PRTG Network Monitor: Features & Pricing

Paessler PRTG is a comprehensive solution for organizations looking to monitor servers of all types, both physical and application, including mail, web, database and virtual servers. In this product review, we’ll be covering the Paessler PRTG Network Monitor. We will discuss its capabilities, features and pros and cons. 

PRTG Network Monitor Review

PRTG was originally an acronym for Paessler Router Traffic Grapher. It is perhaps best known as a traffic monitor for networks but now offers much more. PRTG is a broad monitoring solution that can handle networking, cloud and servers, as well as databases.

The ability to monitor servers and network assets from a common dashboard is seen as a useful feature by many users. Ease of deployment is also often cited as a positive aspect of PRTG. A key differentiator cited by users for PRTG is the platform’s overall ease of use.

Paessler PRTG also provides IT administrators with an understanding of utilization to help with capacity planning. That ability can help organizations determine when there is a need to scale up (or down) with new resources.

It can be used by organizations worldwide, as its server and IT network and asset monitoring support multiple languages including English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.

PRTG can be installed on Windows servers but there is also a hosted version available. However, it must be deployed on a dedicated, on-premise server.

PRTG Service Description

PRTG is an all-in-one server monitoring platform that can provide insight into the performance and overall health of both physical and virtual server infrastructure.

PRTG Network Monitor Features

Server Performance Monitoring

Server performance, CPU, memory and disk monitoring continuously assess the overall health and performance of servers. Predefined sensors for server vendors include HP Proliant, Dell PowerEdge, Cisco USC and IBM System X.

Server Room Equipment Monitoring

PRTG supports multiple types of server room sensors including Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) System Health sensors for temperature, fan and power monitoring. It also monitors the server room environmental systems including smoke detectors and fire alarms.

Alerts

Real-time alerts are automatically sent to the most relevant parties, providing insight into where errors are located to expedite remediation efforts. Alerts can be sent via e-mail or SMS.

Capacity Planning

Utilization monitoring is shown in dashboard charts that provide detailed reports on capacity and can help to identify when more resources are required.

Application Server Monitoring

Paessler PRTG supports a variety of application servers, including mail, web, file and database server monitoring.

PRTG Network Monitor Pros and Cons

Pros

One of the biggest reported pros for PRTG is its ease of use. Deployment is quick and simple and its intuitive dashboard can be used to manage all of the product’s features from a single pane of glass. 

PRTG offers a dedicated support team that typically responds to requests within 24 hrs and also provides online support documentation. It also offers deep support for most devices that connect to an enterprise network.

Cons

The licensing for Paessler PRTG is based on the number of sensors you will require. As a result, it can get pretty expensive as organizations scale up in size and add more sensors. 

This is also not the choice for organizations that currently use a fully cloud-based system or plan to transition to it in the future. PRTG requires a dedicated, on-premises server.

PRTG Network Monitor Costs

Paessler has six standard pricing levels that vary based on the number of sensors. There is a free unsupported version that can be used with up to 100 sensors. PRT500 is the entry-level for commercial support at $1,600 for 500 sensors. The PRTG XL1 license tier is $14,000 and supports unlimited sensors.