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Network monitoring and management · November 2026 Edition
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor vs SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
Two of fourteen models named Paessler PRTG Network Monitor first on the direct prompt; zero named SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor was named by fourteen of the fourteen models and SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor by thirteen and Paessler PRTG Network Monitor carries 56 labels and SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor 35, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in two categories this edition.
Named in three categories this edition.
First-choice share8%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate11%14%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#4#7A position in a field of 12; printed, not drawn.
Labels5635A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.ManageEngine OpManager was named alongside these two in twelve of the fourteen direct answers. Zabbix vs Paessler PRTG Network Monitor · Zabbix vs SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor · ManageEngine OpManager vs Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the network monitoring and management page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Paessler PRTG Network MonitorFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
Direct20
Paraphrase001 against SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
Comparative35
Budget-constrained10
Scale-constrained11
Negative016 against Paessler PRTG Network Monitor · 4 against SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the November 2026 Edition, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor and SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor were named in the same answer seventy-three times, of the 186 answers naming Paessler PRTG Network Monitor and the 105 naming SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor. In those answers SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor took the first choice nine times and Paessler PRTG Network Monitor twenty.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Paessler PRTG Network Monitor and SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | |||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | |||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | | | |
| Grok 4.20 | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | | |||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | | |
| Kimi K2 | | | | |||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | | ||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | | ||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor on the left and SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Paessler PRTG Network Monitor and SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor stood in it.
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor first, SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor an alternative
2 of 14 modelsSolarWinds Network Performance Monitor was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Perplexity SonarPaessler PRTG Network Monitor alternatives: Auvik, ManageEngine OpManager, SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
GLM 4.7 FlashXPaessler PRTG Network Monitor alternatives: LogicMonitor, ManageEngine OpManager, SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor, Zabbix
Neither was the first choice, one was named
9 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.GPT-5.4 miniManageEngine OpManager alternatives: Datadog Network Monitoring, LogicMonitor, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Gemini 3.5 FlashLogicMonitor alternatives: Auvik, Datadog Network Monitoring, ManageEngine OpManager, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Grok 4.20ManageEngine OpManager alternatives: Auvik, NinjaOne, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Mistral SmallManageEngine OpManager alternatives: Datadog Network Monitoring, Kentik, LogicMonitor, SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
DeepSeek V4 FlashAuvik alternatives: LogicMonitor, ManageEngine OpManager, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Qwen 3.7 FlashManageEngine OpManager alternatives: LogicMonitor, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor, SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor, Zabbix
Kimi K2Auvik alternatives: LogicMonitor, ManageEngine OpManager, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
GPT-6 LunaAuvik alternatives: LogicMonitor, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Muse Glimmer 30BLogicMonitor alternatives: LiveNX, ManageEngine OpManager, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Neither was named
3 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5no first choice
Llama 4 MaverickZabbix alternatives: Checkmk, Kentik, ManageEngine OpManager, New Relic, NinjaOne
MiniMax M2.5ManageEngine OpManager alternatives: Datadog Network Monitoring, LogicMonitor
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor leads by forty-four points.
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor44%#1 of 11SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor0%#11 of 11Mid-marketThe figures above
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor leads by six points.
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor8%#4 of 12SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor2%#7 of 12Enterprise
The order flips: SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor leads at enterprise.
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor8%#5 of 15Paessler PRTG Network Monitor2%#10 of 15What the models said about Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Reddit community sentiment: Strongly discouraged by networking professionals” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“PRTG, Auvik, WhatsUp Gold, and Kentik are examples of products whose pricing units should be modeled carefully before purchase.” Perplexity Sonar · negative prompt · soft negative
“While powerful, it has received a "Fair" rating (2.5/5) with reservations. Its sensor-based licensing can become expensive” Mistral Small · negative prompt · soft negative
“PRTG Network Monitor: Very popular for mid-sized companies. Easy to set up, sensor-based pricing (be careful with sensor counts), good all-in-one feel.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · scale prompt · first choice
“For most mid-market B2B companies, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor is the best default choice.” Perplexity Sonar · direct prompt · first choice
“Best for: teams that want an easy-to-use, all-in-one, sensor-based monitoring platform.” GPT-5.4 mini · comparative prompt · first choice
What the models said about SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“Many organizations banned it entirely due to security concerns” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“The 2020 SUNBURST supply-chain attack ... eroded trust. Ongoing vulnerabilities in the broader suite; use only with strict segmentation.” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Caution is advised due to potential vulnerabilities and the need for rigorous security audits before deployment.” Mistral Small · negative prompt · soft negative
“The industry standard for pure network monitoring... extremely powerful packet-level troubleshooting; excellent reporting.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
“SolarWinds NPM | Best Overall | Comprehensive network performance monitoring, strong alerting, intuitive interface” MiniMax M2.5 · comparative prompt · first choice
“For large, on‑prem networks with complex SNMP/flow needs: SolarWinds NPM or ManageEngine OpManager.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · comparative prompt · first choice
Also compared
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Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.