Nmap vs SolarWinds ipMonitor comparison

Nmap and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Nmap is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.7, while SolarWinds is ranked #80 with an average rating of 6.0. Nmap holds a 0.8% mindshare in NMS, compared to SolarWinds’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Nmap users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 50% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Nmap

Read 23 Nmap reviews

2,468 Views
2,246 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SolarWinds ipMonitor

Read 2 SolarWinds ipMonitor reviews

829 Views
489 Comparison Views

50% willing to recommend

Nmap

SolarWinds ipMonitor

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Nmap and SolarWinds ipMonitor based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Network Monitoring Software solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Nmap vs. SolarWinds ipMonitor Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Nmap vs. SolarWinds ipMonitor

March 2026

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Helped 885,376 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

Nmap

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

17th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SolarWinds ipMonitor

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

80th

Average Rating

6.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (62nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Nmap is 0.8%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds ipMonitor is 0.3%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Nmap	0.8%
SolarWinds ipMonitor	0.3%
Other	98.9%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Sai Aditya Panda

Student at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

Penetration testing has become efficient as I identify open ports and security risks with confidence

Nmap could potentially become a GUI and provide automatic reports with one-click downloads. For example, the report could show all the open ports for an IP address with a professionally formatted report. This is a far-fetched suggestion and not really required, but it could make the work a little better. On a scale of one to ten, I give Nmap a solid nine. I mean, how can you fix something that is not broken? Nmap is already the best, and I do not think there are any other features that can be added. Its job is reconnaissance, so I do not think there is more to add to it. However, if I get any ideas, I will let them know about this.

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Masud Alam

Manager at Optimum Origens Inc.

IP address management improves network efficiency but licensing cost could decrease

We are using SolarWinds for NPM and NCM, and we use IP address management for IP address monitoring. It helps us track which IP address is live and which is not. It also provides DHCP reservation and allows us to declare IP addresses for our integration. We have been using it for IP address…

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

"The tool's most valuable feature is its scripts. These scripts prove beneficial when security features may obscure or block connections. Nmap helps identify vulnerabilities across different systems, including web servers and various server types."

"We chose this solution because it supports several frameworks, including coding frameworks."

"It works very nicely for troubleshooting, because when a service isn't running for any of your users, you can use Nmap to check it directly and easily determine whether the service is actually running or not."

"Nmap is mostly helpful during compliance checks. We run the scanner to see how many devices are on our network and find vulnerabilities in those that aren't compliant. We also use it monthly to scan our network and identify devices that aren't connected properly. This helps us detect any issues related to the operating systems of these devices."

"The most valuable feature of the solution for security audits stems from the fact that it serves as a powerful tool with the ability to scan a large number of ports."

"Nmap's performance is great, and I've never noticed any issues in this respect. It really doesn't put a heavy load on the machine when using it."

"The solution really is not comparable to other products because of its many features."

"It is a very user-friendly product."

More Nmap pros

"IPAM is used for IP address reservation and tracking, helping us easily identify live IP addresses."

"The initial setup is very straightforward and it is easy to add nodes."

"The most valuable feature is the availability of end devices."

Cons

"The solution should increase the number of features under a free license."

"Customization is not very user-friendly in Nmap."

"The solution is not that easy for a beginner to learn."

"One of the drawbacks of the standard Nmap utility is that it does not come with a graphical user interface, unlike a number of other open-source alternatives such as Zenmap."

"Nmap will be a little difficult for beginners because of the learning curve and the CLI-based system, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes very powerful."

"Since I started using Nmap, it has been completely based on the command prompt and I think it would help other users if they implemented a decent GUI as well."

"The solution's initial setup could be better."

"There are concerns with the stability of the product, making it an area where improvements are required."

More Nmap cons

"The solution does not include enough features and has some performance issues."

"The licensing cost is high compared to open source tools."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is free of cost, but there are specific services that we have to buy."

"The product's pricing is fine. The licensing options for Nmap include perpetual licenses and volume-based licenses. For perpetual licenses, once you purchase it, there's no need to invest in renewals. And for volume-based licenses, enterprise companies can use it multiple times based on the number of users or devices they need to scan. It's a pay-as-you-go model, similar to how you pay for what you use."

"Nmap is an open-source product. You don't need a license to install it."

"Nmap is an open-source and free product."

"I am using the free version of Nmap."

"The solution is open source so it is free."

"It's an open-source product, and I haven't seen any premiums. Options are available for those who purchase, but for my use case, everything I need is available in the community and forums."

"I am using the standard free version of Nmap."

More Nmap pricing and cost advice

"The solution is a bit expensive because the annual license does not include new features that are priced as add-ons."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

12%

Construction Company

10%

Government

University

Construction Company

20%

Healthcare Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	11

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Nmap?

Nmap is mostly helpful during compliance checks. We run the scanner to see how many devices are on our network and find vulnerabilities in those that aren't compliant. We also use it monthly to sca...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nmap?

I am using the free version of Nmap.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Nmap?

Nmap is used for network scanning to map the network, identify devices, and assess their status. It helps determine open ports and services running on a particular endpoint or server within an ente...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds ipMonitor?

The licensing cost is high compared to other open-source tools. Being a corporate client, we require corporate licensing, which adds to the cost.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SolarWinds ipMonitor?

The licensing cost is high compared to open source tools. The state monitoring tools could be improved with AI integration to track IP usage history. There is no local support; we must contact thei...

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What is your primary use case for SolarWinds ipMonitor?

See all answers

Comparisons

LiveNX vs Nmap

Compared 8% of the time

Domotz Pro vs Nmap

Compared 8% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Nmap

Compared 7% of the time

OpenNMS vs Nmap

Compared 7% of the time

Azure Network Watcher vs Nmap

Compared 7% of the time

More Nmap Competitors

Netdata vs SolarWinds ipMonitor

Compared 43% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs SolarWinds ipMonitor

Compared 12% of the time

FortiMonitor vs SolarWinds ipMonitor

Compared 9% of the time

Zabbix vs SolarWinds ipMonitor

Compared 7% of the time

Splunk Observability Cloud vs SolarWinds ipMonitor

Compared 6% of the time

More SolarWinds ipMonitor Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Nmap

March 2026

Download Nmap product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

March 2026

Download SolarWinds ipMonitor product report

Also Known As

No data available

ipMonitor

Overview

Nmap ("Network Mapper") is a free and open source (license) utility for network discovery and security auditing. Many systems and network administrators also find it useful for tasks such as network inventory, managing service upgrade schedules, and monitoring host or service uptime. Nmap uses raw IP packets in novel ways to determine what hosts are available on the network, what services (application name and version) those hosts are offering, what operating systems (and OS versions) they are running, what type of packet filters/firewalls are in use, and dozens of other characteristics. It was designed to rapidly scan large networks, but works fine against single hosts. Nmap runs on all major computer operating systems, and official binary packages are available for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. In addition to the classic command-line Nmap executable, the Nmap suite includes an advanced GUI and results viewer (Zenmap), a flexible data transfer, redirection, and debugging tool (Ncat), a utility for comparing scan results (Ndiff), and a packet generation and response analysis tool (Nping).

Nmap

Monitor network devices, servers, VMware hosts and applications from one console
Receive alerts for availability and performance issues
Monitor network status on maps and NOC view
Minimize downtime by automating remediation actions
Enhance monitoring with built-in reports and dashboards

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

Lockheed Martin, Eastern Bank Boston, Perspecta, Harris Corporation, Discovery Communication

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Nmap vs. SolarWinds ipMonitor

March 2026

Free Report: Nmap vs. SolarWinds ipMonitor

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