Best Network Monitoring Software for Free (2026)

9 network monitoring tools ranked on real review data, live pricing and feature coverage — refreshed automatically.

9 tools compared Data-driven, never pay-to-play Sourced pricing & ratings

Our verdict

The best network monitoring software for free in 2026 is Datadog — best for cloud-native teams wanting unified network, infrastructure, and application observability as saas. It scores 8.4/10 on our data-weighted ranking (4.3/5 (~545 G2 reviews)) and starts at $5/host/mo. ManageEngine OpManager is the strongest runner-up. Full comparison table and per-tool breakdown below — all figures stamped with a data-as-of date and linked sources.

9 products

  1. 1Datadog

    ★ Editor's Choice 8.4 4.3 (545) Free tier

    Best for Cloud-native teams wanting unified network, infrastructure, and application observability as SaaS.

    • Cloud Network Monitoring (flows)
    • Network Device Monitoring (SNMP)
    • Unified infra + APM + logs
    • 800+ integrations

    Overview · Pricing · Review · Alternatives

    Visit Datadog → From $5/host/mo

  2. 2ManageEngine OpManager

    8.3 4.6 (127)

    Best for SMBs and mid-market wanting affordable, device-based network + server monitoring.

    • Device-based licensing (all interfaces incl.)
    • Network + server + VM monitoring
    • Fault + performance management
    • Customizable dashboards + maps

    Overview · Pricing · Review · Alternatives

    Visit ManageEngine OpManager → From $95/yr (10 devices, Standard)

  3. 3Zabbix

    8.1 4.3 (192) Free tier

    Best for Budget-conscious teams wanting a fully free, open-source, highly scalable monitoring platform.

    • Free + open-source (no license fees)
    • Agent + agentless collection
    • 250+ official templates
    • Distributed + high-availability monitoring

    Overview · Pricing · Review · Alternatives

    Visit Zabbix → From Free tier available

  4. 4LogicMonitor

    8.1 4.5 (603)

    Best for Growing enterprises wanting SaaS hybrid observability with simple per-unit packaging.

    • SaaS hybrid observability
    • Hybrid Unit licensing (1 unit = 1 device)
    • Agentless collectors + auto-discovery
    • AIOps + anomaly detection (Edwin AI)

    Overview · Pricing · Review · Alternatives

    Visit LogicMonitor → From $16/hybrid unit/mo

  5. 5PRTG Network Monitor

    8.0 4.6 (250) Free tier

    Best for Teams wanting sensor-based monitoring with a free tier.

    • Sensor-based monitoring
    • SNMP/flow/packet
    • Custom dashboards
    • Alerting

    Overview · Pricing · Review · Alternatives

    Visit PRTG Network Monitor → From Free tier available

  6. 6Nagios XI

    8.0 4.5 (55) Free tier

    Best for Teams wanting on-prem, perpetually-licensed infrastructure monitoring with a free open-source core.

    • SNMP + network device monitoring
    • Perpetual on-prem licensing
    • Event-driven remediation
    • Free open-source core (Nagios Core)

    Overview · Pricing · Review · Alternatives

    Visit Nagios XI → From $2595/one-time (100 nodes, Standard)

  7. 7Auvik

    7.8 4.5 (200)

    Best for MSPs wanting automated network mapping + monitoring.

    • Auto network topology
    • SNMP monitoring
    • Config backup
    • Traffic insights

    Overview · Pricing · Review · Alternatives

    Visit Auvik → From Custom quote

  8. 8Domotz

    7.8 4.6 (120)

    Best for MSPs wanting affordable per-site network monitoring.

    • Network discovery + monitoring
    • Unlimited devices per site
    • Remote access
    • SNMP

    Overview · Pricing · Review · Alternatives

    Visit Domotz → From $35/site/mo

  9. 9SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted

    7.8 4.3 (835)

    Best for Enterprises wanting deep, self-hosted network + infrastructure observability (formerly Hybrid Cloud Observability).

    • Network performance monitoring (NPM)
    • Server + application management
    • NetFlow + bandwidth analysis
    • Config + IP address management

    Overview · Pricing · Review · Alternatives

    Visit SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted → From $7.42/node/mo

Affiliate links — vendors may pay us a commission. Ranking is data-driven and never pay-to-play. How we rank →

How to choose

When choosing network monitoring software, weigh four things against your environment: pricing model (per-endpoint vs per-technician vs per-user — it changes total cost dramatically at scale), deployment and integration fit with your existing stack, breadth of automation, and independent review scores. The table above ranks every tracked option on the data we hold; use the per-tool notes to match capabilities to your use case.

Budgeting the whole stack? Use our MSP software cost calculator to estimate monthly and annual spend for network monitoring alongside the rest of your tools, using real published pricing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best network monitoring software in 2026?
Datadog ranks first in our data-weighted comparison (8.4/10, 4.3/5 (~545 G2 reviews)), starting at $5/host/mo.
What is the cheapest network monitoring software?
Among tracked options, Zabbix has the lowest published starting price at Free tier available. Pricing models differ, so compare per-endpoint vs per-technician costs for your fleet size.
Is there a free network monitoring software option?
Datadog offers a free tier. Several others provide free trials — see the pricing column in the table above.
Data as of June 16, 2026. Sources: datadoghq.com, manageengine.com, zabbix.com, logicmonitor.com, paessler.com, nagios.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.