Plixer Scrutinizer vs SolarWinds Network Automation Manager comparison

Plixer and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Plixer is ranked #52 with an average rating of 8.0, while SolarWinds is ranked #107. Plixer holds a 0.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to SolarWinds’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Plixer users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 50% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Plixer Scrutinizer

Read 15 Plixer Scrutinizer reviews

1,289 Views
877 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Network Automati...

Read 2 SolarWinds Network Automation Manager reviews

555 Views
205 Comparison Views

50% willing to recommend

Plixer Scrutinizer

SolarWinds Network Automati...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Plixer Scrutinizer and SolarWinds Network Automation Manager compete in the network performance monitoring and management sector. SolarWinds Network Automation Manager has the upper hand with its robust feature set and perceived value.

Features: Plixer Scrutinizer includes in-depth traffic analysis, network visualization, and a focus on security and incident response. SolarWinds Network Automation Manager offers automated configuration management, extensive network mapping, and advanced automation for larger networks.

Room for Improvement: Plixer Scrutinizer can enhance its installation process, expand automation capabilities, and improve integration with third-party tools. SolarWinds Network Automation Manager could lower the initial setup cost, simplify user interface complexity, and provide more flexible pricing options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds Network Automation Manager offers a streamlined setup with strong technical support, making deployment straightforward for larger enterprises. Plixer Scrutinizer requires a more hands-on installation but provides superior post-deployment support with a personalized service approach.

Pricing and ROI: Plixer Scrutinizer is noted for competitive pricing, offering substantial returns on investment through network operation and security cost savings. SolarWinds Network Automation Manager, though carrying a higher initial setup cost, justifies its pricing with higher ROI via its advanced features and automation efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed Plixer Scrutinizer vs. SolarWinds Network Automation Manager Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Plixer Scrutinizer vs. SolarWinds Network Automation Manager

September 2025

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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

Plixer Scrutinizer

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

52nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (11th)

SolarWinds Network Automati...

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

107th

Average Rating

5.6

Reviews Sentiment

8.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Automation (14th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Plixer Scrutinizer is 0.4%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Automation Manager is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Plixer Scrutinizer	0.4%
SolarWinds Network Automation Manager	0.2%
Other	99.4%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Ira Mulyanti

Sales Director at ARGA SOLUSI

An affordable product with great integration capabilities

Plixer Core Platform is a valuable feature and a good software. Plixer Scrutinizer uses NetFlow analysis to monitor whatever is there in a network. Price-wise, Plixer Scrutinizer is not an expensive product. Basically, Plixer Scrutinizer is an affordable product. Plixer Scrutinizer is a tool that allows for customization, especially in scenarios where customers need new product features. Plixer Scrutinizer is a tool that can integrate with any other brand or product in the market, so it is not an area of concern.

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Giulio Valeri

Owner at SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS SRL

Threat detection failures, poor technical support, and expensive

We use the solution to manage all of our customer's systems. We monitor and decide if everything is okay and if not, we do changes when needed. For example, if there is a need to change the antivirus software we can automate the process and install the new one. There are scripts within the software…

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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

"As a network engineer, the ability to identify what traffic on the link is consuming all the bandwidth at any given time, and provide immediate feedback to the business, is the most valuable feature."

"The reporting and generating troubleshooting reports would be the best feature; our host-to-host conversation reporting."

"We have had many requests to understand in the network which devices are connected to others. Most people don't have this information or are able to establish a map of data flow everywhere around the network. Scrutinizer can really help with this. We are using it to understand who is talking to what, how, and which protocols can help us to improve security and analyze flow."

"The solution helps to enrich the data context of our network traffic. It allows me to see what applications are most in use on a slightly historical basis, going back a day or week at tops. It allows me to tune QoS or traffic shaping around what's being used. It saves me from having to unnecessarily upgrade, if I don't need to."

"Plixer Scrutinizer is an affordable product. Plixer Scrutinizer is a tool that allows for customization, especially in scenarios where customers need new product features."

"The ability to view the status of the top-10 at a glance is helpful. We immediately know which link is over-utilized or heavily used... and it's all in real-time."

"The most valuable features of Plixer Scrutinizer are its ease of use, accessibility, and UI."

"We didn't experience any bugs."

More Plixer Scrutinizer pros

"The installation is easy."

"The solution offers so many great resources, it makes them a powerhouse in the market."

Cons

"In Plixer Scrutinizer, scalability is an area with minor concerns where improvements are required."

"They're working on the security areas, so it can provide more insight. What they have is still pretty much IP-concentric. If they were to make it IP and URL, they'd be a little bit ahead on that."

"The visual acuity of how it presents data can sometimes be confusing. It takes a bit for people to spin up how to look at the graphs."

"It would be useful if there was a way to back up the configuration information. E.g., if you wanted to deploy a new instance or disaster recovery, you could quite easily deploy and restore the config, as opposed to having to restore all the NetFlow data. If there was just a button that said "backup config information", that would be good."

"The solution creates a visual map of a particular location and how the network flows. You need to spend time to generate all those maps. If they could figure out a way to reduce the time needed to generate the maps, that would be great."

"We couldn't get it set up properly."

"Knowing that they're coming out with a new user interface, that is an area where there is room for improvement. There are so many variables. They should limit the variables in the user interface and create some classes, like "simple," "novice," and "expert" to narrow down the variables within it."

"Data retention needs improvement. Data retention is a thing where we are looking for a better way to collect flow data for a longer time to do forensic research on security incidents. By default, data retention is quite low. We need detailed data in safe storage for a longer time, e.g., for a couple of months. An improvement would be a way to export data into a secure long-term storage."

More Plixer Scrutinizer cons

"We did not like SolarWinds because it was not able to communicate between UPSA and our accounting system. They should have better integration."

"The price could be a bit lower."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a recurring maintenance fee after the initial purchase or if we want the license upgrade."

"I rate Plixer Scrutinizer's price a three on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price or affordable, and ten is high price or expensive."

"We recently bought a license upgrade, so we will integrate more exporters. We upgraded from a 25 exporter license to a 50 exporter license. Therefore, there will be more flows, and this will be an extension. I don't know when we will purchase a faster server, because the server that we have is quite new."

"We just renewed. The pricing is 5,000 euro per year. This is the final price. All tax (20 percent) is included."

"The licensing cost for Plixer Scrutinizer is in the middle. It's not the cheapest, but it's not the most expensive. Its licensing model is based on how many exporters, how many devices export information to the system. Plixer Scrutinizer has different modules you could add such as the security module which would cost extra."

"Compared to some of the other tools we have, it's incredibly reasonably priced."

"It's about €10,000 a year for initial license and yearly maintenance costs. In addition, the hardware costs are about €10,000 once every five years."

"Our entire solution, amortized over five years, is in the vicinity of $40,000 to $50,000 a year."

More Plixer Scrutinizer pricing and cost advice

"The price of SolarWinds Network Automation Manager is fair. However, it is more expensive than ConnectWise."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

Government

16%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Performing Arts

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	8

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Plixer Scrutinizer?

Plixer Scrutinizer is an affordable product. Plixer Scrutinizer is a tool that allows for customization, especially in scenarios where customers need new product features.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Plixer Scrutinizer?

I rate Plixer Scrutinizer's price a three on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price or affordable, and ten is high price or expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Plixer Scrutinizer?

I don't have deep enough knowledge to comment on what requires improvements in Plixer Scrutinizer. In Plixer Scrutinizer, scalability is an area with minor concerns where improvements are required.

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Comparisons

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer vs Plixer Scrutinizer

Compared 28% of the time

Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs Plixer Scrutinizer

Compared 27% of the time

Kentik vs Plixer Scrutinizer

Compared 23% of the time

PRTG Network Monitor vs Plixer Scrutinizer

Compared 22% of the time

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NetBrain vs SolarWinds Network Automation Manager

Compared 76% of the time

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs SolarWinds Network Automation Manager

Compared 16% of the time

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs SolarWinds Network Automation Manager

Compared 9% of the time

More SolarWinds Network Automation Manager Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Plixer Scrutinizer

September 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Network Automation

October 2025

SolarWinds Network Automation Manager report

Download SolarWinds Network Automation Manager product report

Also Known As

No data available

SolarWinds NAM

Overview

The Scrutinizer incident response system leverages network traffic analytics to provide active monitoring, visualization, and reporting of network and security incidents. The system quickly delivers the rich forensic data needed by IT professionals to support fast and efficient incident response.

Plixer

Scale environments from 1,000 to tens of thousands of nodes with comprehensive performance, traffic, WAN, and switch port monitoring, automated change and configuration management, and IP address management in an integrated network automation software solution.

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

Oxford Networks, Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, UltiSat, Wipro, West Aurora School District 129, SUNY Geneseo College, Bloomington Public Schools, First National Bank of Pennsylvania, Kitsap Credit Union, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County Houston Texas, Carilion Clinic, Banner Health, IDEXX Laboratories, Phibro Animal Health Corporation, Goodwill Industries, Parmalat, Armstrong Coal Company, Flybe, James Walker

Maalem Financing Company, School City of Hammond

Buyer's Guide

Plixer Scrutinizer vs. SolarWinds Network Automation Manager

September 2025

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