SolarWinds NPM vs ThousandEyes comparison

SolarWinds and Cisco are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. SolarWinds is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.3, while Cisco is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.4. SolarWinds holds a 3.7% mindshare in NMS, compared to Cisco’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of SolarWinds users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

SolarWinds NPM

Read 161 SolarWinds NPM reviews

21,458 Views
16,523 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

ThousandEyes

Read 26 ThousandEyes reviews

10,206 Views
7,552 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SolarWinds NPM

ThousandEyes

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

SolarWinds NPM and ThousandEyes compete in network performance and monitoring solutions. While SolarWinds NPM offers a broader range of traditional network features, ThousandEyes provides superior visibility for cloud and ISP dependencies.

Features: SolarWinds NPM offers modular pricing, extensive SNMP-based monitoring, and a strong alert system. It supports multiple vendors and customizable dashboards with integration options across SolarWinds modules. ThousandEyes provides end-to-end monitoring, detailed insights into network paths, and it addresses complex cloud environments.

Room for Improvement: SolarWinds NPM could improve automation for node additions and integrations, and offer a more unified interface. It also faces performance criticism with large data sets. ThousandEyes could expand application monitoring capabilities, increase integration options with Cisco and third-party tools, and enhance customization and user interfaces.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds NPM is typically deployed on-premises, with hybrid cloud setups sometimes complicating deployments. It gets mixed reviews for technical support, which is knowledgeable but occasionally slow. ThousandEyes emphasizes simplicity in on-premises and hybrid cloud setup, receiving praise for technical expertise but has slower response times for non-critical tickets.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds NPM has competitive pricing but can become expensive with additional modules, providing good ROI with optimized network spending. Its licensing system can be complex. ThousandEyes offers value for cloud network visibility despite high upfront costs, offering significant ROI for processing considerable data volumes.

To learn more, read our detailed SolarWinds NPM vs. ThousandEyes Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds NPM vs. ThousandEyes

June 2026

Download the complete report

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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:

ROI

Sentiment score

6.8

SolarWinds NPM is praised for reducing costs, offering quick ROI, and enhancing network management with reliable alerts and reporting.

Sentiment score

6.2

ThousandEyes delivers substantial ROI by reducing troubleshooting time, improving network performance, and quickly identifying issues, saving resources.

The return on investment is significant as the solution effectively reduces costs while being worth its expense.

Wahyu Krisnamukti

Network Administrator at PT Bni Life Insurance

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

There has been a great ROI from using ThousandEyes, with significant time saved in troubleshooting as I can quickly pinpoint issues rather than spending time isolating them, alongside enhancing customer feedback and experience.

Abdalraheem Asha

Senior cloud engineering lead and IT project owner at KDD

I have seen a return on investment by reducing troubleshooting time and having lesser user mapping error issues, in addition to engineering time saved through better observability and reduced organizational MTTR.

Pepaja Morris

Project Manager at Procter & Gamble

For more quotes and insights, download the ThousandEyes report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.9

SolarWinds NPM's customer service is praised, but technical support varies, with some users noting slow responses and availability issues.

Sentiment score

6.9

ThousandEyes' customer service is highly regarded with responsive support, though there's room for improvement in response times.

If there is no timely response, getting a resolution is more difficult.

SJ6

Network Security Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

Regarding technical support from SolarWinds, I find it excellent.

Vijay Samant

Assistant Manager at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees

We had contact with SolarWinds regarding the implementation, and they were helpful.

Wahyu Krisnamukti

Network Administrator at PT Bni Life Insurance

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

We contacted the support team, and they resolved it within a couple of hours.

Maria Geovith Kamlay

System Operation Associate at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

I would give it a rating of 10 because whenever we have any issues, we can typically reach someone who has the knowledge to help us.

Brian Farris

Network Engineer Iii at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees

The customer support for ThousandEyes is very proactive and supportive.

Pepaja Morris

Project Manager at Procter & Gamble

For more quotes and insights, download the ThousandEyes report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

6.9

SolarWinds NPM efficiently scales in large environments, but may require extra polling engines and face complex licensing challenges.

Sentiment score

7.1

ThousandEyes is highly scalable, efficiently supporting enterprise needs with flexible usage across sectors, despite licensing cost concerns.

SolarWinds NPM is scalable and effective in handling large network infrastructures.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

Scalability with ThousandEyes is straightforward as you don't really need to scale; it's designed to monitor multiple applications, accommodating 50 or 100 applications simultaneously.

AfolabiOlufayo

Network Assistant Engineer at Staffordshire and Shropshire Health Informatics Service

ThousandEyes's scalability is excellent; it is very scalable and grows with my organization's needs.

Pepaja Morris

Project Manager at Procter & Gamble

For more quotes and insights, download the ThousandEyes report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.5

SolarWinds NPM is praised for stability, with resource allocation and documentation adherence mitigating most upgrade-related issues.

Sentiment score

8.1

ThousandEyes is praised for stability and reliability, with minimal performance issues and effective IT support resolving rare incidents.

For stability, I rate SolarWinds NPM as a ten, which is the best.

Vijay Samant

Assistant Manager at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees

The NPM product is stable, particularly when used for simple network monitoring.

SJ6

Network Security Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

From my experience, ThousandEyes has been stable up to 95%; I have not seen any stability issues.

Abdalraheem Asha

Senior cloud engineering lead and IT project owner at KDD

ThousandEyes is not very stable; sometimes you have to reboot the servers to get actual results.

AfolabiOlufayo

Network Assistant Engineer at Staffordshire and Shropshire Health Informatics Service

I would assess the stability and reliability of ThousandEyes as good, with no downtime or crashes or performance issues experienced.

reviewer2847939

R&D at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the ThousandEyes report

Room For Improvement

SolarWinds NPM requires enhancements in analytics, scalability, UI, security, integration, customization, monitoring, automation, stability, and cost-effectiveness.

ThousandEyes must improve user experience, integration, AI features, and extend automation for enhanced traffic insights and cost efficiency.

SolarWinds needs to upscale on observability and add full-fledged observability features, including security features.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

Customers have given feedback about the delayed response times from the technical team.

SJ6

Network Security Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

I would need a feature in SolarWinds in the future for some kind of malfunctioning detection, such as malware attacks or that type of environment.

Vivek Jaiswal

Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

Incidents should be alerted on and traced early, before they escalate to full outages.

Chimaobigerald Ukwuoma

Software Developer at The Code

I think the pricing, setup cost, and licensing for ThousandEyes are too costly.

reviewer2847939

R&D at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

Having a dedicated incident alert system for URL alerts would help manage noise and streamline operations, especially during patch upgrades.

Maria Geovith Kamlay

System Operation Associate at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the ThousandEyes report

Setup Cost

SolarWinds NPM offers a flexible licensing model with competitive pricing, though costs may rise for extensive setups.

ThousandEyes' pricing is variable, often moderate to expensive, with licensing based on flows and annual billing options.

The solution is considered expensive.

Wahyu Krisnamukti

Network Administrator at PT Bni Life Insurance

Pricing-wise, SolarWinds NPM is more expensive than PRTG.

Tochukwu Uzomba

Solutions Architect at Boch Systems Company Limited

It is not too pricey and is adequate.

Vivek Jaiswal

Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing has been that everything was cost-effective.

Pepaja Morris

Project Manager at Procter & Gamble

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that it comes in cheaper than alternatives.

reviewer2803392

Lead Technical Consultant at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees

My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing indicates that licensing is somewhat complicated because of the credits system.

Brian Farris

Network Engineer Iii at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the ThousandEyes report

Valuable Features

SolarWinds NPM provides intuitive network monitoring with advanced customization, scalability, and proactive alerts, suiting diverse business needs.

ThousandEyes provides network path visualization and monitoring, offering fast issue detection and integration with Cisco for improved performance.

Whenever any node is down in our network, whether it is a server or any network device, we receive information through email that the device is down.

Vivek Jaiswal

Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

The ability to customize the dashboard in SolarWinds NPM provides key benefits like saving time and money, and streamlining some processes.

Vijay Samant

Assistant Manager at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees

The most valuable feature for us is the database performance analyzer, which we use a lot.

Wahyu Krisnamukti

Network Administrator at PT Bni Life Insurance

For more quotes and insights, download the SolarWinds NPM report

I measure the 70% improvement in customer experience through customer tickets and feedback after resolving issues, where previously, users faced problems and limited time on the platform, and after using ThousandEyes, the user time reached up to five to six hours a day, even for teams possibly totaling 30 hours a day.

Abdalraheem Asha

Senior cloud engineering lead and IT project owner at KDD

ThousandEyes offers the best features including global internet and cloud visibility from distributed vantage points, application and network performance monitoring, real-time outage detection and incident alerts, end-to-end path visualization for rapid troubleshooting, proactive issue demarcation, and historical data.

Pepaja Morris

Project Manager at Procter & Gamble

ThousandEyes has become critical for swift network troubleshooting as well, so anytime that there's potential issues with applications or we want to be proactive in resolving potential issues before they arise, ThousandEyes is really the platform that we're leveraging for WAN monitoring, Wi-Fi, latency, packet loss, etc.

Shreyans Parekh

Vice President, Finance and Operations at Fruitist

For more quotes and insights, download the ThousandEyes report

Categories and Ranking

SolarWinds NPM

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

2nd

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

7th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

161

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (3rd)

ThousandEyes

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

8th

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

10th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM) (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of SolarWinds NPM is 3.7%, down from 4.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ThousandEyes is 1.7%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
SolarWinds NPM	3.7%
ThousandEyes	1.7%
Other	94.6%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Vivek Jaiswal

Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Central monitoring has improved outage alerts and now needs smarter detection and modern dashboards

Regarding the automated network topology and mapping feature in SolarWinds NPM, I am not satisfied with it. For static monitoring, it is acceptable. However, if it is possible, I would need a feature in SolarWinds in the future for some kind of malfunctioning detection, such as malware attacks or that type of environment. We did not have any facility to detect that in SolarWinds. I think it would be better to incorporate those types of features. Regarding customization options in SolarWinds, the ability to customize the dashboard has room for improvement. The dashboard is quite old, and we need some improvement in it. Nowadays, we have multiple tools with AI-based monitoring and web-based dashboards. SolarWinds also has a web-based dashboard, but I think there is scope for improvement in the UI. There may be other areas I would like to improve in SolarWinds NPM.

Read full review

Shreyans Parekh

Vice President, Finance and Operations at Fruitist

Proactive monitoring has transformed digital experience and now optimizes application delivery

With ThousandEyes, there are some configuration and metric screens that are not entirely intuitive with ThousandEyes, so they can certainly improve in terms of the usability of certain metric screens. ThousandEyes can also offer deeper traffic insights relative to specific applications, so detailed analytics on application-level traffic would help in better understanding and managing our network resources effectively. I would say that ThousandEyes can also, in terms of providing more extensibility with other observability tools, offer more out-of-the-box integrations with other observability tools so that ThousandEyes can serve as that single source of truth, so that we don't necessarily need to go to other tools to be able to be that one-source dashboard. I think there's a lot that ThousandEyes can continue to improve on there. The issues that I've talked about, including extensibility with other platforms and the improvement of accessing specific metric screens in order to be able to provide for fuller access and more detailed access to network-level metrics would make the platform feel less complicated to navigate. It wouldn't require as many manual integration inputs.

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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

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Construction Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

12%

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	59
Midsize Enterprise	33
Large Enterprise	87

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	17

Questions from the Community

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

It actually depends on the exact purpose or kind of devices (network devices, servers, something else). Some tools are better for only network devices while others are better for a cloud monitoring...

See all answers

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

From my point of view, SolarWind is the best tool.

See all answers

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

We are partners with SolarWinds and we sell a lot of Network management to large enterprises also because of scalability, products like Network Performance Monitor & Netflow Traffic Analyzer ar...

See all answers

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

It actually depends on the exact purpose or requirements. Some tools are better for only network devices while others are better from a cloud monitoring or APM monitoring perspective. You can check...

See all answers

What needs improvement with ThousandEyes?

We face challenges with hybrid and distributed enterprise networks since we use Cisco, but we also have other third party integrations. When it comes to ThousandEyes, it does not show anything when...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for ThousandEyes?

I have been using ThousandEyes with this company for two years. The main use case is that we would like to get insights into our calls. Currently, we are still in the POC state with ThousandEyes, b...

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HPE Aruba Networking UXI vs ThousandEyes

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds NPM

June 2026

Download SolarWinds NPM product report

Buyer's Guide

ThousandEyes

June 2026

Download ThousandEyes product report

Also Known As

Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor, SolarWinds Network Bandwidth Analyzer

No data available

Overview

SolarWinds NPM is a network performance monitoring tool offering a user-friendly interface with customizable dashboards. It provides real-time tracking of device health, latency, and bandwidth utilization, supporting diverse integration and scalability needs.

SolarWinds NPM's robust features include real-time monitoring of network performance and efficient tracking of device health, latency, and bandwidth utilization. The tool is appreciated for its ease of deployment, scalability, and support for integration with other tools. Features like SNMP monitoring, NetPath, and comprehensive reporting enhance its diagnostic capabilities and network visibility. However, users identify areas for improvement such as real-time analytics, advanced customization options, and enhanced scalability for larger enterprises. Better customer support, improved integrations, and security measures are also desired.

What are the key features of SolarWinds NPM?

User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies navigation and operation.
Customizable Dashboards: Allows personalized data views.
Real-Time Monitoring: Provides instant updates on network performance.
Strong Alerting Capabilities: Offers immediate notifications for issues.
Scalability: Supports growth with ease.
Integration: Works smoothly with other tools for comprehensive monitoring.
SNMP Monitoring: Tracks device stats effectively.
NetPath: Helps visualize network paths and performance.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Improved Network Visibility: Enables proactive issue resolution.
Enhanced Diagnostics: Facilitates quicker troubleshooting.
Real-Time Performance Data: Supports informed decision-making.
Ease of Deployment: Reduces setup time and complexity.
Infrastructure Monitoring: Ensures network stability and reliability.
Custom Integration: Adapts to existing IT environments.

In enterprise environments, SolarWinds NPM is deployed to monitor network health and device status, sending alerts for any issues. It provides visibility into network performance, tracking bandwidth utilization and server metrics efficiently. Its applications span from monitoring routers, switches, and firewalls to supporting infrastructure monitoring across industries.

SolarWinds

ThousandEyes offers cutting-edge monitoring capabilities with advanced features such as end-to-end network monitoring, real-time alerts, and application insights. It supports integration with Cisco products and provides visibility into network paths, helping businesses maintain superior network performance.

ThousandEyes is renowned for its ability to diagnose network issues by offering comprehensive network path visualization and detailed analytics. Its ability to detect packet loss and monitor ISPs ensures robust network security. The integration capabilities, particularly with Cisco platforms, make it versatile for businesses requiring customizable dashboards. Users benefit from ease of use and real-time alert systems, though improvements in guest portal usability, packet analysis, and integration with Cisco platforms are needed. Enhancements in automation, knowledge resources, and application-level features could benefit users, alongside better network device monitoring through SNMP and improved path visualization. Additionally, better incident management and alert detection systems are anticipated.

What are the key features of ThousandEyes?

End-to-End Monitoring: Provides comprehensive insights across networks, applications, and users.
Real-Time Alerts: Sends immediate alerts for network disturbances or performance issues.
Network Path Visualization: Offers detailed views of network paths for easy diagnostics.
Application Insights: Delivers in-depth analytics on application performance.

What benefits or ROI can users expect from ThousandEyes?

Time Savings: Reduces diagnosis and troubleshooting time with advanced analytics.
Improved User Experience: Enhances network reliability, leading to better user satisfaction.
Increased Employee Satisfaction: Streamlines network operations, boosting employee efficiency.
Prevention of Downtime: Identifies potential issues early to avoid service interruptions.

Businesses across sectors leverage ThousandEyes for seamless network monitoring and diagnostics. It is invaluable for ensuring connectivity across LANs, Wi-Fi, internet, and SaaS applications. ThousandEyes provides critical insights into internet and ISP performance, significantly benefiting industries reliant on robust digital infrastructure.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Microsoft, Federal Express, Hewlett-Packard, and MasterCard

Wayfair, GitHub, Craigslist, Comcast, SurveyMonkey, Lyft, Box, HP, Zendesk, IO Data Centers, Good Technology, NNTCommunications, Proofpoint, Schneider, Crowdstrike, Avera, Pitney Bowes, InstartLogic, Shutterfly, Shutterstock, Condé Nast, Roche, Jive, Actelion, Brocade, Infor, Okta, JLL, DigitalOcean, Zuora, NetSuite, CloudFlare, One, DemonWare, Quantcast, Carbonite, CareerBuilder, Prosper, Oscar, Slack

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds NPM vs. ThousandEyes

June 2026

Free Report: SolarWinds NPM vs. ThousandEyes

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