Network monitoring tools with a free plan in 2026
Devices, links, latency and traffic: SNMP polling, flow analysis and path monitoring. This list has 18 network monitoring tools. Of these, 13 are open source, 18 have a free plan and 17 can be self-hosted. Checked by hand on 30 September 2026.
- 1
Akvorado
Flow collector and visualizer that receives NetFlow, IPFIX and sFlow, enriches flows with interface and routing data, stores them in ClickHouse and shows them in a web UI.
- 2
Cacti
Network graphing tool built on RRDtool: polls devices over SNMP or scripts and draws long-term graphs of traffic and system metrics.
- 3
Checkmk
Infrastructure monitoring for servers, networks, cloud and containers with automatic service discovery; the base edition is open source and paid editions add more.
- 4
ElastiFlow
Flow and SNMP collector that ships network flow records to Elasticsearch, OpenSearch and other stores, with ready-made dashboards and security detections.
- 5
Hubble
Network observability layer for Cilium that shows service dependencies, network flows and DNS and HTTP traffic between Kubernetes workloads, using eBPF.
- 6
LibreNMS
Network monitoring system with automatic SNMP discovery, graphs and alerting, supporting a long list of network hardware vendors.
- 7
ManageEngine OpManager
On-premises network and server monitoring for routers, switches, firewalls, Windows and Linux hosts and virtual machines.
- 8
NetAlertX
Self-hosted scanner that discovers devices on your network and alerts when new, unknown or offline devices appear.
- 9
Netdisco
Open source network management tool that discovers switches and routers over SNMP and lets you locate devices by MAC or IP, browse ports and track inventory.
- 10
NetXMS
Network and infrastructure management system with SNMP discovery, network maps, server agents and event correlation; an Enterprise edition adds support and features.
- 11
ntopng
Web-based network traffic monitor that analyses packets or flows to show top talkers, applications, hosts and alerts. Open source Community edition with paid Pro and Enterprise versions.
- 12
Observium
Network monitoring platform with SNMP auto-discovery of devices; a free Community Edition and a paid Professional edition with faster updates.
- 13
OpenNMS
Network management platform for fault and performance monitoring at scale; Horizon is the open source edition and Meridian the supported one.
- 14
PingPlotter
Network troubleshooting tool that runs continuous traceroutes to chart latency and packet loss hop by hop. Desktop editions include a free version; the Cloud edition monitors remote users.
- 15
pmacct
Set of passive network monitoring daemons that collect NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow, BGP and BMP data and export traffic accounting to databases or message brokers.
- 16
PRTG Network Monitor
Windows-based network and server monitoring from Paessler built around sensors for SNMP, WMI, flows, ping and HTTP, with maps and dashboards.
- 17
SmokePing
Latency monitor that probes hosts continuously and graphs latency and packet loss distribution over time.
- 18
Zabbix
Open source monitoring for networks, servers, VMs, applications and cloud, using agents, SNMP and templates with trigger-based alerting; Zabbix Cloud is the hosted option.
Side by side
| Tool | Pricing | Free plan | Open source | Self-hosted | SNMP polling | Flow analysis | Device discovery | Topology maps | Latency and path | Bandwidth graphs | Syslog and traps | Configuration backup | Alerting | Wireless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akvorado | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | Yes | - | - | - | - |
| Cacti | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
| Checkmk | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes |
| ElastiFlow | Free plan | Basic: 4,000 records/s, 25 SNMP devices | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | Yes | - | - | Yes | - |
| Hubble | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | No | No | - | No |
| LibreNMS | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ManageEngine OpManager | Free plan | Free edition: 3 devices | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NetAlertX | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | - |
| Netdisco | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| NetXMS | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
| ntopng | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | - |
| Observium | Free plan | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OpenNMS | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | - |
| PingPlotter | Free plan | Yes | No | No | - | - | - | - | Yes | - | - | - | Yes | - |
| pmacct | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | - | No | - | No | - | - | - | - |
| PRTG Network Monitor | Free plan | Freeware edition: 100 sensors | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes |
| SmokePing | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | No | - | - | Yes | - | No | No | Yes | No |
| Zabbix | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | - |
Yes: confirmed in the tool's documentation. No: documented as not offered. -: not confirmed. Plans and prices change; check each tool's own site before you decide.
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