are needed to enhance accessibility. Users seek better alert mechanisms, more robust PDF export features, and simpler setup processes for increased efficiency.

What are the key features of Nagios Core?

Customizable Notifications: Tailor alerts to suit specific needs.
Reliable Reporting: Provides detailed insights into system performance.
Light Resource Usage: Operates efficiently with minimal resource demands.
Extensible Plugin Architecture: Supports a wide range of third-party integrations.
Real-Time Dashboards: Offers instant insights into system health.

What benefits should users expect from Nagios Core?

Flexibility: Allows detailed customization for unique monitoring requirements.
Open-Source Nature: Encourages community-driven enhancements and support.
Integration Capabilities: Facilitates seamless interaction with other tools and platforms.
Adaptability: Supports monitoring across different environments seamlessly.

In many industries, Nagios Core is integral to monitoring infrastructure and services, including cloud servers, applications, and network devices. Users rely on it for issue detection, capacity planning, and maintaining system stability in environments like AWS and on-premise servers. Its capabilities in CPU, memory, and bandwidth monitoring along with alert systems support sectors needing real-time oversight of critical equipment.

Nagios

Pulseway is a comprehensive IT management tool offering critical functionalities such as integrated dashboards, automation, and remote support. It supports seamless IT operations across multiple platforms, providing ease in monitoring and management.

Pulseway provides a robust platform for IT teams seeking to efficiently manage their infrastructure. With its capabilities in system monitoring, remote control, and mobile app accessibility, users can effectively oversee endpoint performance and receive timely alerts. It simplifies the management of server workflows, software deployment, and updates, catering to diverse IT environments. Its compatibility with multiple platforms ensures convenience in network monitoring, password updates, and administration access, allowing IT support to function across locations. There's room for improvement, particularly in enhancing remote session performance, graphical interface, and adding features like Remote Desktop Assistance for Mac.

What features does Pulseway offer?

Integrated Dashboard: Centralizes monitoring for better visibility.
Automatic Windows Updates: Ensures systems are up-to-date automatically.
Remote Script Execution: Facilitates task automation remotely.
Advanced Reporting: Provides detailed analysis for informed decision-making.
Mobile App: Offers 24/7 accessibility and support capabilities.

What benefits do Pulseway users experience?

Enhanced IT Efficiency: Streamlines operations and reduces manual tasks.
Cross-Platform Support: Adapts to diverse IT environments and needs.
Improved Remote Support: Facilitates responsive and effective help desk capabilities.
Scalable Management: Supports expanding IT infrastructures seamlessly.

Pulseway is utilized across industries like healthcare, finance, and education, providing essential IT support. It enables organizations to monitor critical systems, ensuring minimal downtime and optimal resource usage. Cybersecurity teams benefit from its deployment for tracking disk space, memory, CPU usage, and installed applications, enhancing overall network security and operational reliability.

Sample Customers

Airbnb, Cisco, PayPal, FanDuel

Dell, Canon, Siemens, Harvard University, Northwestern University

Nagios Core vs. Pulseway