WhatsUp Gold vs SolarWinds -
A Comprehensive Comparison
Frustrated with SolarWinds? You’re not alone. High costs, complex setups and endless add-ons are driving IT teams to seek better options.
Progress® WhatsUp® Gold software delivers simplicity, scalability and proactive monitoring—without the hidden fees and complexity.
A Smarter Alternative to SolarWinds
All-in-One Monitoring and Visibility
WhatsUp Gold delivers complete visibility - network devices, servers, applications, cloud and logs - in a single, unified platform. Everything you need is built-in no extra modules needed.
Predictable, Scalable, Cost-Effective Licensing
WhatsUp Gold gives you the freedom to choose between perpetual and subscription licenses. Simple device-based licensing makes budgeting easy. Scale confidently without worrying about hidden fees.
Fast Deployment and
Easy to Use
Install and configure in under an hour with an intuitive interface designed for quick setup and effortless management. Get actionable insights fast and keep your team focused on what matters most.
See How Progress WhatsUp Gold Compares
| Feature Included |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Enterprise Plus | NPM |
| Device Monitoring | ||
| Proactive Issue Alerting | ||
| Out of the Box Functionality | All in one (devices, servers, apps, traffic, cloud, logs) | Network devices only, separate modules for Servers & Applications |
| Network Detection and Response | Not Available | |
| Scalability | Add extra pollers as needed | Costly and complicated |
| Discovery and Mapping | Automated L2/L3 with interactive maps | Auto Discovery maps |
| Network Traffic Analysis | Built in NetFlow/sFlow | Requires add on |
| Configuration Management | Requires add on | |
| Unified Platform | Unified dashboard, integrated logs, fast set up | Outsourced tools |
| PowerShell Monitors and Actions | Native | Requires external workaround |
| Ease of Use | | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Enterprise Plus | NPM |
| Setting Up | Quick (Productive in 1 hour) | Difficult to set up and customise |
| User Interface | Unified platform / single solution | Requires separate modules |
| Look and Feel | Fast, modern, clean, intuitive | Complex & wait for every page to load |
| Configuring Custom Monitors | Web interface wizard-driven | Difficult, complex, requires scripting |
| Dashboard Customization | Drag-and-drop | Complex, multiple steps |
| Dashboard Exporting | Easily share | No ability to export |
| Discovery Tracking and Scan Status | Provides historical record of discovered devices and real-time status during scans | No historical tracking or visibility during scans |
| Alerting and Reporting | Centralized, clear | Not intuitive |
| Export Options | Flexible – supports multiple export formats | Limited – PerfStack export is CSV only |
| User Feedback | Easy to configure, customize, maintain and use | Not scalable, expensive |
Monitor More. Spend Less. Gain Full Network Visibility.
Progress WhatsUp Gold delivers all-in-one visibility, predictable pricing, and fast deployment - without the complexity, hidden fees, or endless add-ons.
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|---|---|---|---|
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Licensing and Pricing | Simple, predictable device-based licensing. Pay per monitored device (switches, routers, servers, VMs). Single product tier covers everything, making budgeting predictable. | Complex element/node-based licensing. Each interface, node and storage volume counts as an element, quickly inflating costs. Large networks can become very expensive. |
 |
Scalability | Scaling your network monitoring is easier with WhatsUp Gold. Simply add pollers as your environment grows — no need to change your licensing structure. | Scaling often requires extra polling engines and additional module costs. |
 |
Feature Coverage | All core features included in one product: network monitoring, server/app visibility, traffic analysis and log management. | Requires multiple Orion modules for similar coverage: NPM, SAM, NTA, NCM — each adds cost and complexity. |
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Ease of Use | Straightforward licensing and deployment; scales well with less systems required. | Higher complexity; managing multiple modules, licenses, and more systems is cumbersome. |
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Customer Support | Offers phone and portal-based support with ticketing, live help, an active community and customer validation program. Users praise fast and knowledgeable reps that are willing to screen share. | Provides phone, email and ticket support; feedback is mixed, citing both helpful engineers and delays requiring persistent follow-up. |
*This page highlights WhatsUp Gold as an alternative to SolarWinds, based on information from SolarWinds’ website. We strive for accuracy, but details may change over time. WhatsUp Gold is not responsible for any discrepancies caused by updates or modifications to SolarWinds’ products after publication. The following features are not supported by SolarWinds NPM, though they may be available in other SolarWinds products and may require additional licensing.
5 Reasons to Choose WhatsUp Gold as your SolarWinds Alternative
Effortless Scalability
No complex licensing or heavy infrastructure
Fast Performance
Real-time dashboards, quick setup, actionable insights in 30 minutes
Flexible Licensing
Perpetual or subscription, no lock-in or hidden fees
Innovation Over Acquisition
Built in-house for a cohesive, reliable platform with constant innovation to develop new features
Trusted Security
Compliance with ISO/IEC 27001, GDPR, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS
Awards
WhatsUp Gold Earns High Marks in Latest G2 Report
WhatsUp Gold has been recognized as an industry leading network monitoring tool in the recent G2 Grid Report for network monitoring solutions winning 17 total awards overall.
Read Report“WhatsUp Gold is an invaluable tool for our organization”
CJ K.
System Engineer
“Cost effective and easy tool”
Data Engineer, Enterprise
“WhatsUp Gold!! Great systems monitoring solution and easy to setup and maintain!”
Senior Engineer, Enterprise
“The ease of use and configuration of WhatsUp Gold really sets it apart from other monitoring suites”
Sr. Infrastructure Engineer, Mid-Market
Set up WhatsUp Gold in Under 5 Minutes
1. Fast Setup: Download the trial below and configure in minutes
2. Step-by-Step Guidance: Follow this quick walkthrough video for a smooth start.
3. Immediate Monitoring: Begin tracking devices and performance right away.
