NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE vs PRTG Network Monitor comparison

NETSCOUT and Paessler GmbH are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. NETSCOUT is ranked #31 with an average rating of 10.0, while Paessler GmbH is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.7. NETSCOUT holds a 0.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to Paessler GmbH’s 4.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of NETSCOUT users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Paessler GmbH users who would recommend it.

NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE

Read 6 NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE reviews

636 Views
401 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

PRTG Network Monitor

Read 102 PRTG Network Monitor reviews

6,904 Views
4,836 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE

PRTG Network Monitor

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 2025

PRTG Network Monitor and NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE are competing in the network monitoring category. NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE appears to have the upper hand due to its enhanced monitoring features and comprehensive analytical tools, although PRTG is popular for its pricing and value.

Features: PRTG Network Monitor is known for its scalable architecture, customizable alerting systems, and seamless integration across various devices. NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE is distinguished by its deep packet inspection, real-time network analytics, and detailed application performance insights.

Room for Improvement: PRTG could enhance its detailed network traffic analytics, application-level diagnostics, and more in-depth packet inspection capabilities. NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE may benefit from simplifying its setup process, enhancing its entry-level pricing structure, and expanding integration with third-party tools.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: PRTG boasts an intuitive installation process and extensive documentation, simplifying initial setup and troubleshooting. NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE provides robust support services and an efficient deployment model, although its setup process can be more complex due to its feature set. Customer service is well-regarded in both products, with NETSCOUT being particularly praised for its technical support.

Pricing and ROI: PRTG Network Monitor is lauded for its cost-effective pricing model and scalable licensing options, yielding a favorable ROI. NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE is often seen as pricier but is justified by its extensive features and network insights, ensuring a strong ROI for larger enterprises. PRTG is ideal for those with budget considerations, whereas NETSCOUT appeals to enterprises seeking detailed analytical capabilities.

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

Buyer's Guide

NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE vs. PRTG Network Monitor

April 2025

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Helped 850,834 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

31st

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

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

102

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (8th), Cloud Monitoring Software (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 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 4.3%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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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Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

Efficiently monitor networks across regions with seamless setup and robust feature set

PRTG Network Monitor is easy to set up. Within a few minutes, it is operational. It is an all-in-one monitoring solution without extra costs. For example, we set it up for an insurance company with branches across Africa. We are able to monitor from Lagos without installing anything in the branches, using the agentless feature. We just put in the IP address and the parameter, and we monitor from those ends. Additionally, all the sensors are very useful. Most people are interested in the bandwidth monitoring sensor to see what bandwidth the users are consuming. The pricing is affordable compared to SolarWinds.

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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

"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."

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

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

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

"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."

"It is a user-friendly solution."

"Ability to create a dashboard inside software monitoring."

"We use the remote probes a lot for our branch offices. Instead of deploying the full instance of PRTG, we'll put a remote probe out there. This simplifies the whole deployment for us."

"What I've found most valuable is the custom sensor, which allows you to write scripts or code to monitor a specific metric in your environment."

"Speed of deployment is one of the most valuable features."

"PRTG gives us true visibility of the downtime of particular circuit functions. So if a circuit is up but not routing traffic, I will know with this tool. I can write a customized script for a sensor to detect specific things."

"It's very easy to manage when you've got time to do some work on it: things like adding devices, adding groups, adding sensor clusters, and being able to clone and move stuff around."

"The fact that I can use custom MIB files to customize my sensors for the things that are not there as a default is a good feature."

More PRTG Network Monitor pros

Cons

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

"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."

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

"The price of the solution could be reduced."

"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."

"PRTG's application monitoring sensor is not strong."

"I would like the ability to monitor Cisco IRS devices."

"Other monitoring tools that I have used are easier to use."

"PRTG's documentation could be improved."

"A room for improvement in PRTG Network Monitor is its sensors. Its application technology sensor, such as the IAS, .NET, etc., needs some improvement because it doesn't work as expected. For example, the IAS sensor doesn't give immediate information, and the information you get from it isn't of good value. The web GUI of PRTG Network Monitor also needs improvement because errors keep popping up if it's not been updated to the latest version. What I'd like to see in the next release of the tool is end-to-end topology mapping for the business model, and that should be required. There has to be a technical map. Technical mapping and topological creation are missing in PRTG Network Monitor, so I would like to see those in the future."

"In our organization, we encounter performance issues with our PRTG probe service. I saw documentation from the vendor or Paessler mentioning that there are limitations for WMI sensors. Other than that, we are okay with PRTG."

"I would like to see network mapping."

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

More PRTG Network Monitor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"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 pricing is very low compared to other solutions."

"The price of PRTG Network Monitor is reasonable for the features that the solution provides. They charge you per monitoring, not per node, it is per port that you need for a device."

"We are using the basic PRTG that we can download for free. For now, we only need to monitor less than 100 devices. For more than 100 devices, we would need to buy a license. PRTG is much cheaper than SolarWinds."

"Sensors on free version can run out quick."

"Licenses are very expensive, so I would like to see cheaper licensing."

"It is expensive."

"We pay for a perpetual license and we have a support fee."

"There is a license to use PRTG Network Monitor and it is annually."

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

16%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

10%

Insurance Company

Educational Organization

47%

Computer Software Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

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?

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What is your primary use case for NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE?

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

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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...

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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?

The prices are very high for PRTG Network Monitor. That's why I'm using the free100 sensor license.

See all answers

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Compared 7% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 6% of the time

Centreon vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE

April 2025

Download NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE product report

Buyer's Guide

PRTG Network Monitor

April 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

April 2025

Free Report: NETSCOUT nGeniusPULSE vs. PRTG Network Monitor

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