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PRTG vs Zabbix Comparison for Network Monitoring and Management
UPDATED: March 31, 2023
When looking for the differences between PRTG vs Zabbix, in terms of Network, Server and Infrastructure monitoring, we want to evenly consider the benefits, pros & cons and strengths/weaknesses of each software suite before making the decision on which one to deploy in our environments. We'll layout out which is the best choice for networking monitoring and a table laying out their features and options.
Some major considerations that we've brought up in previous comparisons and breakdowns of PRTG and other major open-source and commercial alternatives are as follows:
- Support and Enterprise Assistance (Most Important for us)
- Ease of Configuration and Intuitiveness
- Scalability for Future Growth
- Automatic Network Discovery and Mapping
- Extensive Hardware Vendor Support (OID's and MIB)
- Alerts, Reporting, and Notifications (via Email/SMS)
- UI Friendliness and Ease of Use
- Web/Mobile Accessibility and/or App
These requirements above are just a few things we are looking for when comparing these two software suites, and furthermore, how well they perform in real-world environments.
Price
One of the most important, if not THE MOST important, questions is Pricing.
Zabbix is a Free, Open-Source software package. However, we do not recommend you make your decision based on price alone. As many admins and engineers realize at one point or another in their IT career, you will eventually need help with an issue that arises from a software package you are using.
This is where Support and/or Google comes into play. When dealing with an open-source, Free software package, you'll notice that support is at times, lackluster.
PRTG, on the other hand, has a Free version that allows you to monitor up to 100 Sensors for as long as you want. You can also download and use the unlimited version on a 30-day free trial to discover your requirements.
Paessler has a team that responds to support issues within 24 Hrs of less (except for weekends) for all Support issues and requests, on top of their ever-growing Knowledge base, FAQ's, training videos, Resource center, and Manuals.
Pros:
- Uses a combination of packet sniffing, WMI, and SNMP to report network performance data
- Fully customizable dashboard is great for both lone administrators as well as NOC teams
- Drag and drop editor makes it easy to build custom views and reports
- Supports a wide range of alert mediums such as SMS, email, and third-party integrations into platforms like Slack
- Each sensor is specifically designed to monitor each application, for example, there are prebuilt sensors whose specific purpose is to capture and monitor VoIP activity
- Supports a freeware version
Cons:
- Is a very comprehensive platform with many features and moving parts that require time to learn
PRTG – Download a 30-day Free Trial!
Don't let PRTG's price fool you though, as with Zabbix, if you are looking to Buy Enterprise Support or even Migration/Update services, the pricing is not made public, only the levels of support are, as seen below:
Pros:
- Open-source transparent tool
- Uses both SNMP and ICMP for a broader monitoring range
- Can detect new devices and configuration changes immediately
- Offers useful templates for quick insights
- Robust notification system supports SMS, email, custom script, and webhook
Cons:
- The interface isn’t as intuitive as solutions such as DataDog or Site24x7
- Would like to see better-alerting features, specifically related to reducing false positives
Zabbix Upgrade services are however made public, and can be seen here: http://www.zabbix.com/upgrade_services
Here's are the Main Differences & Comparison between PRTG vs Zabbix:
PRTG |
Zabbix |
|
|---|---|---|
| Network Uptime & Critical Monitor |
Yes | Yes |
| Scalability/Expandability | Yes | Yes |
| Notification & Alerting System | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic Network and Device Discovery |
Yes | Yes (Website states Auto Mode But not fully featured) |
| SNMP/Agentless Support | Yes | Yes |
| Syslog & Event consolidation | Yes | Yes |
| Extensive Built-in Vendor Support | Yes | Yes (but not Extensive) |
| GUI/Web Intuitive Interface | Yes | Yes (very Basic compared to PRTG) |
| Network and Topology Maps | Yes | No |
| Bandwidth and Netflow Analysis (sFlow, jFlow, IPFix, etc) |
Yes (Full Support) |
No |
| Hardware Health Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless Network Mapping and Monitoring |
Yes | No Mapping /Monitoring Yes (Plugin needed) |
| VMware & Hyper-V Support | Yes (Vmware, Hyper-V, ESX, Xen Server) |
Yes/3rd Party Add-on |
| VoIP and QoS Support | Yes | Custom Scripts Required |
| Cloud Service Support | Yes | Yes (AWS Specific) |
| Server Room Environmental Monitoring |
Yes | Yes |
| Active Directory/LDAP Integration | Yes | Yes |
| Native Mobile App (iPhone/Android) | Yes | No |
| IP SLA Support/Reporting | Yes | Yes |
| Cost | Free Edition up to 100 Sensors (Unlimited Time) More Pricing for Additional Sensor Found on their PRICE LIST |
Free |
| Download PRTG Free! | Go to Zabbix.com |
We've also broken down the comparisons of PRTG vs Nagios here and against MRTG here if you wanted a further breakdown of features PRTG has over other software packages.
All in all, both of software packages are good tools for Monitoring & Managing your Network, we suggest you grab a Free Download of either one and get started monitoring to understand their Full capabilities & feature set.
PRTG vs Zabbix FAQs
What are the key features of PRTG?
The key features of PRTG include real-time data collection, a comprehensive set of monitoring sensors, alerting and notification capabilities, and scalability.
What are the key features of Zabbix?
The key features of Zabbix include real-time data collection, a powerful query language, alerting and notification capabilities, and scalability.
What are the benefits of using PRTG?
The benefits of using PRTG include its commercial support, comprehensive set of monitoring sensors, and scalability, making it a comprehensive solution for monitoring and alerting on a variety of different systems and applications.
What are the benefits of using Zabbix?
The benefits of using Zabbix include its open-source nature, scalability, and powerful query language, which allows for efficient data analysis and alerting.
How does PRTG compare to Zabbix?
PRTG and Zabbix are both monitoring solutions, but PRTG is a commercial solution with a focus on real-time data collection and a comprehensive set of monitoring sensors, while Zabbix is an open-source solution with a focus on real-time data collection and analysis.