Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer vs WhatsUp Gold comparison

SolarWinds and Progress Software are both solutions in the Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) category. SolarWinds is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.8, while Progress Software is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.7. SolarWinds holds a 5.3% mindshare in NTA, compared to Progress Software’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 83% of SolarWinds users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Progress Software users who would recommend it.
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic ...
Read 43 SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer reviews
  • 1,904 Views
  • 628 Comparison Views
83% willing to recommend
WhatsUp Gold
Read 25 WhatsUp Gold reviews
  • 2,726 Views
  • 27 Comparison Views
85% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report
Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer and WhatsUp Gold based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPORT
To learn more, read our detailed SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer vs. WhatsUp Gold Report (Updated: September 2020).
Buyer's Guide
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer vs. WhatsUp Gold
September 2020
Download the complete report
Helped 866,561 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

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic ...
Ranking in Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)
4th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
WhatsUp Gold
Ranking in Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)
12th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (30th), Network Monitoring Software (31st), Server Monitoring (16th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (30th), Configuration Management (17th), Log Management (28th), Cloud Monitoring Software (24th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) category, the mindshare of SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is 5.3%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WhatsUp Gold is 0.4%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer5.3%
WhatsUp Gold0.4%
Other94.3%
Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)
 

Featured Reviews

Raja Xabi - PeerSpot reviewer
Improved bandwidth management and network visibility have resulted in financial benefits and streamlined operations
There is always room for improvement in SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer, such as implementing instant reporting based on business intelligence reports and more granular filters in their dashboard to improve the GUI view and reporting. The licensing model of SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is always an issue for users because competitors offer unlimited and perpetual licenses, and SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer's model is quite costly compared to other brands. If users are comfortable with SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer, they have to make the hard decision to invest, and it's suggested from a user's perspective that SolarWinds should improve their financial model and licensing to become competitive, especially for small to medium businesses.
Read full review
Tom Condo - PeerSpot reviewer
If CPU, memory, or disk space is over-utilized, it alerts us immediately via text or email if there is an issue
When it comes to the intuitiveness of the topology mapping feature, our network architect created a vision diagram of our entire network and then created the links tied into the WhatsUp active monitoring to different spots on our topology map. It's one of the more critical functions we do here. We have the map displayed in different places in our room and help desk. We get alerted via emails but we can also see it visually. It does what it says it's going to do. We find this feature very helpful. 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. All the information is provided. This feature really helps. You can see the correlation between that link and what failed. This feature is very helpful. The interface is fairly intuitive. Some of our users used SolarWinds and Nagios, and WhatsUp is easy in comparison. Once you get set up, the look, feel, and configuration are good. Our network architect had never used it before but he was able to create the Visio and map. It was very simple. He has no problems with it.
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

"SolarWinds has improved our organization because whenever a device is down, we get an alert."
"It allows us to pinpoint which protocol is overloading the link."
"The bandwidth indicates the utilization of the devices; if any issue occurs, it triggers an alert for me."
"I would rate NetFlow Traffic Analyzer's stability ten out of ten."
"So far, it is a very stable product."
"The support is excellent."
"This solution gives us important information about the utilization of protocols, particularly in terms of how often they are used."
"It doesn't cost too much."
More SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer pros
"I use it on premises to monitor my network database. We monitor the link up/down and use the SNMP traps as well."
"The solution effectively monitors network devices and servers."
"The most important features of WhatsUp Gold are the server health and uptime it provides. Additionally, WhatsUp Gold is a Windows-based solution which is a benefit."
"The most valuable features are network bandwidth monitoring and monitoring device health."
"The most valuable feature is the monitoring of resources."
"This is a good, stable network monitoring solution for devices."
"Auto scanning is most valuable. It looks for rogue devices on your network."
"The product is reasonably priced."
More WhatsUp Gold pros
 

Cons

"It is very slow to pick the dynamics of the network."
"I'm expecting to see a little bit more artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. They need a bit more sophistication in that."
"Currently, it shows only the top ten applications or ports in use, while the remaining data appears as 'remaining traffic,' causing confusion."
"The solution should improve its automation feature. It's quite limited compared to other products."
"The pricing is expensive."
"The licensing should be more realistic so that we can adjust the number of nodes according to my needs, rather than in fixed increments."
"There is room for improvement when it comes to the traffic generated by the analyzer and the analysis of that traffic."
"SolarWinds' technical support is ok, but it could be faster and more knowledgeable."
More SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer cons
"One of the biggest things that made us start to look at another product is we're not able to have an end to end monitoring from a user perspective throughout the system and back to the user. All the monitoring is from inside out, we need something that also can give us from outside in."
"I would like to see better integration with switches so that you can see what is connected to each port, what the traffic is, and have a network map automatically generated."
"The pricing for this solution has gone up quite recently, which has led some of our customers to buy an alternative product."
"Adding on services increases the cost and on the version we have there is no option for ATM monitoring."
"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."
"The point system is not clear and clarity around this would improve our understanding of the system."
"The new release cadence needs to be improved. It takes a while for them to add new features and functionality. There should be a quicker turnaround with new versions."
"Pricing is too high relative to how many devices we use. The price list is not linear to number of devices."
More WhatsUp Gold cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay yearly, and we are happy with its price."
"The pricing is really good."
"NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is reasonably priced."
"I don't have information on the licensing cost for SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer because it's bundled with another SolarWinds solution. My organization has seven different models and pays for the license yearly. My organization also had to deploy additional pollers, but the cost wasn't very expensive, though I can't give the exact numbers."
"For our environment, we pay approximately $25,000 USD yearly."
"The solution's licensing is high-priced."
"Licensing for SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is paid yearly, and there are no additional costs that you need to pay apart from the standard licensing fees because you don't need to purchase another solution to make SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer work. Pricing for SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is more expensive than other solutions."
"The price of this solution is exceptional."
More SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer pricing and cost advice
"I'm not sure, but it's expensive. We don't pay any additional fees."
"This is a well priced solution."
"The most valuable feature is the cost compared to other solutions."
"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."
"The tool's price is reasonable. WhatsUp Gold is cheaper than SolarWinds."
"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."
"Pricing is reasonable compared to other products."
"There is a license needed to use WhatsUp Gold."
More WhatsUp Gold pricing and cost advice
report
See which vendors are best for you
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) solutions are best for your needs.
See recommendations
866,561 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Healthcare Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise26
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise14
 

Questions from the Community

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?
I have worked from 1973 with all kind of systems in large enterprises across the world. And have experience with all kind of software in monitoring from infra to end to end, it depends on the funct...
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer?
The licensing model of SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is always an issue for users because competitors offer unlimited and perpetual licenses, and SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer's model i...
See all answers
What needs improvement with SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer?
Regarding improvement, the application monitoring capabilities are not exceptional. If SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer could improve in that area, it would be helpful. It is less AIOps driven a...
See all answers
What do you like most about WhatsUp Gold?
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 l...
See all answers
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?
Improvements are needed in integration, especially for WhatsApp call and messages. Our region heavily uses WhatsApp Messenger for communication, and integration with this platform would be benefici...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Zabbix vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer Logo
Zabbix vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer
Compared 20% of the time
Darktrace vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer Logo
Darktrace vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer
Compared 13% of the time
Plixer Scrutinizer vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer Logo
Plixer Scrutinizer vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer
Compared 11% of the time
SolarWinds NPM vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer Logo
SolarWinds NPM vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer
Compared 10% of the time
Wireshark vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer Logo
Wireshark vs SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer
Compared 9% of the time
More SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer Competitors
Grafana vs WhatsUp Gold Logo
Grafana vs WhatsUp Gold
Compared 11% of the time
PRTG Network Monitor vs WhatsUp Gold Logo
PRTG Network Monitor vs WhatsUp Gold
Compared 10% of the time
SolarWinds NPM vs WhatsUp Gold Logo
SolarWinds NPM vs WhatsUp Gold
Compared 8% of the time
Zabbix vs WhatsUp Gold Logo
Zabbix vs WhatsUp Gold
Compared 7% of the time
ManageEngine OpManager vs WhatsUp Gold Logo
ManageEngine OpManager vs WhatsUp Gold
Compared 6% of the time
More WhatsUp Gold Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer
August 2025
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer reportDownload SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer product report
Buyer's Guide
WhatsUp Gold
August 2025
WhatsUp Gold reportDownload WhatsUp Gold product report
 

Also Known As

Netflow Traffic Analyzer
No data available
 

Overview

SolarWinds Netflow Traffic Analyzer enables you to capture data from continuous streams of network traffic and convert those raw numbers into easy-to-interpret charts and tables that quantify exactly how the corporate network is being used, by whom, and for what purpose.
SolarWinds

Explore and manage your entire network infrastructure effortlessly with WhatsUp Gold's robust layer 2/3 discovery, creating a detailed interactive map from the edge to the cloud. Monitor devices, wireless controllers, servers, virtual machines, applications, and traffic flows across various environments. Real-time alerts ensure optimal performance, allowing you to meet or exceed SLAs. The platform offers customizable maps, dashboards, and alerts for easy network management. Quickly resolve issues with intuitive workflows, reducing Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR). WhatsUp Gold's integrated log management provides easy visibility and control of device log data, allowing monitoring, filtering, searching, and alerting on syslogs or Windows logs. Archive logs to comply with regulatory requirements and preserve historical data, all through a user-friendly interface. Streamline network monitoring and issue resolution with WhatsUp Gold, making network management efficient and hassle-free.

Progress Software
 

Sample Customers

Oceaneering International, Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, 335th Signal Command, Immofori
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
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer vs. WhatsUp Gold
September 2020
Free Report: SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer vs. WhatsUp Gold
Find out what your peers are saying about SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer vs. WhatsUp Gold and other solutions. Updated: September 2020.
DOWNLOAD NOW
866,561 professionals have used our research since 2012.
See our SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer vs. WhatsUp Gold report.
See our list of best Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) vendors.

We monitor all Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.