SolarWinds Network Device Monitor vs Viavi Observer Platform comparison

SolarWinds and Viavi Solutions are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. SolarWinds is ranked #30 with an average rating of 7.8, while Viavi Solutions is ranked #92. SolarWinds holds a 0.6% mindshare in NMS, compared to Viavi Solutions’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of SolarWinds users are willing to recommend the solution.

SolarWinds Network Device M...

Read 23 SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reviews

831 Views
798 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Viavi Observer Platform

Read 1 Viavi Observer Platform review

308 Views
305 Comparison Views

0% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Network Device M...

Viavi Observer Platform

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between SolarWinds Network Device Monitor and Viavi Observer Platform based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Zabbix, Auvik, SolarWinds and others in Network Monitoring Software.

To learn more, read our detailed Network Monitoring Software Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

September 2025

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Helped 867,821 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 Network Device M...

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

30th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Viavi Observer Platform

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

92nd

Average Rating

0.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is 0.6%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Viavi Observer Platform 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 (%)
SolarWinds Network Device Monitor	0.6%
Viavi Observer Platform	0.2%
Other	99.2%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Vijay Samant

Assistant Manager at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Monitor network utilization and manage bandwidth efficiently with live monitoring and reliable fault management capabilities

I use SolarWinds Network Device Monitor for monitoring network utilization, bandwidth utilization, uptime, and downtime. It also assists in incident management SolarWinds Network Device Monitor provides live monitoring capabilities, which are very useful. Its fault management capabilities are…

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JeroenDubbelman

Director at Bitrate

The product is extremely valuable and provides a lot of functionalities and visibility to organizations

The score-based application performance ratings help the network team. Often, customers have a siloed environment for security, applications, and servers. The network team is always asked to do troubleshooting. Being able to know how well an application worked in the past and what's happening today is really helpful. If someone has a complaint and the network team says that the problem is not on their side, they must be able to demonstrate it accurately. The network team is often given the least budget and the least number of employees. So, they must be able to troubleshoot and pinpoint problems as fast as possible. If it’s a network issue, they must fix it. However, if it is a cloud problem, an ISP problem, or a problem within the server or application environment, they must be able to demonstrate it clearly. It is the real benefit they get from the solution. Some of our customers are financial institutions. They use the tool for traffic accounting, especially when they get charged by ISPs or carriers for the amount of traffic they are using. In South Africa, we have banks that pay the service providers to allow customers to use their banking apps for free. The bank pays for it, not the customers. So, they need to compare to ensure they are paying for what has been used. Viavi enables them to do that. It is pretty much the best there is in the world. There is nothing to beat it. The product is extremely valuable and provides a lot of functionalities. It's really impressive.

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

"There are vital features of auto-plugin core ports"

"I like the mapping that you could do and the dashboards were very pretty."

"SolarWinds is flexible and works with multiple vendor devices."

"The most valuable feature of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is it shows you the utilization of devices to allow you to take proactive action before something goes down or reaches the saturation point. You can take proactive action to fix the problem before it occurs."

"The solution and its interface are elaborate and fully integrate all monitored items for easy analysis and troubleshooting."

"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is a straightforward product with valuable functionality."

"The most valuable feature of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is monitoring."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pros

"The score-based application performance ratings help the network team."

Cons

"Although I haven't explored all of the features available, I wouldn't mind if the software were made to be a bit more customizable."

"It would be beneficial if SolarWinds Network Device Monitor could provide a feature to monitor CRC errors specifically on individual interfaces rather than the entire device. This would help in detecting intermittent issues and packet drops on main links more accurately, especially when there are CRC errors. It's important for us to be aware of these issues to avoid any voice quality problems or interruptions on our MTS links."

"The security needs improvement, which is why we are moving away from Solar Winds. We have security concerns."

"If everything were in the package so that everything was ready to go out of the box, that would be ideal."

"Integration with different tools, such as ServiceNow and Excel, can be improved."

"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor could improve the features. We don't have the complete model for the database, and the monitoring for the database is up and down. We expect that we could monitor the blocking items on the database but we don't have that feature."

"The security could always be improved."

"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor could improve by being more user-friendly. The network has so many features which make it difficult to find how to configure how to use it. It is not simple to customize."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor cons

"The product must start using a bit more machine learning and AI, especially for security."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the product's price as three to three and a half or on a scale of one to ten, where one means low price, and ten means high price."

"When compared with other solutions SolarWinds is more expensive."

"Thankfully, it doesn't take a lot of manpower to install and deploy."

"The enterprise license is good for the SolarWinds Network Device Monitor. However, it is expensive, they should reduce their price."

"The product is expensive."

"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is not an expensive solution."

"Well, we had a perpetual license and the renewal was $20 to $25,000."

"The price of the SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is good."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pricing and cost advice

"The tool is very pricey."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

14%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

20%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	14

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

I rate the product's initial setup process a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one means it is a difficult phase and ten is an easy process.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

I am not a positive person regarding SolarWinds Network Device Monitor.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

There are solutions that can perform better, but due to pricing for our corporate implementation, we had to stay with this solution. It accomplishes the necessary tasks, but there is room for impro...

See all answers

What do you like most about Viavi Observer Platform?

The score-based application performance ratings help the network team.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Viavi Observer Platform?

The tool is very pricey. It is a challenge. I rate the pricing a ten out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Viavi Observer Platform?

Customers must understand what Viavi offers. The product offers so much value that it hasn’t been able to demonstrate it to the customers. The product must start using a bit more machine learning a...

See all answers

Comparisons

ScienceLogic vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 26% of the time

FortiMonitor vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 19% of the time

IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 18% of the time

Checkmk vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 9% of the time

ThousandEyes vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 8% of the time

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Competitors

Datadog vs Viavi Observer Platform

Compared 62% of the time

NETSCOUT nGeniusONE vs Viavi Observer Platform

Compared 38% of the time

More Viavi Observer Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

August 2025

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor report

Download SolarWinds Network Device Monitor product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

September 2025

Download Viavi Observer Platform product report

Also Known As

Network Device Monitor

No data available

Overview

Network Device Monitor is a free tool that makes it easy to monitor the real-time performance and health of a single device on your network with a desktop dashboard that alerts you when your device is in trouble.

SolarWinds

Viavi Observer Platform offers comprehensive network performance and monitoring solutions designed to meet the demanding needs of enterprises, with technologies that ensure efficient handling of network and application performance data.

Known for its robust offering, Viavi Observer Platform provides insightful analytics that allow businesses to have a detailed grasp of their network performance, focusing on real-time data visibility and deep packet inspection. Its ability to isolate communication issues and determine root causes quickly makes it essential for IT professionals looking to maintain high network efficiency and reliability.

What are the most important features of Viavi Observer Platform?

Packet Capture: Enables retrieval and analysis of detailed network packet data to diagnose problems.
Real-time Analytics: Provides instantaneous insights into network performance, facilitating rapid issue resolution.
Application Monitoring: Strengthens performance by tracking application behaviors and troubleshooting.
Customized Dashboards: Offers tailored views of key performance metrics for ease of access and monitoring.

What benefits or ROI should users consider?

Improved Network Efficiency: Streamlined diagnostics lead to optimal network operation.
Cost Reduction: Faster issue resolution reduces downtime and associated costs.
Enhanced Security: Comprehensive data visibility assists in identifying and mitigating security threats promptly.
Scalability: Adapts to growing network demands, ensuring consistent performance as businesses expand.

Viavi Observer Platform is particularly beneficial in industries such as finance and healthcare, where zero-tolerance for network latency and security breaches is crucial. Its strategic deployment in these sectors ensures uninterrupted service delivery and protects sensitive information.

Viavi Solutions

Sample Customers

Air Rarotonga

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

September 2025

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Find out what your peers are saying about Zabbix, Auvik, SolarWinds and others in Network Monitoring Software. Updated: September 2025.

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