NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE vs PRTG Network Monitor comparison

NETSCOUT and Paessler GmbH are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. NETSCOUT is ranked #36 with an average rating of 10.0, while Paessler GmbH is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.9. NETSCOUT holds a 0.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to Paessler GmbH’s 4.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of NETSCOUT users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Paessler GmbH users who would recommend it.

NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE

Read 6 NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE reviews

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621 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

PRTG Network Monitor

Read 109 PRTG Network Monitor reviews

7,889 Views
5,365 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE

PRTG Network Monitor

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 21, 2025

PRTG Network Monitor and NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE are two prominent products in the network performance monitoring category. While PRTG is favored for its versatility and favorable licensing, NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE has the upper hand due to its advanced analytics.

Features: PRTG Network Monitor is recognized for its sensor-based monitoring, enabling detailed tracking and real-time updates with customizable dashboards and powerful alerting mechanisms. Additionally, its ability to monitor multiple operating systems and robust alert system further enhance its offering. NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE, on the other hand, excels with its data analytics capabilities, focusing on performance management and end-user experience metrics. Its deep packet inspection provides unmatched insights, complementing its analytics prowess through comprehensive data visibility and network troubleshooting analysis.

Room for Improvement: PRTG Network Monitor could benefit from improvements in its packet inspection capabilities and expanding reporting features to offer more granular insights. Additionally, enhancing integration with third-party tools and services might provide a more seamless user experience. For NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE, simplifying the setup process and making the initial deployment more user-friendly could attract a wider range of users. Additionally, optimizing resource usage and offering more flexible licensing options could further enhance its appeal.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: PRTG Network Monitor features a straightforward and user-friendly deployment process, with efficient onboarding and responsive customer support facilitating smooth operations. NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE, while requiring more complex setup due to its analytics and integration, provides excellent customer support focused on addressing deployment and maintenance needs. PRTG is noted for ease of initial deployment, whereas nGeniusPULSE is praised for comprehensive support.

Pricing and ROI: PRTG Network Monitor's sensor-based pricing model offers an economically scalable solution, providing a favorable ROI for various organizational sizes. In contrast, NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE, despite higher setup costs, delivers substantial ROI through its in-depth insights and analytics capabilities. Its analytics value may justify the investment for organizations seeking detailed performance insights, while PRTG provides a cost-effective choice for diverse network monitoring needs.

To learn more, read our detailed NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE vs. PRTG Network Monitor Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE vs. PRTG Network Monitor

September 2025

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Helped 869,771 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

NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

36th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

PRTG Network Monitor

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

109

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (5th), Cloud Monitoring Software (10th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE is 0.4%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PRTG Network Monitor is 4.1%, down from 4.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
PRTG Network Monitor	4.1%
NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE	0.4%
Other	95.5%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Leandro Di Maria

Gerente De Ventas at internet winds ag

Offers real-time monitoring capabilities, which help businesses optimize their operations

The tools are part of managed environments, but when the capabilities of the routers need to be increased, we use NETSCOUT to manage things at an international level. The tool's user interface is okay. It would be great if the tool could provide alerts during attacks in Spanish. In the next release, if the traffic analysis could send our company an alert before an attack starts, it would be even better. Before an attack starts, seeing the traffic behavior and activities would be great. The tool should also share alerts since it is an area where the product has certain shortcomings.

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madhan kumar hs

software engineer at Capgemini

Alerting precision has reduced incident response times and improved department-level network visibility

The auto-pause sensor during the maintenance window is good without any false alerts, and it prevents me from getting flooded with alerts during planned maintenance, helping department heads understand their own network usage better. It has reduced incident response time by giving clearer ownership of each alert, ensuring alerts go to the proper recipient. SNMP testers and auto-pause are among the best features of PRTG Network Monitor, which is particularly useful for different departments such as HR and finance, where alerts can be filtered accordingly. The alerting features and dashboard of PRTG Network Monitor are very helpful, especially in our industry. However, the dashboard can look cluttered on smaller screens, which is one negative aspect. PRTG Network Monitor has impacted us positively; we have stopped getting flooded with alerts during planned maintenance or unplanned outages. Compared to others, this gives specific alerts very quickly and helps department heads understand their own network usage better, thus reducing incident response time so that each alert has clear ownership.

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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 solution's technical support team consists of good engineers and technicians."

"I like the single pane of glass view because it presents everything in one window, obviously. You can see it all. With a quick glance, you get a pretty good snapshot of what's going on in a particular situation."

"The most valuable feature of NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE is the network troubleshooting analysis. You can pinpoint an issue before it could shut down the network."

"This is a very reliable and complete solution for troubleshooting and monitoring environments."

"The most valuable features of this solution are monitoring and maintaining traffic queuing, as well as seeing who is using the bandwidth."

"I like the single pane of glass view. I like being able to go to one place instead of having to hunt around for everything."

"PRTG Network Monitor offers valuable features that save a lot of time as the reports are automatically available, and I rely on them because they provide proof during escalation, with exact downtime logs and related information."

"It is a user-friendly solution."

"PRTG Network Monitor is easy to set up. Within a few minutes, it is operational."

"I can create my own program sensor. This means I can add extra monitoring capabilities into the already fundamentally strong foundation."

"The most valuable feature of PRTG Network Monitor is the different monitoring probes available."

"The solution provides us with needed feedback on our IT infrastructure. It gives us really good quality of service when it comes to monitoring of available space and available resources. It allows us to preempt issues before they become a problem for the business."

"The auto-pause for sensors during maintenance windows is awesome, as there are no false alerts till now and the built-in SNMP tester tool has saved me multiple times during setups, making PRTG Network Monitor a one-stop monitoring solution for my industry."

"I really love the activity library. It gives the flexibility to discover data and metrics about my interface and data server."

More PRTG Network Monitor pros

Cons

"The price of the solution could be reduced."

"The GUI interface and dashboards could be more attractive to the customer."

"Before an attack starts, seeing the traffic behavior and activities would be great. The tool should also share alerts since it is an area where the product has certain shortcomings."

"In terms of additional features, I would like to see better event notification. Right now, we put in an email address to receive an alert and it receives every event and every alert that comes out. We need something a little more granular."

"They require a lot of manual effort as traffic flows, networks, and formal times change."

"Usability is the area with the biggest room for improvement. We've found that with NETSCOUT, while it's a fantastic product, the usability is a major factor because there are just way too many clicks. It's obvious, from our experience, that the people who are developing the product aren't using it."

"They should work on syncing the solution with Gmail."

"PRTG Network Monitor can improve by adding prevention and detection features."

"More training videos for installing and configuring this software would have been nice, especially when working with a lot of devices."

"The dashboarding definitely needs improvement."

"If PRTG could help me see the bandwidth for each host I have on my network, either for a wireless or a wired network, that would be very helpful."

"Sometimes the error messages are too vague and don't directly tell me what went wrong."

"PRTG Network Monitor can be improved as there is a lot of manual cleanup needed, which could be reduced."

"PRTG could use reporting tools and mobile alert tools. It should be easier to diagnose and respond to problems from a mobile device on the go."

More PRTG Network Monitor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cost is contracted on a yearly basis. There is no additional cost beyond the standard licensing."

"The tool's price is okay. On a scale of one to ten, I rate it as a five, where one means it is not expensive, and ten means it is the most expensive."

"The price of NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE is high. The other solutions are less expensive but we cannot depend on the other solutions, they are not as stable."

"The price of PRTG Network Monitor is more expensive than other solutions, such as OP Network Manager."

"The pricing is reasonable for the features provided."

"We are satisfied with the price."

"I would like better pricing models for smaller businesses. The free version is fantastic, but it's too restrictive. If they could just get up to 200 sensors for a reasonable fee for on-premise, I would give PRTG my credit card right now."

"We have an unlimited license for this solution."

"I rate the licensing for PRTG Network Monitor an eight out of ten."

"The price of PRTG is reasonable. PRTG's competitors like SolarWinds and ManageEngine charge more for the same functionality."

"We have unlimited devices and sensors, and it is a bit pricey, but we do have unlimited sensors. With all things considered the price is fine, related to the solution itself. PRTG Network Monitor is good value for money."

More PRTG Network Monitor pricing and cost advice

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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

Government

17%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	57
Midsize Enterprise	18
Large Enterprise	41

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE?

The tool's price is okay. On a scale of one to ten, I rate it as a five, where one means it is not expensive, and ten means it is the most expensive.

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What needs improvement with NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE?

I use the solution in my company to analyze international traffic.

See all answers

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

PRTG network monitor is one of the best tool i have ever used for the monitoring. It have auto discovery option. it avoid the configuring the device in PRTG. It automatically discover the device an...

See all answers

What do you like most about PRTG Network Monitor?

The tool is integrated with our email for the alerts.

See all answers

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

PRTG Network Monitor remains affordable until now.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 28% of the time

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Compared 16% of the time

ScienceLogic vs NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE

Compared 14% of the time

OP5 Monitor vs NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE

Compared 14% of the time

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Zabbix vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 8% of the time

PRTG Enterprise Monitor vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 6% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 5% of the time

Centreon vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 5% of the time

Checkmk vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 4% of the time

More PRTG Network Monitor Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE

September 2025

Download NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE product report

Buyer's Guide

PRTG Network Monitor

September 2025

Download PRTG Network Monitor product report

Also Known As

nGeniusPULSE

No data available

Overview

NETSCOUT’s nGeniusPULSE delivers the visibility needed into today’s evolving IT eco-system to ensure the availability, reliability, and performance of your mission-critical business services across your multi-cloud environment, from wherever users need access.

NETSCOUT

PRTG Network Monitor runs on a Windows machine within your network, collecting various statistics from the machines, software, and devices which you designate. PRTG comes with an easy-to-use web interface with point-and-click configuration. You can easily share data from it with non-technical colleagues and customers, including via live graphs and custom reports. This will let you plan for network expansion, see what applications are using most of your connection, and make sure that no one is hogging the entire network just to torrent videos.

To monitor a large IT environment, it's important to be able to scale PRTG up. Paessler PRTG Enterprise Monitor includes all the proven capabilities of PRTG Network Monitor, which are enhanced by exclusive ITOps Board for a service-oriented, central overview of multiple PRTG servers.

Paessler GmbH

Sample Customers

Banco Votorantim

Jameson Bank, Sidnix, RungeICT, MedicalAnimal, Truck-lite, GamingGrids, The Covell Group, Forsythn County Schools, NetMass, Musgrove Park Hospital, Lanes Health, Columbia Southern University, Vodafone, Intrust Bank

Buyer's Guide

NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE vs. PRTG Network Monitor

September 2025

Free Report: NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE vs. PRTG Network Monitor

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