If you looking for Opensource server monitoring tools for Windows then this article is for you.

Monitoring is very essential since it helps in maintaining the normal functionality of systems. The monitoring process of IT infrastructure is quite difficult, despite that it must be done properly. Choosing a network monitoring tool can be quite difficult with hundreds of different companies providing the software.

software engineer standing beside server racks
Photo by Christina Morillo on Pexels.com

There are different free server monitoring software for windows. that includes monitoring software for PC, servers, systems, applications, website monitoring tools, security, and other several frameworks. Despite that, professional monitoring software is affordable and available.

That said, let’s have a look at the 15 best open source pc monitoring software
for windows and how they operate.

1. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor

Paessler PRTG is among the 15 best opensource system monitoring software for Windows with excellent network monitoring features. Additionally, PRTG has WMI and SNMP packet sniffing for network monitoring. If you have ever used PRTG before, you will agree with me that it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of the happenings within your network. However, you can easily customize it to only alert you of critical issues in your local infrastructure.

Pros of Using PRTG Network Monitoring

  1. It has schedulable reports in HTML, XML, CSV, and PDF.
  2. Autodiscovery through IP range.
  3. Network monitoring through NetFlow, WMI, and SNMP.
  4. NetFlow analysis.
  5. Cloud and VMWare monitoring.

Cons of Using PRTG Network Monitoring

  1. The free trial version can only be used for the first 30 days after signup.

2. ManageEngine OPManager

ManageEngine OP manager is one of the 15 best network monitoring software for Windows. This network monitoring solution is well-designed hence very resourceful to network administrators. Therefore, they can easily determine poor performance in a large network. Its user dashboard is updated in real-time hence providing the user with useful data like connectivity of devices throughout the network.

Pros

  1. Users can easily customize the dashboard.
  2. It has great virtualization.
  3. Its unique scalability makes it useful for both small and large enterprises.

Cons

  1. The advanced ties are all subject to premiums which are quite expensive.

3. AppNeta PathTest

AppNeta is a free network volume testing tool, therefore, it helps in detecting the actual ability of the network. While using AppNeta you can easily set the test up to a maximum of 10 seconds. Furthermore, its advanced layers 3 and 4 are used to determine the precise depiction of the user’s network maximum capabilities.

Pros

  1. It supports 4-dimensional monitoring.
  2. It has a 24 hours support system.
  3. Cloud adoption.
  4. Continuous monitoring of the application delivery path.
  5. Faster ROI and more productivity.

Cons

  1. The enterprise license is quite expensive thus not affordable to many individuals.

4. Famatech Advanced IP Scanner

Famatech Advanced IP Scanner is free of cost network monitoring as well as a scanning tool for LAN networks and devices. The advanced IP Scanner allows the scanning of devices on the network and remotely regulates the connected computers and other resources. Additionally, it can be used by users to switch computers off from the tool especially if the resource is not in use. Lastly, the tool connects with Famatech’s Radmin solution for distant IT management, so you can manage the IPs wherever you are.

Pros

  1. Displays the information of connected computers.
  2. On and off remote.
  3. Reliable customer support to help you with any issue pertaining to the software.
  4. Compatible with other software.
  5. Selection of ranges of IPs to analyze.

Cons

  1. It is not powerful and reliable as compared to other premium software.

5. SolarWinds Real-Time Bandwidth Monitor

SNMP is a free and open-source bandwidth monitoring tool that can be used in Windows. With the tool, the user is able to see live usage and displays of your plot’s network bandwidth. Thus, the tool notifies you when the bandwidth usage enters an acute state, hence it is possible to know when the bandwidth is running short.

Pros

  1. It is easy to use since it has lots of features.
  2. Great software for network visibility.
  3. Smart dashboard, east to implement all node or interface, good alarm and report mechanism, SQL based database.
  4. The dashboards are incredible because users are able to troubleshoot the network quickly and efficiently right down to the node.

Cons

  1. The dashboards are incredible I am able to troubleshoot the network quickly and efficiently right down to the node.
  2. The element base pricing is very expensive, can quickly escalate.

6. LogRhythm NetMon Freemium

LogRhythm NetMon Freemium is a free tier of LogRhythm NetMon, although it offers similar monitoring abilities as the premium version. Despite having some restrictions which are not a problem with the full version is still able to alert you of any system threat.

Pros

  1. The dashboard is great.
  2. It is easy to install within your Windows device.
  3. They already have templates of what elements to monitor in a device.

Cons

  1. The premium version with all the features is quite expensive.

7. Zabbix

Zabbix is a free and open-source software that offers network monitoring services for cloud, network, applications, and servers. Its advanced features support intelligent alerting, problem detection as well as providing remedies. For that reason, Zabbix is widely used in various industries to provide network monitoring solutions.

Pros

  1. It automatically detects network devices and any changes in device configurations.
  2. Completely free of charge to use.
  3. Data gathering is flexible and extendable.
  4. It gives you notifications alerts in different forms.
  5. Given it is web-based it can be used in any operating system like Windows.

Cons

  1. It increases the number of configurable triggers.
  2. It’s quite slow.

8. NetCrunch

NetCrunch is a product of Adrem Software. NetCrunch offers comprehensive monitoring through policy-based configuration, flexible virtualization, alerting, and extensive monitoring. With NetCrunch, you can monitor all your registered devices in your IT infrastructure.

Pros

  1. It identifies, configures, and monitors your network devices.
  2. It has pre-compiled SNMP MIB modules.
  3. It has external vendors like HP, Dell, CISCO, and several other that buyers can choose from.

Cons

  1. It is very expensive since the trial version can only be used for the first 30 days.

9. Remote Access Plus

Remote Access Plus is remote monitoring support software that can be used by Windows, and Linux. Remote Access Plus is mainly used by system administrators and IT desk technicians in finding problems in remote computers from a remote place. Furthermore, its advanced features help in system monitoring, and remote access control, and it helps in reducing troubleshooting time.

Pros

  1. Easy access of all computers within your network despite their locations.
  2. It resolves issues in a very short time.
  3. It generates powerful reports
  4. Remote shutdown.

Cons

  1. The free version is limited to a very short period of time

10. SolarWinds Flow Tool Bundle

Flow Tool Bundle is a product of SolarWinds company. This open-source and free network monitoring software is compatible with Windows operating system. Flow Tool Bundle has the following tools; Netflow replicator, Netflow generator, and Netflow configurator. These tools help in network testing, level of traffic and setup of NetFlow messaging.

Pros

  1. Completely free to use.
  2. Network performance monitoring alerts.
  3. Checking your network abilities.
  4. It replicates IPv6 and IPv4  flow data to multiple locations.

Cons

  1. The Network Bandwidth Analyzer Pack with the extra features is a premium tier.

11. Observium

Observium is among the 15 best open source network monitoring software for Windows. Observium can be used in any organization since it can serve both small and large organizations. This network monitoring software mainly uses SNMP as its main protocol to collect network connection although it also uses EPD, CPD, FPD, and LLDP as well.

With SNMP that Observium uses, users are able to automatically locates devices throughout their networks. Furthermore, it also supports other operating systems; Linux, Dell, HP, and Cisco.

Pros

  1. The community version is completely free.
  2. Automatic device recognition.
  3. Auto-discovery and network mapping.
  4. Its threshold alerts help users to monitor their devices.

Cons

  1. Its professional version is quite expensive $ 266 per year.

12. Icinga 22

Icinga 2 is one of the most popular and among the 15 best open-source network monitoring software tools. Icinga also uses SNMP as well as direct monitoring to collect data on all devices active in a particular network. Its user interface is secured with SSL, additionally, its open-source user interface is generally clean.

Icinga unique plugins are compatible with both Windows and Linux operating systems.

Pro

  1. It has its own alerting system which alerts the user of any network event through the test or text.
  2. It is completely free.
  3. Its REST API makes it easy to update configurations and also check on the available problems.
  4. The plugins make it possible for customization.

Cons

  1. Its REST API is a bit complex thus users might need guidance to use it.

13. Logic Monitor

Logic Monitor is also among the 15 best open-source network monitoring software that can be used by Windows users. This product of Saas automatically discovers connected devices in a particular network and automatically starts collecting information. Its simple user interface makes it very easy to use. First-time users don’t need to worry since Logic Monitor has over 1000 modules to guide them with activation. The logic monitor has three tiers, namely Starter, Pro and Enterprise version.

Pros

  1. In-built forecasting showing future usage needs.
  2. It allows the transfer of network data and displays it into color-coded graphs.
  3. Automatic discovery of devices.
  4. Simple user interface.

Cons

  1. The free option( trial period) is only limited to 14 days.

14. EventSentry

EventSentry is currently widely used due to its unique features making it feature in the list of the 15 best network monitoring software. It gives its users a complete suite through which users can monitor their entire network system from nodes to devices and servers.

Currently, EventSentry is limited to Windows devices only. However, the full version is priced at $85 per Windows device.

Pros

  1. Gives visual displays and graphs of the reports.
  2. Suitable for large enterprises because they are supported through the use of scheduled reporting.
  3. Ability to check NetFlow data as well as show the bandwidth usage.
  4. It has a simple user interface that can be easily be customized.

Cons

  1. It is very expensive as compared to other network monitoring software.

15. Kaseya Traverse

Kaseya Traverse is a cloud-based network monitoring tool that has the ability to monitor distributed network infrastructure, hybrid cloud, private cloud, and virtualized infrastructure. Furthermore, it uses  LAG, ARP, LLDP, CDP, EDP, and GVRP to help in discovering the active devices within a network.

Pros

  1. It offers real-time and historical reporting.
  2. It supports sFlow, NetFlow, cFlow, and JFlow network monitoring protocols.
  3. It has a customizable user interface.
  4. It also offers network flow analysis.

Cons

  1. Its trial version is limited to a short period of time.

Conclusion

It is our hope that this article will save you the struggle of choosing the best network monitoring software that will give you the best results. This article was to help you find the right tool for your IT infrastructure and business; from specialized IP scanners, packet sniffers, and NetFlow analyzers through to real-time alerting systems and unified monitoring suites. All the best in your search and feel free to share this article with your friends.