Discover the Best SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Alternatives for Robust IT Monitoring
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) has long been a popular choice for IT professionals seeking comprehensive and affordable server and application performance monitoring. With its agentless monitoring, intuitive dashboards, broad platform coverage, and frequent updates, SAM offers a compelling solution. However, organizations often seek out alternatives for various reasons, including specific feature needs, budget constraints, or a preference for open-source solutions. If you're looking for a powerful SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor alternative, you've come to the right place.
Top SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Alternatives
When it comes to monitoring your IT infrastructure, one size doesn't fit all. We've compiled a list of leading alternatives to SolarWinds SAM, each offering unique strengths to help you keep your servers and applications running at peak performance.

Zabbix
Zabbix is a powerful, open-source monitoring solution that stands out as a strong SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor alternative. It allows you to gather and analyze accurate statistics and performance metrics, visualize data, and receive timely notifications about issues. Available on Free, Open Source, Linux, Self-Hosted, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD platforms, Zabbix offers features like Azure integration, Network Monitoring, Server Monitoring, Custom Dashboards, and Hardware Monitoring, providing a flexible and free option for comprehensive IT oversight.

Nagios
Nagios, a widely recognized monitoring system, is a Freemium and Open Source option primarily for Linux environments. It helps organizations proactively identify and resolve IT infrastructure issues. With features like Hardware Monitoring, Network Monitoring, On-premises software, and Remote Management, Nagios provides a robust monitoring framework that can be a solid SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor alternative for those seeking an established and extensible solution.

Spiceworks Help Desk
Spiceworks Help Desk is a free, comprehensive IT management solution available on Windows, Web, Android, and Android Tablet. While known for its help desk capabilities, it also offers free network monitoring tools, network management tools, and a network mapper. Its features include Forums, Hardware Monitoring, Helpdesk ticketing, Inventory management, IT Asset Management, Knowledge base, Mobile Device Management, Network mapping, and Network Monitoring, making it a versatile and cost-effective SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor alternative, especially for smaller IT teams.

Datadog
Datadog is a commercial monitoring service ideal for IT, Dev & Ops teams managing applications at scale. Available on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Web, Datadog excels at turning vast amounts of data into actionable insights. It offers extensive features such as APM monitoring, Cloud Monitoring, Error logging, Network Monitoring, Performance Monitoring, Server Monitoring, Software as a Service, and Web log analysis, positioning it as a powerful, cloud-based SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor alternative for complex, distributed environments.

PRTG Network Monitor
PRTG Network Monitor is an advanced Freemium network monitoring solution primarily for Windows. It provides detailed insights into network up/downtime, traffic, and usage. Key features include availability, performance, and bandwidth monitoring (SNMP), Network Monitoring, and Sniffer capabilities. PRTG's comprehensive approach makes it an excellent SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor alternative for organizations focused on deep network visibility and performance.

Pandora FMS
Pandora FMS is an enterprise-ready monitoring solution that offers unparalleled flexibility. Available for Free and Open Source on Windows, Linux, Self-Hosted, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD, it addresses immediate and unforeseen operational issues across various IT components. Its features include Application Monitoring, Hardware Monitoring, and Network Monitoring, making Pandora FMS a highly adaptable and open-source SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor alternative for diverse IT environments.

New Relic
New Relic is a Freemium, web-based platform designed to pinpoint and solve performance issues in a wide range of applications (Ruby, Java, .NET, PHP, Python). It offers real user, application, and server monitoring. Features include APM & Profiling, APM monitoring, Application Monitoring, Application Performance Monitoring, Cloud Monitoring, End User Monitoring, Performance Monitoring, Server Monitoring, Software as a Service, and Uptime Monitoring. New Relic is an excellent cloud-based SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor alternative for developers and operations teams focused on application and user experience performance.

Cacti
Cacti is a Free and Open Source frontend to RRDTool, storing all necessary graph and data information in a MySQL database. Available on Windows and Linux, it's primarily known for its powerful graphing capabilities and Network Monitoring. For those who prioritize data visualization and open-source flexibility for network performance, Cacti serves as a capable and free SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor alternative.

CloudRadar Monitoring
CloudRadar Monitoring is a commercial, powerful, simple, and affordable Server and Network Monitoring solution available across Mac, Windows, and Linux. It monitors server CPUs, memory, disks, processes, network devices, and web services. Features include Configuration assistant, Network Monitoring, Guided configuration, Server Monitoring, Real-time dashboard, Uptime Monitoring, Website monitoring, Cloud based, CPU monitoring, Disk Monitoring, Hardware Monitoring, Infrastructure monitoring, Memory Monitoring, Process Monitoring, Real-time monitoring, and Slack integration. CloudRadar is a streamlined, cloud-based SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor alternative focusing on ease of use and affordability.

NetCrunch
NetCrunch 10 is an all-in-one, agentless network, server, application, log, file, and web monitoring suite. As a commercial solution available on Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, and Self-Hosted, it's capable of monitoring over 1 million elements at once. Its robust feature set includes Application Monitoring, Network Discovery, Network mapping, Network Monitoring, Performance Monitoring, Server Management, Server Monitoring, and Web log analysis. NetCrunch stands as a powerful and scalable SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor alternative for comprehensive, agentless IT monitoring.
Choosing the right monitoring solution depends entirely on your specific organizational needs, budget, and existing infrastructure. Whether you prioritize open-source flexibility, comprehensive cloud integration, or deep network insights, this list of SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor alternatives offers a strong starting point for finding your ideal IT monitoring tool.