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NPS vs SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor

Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.

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NPS
NPSLightweight Intranet Penetration Proxy Server
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SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
SolarWinds Network Performance MonitorReal-time network visibility and performance monitoring for IT pros.
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Overview
Description

nps is a powerful, lightweight, and high-performance intranet penetration proxy server. It supports various protocols such as TCP, UDP, SOCKS5, and HTTP, allowing for flexible and efficient traffic forwarding.

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) delivers comprehensive, real-time insight into network health, performance, and availability. It helps IT professionals quickly identify bottlenecks, troubleshoot issues, and ensure optimal network operation across complex environments. Built on the SolarWinds Orion Platform, NPM integrates seamlessly with other SolarWinds tools, offering customizable dashboards, alerts, and reporting to streamline network management and reduce downtime.

Pricing
Free
Paid (Subscription)
Category
Server Management
Network Monitoring
Best for
Developers and system administrators
IT Professionals and Network Administrators
Specifications
deployment
Self-hosted
Cloud/SaaS
open source
Yes
No
github stars
34,138
—
api available
Yes
Yes
support options
GitHub Issues
Email, Live Chat, 24/7 Phone Support
primary language
Go
—
key integrations
—
SolarWinds Orion Platform, SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • High-performance and lightweight solution
  • Supports multiple protocols for flexible traffic forwarding
  • Easy to configure and manage
  • Free and open-source solution
  • Comprehensive real-time visibility across heterogeneous networks
  • Deep integration with SolarWinds Orion and NetFlow Analyzer
  • Highly customizable alerts and dashboards
  • Scalable for small to large enterprise environments
Cons
  • Limited documentation and support resources
  • May require technical expertise to set up and configure
  • Limited scalability and performance in large-scale deployments
  • Higher cost compared to basic open-source monitoring tools
  • Steeper learning curve for advanced configuration
  • Primarily web-based; limited native mobile app functionality
Community & Metrics
Upvotes
0
0
User rating
Not enough data
Not enough data

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The Verdict

AI-generated from listing data

NPS is a free, lightweight, self‑hosted proxy for intranet penetration, while SolarWinds NPM is a paid, enterprise‑grade network monitoring platform; choose NPS for simple proxy needs, SolarWinds for comprehensive performance visibility.

Key differences

  • •Purpose: NPS provides traffic forwarding/proxy; SolarWinds monitors device health and performance.
  • •Deployment model: NPS is self‑hosted open source; SolarWinds is cloud/SaaS subscription.
  • •Cost: NPS is free; SolarWinds requires paid subscription.
  • •Scope: NPS handles specific protocols (TCP/UDP/SOCKS5/HTTP(S)/P2P); SolarWinds covers multi‑vendor device monitoring, NetFlow, alerts, dashboards.
  • •Support: NPS relies on GitHub Issues; SolarWinds offers 24/7 phone, email, live chat support.
DimensionWinner

Pricing & value

NPS is free and open source, whereas SolarWinds requires a paid subscription.

NPS

Ease of use / learning curve

SolarWinds provides web UI, dashboards, and 24/7 support; NPS needs technical expertise and limited docs.

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor

Features & depth

SolarWinds offers real‑time monitoring, alerts, NetFlow analysis, and historical reporting; NPS focuses on proxy functions only.

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor

Integrations & ecosystem

SolarWinds integrates with Orion, NetFlow Analyzer, and multi‑vendor SNMP/WMI; NPS has only API and GitHub integration.

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor

Scalability

SolarWinds is designed for small to large enterprises; NPS notes limited scalability for large deployments.

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor

Support

SolarWinds offers email, live chat, 24/7 phone; NPS support is limited to GitHub Issues.

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor

Security & privacy

NPS runs locally under user control; SolarWinds is cloud/SaaS, introducing external data handling.

NPS

Choose NPS if…

Developers or sysadmins needing a free, self‑hosted proxy for specific protocol tunneling.

Choose SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor if…

IT/network teams requiring enterprise‑grade monitoring, alerts, and multi‑vendor visibility.

Common questions

What is the total cost of ownership?

NPS is free open source; SolarWinds requires a subscription plus possible hardware for agents.

Can NPS replace a full network monitoring solution?

No; NPS only provides proxy/tunneling, while SolarWinds monitors device health, traffic, and performance.

How does support differ between the two?

NPS support is limited to GitHub Issues; SolarWinds offers 24/7 phone, email, and live‑chat support.