IT monitoring software tracks the operations and activities of your end users and any software in your IT environment. IT experts use this specific type of software to determine the health and performance of your IT infrastructure and its components so that you can make well-informed and real-time decisions for resource provisioning and IT security.
You may be researching the best IT monitoring software on the market today but don’t know where to start. That’s where we come in. We’ve searched leading review sites, looked at genuine user reviews from each, evaluated the top alternatives, and compiled them in this comprehensive guide.
Table of contents
5 best IT monitoring software
Watch a demo or start a free trial of NinjaOne’s IT monitoring software.
What is the best software for IT monitoring?
This is a complex question, as there is no “one” best software for IT monitoring; rather, it is the most appropriate one for your business and specific needs. When writing this guide, we accounted for the robustness of each solution and how comprehensive its platform is.
Some questions to help you determine what the best IT monitoring software solution is for you:
- What are my specific requirements? Consider factors such as infrastructure complexity and the types and number of devices you want to monitor.
- Is it scalable? Even if you’re a startup, you must consider software that can handle your current network size and future growth.
- Is it straightforward? Look for a software vendor that is known for its easy deployment and simple operation.
- What monitoring protocols does it support? Consider a solution that supports common monitoring protocols such as SNMP and NetFlow.
- How does the vendor send their alerts? Email, SMS, Slack, or other channels? You should take note of how customizable these alerts are.
- How extensive are its reporting capabilities? Consider vendors that can generate customized reports.
- How lightweight is it? Does your IT monitoring software consume a lot of resources? If it does, will it impact network latency?
Refer to these guide questions as you evaluate each software vendor and include other questions specific to your organization. This will improve your chances of working with a tool that is best suited for you.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of finding a monitoring solution, let’s discuss the best IT infrastructure monitoring software available.
The 5 best IT monitoring software
All G2 & Capterra data as of April 2024.
1. NinjaOne
NinjaOne’s IT monitoring software empowers your IT team to detect and address potential issues before they affect operations. This proactive IT management approach increases your confidence in minimizing downtime and maximizing overall productivity from day one. Additionally, NinjaOne consolidates all your IT monitoring tools into a single pane of glass, offering 360-degree visibility into your IT network.
Healthily obsessed with its customers’ success, NinjaOne is the go-to software of choice for over 20,000 customers worldwide. This has contributed to its RMM being rated as the #1 solution on G2 for years and being awarded #1 in customer support.
Main features of NinjaOne
- Automated patch management for Windows, macOS, and Linux OS.
- Centralized dashboard for real-time monitoring of IT assets and performance metrics.
- Endpoint management that allows you to remotely control all your devices from anywhere with an internet connection.
- Customizable reporting to give you valuable insight into your IT network
- Powerful integrations with multiple business applications to enhance your capabilities.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 97% customer satisfaction score (CSAT)
- 95% improved patch compliance
- 95% increased IT efficiency with automation
- 93% saved time on patching
- 70% reduced vulnerabilities in their environment by up to 75%
What users say
“NinjaOne provides 100% reporting on all patches and updates, giving us real-time visibility into our network. With our old tool, we received notifications when patches failed, but it took hours to find those out-of-date devices and software. NinjaOne gives us a detailed report with every endpoint and patch update – it makes my job so much easier.”
From Ashley Watson, IT Manager at NWF Agriculture.
Read more Ninja customer stories.
NinjaOne follows a pay-per-device pricing model that is billed monthly. To get started, you can schedule a 14-day free trial or watch a demo today.
NinjaOne reviews on G2
| Category | NinjaOne Rating |
| Overall | 4.8 out of 5 (1,104) |
| Has the product been a good partner in doing business? | 9.6 |
| Quality of support | 9.4 |
| Ease of Admin | 9.3 |
| Ease of Use | 9.3 |
NinjaOne reviews on Capterra
| Category | NinjaOne Rating |
| Overall | 4.8 out of 5 (206) |
| Ease of Use | 4.8 |
| Customer Service | 4.8 |
| Features | 4.5 |
| Value for Money | 4.7 |
| Likelihood to Recommend | 93% |
2. Datadog
Datadog is a SaaS provider that offers IT monitoring products to give you visibility and insight into any stack, app, or environment. Its network monitoring tool offers end-to-end visibility in a single platform so that you can monitor, detect, and alert users in various locations about any performance issues.
What users say
Users say that Datadog could improve its synthetic monitoring and database monitoring capabilities. The software could also improve its user-friendliness.
Datadog reviews on G2
| Category | Datadog Rating |
| Overall | 4.3 out of 5 (467) |
| Has the product been a good partner in doing business? | 8.5 |
| Quality of support | 8.3 |
| Ease of Admin | 8.4 |
| Ease of Use | 8.2 |
Datadog reviews on Capterra
| Category | Datadog Rating |
| Overall | 4.6 out of 5 (241) |
| Ease of Use | 4.3 |
| Customer Service | 4.3 |
| Features | 4.5 |
| Value for Money | 4.1 |
| Likelihood to Recommend | 82% |
3. Checkmk
Checkmk is an IT infrastructure monitoring used to monitor servers, applications, networks, databases, and cloud infrastructures, among others, in a single platform. Its solution helps you optimize your processes and secure your IT network with various features like granular access control, encryption, and 2FA.
What users say
Checkmk is commonly found in small to medium-sized businesses for its monitoring solutions and lightweight footprint. Nevertheless, the company could improve its UI so that it’s easier to understand and use.
Checkmk reviews on G2
| Category |
Checkmk Rating |
| Overall | 4.3 out of 5 (467) |
| Has the product been a good partner in doing business? | 8.5 |
| Quality of support | 8.3 |
| Ease of Admin | 8.4 |
| Ease of Use | 8.2 |
Checkmk reviews on Capterra
| Category | Checkmk Rating |
| Overall | 4.7 out of 5 (32) |
| Ease of Use | 4.2 |
| Customer Service | 4.4 |
| Features | 4.7 |
| Value for Money | 4.9 |
| Likelihood to Recommend | 96% |
4. Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring
Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring delivers real-time monitoring and troubleshooting to help you visualize and analyze the performance of your IT infrastructure, microservices, and applications. Its platform instantly visualizes your entire IT environment so you can accurately detect and resolve issues in real time.
What users say
Splunk is commonly used by larger organizations that need to monitor file system usage, application availability, and CPU usage, among others. The platform, however, is priced slightly on the higher end of the scale.
Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring reviews on G2
| Category |
Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring Rating |
| Overall | 4.3 out of 5 (50) |
| Has the product been a good partner in doing business? | 9.2 |
| Quality of support | 8.7 |
| Ease of Admin | 7.8 |
| Ease of Use | 7.7 |
Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring reviews on G2
| Category |
Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring Rating |
| Overall | 4.6 out of 5 (223) |
| Ease of Use | 4.1 |
| Customer Service | 4.3 |
| Features | 4.5 |
| Value for Money | 4.3 |
| Likelihood to Recommend | 88% |
5. Zabbix
Zabbix is an open-sourced monitoring solution that monitors various network parameters and the health and integrity of servers, virtual machines, databases, and applications. Its solution supports both polling and trapping to provide valuable insights into your network so that you can make more informed decisions.
What users say
Zabbix is an effective network monitoring tool that enables IT teams to identify devices on different network segments through multiple protocols. That said, many users say that its UI is unclear and slightly clunky.
Zabbix reviews on G2
| Category |
Zabbix Rating |
| Overall | 4.3 out of 5 (185) |
| Has the product been a good partner in doing business? | 7.9 |
| Quality of support | 7.9 |
| Ease of Admin | 7.9 |
| Ease of Use | 7.3 |
Zabbix reviews on G2
| Category |
Zabbix Rating |
| Overall | 4.7 out of 5 (83) |
| Ease of Use | 4.0 |
| Customer Service | 4.1 |
| Features | 4.5 |
| Value for Money | 4.8 |
| Likelihood to Recommend | 89% |
Comparison of best IT monitoring software (G2)
| Category | NinjaOne | Datadog | Checkmk | Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring | Zabbix |
| Overall | 4.8 out of 5 (1,104) | 4.3 out of 5 (467) | 4.7 out of 5 (177) | 4.3 out of 5 (50) | 4.3 out of 5 (185) |
| Has the product been a good partner in doing business? | 9.6 | 8.5 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 7.9 |
| Quality of support | 9.4 | 8.3 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 7.9 |
| Ease of Admin | 9.3 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 7.8 | 7.9 |
| Ease of Use | 9.3 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 7.3 |
Comparison of best IT monitoring software (Capterra)
| Category | NinjaOne | Datadog | Checkmk | Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring | Zabbix |
| Overall | 4.8 out of 5 (206) | 4.6 out of 5 (241) | 4.7 out of 5 (32) | 4.6 out of 5 (223) | 4.7 out of 5 (83) |
| Ease of Use | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 |
| Customer Service | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.1 |
| Features | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Value for Money | 4.7 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.8 |
| Likelihood to Recommend | 93% | 82% | 96% | 88% | 89% |
Final scores and summaries of best IT monitoring software
| Vendor | Final Score | Summary |
| NinjaOne | 2.070 | NinjaOne is a trusted IT monitoring software that is used by thousands of customers all over the world. One of its major value propositions is its platform’s multiple out-of-the-box features. |
| Datadog | 1.393 | Datadog is a reliable IT monitoring software that monitors all kinds of application metrics, such as errors, network states, and response times, among others. |
| Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring | 0.979 | Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring offers real-time streaming analytics in a centralized management tool. |
| Zabbix | 0.950 | Zabbix is used by larger enterprises that must monitor their entire IT infrastructure. |
| Checkmk | 0.948 | Checkmk is a flexible solution suitable for SMBs with no extensive monitoring requirements. |
Our rankings formula
To derive the final score for each vendor, we employed a weighted formula that considers various metrics. Here’s how it breaks down:
Final Score = w1 * G2 Overall Star Rating + w2 * Capterra Overall Star Rating + w3 * G2 Good Partner in Doing Business + w4 * Capterra Likelihood to Recommend + w5 * G2 Total Number of Reviews (Scaled) + w6 * Capterra Total Number of Reviews (Scaled) + Other Factors
Where:
w1 = 0.15 (Weight for G2 Overall Star Rating)
w2 = 0.15 (Weight for Capterra Overall Star Rating)
w3 = 0.2 (Weight for G2 Good Partner in Doing Business)
w4 = 0.2 (Weight for Capterra Likelihood to Recommend)
w5 = 0.1 (Weight for G2 Total Number of Reviews, Scaled)
w6 = 0.1 (Weight for Capterra Total Number of Reviews, Scaled)
Other Factors include additional metrics like ease of use, each multiplied by their corresponding weights:
w7 = 0.05 (Weight for G2 Ease of Use)
w8 = 0.05 (Weight for Capterra Ease of Use)
Selecting the best IT monitoring software
When evaluating IT monitoring solutions, consider the previously mentioned guide questions and evaluate a software tool based on its functionality, compatibility, and total cost of ownership.
Select an IT monitoring tool that matches your needs and goals. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is assuming that what works for your competitor would also work for you. So, work with a vendor that can offer tailored packages to your specific context.
