PRTG Network Monitor review

PRTG ranks first because it covers the daily needs of a network admin in one installable product and publishes what it costs. Paessler lists automatic discovery, custom maps and dashboards, real-time alerts through the channel you choose, customizable reports and distributed monitoring across unlimited remote sites. It runs on your own servers, so configuration and data stay in house. Licensing is by sensor, where a sensor is one monitored aspect such as an interface's traffic or a ping. PRTG 500 costs $200 per month paid annually and Paessler says it usually covers about 50 devices; PRTG 1000 is $358 for about 100 devices. The freeware edition keeps up to 100 sensors for about 10 devices, and the 30-day trial has no limit. The catch is sensor math: a busy switch can use many sensors, licenses do not stack on one server, and very large networks need PRTG Enterprise Monitor instead.

Who it is for

Small and midsize IT teams that want one self-hosted tool for uptime, bandwidth and device health with a published price.

Price

Freeware edition for about 10 devices; paid from $200 per month billed annually for 500 sensors.

PRTG 500 $ 200 per month paid annually
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• Automatic network discovery that sets up the first round of monitoring
• Custom maps and dashboards across the whole infrastructure
• Real-time alerts through email, push and other notification channels
• Distributed monitoring across an unlimited number of remote locations
• Web, desktop and mobile interfaces

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Published USD prices for every license size from 500 to 10,000 sensors
• Strength: Free freeware edition covers up to 100 sensors, about 10 devices
• Strength: 30-day trial with no sensor limit, then it falls back to freeware
• Weakness: Licensing counts sensors, so each monitored metric uses up capacity
• Weakness: Licenses cannot be combined on one server; you upgrade to the next size
• Weakness: Above about 1,000 devices you move to a separate Enterprise product

Key facts

• Pricing model: Per sensor, annual subscription
• Entry license: PRTG 500, about 50 devices
• Free edition: Up to 100 sensors
• Hosting: On-premises

Where it ranks

PRTG Network Monitor is No. 1 in our Best Network Monitoring Tools verdict.