Quick Overview
- 1#1: Datadog - Provides comprehensive real-time monitoring of servers, applications, logs, and infrastructure metrics across cloud and on-prem environments.
- 2#2: New Relic - Offers full-stack observability for servers, including infrastructure monitoring, APM, and custom dashboards for performance insights.
- 3#3: Dynatrace - AI-powered monitoring platform that automatically discovers and monitors server performance, dependencies, and anomalies.
- 4#4: Zabbix - Open-source enterprise-class solution for monitoring servers, networks, and applications with alerting and visualization.
- 5#5: Prometheus - Open-source monitoring system and time series database optimized for reliability and server metrics collection.
- 6#6: SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor - Monitors server hardware, virtualization, and application health with performance analytics and alerts.
- 7#7: PRTG Network Monitor - User-friendly tool for monitoring servers, bandwidth, and devices using sensors for comprehensive IT oversight.
- 8#8: Nagios - Industry-standard open-source monitoring system for servers, services, and network components with customizable plugins.
- 9#9: Checkmk - Agentless monitoring solution for servers and IT infrastructure with auto-discovery and predictive analytics.
- 10#10: ManageEngine OpManager - Unified monitoring tool for servers, networks, and applications with fault and performance management features.
We evaluated these tools based on key factors including feature set, performance reliability, user-friendliness, and overall value, ensuring they meet the demands of both small-scale and large-enterprise environments.
Comparison Table
This comparison table explores leading server monitor software, such as Datadog, New Relic, Dynatrace, Zabbix, and Prometheus, to guide readers in selecting tools that meet their performance tracking, scalability, and usability needs. It outlines key features, deployment options, and practical use cases, enabling informed choices for efficient server management.
| # | Tool | Category | Overall | Features | Ease of Use | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Datadog Provides comprehensive real-time monitoring of servers, applications, logs, and infrastructure metrics across cloud and on-prem environments. | enterprise | 9.5/10 | 9.8/10 | 8.5/10 | 8.2/10 |
| 2 | New Relic Offers full-stack observability for servers, including infrastructure monitoring, APM, and custom dashboards for performance insights. | enterprise | 9.3/10 | 9.6/10 | 8.7/10 | 8.4/10 |
| 3 | Dynatrace AI-powered monitoring platform that automatically discovers and monitors server performance, dependencies, and anomalies. | enterprise | 9.2/10 | 9.7/10 | 8.4/10 | 8.1/10 |
| 4 | Zabbix Open-source enterprise-class solution for monitoring servers, networks, and applications with alerting and visualization. | other | 8.7/10 | 9.4/10 | 6.8/10 | 9.8/10 |
| 5 | Prometheus Open-source monitoring system and time series database optimized for reliability and server metrics collection. | other | 9.2/10 | 9.5/10 | 7.5/10 | 10/10 |
| 6 | SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Monitors server hardware, virtualization, and application health with performance analytics and alerts. | enterprise | 8.4/10 | 9.2/10 | 7.5/10 | 7.8/10 |
| 7 | PRTG Network Monitor User-friendly tool for monitoring servers, bandwidth, and devices using sensors for comprehensive IT oversight. | enterprise | 8.5/10 | 9.2/10 | 8.0/10 | 7.8/10 |
| 8 | Nagios Industry-standard open-source monitoring system for servers, services, and network components with customizable plugins. | other | 7.8/10 | 9.2/10 | 4.8/10 | 9.5/10 |
| 9 | Checkmk Agentless monitoring solution for servers and IT infrastructure with auto-discovery and predictive analytics. | other | 8.7/10 | 9.3/10 | 7.4/10 | 8.8/10 |
| 10 | ManageEngine OpManager Unified monitoring tool for servers, networks, and applications with fault and performance management features. | enterprise | 8.1/10 | 8.5/10 | 7.8/10 | 8.0/10 |
Provides comprehensive real-time monitoring of servers, applications, logs, and infrastructure metrics across cloud and on-prem environments.
Offers full-stack observability for servers, including infrastructure monitoring, APM, and custom dashboards for performance insights.
AI-powered monitoring platform that automatically discovers and monitors server performance, dependencies, and anomalies.
Open-source enterprise-class solution for monitoring servers, networks, and applications with alerting and visualization.
Open-source monitoring system and time series database optimized for reliability and server metrics collection.
Monitors server hardware, virtualization, and application health with performance analytics and alerts.
User-friendly tool for monitoring servers, bandwidth, and devices using sensors for comprehensive IT oversight.
Industry-standard open-source monitoring system for servers, services, and network components with customizable plugins.
Agentless monitoring solution for servers and IT infrastructure with auto-discovery and predictive analytics.
Unified monitoring tool for servers, networks, and applications with fault and performance management features.
Datadog
enterpriseProvides comprehensive real-time monitoring of servers, applications, logs, and infrastructure metrics across cloud and on-prem environments.
Watchdog AI, which automatically detects anomalies, root causes, and forecasts issues across your entire infrastructure without manual configuration.
Datadog is a comprehensive cloud monitoring and observability platform that excels in server monitoring by collecting real-time metrics, logs, traces, and events from on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. It offers customizable dashboards, intelligent alerting, and AI-driven anomaly detection to ensure proactive issue resolution and performance optimization. With extensive integrations supporting over 500 technologies, it provides end-to-end visibility for infrastructure and applications at scale.
Pros
- Exceptional scalability for monitoring thousands of servers with minimal overhead
- Unified platform integrating metrics, logs, APM, and synthetics for holistic observability
- Powerful AI/ML-driven insights and alerting that reduce noise and MTTR
Cons
- High pricing that can be prohibitive for small teams or startups
- Steep learning curve due to the depth of features and customization options
- Agent can consume noticeable resources on lower-spec servers
Best For
Enterprise DevOps and IT teams managing large-scale, dynamic cloud-native infrastructures requiring full-stack observability.
Pricing
Starts at $15/host/month for Infrastructure Monitoring (billed annually); additional modules like APM ($31/host/month) and Logs ($0.10/GB) scale costs; free trial available.
New Relic
enterpriseOffers full-stack observability for servers, including infrastructure monitoring, APM, and custom dashboards for performance insights.
Entity-centric explorer that maps and correlates server hosts with applications, services, and dependencies for instant troubleshooting.
New Relic is a leading observability platform specializing in server monitoring through its Infrastructure solution, providing real-time visibility into CPU, memory, disk, network, and process metrics across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments. It collects telemetry data via lightweight agents, enabling customizable dashboards, anomaly detection, and alerting to prevent downtime. Beyond basic monitoring, it correlates server data with application performance, logs, and traces for root-cause analysis in complex systems.
Pros
- Comprehensive infrastructure metrics with low-overhead agents
- AI-driven anomaly detection and proactive alerting
- Seamless integration with 500+ tools and cloud providers
Cons
- Pricing scales steeply with high data ingestion volumes
- Initial setup and configuration can be complex for beginners
- Limited free tier for production-scale monitoring
Best For
Enterprises and DevOps teams managing large-scale, distributed server infrastructures requiring full-stack observability.
Pricing
Freemium with 100 GB/month free; pay-as-you-go at ~$0.30/GB ingested data, plus user seats starting at $49/month for full platform access.
Dynatrace
enterpriseAI-powered monitoring platform that automatically discovers and monitors server performance, dependencies, and anomalies.
Davis Causal AI for precise, automated root cause detection across servers and full stack
Dynatrace is an AI-powered observability platform specializing in full-stack monitoring, including comprehensive server performance tracking for metrics like CPU, memory, disk I/O, network, and processes. It automatically discovers infrastructure, instruments applications without manual configuration via OneAgent, and provides contextual insights correlating server health with business impact. Davis AI proactively detects anomalies, performs root cause analysis, and automates remediation to minimize downtime.
Pros
- AI-driven root cause analysis with Davis for faster issue resolution
- Automatic discovery and instrumentation via OneAgent for minimal setup
- Scalable for hybrid/multi-cloud environments with deep contextual visibility
Cons
- High cost, especially for smaller organizations
- Steep learning curve for advanced customizations
- Data ingestion can lead to overwhelming dashboards without tuning
Best For
Large enterprises with complex, distributed server infrastructures needing intelligent, automated monitoring.
Pricing
Consumption-based; starts at ~$0.04/hour per host unit or $21/month per 8GB host, with enterprise plans custom-quoted.
Zabbix
otherOpen-source enterprise-class solution for monitoring servers, networks, and applications with alerting and visualization.
Low-Level Discovery (LLD) for automatic detection and monitoring of dynamic IT components like filesystems and network interfaces.
Zabbix is an enterprise-class, open-source monitoring solution that tracks the performance and availability of servers, networks, cloud services, virtual machines, and applications. It collects metrics such as CPU, memory, disk usage, and network traffic, while providing alerting, visualization dashboards, and reporting capabilities. Supporting auto-discovery, predictive analysis, and SLA monitoring, Zabbix scales to monitor millions of metrics across distributed environments.
Pros
- Completely free and open-source with no licensing costs
- Highly scalable and supports monitoring millions of metrics
- Extensive library of templates and integrations for quick setup
Cons
- Steep learning curve for new users
- Complex initial configuration and management
- Web interface feels dated and less intuitive
Best For
Large organizations with experienced IT teams needing a customizable, scalable monitoring solution for complex infrastructures.
Pricing
Free open-source core; paid support subscriptions start at ~$1,000/year per monitored server.
Prometheus
otherOpen-source monitoring system and time series database optimized for reliability and server metrics collection.
PromQL: a multi-dimensional time series query language enabling flexible, real-time metrics querying and alerting.
Prometheus is an open-source systems monitoring and alerting toolkit that collects metrics from targets via HTTP scraping, stores them in a multi-dimensional time series database, and evaluates rules for alerting. It excels in dynamic environments like Kubernetes through service discovery and federation for scalability. Designed for reliability, it provides PromQL, a flexible query language for analyzing metrics data over time.
Pros
- Powerful PromQL query language for complex metrics analysis
- Highly scalable with federation and service discovery
- Extensive ecosystem and integrations, especially with Kubernetes
Cons
- Steep learning curve for setup and PromQL
- No built-in visualization (requires Grafana or similar)
- Primarily metrics-focused, less ideal for logs or traces out-of-the-box
Best For
DevOps and SRE teams managing containerized or cloud-native infrastructures needing robust, scalable metrics monitoring.
Pricing
Free and open-source; paid enterprise support available from vendors like Grafana Labs.
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
enterpriseMonitors server hardware, virtualization, and application health with performance analytics and alerts.
1,200+ vendor-certified component monitors for precise application performance tracking
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) is a robust IT monitoring tool designed to track server performance metrics like CPU, memory, disk space, and network utilization across Windows, Linux, and Unix environments. It extends beyond basic server monitoring with over 1,200 pre-built templates for application-specific monitoring, including databases, web servers, and virtualization platforms. SAM integrates seamlessly with the SolarWinds Orion platform for enhanced alerting, reporting, and capacity planning.
Pros
- Comprehensive library of 1,200+ application monitoring templates
- Advanced alerting, dashboards, and reporting capabilities
- Scalable for enterprise environments with multi-site support
Cons
- Complex setup and steep learning curve for customization
- High licensing costs that scale with monitored elements
- Resource-intensive agent and polling engine requirements
Best For
Mid-to-large enterprises requiring deep, application-specific server monitoring with customizable thresholds and integrations.
Pricing
Perpetual licensing starts at ~$2,500 for 100 monitored elements plus annual maintenance (~20-25%); node-based subscriptions from $1,200/year.
PRTG Network Monitor
enterpriseUser-friendly tool for monitoring servers, bandwidth, and devices using sensors for comprehensive IT oversight.
Sensor-based monitoring with 250+ pre-configured sensors for out-of-the-box server metrics tracking and custom scripting via Sensor Factory
PRTG Network Monitor is a comprehensive IT infrastructure monitoring solution from Paessler that excels in tracking server performance metrics like CPU, memory, disk usage, and services alongside networks and devices. It employs a unique sensor-based architecture with over 250 sensor types for precise, real-time data collection and alerting. The tool offers customizable dashboards, interactive maps, and reporting to ensure proactive server management and high availability.
Pros
- Vast library of 250+ sensors for detailed server monitoring
- Intuitive auto-discovery and customizable maps/dashboards
- Scalable from small setups to enterprise environments
Cons
- Sensor-based pricing can escalate costs quickly
- High resource demands on the core monitoring server
- Steep learning curve for advanced configurations
Best For
Mid-sized IT teams managing hybrid server environments who need an all-in-one monitoring tool for networks and servers.
Pricing
Free for up to 100 sensors; paid perpetual licenses start at $1,799 for 500 sensors, scaling by sensor count with optional annual maintenance.
Nagios
otherIndustry-standard open-source monitoring system for servers, services, and network components with customizable plugins.
Plugin architecture enabling monitoring of virtually any service or metric through community and custom plugins
Nagios is a robust open-source monitoring system designed to track the health, performance, and availability of servers, networks, applications, and infrastructure components. It employs a plugin-based architecture that supports thousands of community-developed plugins for monitoring virtually any metric or service. Nagios provides proactive alerting through various channels like email, SMS, and custom scripts when thresholds are breached or issues arise.
Pros
- Extremely customizable with a vast ecosystem of over 5,000 plugins
- Open-source core is completely free and scalable for large deployments
- Proven reliability in enterprise environments for decades
Cons
- Steep learning curve due to manual text-file configuration
- Outdated web interface lacking modern UI/UX polish
- Limited built-in visualization and reporting without add-ons
Best For
IT teams in large enterprises seeking highly customizable, cost-effective monitoring without vendor lock-in.
Pricing
Nagios Core is free and open-source; commercial Nagios XI starts at $1,995 one-time fee for 100 hosts, with higher tiers up to $24,995 for unlimited.
Checkmk
otherAgentless monitoring solution for servers and IT infrastructure with auto-discovery and predictive analytics.
Dynamic auto-discovery of hosts, services, and metrics with thousands of vendor-agnostic checks
Checkmk is a powerful open-source IT monitoring platform, forked from Nagios, specializing in comprehensive server and infrastructure monitoring. It collects metrics from hardware, operating systems, applications, and cloud services using agents or agentless methods, with real-time dashboards, alerting, and anomaly detection. The tool scales efficiently for large environments and includes business intelligence aggregation for holistic views.
Pros
- Over 2,000 pre-built checks and plugins for extensive out-of-the-box monitoring
- Highly scalable with support for tens of thousands of hosts
- Advanced BI visualizations and predictive analytics
Cons
- Steep learning curve for setup and customization
- Enterprise features require paid edition
- High resource usage in very large deployments
Best For
Experienced IT teams in mid-to-large enterprises needing deep, customizable server and hybrid infrastructure monitoring.
Pricing
Free Raw (open-source) edition; Enterprise edition starts at ~€600/year for up to 500 hosts, scales with cores/hosts monitored.
ManageEngine OpManager
enterpriseUnified monitoring tool for servers, networks, and applications with fault and performance management features.
3D rack view for intuitive visualization of data center layouts and device status
ManageEngine OpManager is a robust network and server monitoring tool that provides real-time visibility into server health, performance metrics like CPU, memory, disk usage, and processes across Windows, Linux, Unix, and virtual environments. It includes fault detection, root cause analysis, and automated workflows to minimize downtime. The solution scales for enterprises with support for cloud and hybrid infrastructures, offering customizable dashboards and reports.
Pros
- Comprehensive monitoring for physical, virtual, and cloud servers with hardware sensor support
- Powerful alerting, workflows, and reporting capabilities
- Scalable with free edition and integration with other ManageEngine tools
Cons
- Steeper learning curve for advanced setup and customization
- Can be resource-intensive on the monitoring server for large deployments
- Many advanced features require paid add-ons
Best For
Mid-sized IT teams needing integrated server and network monitoring with strong fault management.
Pricing
Free for up to 10 devices; Standard edition starts at ~$395/year for 10 monitors, with Enterprise plans scaling by device count and add-ons.
Conclusion
Server monitor software varies in focus, but the top three tools deliver exceptional value—Datadog leads with its broad support for cloud and on-prem environments, real-time monitoring, and detailed infrastructure insights. New Relic stands out for its full-stack observability, combining APM and custom dashboards to unravel performance bottlenecks. Dynatrace distinguishes itself with AI-powered auto-discovery, simplifying monitoring of complex server dependencies and anomalies. For most users, Datadog’s comprehensive suite makes it the clear top choice.
Don’t miss out on optimizing your server management—try Datadog today to streamline monitoring, detect issues faster, and keep your infrastructure running smoothly.
Tools Reviewed
All tools were independently evaluated for this comparison
