# SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor: how AI models rank it, November 2026

Gane Index, November 2026 Edition. Named in 39 judge labels across 3 categories by 14 of 14 models. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/solarwinds-network-performance-monitor

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Network monitoring and management](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/network/network-monitoring-and-management/index.md) | 2% | 7 | 14% | 35 |
| [Infrastructure monitoring](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/operations/infrastructure-monitoring/index.md) | 0% | 26 | 0% | 3 |
| [Website and synthetic monitoring](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/operations/website-and-synthetic-monitoring/index.md) | 0% | 92 | 100% | 1 |

## What the models said for it

- "The industry standard for pure network monitoring... extremely powerful packet-level troubleshooting; excellent reporting." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, Network monitoring)
- "SolarWinds NPM | Best Overall | Comprehensive network performance monitoring, strong alerting, intuitive interface" (MiniMax M2.5, Network monitoring)
- "For large, on‑prem networks with complex SNMP/flow needs: SolarWinds NPM or ManageEngine OpManager." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, Network monitoring)
- "Stick to well-established, actively maintained tools like SolarWinds NPM, PRTG, Nagios, or Zeek" (MiniMax M2.5, Network monitoring)

## And against it

- "Many organizations banned it entirely due to security concerns" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, Network monitoring)
- "Avoid for Tight Budgets: Tools like PRTG or SolarWinds NPM" (Grok 4.20, Uptime monitoring)
- "The 2020 SUNBURST supply-chain attack ... eroded trust. Ongoing vulnerabilities in the broader suite; use only with strict segmentation." (Grok 4.20, Network monitoring)
- "Caution is advised due to potential vulnerabilities and the need for rigorous security audits before deployment." (Mistral Small, Network monitoring)

## By model

| Model | First choice | Alternative | Mention | Warning | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Perplexity Sonar | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Grok 4.20 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Mistral Small | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Llama 4 Maverick | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Kimi K2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MiniMax M2.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |

## Sources returned with these answers

The sites and pages cited by the answers that named SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor, from 91 of the 105 answers that named it (only the models that return a source list).

### Domains cited

- softwareadvice.com: 51
- checkmk.com: 30
- newrelic.com: 25
- kentik.com: 24
- pathsolutions.com: 24
- capterra.com: 22
- manageengine.com: 20
- comparitech.com: 18
- dotcom-monitor.com: 16
- ir.com: 16

### Pages cited

- https://softwareadvice.com/network-monitoring: 46
- https://checkmk.com/blog/best-network-monitoring-tools: 30
- https://newrelic.com/blog/observability/network-performance-monitoring-tools: 22
- https://pathsolutions.com/blog/best-network-monitoring-tools: 22
- https://kentik.com/kentipedia/best-network-monitoring-tools-2026: 20
- https://dotcom-monitor.com/blog/best-network-monitoring-software: 16
- https://datamation.com/networks/network-monitoring-software: 15
- https://capterra.com/network-monitoring-software: 14

## In its own words

What SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor's own pages state, read 2026-10-05. Stated by the vendor, not checked by the index.

- Positioning: We offer our SmartStart Self-Led program, so you have quick access to a project plan, video walkthroughs, and quick links to the technical documentation for the installation and configuration of your products. We also offer a comprehensive documentation library should you need more information related to your product. (https://support.solarwinds.com/network-performance-monitor)
- For: customers under active maintenance (https://support.solarwinds.com/network-performance-monitor)

## Record

- Method: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/methodology
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as Gane Index, November 2026 Edition, www.gane.ai/index/it.