Cisco DNA Center vs PRTG Network Monitor comparison

Cisco and Paessler GmbH are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.0, while Paessler GmbH is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.6. Cisco holds a 1.3% mindshare in NMS, compared to Paessler GmbH’s 4.0% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Paessler GmbH users who would recommend it.

Cisco DNA Center

Read 41 Cisco DNA Center reviews

1,586 Views
951 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

PRTG Network Monitor

Read 101 PRTG Network Monitor reviews

7,844 Views
5,253 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

PRTG Network Monitor

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 24, 2024

PRTG Network Monitor and Cisco DNA Center compete in the network management category. PRTG Network Monitor holds the upper hand for small to mid-sized enterprises due to its affordability and ease of use, while Cisco DNA Center provides advanced features for large organizations with more significant budgets.

Features: PRTG Network Monitor stands out for its rapid deployment, scalability, and a vast array of pre-configured sensors, making it easy to tailor to infrastructure needs. It is known for its proactive alert system and integration flexibility. Cisco DNA Center is distinguished by its advanced analytics, automation capabilities, and robust management of Cisco-specific devices, making it ideal for sophisticated network operations and security integrations.

Room for Improvement: PRTG Network Monitor users would like enhanced template and application monitoring, improved dashboards, and better cloud service integration. Cisco DNA Center users suggest enhanced third-party integrations, more competitive pricing for mid-sized markets, and GUI simplifications for easier deployment.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: PRTG Network Monitor is praised for its straightforward deployment and extensive online resources, but relies on email-based support, which may not suffice for urgent needs. Conversely, Cisco DNA Center is suited for complex environments, requiring technical expertise, but offers comprehensive and sometimes costly support suitable for large enterprises.

Pricing and ROI: PRTG Network Monitor offers flexible and budget-friendly pricing with perpetual licensing, appealing to small businesses seeking quick returns and cost-effective management. On the other hand, Cisco DNA Center is viewed as a premium option, with its price and advanced features aligning with larger enterprises aiming for enhanced network control and efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco DNA Center vs. PRTG Network Monitor Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. PRTG Network Monitor

January 2025

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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

Cisco DNA Center

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

15th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (1st), Network Automation (2nd)

PRTG Network Monitor

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

101

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (8th), Cloud Monitoring Software (8th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 1.3%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PRTG Network Monitor is 4.0%, down from 5.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

AvrahamSonenthal

Senior Network Engineer at Inside Global

Efficiently manages our wireless network and provides valuable monitoring features

The platform's biggest benefit has been in managing our wireless network. Having a single pane of glass to control all wireless controllers and access points and to monitor activity has been a significant advantage. We're a small federal agency with around 300 network devices, so automation is a minor focus. It's more relevant for larger networks. The main benefits we've seen are in inventory management and the potential for configuration automation. However, I recommend using the DNA Centre only for larger networks with over a thousand devices; otherwise, it may not be cost-effective. Before proceeding, ensure that your devices are compatible with DNA Center, as not all Cisco devices are supported. Also, investing in proper training is different from plug-and-play. I rate it an eight.

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Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

Efficiently monitor networks across regions with seamless setup and robust feature set

PRTG Network Monitor is easy to set up. Within a few minutes, it is operational. It is an all-in-one monitoring solution without extra costs. For example, we set it up for an insurance company with branches across Africa. We are able to monitor from Lagos without installing anything in the branches, using the agentless feature. We just put in the IP address and the parameter, and we monitor from those ends. Additionally, all the sensors are very useful. Most people are interested in the bandwidth monitoring sensor to see what bandwidth the users are consuming. The pricing is affordable compared to SolarWinds.

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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

"The product's most valuable feature is the visual representation of the switch's front panel."

"I like the visibility, instant build, network, policies, and the ability to control access. I also like that you can visualize your whole network."

"We have many people from the team who manage a lot of devices. By using Cisco DNA Center, it has taken some of that burden away, we are impressed with it. We did the investment in CAPEX, but in the OPEX was very low."

"It is very versatile in terms of analytics."

"Automation is another key highlight. With automation, you can automate everything through a single port."

"Cisco VXLAN is a protocol that has been around for some time, but the practical implementation and operational capability of Cisco DNA Center bring it to life."

"The best feature of Cisco DNA Center is the visibility page, where you can see everything on the dashboard, and you don't have to be a technical person to view the issues."

"The automation features are significant, reducing configuration time. This means outstanding functionality. By deploying the controller automatically, the rest becomes automated"

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"The most valuable features of PRTG Network Monitor are bandwidth utilization, user-friendliness, all past report simple retrievals, and timeout features. Additionally, if the solution does go down it is simple to bring it back."

"The solution is scalable."

"The real-time monitoring feature in PRTG is invaluable to me"

"PRTG Network Monitor is easy to set up."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to span multiple technologies and multiple vendors."

"The most valuable feature of PRTG Network Monitor is the dashboards. We can check to see the resources and the uptime."

"Every monitoring session features similar capabilities."

"The best feature is that it lets me know what is going on. I need to know if something has gone down, I need to know if something is running very slowly. PRTG tells me that."

More PRTG Network Monitor pros

Cons

"The features of Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime could have more parity."

"An area for improvement in Cisco DNA Center is the latency in data correlation. For example, sometimes, when an issue happens, and I check the logs, I can't find the corresponding log. There's a delay in log replication, so this is what needs improvement in Cisco DNA Center. Reporting in Cisco DNA Center could also be improved because it only has a few templates, and you can't customize it based on your requirements. There aren't many options available in Cisco DNA Center regarding reporting, versus Cisco Prime, which has excellent features for different levels of detailed reports. I'd like to see real-time data replication in the next release of Cisco DNA Center, similar to what's done in Meraki. Data in Meraki is real-time with no delay, so data is immediately replicated in the cloud. Currently, there's a lag in Cisco DNA Center, and addressing that lag is the enhancement I'd like to see in Cisco DNA Center. The solution also needs to be more user-friendly."

"Technical support could be better. The price could be better, and it could be more stable."

"The tool's deployment is complex. It also needs to improve its GUI."

"The product doesn’t have good monitoring capabilities."

"The cost is very high."

"Cisco DNA Center was a new technology for us, at the beginning, it was not easy to do, but Cisco did a lot of training with us to a level we could handle everything. The team is managing itself now without the assistance of Cisco."

"The solution needs to improve the dashboard."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"Improvements in data storage flexibility, such as allowing customers to specify data retention periods, would enhance PRTG."

"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."

"We run it in a cluster, so we have two that run together. The cluster behind it is sketchy at times."

"The inventory of the device should be improved."

"The solution has to evolve as an end-to-end monitoring solution. It has to do better at understanding the application at the deepest level."

"The technical support could respond a little bit quicker."

"The scalability of this solution could improve as well as the automated provisioning of the infrastructure."

"More training videos for installing and configuring this software would have been nice, especially when working with a lot of devices."

More PRTG Network Monitor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an expensive solution."

"Our licensing agreement is for three years."

"Affordability is a problem because it's created for large enterprises only. So, some customers, even if their engineers want the solution, might have problems with budget limitations."

"The tool's licensing may not come across as something that may be friendly for users."

"The tool is medium-priced."

"We have a three-year license with them."

"Licensing for Cisco DNA Center is a little bit expensive, just like any Cisco solution. Its cost could still be improved."

"The product is very costly."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

"The pricing is not too bad. It's not massively expensive, and the ability to upscale or even downscale licenses every year is brilliant for us."

"We bought a license for 4000 sensors."

"The scalability is there, but smaller companies might need CAM software to be able afford the product."

"I'm paying something like €1000 per year for the maintenance. I've got unlimited sensors."

"The pricing for PRTG in our case is reasonable because we have a lot of applications to monitor within PRTG. It is not that expensive."

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

"The pricing is okay and it is cheaper than some competing products."

"All monitoring system is close to the same pricing scheme."

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…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

University

Educational Organization

54%

Computer Software Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco DNA Center?

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco DNA Center?

The cost is very high.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?

The system is working fine for me currently.

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 do you like most about PRTG Network Monitor?

The tool is integrated with our email for the alerts.

See all answers

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

The prices are very high for PRTG Network Monitor. That's why I'm using the free100 sensor license.

See all answers

Comparisons

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 8% of the time

Meraki Dashboard vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

More Cisco DNA Center Competitors

LibreNMS vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 8% of the time

Zabbix vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 7% of the time

Centreon vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 7% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 6% of the time

Nagios XI vs PRTG Network Monitor

Compared 5% of the time

More PRTG Network Monitor Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

February 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Buyer's Guide

PRTG Network Monitor

February 2025

Download PRTG Network Monitor product report

Also Known As

DNA Center

No data available

Overview

Cisco DNA Center offers a comprehensive platform for network automation and management, providing detailed analytics, enhanced security, and streamlined operations for both wired and wireless networks.

Cisco DNA Center integrates with Cisco infrastructure to deliver efficient network automation and management, helping organizations improve network visibility, security, and control. It supports AI-driven analytics and automated workflows to enhance operational efficiency and reduce errors. Challenges include compatibility with third-party systems, steep learning curve, and complex deployment. Its interface facilitates centralized control, vital for troubleshooting, policy management, and configuration management, with support for zero-touch provisioning and SD-Access.

What are the key features of Cisco DNA Center?

Robust Analytics: Provides detailed insights into network health with AI-driven analytics.
Centralized Security: Integrates with ISE for comprehensive security management.
Automated Device Management: Simplifies device provisioning and configuration transfers.
Wi-Fi Analytics: Offers deep insights into wireless network performance.
Zero-Touch Provisioning: Streamlines new device deployments with minimal human intervention.
Scalable Segmentation: Efficiently segments network traffic ensuring security and performance.

What benefits should users consider?

Operational Efficiency: Automation reduces potential errors and streamlines workflow.
Enhanced Security: Integration with Cisco ISE bolsters security capabilities.
Network Visibility: Comprehensive dashboards and analysis tools enhance monitoring.
Troubleshooting: Real-time monitoring aids in identifying and resolving issues swiftly.

In sectors such as healthcare, finance, and retail, Cisco DNA Center is utilized for its ability to enhance security and compliance, manage large-scale networks, and provide detailed analytics for better operational decision-making. Its support for location tracking and policy automation ensures efficient network management across diverse environments.

Cisco

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

Cisco DNA Center vs. PRTG Network Monitor

January 2025

Free Report: Cisco DNA Center vs. PRTG Network Monitor

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco DNA Center vs. PRTG Network Monitor and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.

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