Auvik vs PRTG: Which Network Monitoring Tool Is Right for Small IT Teams? (2026)

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If you manage a network for a small business or work as an MSP, you have almost certainly come across both Auvik and PRTG. They are two of the most recommended network monitoring tools in the IT community — but they serve very different types of teams.

I am a CCNA-certified network specialist with hands-on experience in network automation and security. In this post I will break down exactly how Auvik and PRTG compare so you can make the right decision for your environment without wasting money on the wrong tool.

Quick Summary

Feature	Auvik	PRTG
Deployment	Cloud-based (SaaS)	On-premise or cloud
Setup time	Under 1 hour	Several hours to days
Network discovery	Automatic	Manual configuration required
Topology mapping	Automatic, real-time	Manual or limited automation
Configuration backup	Built-in	Requires add-ons
Pricing model	Pay only per critical network device — manage others free	One-time license by sensor count
Best for	MSPs, mid-market and SMB lean IT teams	Large enterprises, experienced admins
Free trial	Yes	Yes (100 sensors free forever)

What Is Auvik?

Auvik is a cloud-based network management platform designed specifically for MSPs and lean IT teams. The core value proposition is simplicity — you install a lightweight collector on your network and Auvik automatically discovers every device, builds a live topology map, and starts monitoring within minutes.

Key features:

Automatic network discovery and topology mapping
Real-time traffic analysis and flow monitoring (NetFlow, sFlow, jFlow)
Automated configuration backup and restore for network devices
Auvik Aurora AI-powered alert prioritization, troubleshooting advice, and lifecycle intelligence
Multi-site management from a single dashboard
Integrations with major PSA and RMM tools and more

Who it is built for: Auvik is widely considered one of the best cloud-native network management platforms for MSPs and mid-market SMB IT teams. If you want visibility without spending days on configuration, Auvik is built for you.

Start a free Auvik trial here →

What Is PRTG?

PRTG Network Monitor by Paessler is one of the most established network monitoring tools on the market. It uses a sensor-based model where each monitored metric (CPU usage, bandwidth, ping, SNMP value) counts as one sensor. You install it on a Windows server and configure sensors manually for each device and metric you want to monitor.

Key features:

Extremely flexible — monitors virtually anything via SNMP, WMI, REST API, or custom scripts
Customisable dashboards and alerts
100 free sensors forever on the free tier
Flow monitoring (NetFlow, sFlow, jFlow)
Strong community and extensive documentation
Python and PowerShell integration for custom sensors

Who it is built for: Experienced network administrators in mid-to-large enterprises who need deep customisation and are comfortable with initial configuration complexity.

Head-to-Head Comparison

1. Setup and Deployment

Auvik: Install the collector, point it at your network, and walk away. Automatic discovery finds your switches, routers, firewalls, access points, and anything else with an IP address within minutes. I have seen full network maps appear for 50-device environments in under 30 minutes. After that, it updates every 5 seconds so you always have a live view of your network.

PRTG: Installation is straightforward but configuration is manual. You add devices one by one, select sensors for each, configure SNMP community strings, and set thresholds manually. For a 50-device network expect to spend several hours on initial setup.

Winner: Auvik for small teams. PRTG rewards patience with more granular control.

2. Network Topology Mapping

Auvik: Automatically generates and continuously updates a live topology map showing every device, connection, and traffic flow. When something changes on your network, the map updates automatically. This is genuinely one of Auvik’s strongest features — I have used it to identify unauthorised devices and misconfigured links within minutes.

PRTG: Does not generate automatic topology maps. You can create maps manually using the map designer, but this requires significant time investment and manual updates when your network changes.

Winner: Auvik — not even close for topology mapping.

3. Configuration Backup

Auvik: Automatically backs up device configurations for supported routers and switches. You can restore a previous configuration directly from the Auvik dashboard. For MSPs managing multiple client networks, this feature alone justifies the cost.

PRTG: Configuration backup is not a built-in feature. You would need to handle this separately through scripts or third-party tools.

Winner: Auvik

4. Customisation and Flexibility

Auvik: Monitoring parameters are largely automatic. This is a strength for speed but a limitation if you need to monitor very specific custom metrics or non-standard devices.

PRTG: Extremely flexible. If you can write a Python or PowerShell script that returns a value, you can monitor it in PRTG. I have built custom sensors for monitoring Cisco device temperatures, BGP session states, and API endpoints. For a network engineer who enjoys scripting, PRTG’s flexibility is powerful.

Winner: PRTG for advanced customisation.

5. Pricing

Auvik: Subscription-based, billed only per critical network device per month (devices such as wireless access points, uninterrupted power supplies, printers, network accessible storage, and other devices can be monitored for free). Pricing is not publicly listed — you request a quote based on your device count. Generally considered more expensive per month than PRTG for large environments but cheaper in total cost of ownership when you factor in setup and maintenance time.

PRTG: One-time license fee based on sensor count.

500 sensors: ~$2,149
1,000 sensors: ~$3,899
Unlimited sensors: ~$14,000+

PRTG also offers a free tier with 100 sensors — genuinely useful for very small networks or testing.

Winner: PRTG for large environments on a budget. Auvik for teams where time is money.

6. MSP and Multi-Site Management

Auvik: Built with MSPs in mind. Manage all client networks from a single cloud dashboard, with per-client billing and separation. This is where Auvik genuinely has no equal in this price range.

PRTG: Multi-site management requires separate PRTG installations or the enterprise clustering feature (additional cost). Not designed for MSP workflows.

Winner: Auvik — by a significant margin for MSPs.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Auvik if:

You are an MSP managing multiple client networks
You are a mid-market or SMB IT team that wants fast deployment
You want automatic topology maps without manual configuration
Configuration backup for network devices is a priority
You value time savings over maximum customisation

Try Auvik free — no credit card required →

Choose PRTG if:

You are an experienced network admin comfortable with manual configuration
You need very deep customisation and custom sensor scripting
You manage a large single-site enterprise network
Budget is the primary concern and you have time for setup
You want a perpetual license rather than a subscription

My Honest Take as a Network Engineer

I have worked with both tools in real environments. PRTG is powerful and I respect what it can do with scripting — building custom Python sensors for Cisco devices is genuinely satisfying for a network engineer.

But for most small or mid-size IT teams and MSPs, Auvik removes friction that PRTG creates. The automatic discovery, live topology mapping, and configuration backup save hours of work every week. When you are a one or two person IT team, those hours matter more than maximum customisation.

If you are evaluating both, I recommend starting with Auvik’s free trial since there is no credit card required. Once it’s deployed, you will know within 30 minutes whether it fits your environment (just make sure SNMP is configured before you start).

Start your free Auvik trial here →

About the Author

I am Tinotenda Makunika, a CCNA-certified network specialist with hands-on experience in network automation, Python scripting, and cybersecurity. I built this blog to share practical, implementation-level guidance for IT professionals and MSPs — the kind of content I wished existed when I was building my own skills.

You can find my open-source network tools at github.com/tinotendama including a free DMARC Compliance Checker for auditing email security.

Have questions about Auvik or PRTG? Leave a comment below or reach out directly. I read every message.