Netdata vs SolarWinds NPM
A side-by-side comparison on deployment model, data residency, licensing basis and security coverage. Structural facts are verifiable against vendor documentation; the scored dimensions are our assessment.
Netdata
Netdata Inc.
7.1
Average across eight dimensions
- Deployment
- Hybrid
- Licensing
- Free agent (5-node cap) / per-node paid tiers
- Time to value
- Fast
- Segment
- SMB / mid-market
- G2
- 4.6 (54)
SolarWinds NPM
SolarWinds
7.5
Average across eight dimensions
- Deployment
- Self-hosted
- Licensing
- Per element
- Time to value
- Medium
- Segment
- Mid-market / enterprise
- G2
- —
Score by dimension
| Dimension | ND | SW |
|---|---|---|
| Data residency control | 6 | 8.5 |
| Pricing value | 8 | 4.5 |
| Detection accuracy | 7 | 8 |
| Response speed | 7 | 8 |
| Ease of setup | 9 | 7 |
| Management UX | 8 | 8.5 |
| Integration depth | 7 | 9 |
| Security coverage | 5 | 6.5 |
What the comparison says
Netdata is hybrid and SolarWinds NPM is self-hosted. Where your obligations dictate residency, that difference tends to settle the choice before any score is read.
Netdata licenses on free agent (5-node cap) / per-node paid tiers, SolarWinds NPM on per element. Neither bills on data volume, so the comparison is about what each licence includes rather than how much you send it.
Netdata leads on pricing value and ease of setup. SolarWinds NPM leads on residency, fault detection, alerting speed, integrations and device coverage.
Netdata
- +Per-second granularity out of the box with essentially no configuration.
- +Open-source agent keeps metrics on your hosts; a fully on-premises deployment is an enterprise-tier option.
- +Install to useful dashboard in minutes on a single host.
- −Host-centric rather than network-centric. SNMP and flow coverage is secondary.
- −The managed cloud layer is where multi-node features concentrate, which pulls data outward.
Best for Teams wanting high-resolution host metrics with minimal setup.
Watch out This is not a replacement for an SNMP-led network monitoring platform.
SolarWinds NPM
- +Polished interface and mature topology mapping.
- +Deep device support and a large module ecosystem across the Orion platform.
- +Self-hosted, with strong enterprise reporting.
- −Element-based licensing makes this among the most expensive options at scale.
- −Reputational overhang from the 2020 supply chain compromise still features in security reviews.
Best for Enterprises wanting a polished commercial platform with broad device coverage.
Watch out Model element counts carefully, and expect security review questions about the vendor.
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Data last verified 2026-10-06. nPro publishes this comparison. Where nPro appears as one of the platforms listed, its card is marked and its scores are our own assessment. Third-party review scores are sourced from public vendor profiles. Structural facts are verifiable against each vendor's documentation: deployment model, licensing basis and residency.