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PRTG Network Monitor vs Wireshark comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.9
PRTG Network Monitor enhances efficiency by minimizing downtime, reducing costs, and providing quick alerts, deemed a valuable investment.
No sentiment score available
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
PRTG Network Monitor's support is generally effective, though email-only support and first-level knowledge can lead to delays.
Sentiment score
8.2
Wireshark's support relies on an active open-source community, with users finding solutions through forums and online resources.
The setup process is well-documented, making it easy to deploy.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
PRTG Network Monitor is scalable and flexible for large environments but may face hardware and cost limitations at high scales.
Sentiment score
8.2
Wireshark is scalable, handles network traffic well, but requires planning for large data analysis and widespread deployment improvements.
On a scale of one to ten, scalability is rated as 9.5.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
PRTG Network Monitor is stable and reliable, though occasional issues arise from exceeding sensor limits or specific configurations.
Sentiment score
8.6
Wireshark is highly stable across platforms, handling large files reliably with a consistent performance rated highly by users.
 

Room For Improvement

PRTG Network Monitor needs improvements in cost, usability, monitoring capabilities, integration, performance, reporting, and support to enhance user experience.
Wireshark users desire a more intuitive interface, better file handling, advanced analytics, and improved cross-platform compatibility with enhanced features.
They need to improve application performance monitoring, error tracing mechanisms, and log management.
 

Setup Cost

PRTG Network Monitor offers reasonable pricing for enterprises but can become costly in larger environments; perpetual licenses offer savings.
Wireshark offers a versatile, cost-effective network analysis solution, widely accessible across platforms with a comprehensive free version.
Pricing is by the number of devices, not by sensor.
 

Valuable Features

PRTG Network Monitor is praised for quick setup, scalability, user-friendly interface, cost-efficiency, and comprehensive monitoring features with flexible integration.
Wireshark offers cross-platform open source network analysis with advanced features like protocol support and real-time traffic capture.
The pricing is affordable compared to SolarWinds.
 

Categories and Ranking

PRTG Network Monitor
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
100
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (5th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (6th), Cloud Monitoring Software (8th)
Wireshark
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
63
Ranking in other categories
Network Troubleshooting (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Network Management solutions, they serve different purposes. PRTG Network Monitor is designed for Network Monitoring Software and holds a mindshare of 4.2%, down 5.5% compared to last year.
Wireshark, on the other hand, focuses on Network Troubleshooting, holds 13.7% mindshare, up 13.1% since last year.
Network Monitoring Software
Network Troubleshooting
 

Featured Reviews

Noman-Saleem - PeerSpot reviewer
Detects suden changes but significant pricing concerns affect the effectiveness of network traffic troubleshooting
We use PRTG Network Monitor for monitoring traffic on interfaces and the behavior of network traffic. If there are sudden changes in traffic or any configuration issues, we can sort them out using PRTG. It's very helpful for troubleshooting and monitoring traffic utilization on our interfaces…
DonniUgalde - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides visibility into the network, and the GUI is easy to use
I wish the filters were a little bit more prepopulated. It would have been easy to hit a drop-down and select a filter. If I only wanted to look at DCP, UDP, or IP, it would be easy to filter it out. Advanced network knowledge is required to get a lot out of the tool. However, it's very easy to install and deploy. It would be nice if there were some handheld Android devices with a Wireshark-specialized application that would allow us to mirror a Cisco port. Then, we can just plug into the port and click the green start button, and it will start ingesting the packet capture. Then, we won’t be using a laptop. The only downside is that we must have a laptop and connect a network cable. Some new laptops don't have network ports, so we have to get another adapter. Having an all-in-one device, like NetAlly or Fluke, and some of their network devices would be cool.
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Comparison Review

it_user174738 - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
53%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
5%
Financial Services Firm
4%
University
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
10%
Educational Organization
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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...
What do you like most about PRTG Network Monitor?
The tool is integrated with our email for the alerts.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PRTG Network Monitor?
PRTG comes in different bands: there are options with 500, 1500, 2500, and so on. Pricing is by the number of devices, not by sensor.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Wireshark?
Wireshark is priced at a medium range, not too high, not too low. The pricing could be more flexible, and they might make it more expensive. That said, compared to other products, it is competitive.
What needs improvement with Wireshark?
The speed of the Internet could be improved, especially its performance. Performance can sometimes be a challenge due to numerous factors.
 

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
Comversion, ADP, Talbots
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