SCOM vs WhatsUp Gold comparison

Microsoft and Progress Software are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Microsoft is ranked #25 with an average rating of 7.8, while Progress Software is ranked #21 with an average rating of 8.0. Microsoft holds a 1.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to Progress Software’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Progress Software users who would recommend it.

SCOM

Read 83 SCOM reviews

10,547 Views
7,066 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

WhatsUp Gold

Read 25 WhatsUp Gold reviews

13,110 Views
7,342 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

SCOM

WhatsUp Gold

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

SCOM and WhatsUp Gold compete in the IT monitoring tools category, with SCOM having the upper hand for enterprises deeply integrated within Microsoft environments due to its extensive native integrations and customization options. However, WhatsUp Gold is favored for network monitoring ease, particularly in diverse IT environments.

Features: SCOM integrates widely with Microsoft products through native management packs and offers significant customization, making it a top choice for Microsoft-centric environments. Its extensive monitoring capabilities cover servers, applications, and cloud services. WhatsUp Gold is notable for its user-friendly interface and strong focus on network monitoring, allowing simple yet effective oversight of network infrastructures. It also offers a versatile dashboard and automatic network discovery.

Room for Improvement: SCOM’s challenges include high costs and a complex setup that may require additional management packs, impeding rapid deployment. Its dashboard and reporting functionalities require further enhancement to be competitive in non-Microsoft domains. For WhatsUp Gold, pricing concerns over licensing and support surface, and its capabilities could expand more robustly into broader IT areas beyond network monitoring.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SCOM’s deployment is complex, generally needing specialized knowledge to integrate effectively into Microsoft environments, but provides strong monitoring capabilities once set up. Its customer service is reliable, especially for users with Microsoft Premier agreements. WhatsUp Gold offers simpler deployment, benefitting users lacking in-depth technical expertise, with responsive and helpful customer support that aligns with user needs.

Pricing and ROI: SCOM is part of the System Center suite, potentially cost-effective for enterprises already invested in Microsoft systems, but licensing complexities, depending on agent types, can be an issue. WhatsUp Gold is generally considered reasonably priced for the features it provides, though increasing licensing and support costs should be evaluated against an organization’s needs. Both solutions offer strong ROI, with SCOM excelling in Microsoft-heavy environments and WhatsUp Gold providing flexible network and application monitoring solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed SCOM vs. WhatsUp Gold Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

SCOM vs. WhatsUp Gold

August 2026

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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

SCOM

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

25th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Event Monitoring (5th)

WhatsUp Gold

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

21st

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (34th), Server Monitoring (14th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (17th), Configuration Management (20th), Log Management (39th), Cloud Monitoring Software (25th), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (11th)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of SCOM is 1.4%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WhatsUp Gold is 2.1%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
WhatsUp Gold	2.1%
SCOM	1.4%
Other	96.5%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Akshita Kukreja

Assistant Manager at SMS group GmbH

Have integrated effective monitoring and seamless alerting with improved visualization capabilities

The most valuable feature of SCOM is its monitoring capability, and we have integrated SCOM with Grafana, which is a dashboarding tool. We have implemented and integrated this to create dashboarding of the SCOM monitoring system for the database, SQL, and the Linux servers we have configured in SCOM. We have created separate dashboarding for it, and the monitoring and creating rules and monitors in the management servers and management packs that SCOM provides are very useful for us. The alerting mechanism of SCOM has benefited our operations because we have modified the thresholds as per our internal requirements. We have configured threshold modifications for the CPU, memory, and especially for disk space. For routine disk space usage on the system, we have provided a separate threshold configuration.

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Erik Cheng

Technical Manager at Quan Hung Gourmet

Efficient monitoring with detailed customization, yet complexity remains

The best feature of WhatsUp Gold is the automatic generation of topology and its integration with virtualization and wireless. I have used the automated device discovery with this topology feature. The interactive map feature helps me manage the topology because sometimes we cannot draw the topology correctly, so we need to manually edit the connections. The alerting system is very tunable and customizable, but it's a little complicated to use. Many customers cannot manage it by themselves and need support from us, the provider. We always use the dashboards in the SOC, where we constantly display a dashboard or multiple dashboards. This allows us to know immediately if the connection or bandwidth is full or if the connection is broken.

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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

"It would have to be the ability to monitor services, devices, and operations for many devices from a single console leveraging a wide variety of Management Packs available."

"If SCOM is implemented correctly, it can take away the need for administrators to constantly monitor things or perform health checks."

"SCOM is a very powerful tool if deployed and eventually maintained correctly."

"The license is very cheap compared to other products, and with SCOM license you get a license for all system center products."

"SCOM provided end-to-end monitoring for all aspects of the infrastructure, including web sites, network devices, databases and applications."

"Having been in IT for over 20 years, with Microsoft, you know what you are getting."

"It's easy to use."

"With Operations Manager, you have extract reporting capabilities and multiple report libraries that you can select from to customize reports to your own granular requirements."

More SCOM pros

"The most valuable features are network bandwidth monitoring and monitoring device health."

"The interactive mapping interface for scrolling, zooming, and drilling down on an element to learn about a network issue is good. When we see a network there will sometimes be a spot that has one link. You can go into a particular part of the topology map, scroll in, and see exactly which module it is."

"The threshold alerting is the most valuable feature."

"This is a good, stable network monitoring solution for devices."

"The most valuable feature is the auto-discovery function."

"We've been using it for many years and we use it typically for early warning, as it notifies customers of problems prior to failure."

"The tool's most valuable feature is the visibility it offers of everything in the network and infrastructure."

"We primarily use the solution to check the state of the network, monitoring thousands of devices and all of the internal network, and it is the first tool we use to see the state of the network for real-time monitoring."

More WhatsUp Gold pros

Cons

"I would like to see more standard libraries for the market solutions, out of the box, that you don't need to do a lot of work on."

"SCOM is not as straightforward in terms of user interface or general experience, which could be improved."

"The console feature is very poor, and it would be very good for us if this were improved."

"It's not straightforward, SCOM is relatively noisy out of the box, so time is required to tailor the alerting, adjusting threshold triggers and over-riding alerts that are not required to ensure alerts captured are relevant and require action."

"Application monitoring must be improved."

"System Center just provided upgrade and update features for Windows clients, and Windows systems, and did not support Linux, Android, or iOS, and other operating systems. They need to provide better integration with other operating systems if they don't already."

"On-prem network monitoring is something that could be improved drastically."

"I would like more customized reports. People should have some customization option on the dashboards for whenever they put multiple lists into it. Beyond customizing the content, there should be the ability to customize the colors so that they can engage some priority and mark challenges separately."

More SCOM cons

"Sometimes it's a little bit slow."

"There are some subscription charges that are quite heavy. I need to pay for support every year and these charges can be quite expensive."

"The product is old and not updated."

"The licensing model could be improved. Right now, the levels are too far apart. This causes the solution to be more expensive than it needs to be."

"We can never achieve or get a good picture of the network topology."

"I would like to see them do an enhancement to the application monitoring. A lot of other products do better application monitoring so they should do some improvements to the application monitoring."

"Adding on services increases the cost and on the version we have there is no option for ATM monitoring."

"Importing the maps and being able to customize them could be easier."

More WhatsUp Gold cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Two customers bought the enterprise agreement with Microsoft and paid for Software Assurance. But few customers don't buy it for Software Assurance. They just buy it and deploy it, and they think that we will be using it for the next five years."

"It is the cheapest product available in the market."

"The pricing is good, and it's part of their system center suite."

"I don't know the exact cost because it's managed by our sales team, but Microsoft is on the higher side."

"Our licensing fees are approximately $30 per user, per month."

"We have an EA with Microsoft, and it comes as part of the EA."

"If you have a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, then this is part of the agreement."

"SCOM's pricing is average."

More SCOM pricing and cost advice

"There are some subscription charges that are quite heavy. I need to pay for support every year and these charges can be quite expensive. Aside from the initial cost for the tool, you need to pay additionally for support."

"It is per device, per year. The pricing is very clear. If you have a service agreement, you get all of your major upgrades and minor upgrades. It was under $10,000 to go all-in with all of the different add-ons for it."

"The price of WhatsUp Gold is good."

"The most valuable feature is the cost compared to other solutions."

"Pricing is reasonable compared to other products."

"The pricing can be on the expensive side when considering competing products."

"The choice of version depends on the number of points, or devices, that you want to monitor, and this makes the product expensive."

"There is a license needed to use WhatsUp Gold."

More WhatsUp Gold pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	16
Midsize Enterprise	22
Large Enterprise	54

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	14

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SCOM?

I am not aware of the exact pricing as it is managed by my supervisor. As an academic institution, we receive substantial discounts.

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What needs improvement with SCOM?

We believe that the dashboarding in SCOM needs to be improved or enhanced because it is not too expressive in reporting. We can work on deploying new ways of viewing things and modifying visualizat...

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What is your primary use case for SCOM?

My usual use case for SCOM is as an administrator role where I create reports and provide system configuration for Linux and installation of the SCOM agent. I handle deploying and upgrading the age...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for WhatsUp Gold?

Clients find the licensing calculator confusing, but we simplify this for them by collecting relevant information first. The licensing is based on devices, providing better cost-effectiveness than ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with WhatsUp Gold?

It would be great if WhatsUp Gold could add features that simplify management with AI, as it is currently too complicated to manage.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for WhatsUp Gold?

My use case for WhatsUp Gold includes all device availability checks, bandwidth usage, CPU, and memory usage, as well as alarm notifications.

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

SCOM

August 2026

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Buyer's Guide

WhatsUp Gold

August 2026

Download WhatsUp Gold product report

Also Known As

System Center Operations Manager, SCOM 2012

No data available

Overview

SCOM monitors Microsoft environments with a focus on Windows servers and applications such as SQL, Exchange, and SharePoint. It offers integration with Active Directory and Azure, along with customizable dashboards, management packs, and robust alert mechanisms, aiding efficient management and control.

SCOM provides a comprehensive monitoring solution for Microsoft technologies, helping organizations track performance and availability of applications, services, and infrastructure. It integrates with Active Directory and Azure, offering capabilities for monitoring Windows and Linux environments. Extensive management packs, customizable dashboards, and automated alerts offer a refined monitoring experience. Users benefit from detailed performance data, network monitoring, and auto-discovery features, enhancing operational insights and server management efficiency.

What are key features of SCOM?

Microsoft Environment Monitoring: Specialized for Windows servers and applications such as SQL, Exchange, and SharePoint.
Integration Capabilities: Seamless integration with Active Directory and Azure for streamlined operations.
Customizable Dashboards: Tailor visual data displays to enhance monitoring and decision-making.
Extensive Management Packs: Broad range of management packs for enhanced resource and application control.
Robust Alert Mechanisms: Comprehensive alerting to maintain service stability and address potential issues promptly.

What benefits should users seek in reviews?

Operational Efficiency: Enhanced management of server applications and infrastructure.
Comprehensive Monitoring: Detailed insights into performance and service availability.
Proactive Issue Notification: Timely alerts for quick issue resolution.
Improved Control: More efficient server management through automation and visibility.

In technology sectors, SCOM is widely implemented for its ability to monitor server applications and infrastructure components. Healthcare and finance utilize its monitoring and alert systems for compliance and uptime. Enterprises integrate SCOM for managing complex systems like Exchange, SharePoint, and Active Directory, enabling comprehensive analytics and reporting.

Microsoft

WhatsUp Gold stands out with its comprehensive network monitoring, dynamic mapping, and real-time alerts, offering essential tools for managing extensive IT infrastructures.

WhatsUp Gold provides robust capabilities in network visibility through dynamic mapping and NetFlow analysis. The platform's interactive topology aids in pinpointing issues effectively. Auto-discovery ensures complete network device tracking. While offering an intuitive interface and integration with Cisco ServiceNow, users find server performance monitoring useful for incident handling. However, improvements are anticipated in application monitoring and Active Directory integration. The pricing model and customization options leave room for enhancement. Despite these, users benefit from its integrated dashboards for immediate device health checks and network updates, making it beneficial for large-scale infrastructure management.

What features does WhatsUp Gold offer?

Network Monitoring: Provides continuous oversight of network components
Dynamic Mapping: Offers visual representation of network topology
NetFlow Analysis: Delivers insights into bandwidth utilization
Threshold Alerts: Notifies users upon reaching set performance thresholds
Auto-Discovery: Detects devices automatically for complete network coverage

What benefits should users expect from reviews?

Comprehensive Visibility: Enhanced understanding of network elements
Real-Time Monitoring: Immediate insights into network and device status
Cost-Effectiveness: Competitive solution suitable for expansive networks
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies the management of complex networks

Organizations in sectors like telecommunications, education, and healthcare utilize WhatsUp Gold for their network monitoring needs. Telecom companies track switches and routers, educational institutions manage bandwidth usage, and healthcare facilities monitor device availability to ensure seamless operations.

Progress Software

Sample Customers

Dialog Telekom

Artoni Trasporti, Austin Independent School District, Banca Marche, Burke County North Carolina, Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine, Clayco, Community Integrated Care, Desca, Deutsche Bergbau, Flexi-Van, Gropper, Hamleys, Hammonds Furniture, Knowledge IT, Idras S.P.A., Sibeg, Swann Engineering, Trivium Lindenhof

Buyer's Guide

SCOM vs. WhatsUp Gold

August 2026

Free Report: SCOM vs. WhatsUp Gold

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