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SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor vs NPS

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

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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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NPS
NPSLightweight Intranet Penetration Proxy Server
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Overview
Description

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.

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.

Pricing
Paid (Subscription)
Free
Category
Network Monitoring
Server Management
Best for
IT Professionals and Network Administrators
Developers and system administrators
Specifications
deployment
Cloud/SaaS
Self-hosted
open source
No
Yes
api available
Yes
Yes
support options
Email, Live Chat, 24/7 Phone Support
GitHub Issues
key integrations
SolarWinds Orion Platform, SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer
—
github stars
—
34,138
primary language
—
Go
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 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
  • High-performance and lightweight solution
  • Supports multiple protocols for flexible traffic forwarding
  • Easy to configure and manage
  • Free and open-source solution
Cons
  • Higher cost compared to basic open-source monitoring tools
  • Steeper learning curve for advanced configuration
  • Primarily web-based; limited native mobile app functionality
  • Limited documentation and support resources
  • May require technical expertise to set up and configure
  • Limited scalability and performance in large-scale deployments
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 SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor if…

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

Choose NPS if…

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

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.