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 3.1% 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

1,318 Views
1,265 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

PRTG Network Monitor

Read 113 PRTG Network Monitor reviews

13,085 Views
9,160 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Azure Network Watcher

PRTG Network Monitor

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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 (8th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 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 3.1%, down from 4.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
PRTG Network Monitor	3.1%
Azure Network Watcher	0.5%
Other	96.4%

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

"What I like most about Azure Network Watcher is that it's focused more on the architecture. I also like that it has a packet capture feature that tells you how the packet travels and whether it's exiting Azure, etc."

"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."

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

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

"The most valuable feature of Azure Network Watcher is the cloud-native application firewall, which is helpful for securing databases."

"The solution is stable."

"It provides good visibility."

"The most valuable features I have found are typology, visualization, and capture."

More Azure Network Watcher pros

"It is very easy to set up, SNMP is very easy to set up on Windows and Linux, and you have a lot of options within PRTG, and I have not found something that I have not been able to monitor or that I have not been able to find data for."

"PRTG has improved our visibility and response time to issues related to remote sites."

"PRTG Network Monitor is a very stable product."

"Ease of set-up – it is quick and easy to add a probe and start collecting data from a device."

"The real-time monitoring and alerting are its most valuable features."

"PRTG Network Monitor has positively impacted my organization as we are not seeing any critical issues or major impacts for our applications, our servers, and our networks nowadays."

"The alerting system is very stable, and it's helpful whenever any sensor is down."

"The solution is very easy to use and the web provides information with ease."

More PRTG Network Monitor pros

Cons

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

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

"The initial setup and initial learning curve could be improved to be easier."

"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."

"The solution could improve by limiting the need to clarify the logs. When the clarification is minimized, it is better for everyone involved."

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

"User experience could be improved."

"Lacks sufficient security features."

More Azure Network Watcher cons

"Along with more room for automation, more room for advanced configuration can be integrated into the solution."

"In really complex or large environments, this product just isn't enough, it's lacking a lot of features that would otherwise be necessary for these types of environments."

"The database needs improvement."

"Its price can be better. Its price is a problem for us because it is in dollars, and there is a high conversion rate."

"They could improve the process of updating the license."

"There is not much not to love in this software but one item on my wishlist that has yet to be addressed in an intuitive way is the ability to use and manage templates."

"Needs ability to monitor standard notification time (notify after X time)."

"In our organization, we encounter performance issues with our PRTG probe service. I saw documentation from the vendor or Paessler mentioning that there are limitations for WMI sensors. Other than that, we are okay with PRTG."

More PRTG Network Monitor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The price of the solution is reasonable."

"Azure Network Watcher is a little bit expensive."

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

"The ability to use the base version with 100 free sensors is great. The cost on other packages can be very reasonable."

"The price of PRTG Network Monitor is reasonable for the features that the solution provides. They charge you per monitoring, not per node, it is per port that you need for a device."

"When you buy PRTG, everything comes in one bundle. Licensing is very easy."

"The price of PRTG Network Monitor is more expensive than other solutions, such as OP Network Manager."

"The price is actually on the cheaper side. If you're going with the unlimited license code, it's very cheap compared to competitors unless you're going for something free, like Zabbix. But you get what you pay for, and it doesn't have the full suite of products or tools like SolarWinds or a ScienceLogic."

"We pay nothing for it. Its 100 sensors have allowed us to put a magnifying glass on some systems, providing an extra layer of detail. Therefore, our outgoing is nothing and our incoming is a lot of useful data that we can react to proactively."

"We looked at PRTG and SolarWinds. From a cost side perspective, compared to PRTG, and from what you get back from it, PRTG was sort of a hands down the winner."

"We have an unlimited license for this solution."

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

23%

Construction Company

10%

Government

University

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Government

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 7% of the time

vRealize Network Insight vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 5% of the time

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Zabbix vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 4% of the time

Centreon vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 4% of the time

Checkmk vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 3% of the time

SCOM vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 3% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher

April 2026

Download Azure Network Watcher product report

Buyer's Guide

PRTG Network Monitor

March 2026

Download PRTG Network Monitor product report

Overview

Azure Network Watcher is a comprehensive network monitoring and diagnostic service offered by Microsoft Azure. It provides a range of tools and capabilities to help users monitor, diagnose, and gain insights into their Azure network infrastructure. With Network Watcher, users can capture and analyze network traffic, monitor network performance, troubleshoot connectivity issues, and gain visibility into network topology. It also offers features like packet capture, flow logs, connection monitoring, and VPN diagnostics to ensure the smooth operation of Azure networks. Network Watcher enables users to proactively identify and resolve network issues, optimize network performance, and enhance the overall reliability and security of their Azure network environment.

Microsoft

PRTG Network Monitor runs on a Windows machine within your network, collecting various statistics from the machines, software, and devices which you designate. PRTG comes with an easy-to-use web interface with point-and-click configuration. You can easily share data from it with non-technical colleagues and customers, including via live graphs and custom reports. This will let you plan for network expansion, see what applications are using most of your connection, and make sure that no one is hogging the entire network just to torrent videos.

To monitor a large IT environment, it's important to be able to scale PRTG up. Paessler PRTG Enterprise Monitor includes all the proven capabilities of PRTG Network Monitor, which are enhanced by exclusive ITOps Board for a service-oriented, central overview of multiple PRTG servers.

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

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