Azure Network Watcher vs PRTG Network Monitor comparison

Microsoft and Paessler GmbH are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Microsoft is ranked #42 with an average rating of 8.5, while Paessler GmbH is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.6. Microsoft holds a 0.5% mindshare in NMS, compared to Paessler GmbH’s 2.9% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Paessler GmbH users who would recommend it.

Azure Network Watcher

Read 13 Azure Network Watcher reviews

1,676 Views
1,626 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

PRTG Network Monitor

Read 113 PRTG Network Monitor reviews

14,738 Views
10,317 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Azure Network Watcher

PRTG Network Monitor

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

PRTG Network Monitor and Azure Network Watcher are competitors in the network monitoring category. Based on their features, Azure Network Watcher seems to excel in environments heavily invested in cloud due to its native capabilities.

Features: PRTG Network Monitor offers extensive notification features, diverse sensors for network insights, and adaptability across environments. Azure Network Watcher provides network diagnostic tools, integrated firewall capabilities, and cloud-native features enhancing its utility in cloud deployments.

Room for Improvement: PRTG Network Monitor could enhance intuitive data presentation, desktop application usability, and scalability. Azure Network Watcher needs improvements in AI features, visualization clarity, and better documentation to facilitate analytics and integration.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: PRTG Network Monitor is versatile and deployable on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments, but users report slow support responses. Azure Network Watcher is aimed at public cloud setups with generally quicker support response times.

Pricing and ROI: PRTG Network Monitor has varied pricing, often seen as costly for larger setups, yet users experience good ROI via cost savings. Azure Network Watcher is reasonably priced, especially for basic use, with ROI benefits from efficient cloud resource management.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Network Watcher vs. PRTG Network Monitor Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. PRTG Network Monitor

April 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

Azure Network Watcher

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

42nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

PRTG Network Monitor

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

113

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (4th), Cloud Monitoring Software (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Azure Network Watcher is 0.5%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PRTG Network Monitor is 2.9%, down from 4.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
PRTG Network Monitor	2.9%
Azure Network Watcher	0.5%
Other	96.6%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Bijoyendra Roychowdhury

Program Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

Network monitoring provides comprehensive analytics while the interface requires further development

The quality of Azure Network Watcher is quite good in terms of the in-depth analysis you can create from these matrices. There are other monitoring tools such as New Relic, AppDynamics, and Dynatrace which provide very detailed network tracing. Cloud providers such as Azure or AWS do not have that kind of GUI-based capability at this point, but using PowerShell or Python, you can develop it yourself. From the GUI perspective, it still needs to evolve in terms of quality and standard, though overall, it is quite good for troubleshooting. Regarding areas for improvement, when comparing to other network tools beyond Azure Monitor or Azure Network Watcher, those tools can identify single failed packets. This level of granularity is not currently possible with cloud providers as they only go to a certain level rather than the granular level needed for deep troubleshooting, though they do provide hints with available matrices.

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madhan kumar hs

software engineer at Capgemini

Alerting precision has reduced incident response times and improved department-level network visibility

The auto-pause sensor during the maintenance window is good without any false alerts, and it prevents me from getting flooded with alerts during planned maintenance, helping department heads understand their own network usage better. It has reduced incident response time by giving clearer ownership of each alert, ensuring alerts go to the proper recipient. SNMP testers and auto-pause are among the best features of PRTG Network Monitor, which is particularly useful for different departments such as HR and finance, where alerts can be filtered accordingly. The alerting features and dashboard of PRTG Network Monitor are very helpful, especially in our industry. However, the dashboard can look cluttered on smaller screens, which is one negative aspect. PRTG Network Monitor has impacted us positively; we have stopped getting flooded with alerts during planned maintenance or unplanned outages. Compared to others, this gives specific alerts very quickly and helps department heads understand their own network usage better, thus reducing incident response time so that each alert has clear ownership.

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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

"This is a stable system providing stable performance."

"The most valuable feature of Azure Network Watcher is using the gateways with the connections. The monitoring is useful for the logs and application insights into the data. The traffic filtering issues when it comes to deploying those applications are helpful."

"We use the solution to monitor network services. It helps to capture any network issues."

"The solution is stable, there are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze, it's reliable."

"This will help the company or the administrator, by helping them see how the traffic moves, to make sure that no entities are having any communication issues or different endpoints with task issues."

"My advice to others looking into using Azure Network Watcher is to go for it, as you'll have the tool by default when you're subscribed to Azure VNet."

"Azure Network Watcher provides valuable features based on your specific requirements and use cases, helping you monitor network bandwidth, throughput, data flow consumption, and control costs by giving insight into egress and ingress traffic, total input and output operations, bandwidth, and threats through IP identification."

"The stability is very good. I rate it a ten out of ten."

More Azure Network Watcher pros

"PRTG Network Monitor is user-friendly and takes just one click to install the solution in Windows."

"It is user-friendly, it is easy to set up health checks within PRTG and use scans, it is like a self-service tool, and anyone can configure their own settings within PRTG."

"I'd advise people not to waste one more moment and start using it immediately."

"Stable solution for monitoring networks and bandwidth, with multiple functions and features such as NetFlow Collector, graphical monitoring, etc."

"The authentication links into our standard Active Directory authentication, which is very good."

"The up-to-date graphs and the history are very good."

"The fact that I can use custom MIB files to customize my sensors for the things that are not there as a default is a good feature."

"PRTG Network Monitor's best features are its flexibility, ease of implementation, user-friendliness, and intuitive interfaces."

More PRTG Network Monitor pros

Cons

"I still use Wireshark and Azure Network Watcher to get the required data. My team captures the traffic from Azure Network Watcher, downloads it, then imports that traffic into Wireshark to get more details on the number of hits and replies, for example. If you can do that on Azure Network Watcher and have Wireshark built-in, that would make Azure Network Watcher better. If Azure Network Watcher has that functionality where you won't need a third-party tool to get what you need, that would be helpful. I'm also expecting more from Azure Network Watcher. It's more complex than knowing how the IP flows from its source to the destination. The tool also needs more open-source features, such as having some built-in Wireshark that improves monitoring for customers. Sometimes, you encounter a VPN tunnel, network, or routing issue, but finding out more about the blockage is challenging. Is it one hundred percent an Azure issue? Is it a peer issue? You don't get complete information from Azure Network Watcher, so you must use other tools and depend on your strategies to resolve a specific issue. If more features could be added in the next release of Azure Network Watcher, specifically ones you can find on open-source tools, then that would be a plus point for the tool."

"Technical support from Microsoft needs significant improvement compared to other product vendors."

"User experience could be improved."

"The initial setup and deployment could be improved to be simplified."

"Lacks sufficient security features."

"Azure Network Watcher needs to have better documentation and it needs to capture information accurately."

"Azure is good, however, the Fortinet GUI is more intuitive and I like it more than anything else."

"Azure Network Watcher could improve by having other built-in applications, for example, an application to log activities for inbound and outbound traffic."

More Azure Network Watcher cons

"They should work on syncing the solution with Gmail."

"PRTG would be improved if it required less memory to run."

"We have had a few issues with the web elements, as far as the dashboard. With the dashboard, it has to be manually refreshed. Occasionally, we reboot the server, or at least web services, due to the web aspect."

"The clustering aspect needs improvement, as there is a bit of confusion about you do when hit that 5000 probe mark."

"The operations dashboard is only available in PRTG's enterprise version, but I wish it could be accessed in the standard licensing. It would also be nice if PRTG had templates for dashboard monitoring, software monitoring, etc. It can help me set up a dashboard because now we don't have a template from PRTG, so we need to create one from scratch."

"PRTG Network Monitor can improve by having better integration with devices."

"It probably has this already, but if it had a mobile app that would be helpful. For example, on a day like today when I'm out, if I could just fire it up and see green, green, green, green, green or red, that would be good."

"They need to address the slowness issue that sometimes occurs with PRTG Network Monitor."

More PRTG Network Monitor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Price-wise, I have no information on how much Azure Network Watcher costs."

"The price of the solution is reasonable."

"The pricing is good. It's not too expensive."

"Azure Network Watcher is a little bit expensive."

"We are using the basic PRTG that we can download for free. For now, we only need to monitor less than 100 devices. For more than 100 devices, we would need to buy a license. PRTG is much cheaper than SolarWinds."

"It is expensive."

"The price of PRTG Network Monitor is reasonable."

"We have an unlimited perpetual license, so we just pay support costs and it can scale throughout the organization."

"I rate the licensing for PRTG Network Monitor an eight out of ten."

"It's an annual license that is based on the number of endpoints that we're tracking and using."

"There is a license to use PRTG Network Monitor and it is annually."

"One thing I like is that when you buy sensors, it's a perpetual license, so once you buy 2,000 sensors, you've got 2,000 sensors; it's not a recurring cost."

More PRTG Network Monitor pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user174738

IT Developer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

May 31, 2015

Nagios vs. Zabbix vs. PRTG vs. Spiceworks vs. Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor

I have researched a quite a few network monitoring tools which can be used for various monitoring purposes of not only the servers, but the intermediate routers as well. There are majorly three types of these softwares. Ones which are completely open-source, you can do almost anything you want…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

22%

Construction Company

10%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	59
Midsize Enterprise	19
Large Enterprise	50

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Network Watcher?

I do not have the exact setup cost information on hand, but it is available in the public Azure portal. You can access the calculator there to get detailed pricing information.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Azure Network Watcher?

The main area for improvement is AI-based features. Currently, many intelligent tools are coming from third parties, and Azure Network Watcher needs to improve in this area. The focus should be on ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Azure Network Watcher?

Azure Network Watcher is used for monitoring network traffic. It provides insight into egress and ingress traffic, which helps determine whether consumption can be controlled. Most Azure services c...

See all answers

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

PRTG network monitor is one of the best tool i have ever used for the monitoring. It have auto discovery option. it avoid the configuring the device in PRTG. It automatically discover the device an...

See all answers

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

The pricing was higher at the beginning, but the recurring licensing cost is affordable and reasonable. Overall, the pricing, setup cost, and licensing is fair for our industry. They have quoted us...

See all answers

What needs improvement with PRTG Network Monitor?

The reporting features look very technical and that can be improved. If they can change the report so everyone can understand it, that would be helpful.

See all answers

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Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 3% of the time

WhatsUp Gold vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 3% of the time

Splunk AppDynamics vs PRTG Network Monitor

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher

May 2026

Download Azure Network Watcher product report

Buyer's Guide

PRTG Network Monitor

April 2026

Download PRTG Network Monitor product report

Overview

Azure Network Watcher provides advanced network monitoring capabilities including packet capture, cloud-native firewall, and traffic diagnosis, aiding in VPN troubleshooting and security enforcement with enhanced visibility and alerting features.

Azure Network Watcher is essential for monitoring, diagnosing, and analyzing network traffic. It efficiently handles VPN connection issues and enhances network security by capturing and analyzing traffic to assess performance or latency problems. The tool facilitates traffic flow control, security rule verification, and bandwidth monitoring. Users benefit from its capabilities in diagnosing service connections, offering insights into network activity, and identifying potential threats, crucial for maintaining compliance and efficient network management.

What are the key features of Azure Network Watcher?

Packet Capture: Enables detailed network traffic inspection to troubleshoot issues.
Cloud-Native Application Firewall: Provides enhanced protection for applications running in the cloud.
Traffic Monitoring: Allows for real-time analysis and troubleshooting of network traffic.
NSG Flow Logs & AI-Based Monitoring: Enhances flow control and threat detection.
Alerting & Threshold Configuration: Offers customizable alerts via Azure Monitor for proactive management.

What benefits can users look for in reviews?

Improved Network Security: Helps in identifying and mitigating threats efficiently.
Enhanced Visibility: Provides clear insights into network operations and potential issues.
Compliance Support: Assists in maintaining regulatory compliance with thorough monitoring capabilities.
Effective Bandwidth Management: Facilitates control and optimization of network bandwidth.

In industries like finance and healthcare, Azure Network Watcher is implemented to ensure robust security and compliance, crucial for safeguarding sensitive data. It aids retail and manufacturing sectors in optimizing network performance and maintaining seamless connectivity, supporting their digital infrastructure needs.

Microsoft

PRTG Network Monitor offers seamless network health tracking with flexible alerting and robust scalability. Its real-time monitoring and compatibility across diverse technologies enhance operational efficiency.

PRTG Network Monitor stands out by providing intuitive dashboards and detailed reporting to efficiently monitor network health, significantly reducing manual checks. Its quick setup and comprehensive compatibility cater to diverse environments. The alert system and real-time monitoring enable proactive maintenance, while custom scripting and a broad range of sensors allow for personalized monitoring options. Enhancements are suggested in database management, integration capabilities, Unix support, pricing, application performance, and dashboard customization. Users benefit from enhanced error messaging, flexible licensing, and better training resources.

What are the key features of PRTG Network Monitor?

Ease of Use: Intuitive dashboard makes network monitoring straightforward.
Flexible Alerting: Provides prompt notifications for proactive maintenance.
Scalability: Adapts to various network sizes and complexities.
Compatibility: Works across diverse technologies and environments.
Custom Scripting: Allows tailored monitoring options for specific needs.

What benefits should users seek in PRTG Network Monitor reviews?

Operational Efficiency: Reduces the need for manual network checks.
Real-Time Monitoring: Enables instant response to potential issues.
Enhanced Infrastructure Oversight: Facilitates comprehensive management of network devices.
Proactive Maintenance: Alerts help prevent potential disruptions.
Central Dashboard: Manages infrastructure across multiple locations effectively.

In industries like IT, telecommunications, and healthcare, PRTG Network Monitor is employed for comprehensive monitoring of systems, servers, and networks. It assists in tracking uptime, connectivity, and alerts for potential issues, offering tailored options like monitoring traffic flows and hardware health through custom sensors and scripts.

Paessler GmbH

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Jameson Bank, Sidnix, RungeICT, MedicalAnimal, Truck-lite, GamingGrids, The Covell Group, Forsythn County Schools, NetMass, Musgrove Park Hospital, Lanes Health, Columbia Southern University, Vodafone, Intrust Bank

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. PRTG Network Monitor

April 2026

Free Report: Azure Network Watcher vs. PRTG Network Monitor

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