SolarWinds NPM vs Auvik

Feature comparison

SolarWinds NPM and Auvik target overlapping network monitoring needs but reflect different generations of architecture. SolarWinds is a mature, broad on-premise suite within the Orion and SolarWinds Observability platforms. Auvik is a cloud-native platform optimised for automated discovery, topology mapping, and rapid time-to-value, with strong managed-service provider adoption.

SolarWinds NPM is the network performance monitoring component of the broader SolarWinds Orion suite (or SolarWinds Observability for the SaaS path). Capabilities include SNMP, WMI, and CLI polling, advanced alerting, NetPath hop-by-hop path analysis, deep PerfStack visualisations, dynamic baselining, and Cisco Meraki integration. NPM commonly deploys alongside SolarWinds NTA (NetFlow Traffic Analyzer), NCM (Network Configuration Manager), and UDT (User Device Tracker). Custom dashboards and SWQL queries give experienced operators significant flexibility. SolarWinds Observability, launched as the strategic SaaS platform in 2023, brings the same monitoring capabilities to a multi-tenant cloud delivery model.

Auvik is a cloud-only network monitoring platform with two core products: Auvik Network Management for network device monitoring, and Auvik SaaS Management for SaaS application discovery and usage. Auvik discovers and maps network topology automatically through a lightweight on-premise collector appliance, with continuous discovery of devices, configurations, and dependencies. The platform is widely adopted by MSPs because of its multi-tenant cloud architecture, predictable per-device pricing, and rapid time-to-value (typically operational within hours of deployment).

On device coverage, SolarWinds NPM has the broader catalogue of supported network device types, with strong coverage of legacy and specialised equipment in addition to mainstream vendors. Auvik covers the major enterprise vendors (Cisco, Aruba, Fortinet, Meraki, Ubiquiti, Sophos, MikroTik, Juniper) but is narrower in coverage of less common devices.

On flow and packet analysis, SolarWinds NTA and Deep Packet Inspection through SolarWinds VNQM provide capabilities that Auvik does not match. For full NPM/NDR depth, SolarWinds remains stronger.

On automation and time to value, Auvik is significantly faster to deploy and operate, with automated topology discovery, baseline alerting, and a polished cloud UI. SolarWinds requires more engineering effort to configure but rewards that with deeper customisation. For mid-market and distributed multi-site IT teams, Auvik's operational simplicity is often decisive; for large enterprise NOCs, SolarWinds depth typically wins.

On the security and trust dimension, the December 2020 SUNBURST supply-chain incident continues to influence buyer perception of SolarWinds. The vendor has invested substantially in Secure by Design programmes and the build pipeline overhaul, but procurement and security teams in regulated industries still apply additional scrutiny during evaluations.

Pricing comparison

SolarWinds NPM pricing as of May 2026 is tiered by the number of monitored network elements, with both perpetual licence plus annual maintenance and subscription options. Indicative pricing: NPM SL250 (250 elements) approximately $1,800 perpetual plus maintenance; SL2000 approximately $9,000 perpetual plus maintenance; SLX (unlimited) approximately $25,000+. SolarWinds Observability SaaS is priced per-host per month with bundled features. Adding NTA, NCM, and UDT typically doubles or triples the headline NPM cost. Annual TCO for a 5,000-element enterprise estate typically lands at $50K to $250K+. The buying-side caveat is the cumulative cost of additional Orion modules and the operational burden of running and patching the on-premise Orion server estate.

Auvik pricing as of May 2026 is per-network-device per month subscription, with Essentials and Performance tiers. Indicative pricing: approximately $7-15 per device per month for Essentials, $12-25 per device per month for Performance, with MSP-friendly volume discounts. Auvik counts only network devices (switches, routers, firewalls, access points); endpoints are not charged. Annual cost for an estate of 500 network devices typically lands at $40K to $150K. Five-year TCO comparison is sensitive to estate composition: SolarWinds is typically more cost-effective for very large estates with deep flow and configuration management needs; Auvik is typically more cost-effective for distributed multi-site estates with mainstream device populations and a preference for SaaS delivery. The buying-side caveat for Auvik is that the cloud-only model is not suitable for air-gapped sites and the platform is narrower in scope than full Orion.

When to choose SolarWinds NPM

Choose SolarWinds NPM when deep on-premise network monitoring with broad device coverage is decisive, when NetPath hop-by-hop path analysis and PerfStack visualisations are valued by the NOC team, when integration with the broader SolarWinds Observability platform across infrastructure and applications is a strategic capability, when SWQL custom queries and Orion module extensibility align with internal automation standards, when very large element counts justify the perpetual licence economics, or when on-premise deployment is mandated by regulation or security policy. Validate post-SUNBURST procurement requirements with your security team.

When to choose Auvik

Choose Auvik when cloud-based, multi-tenant network monitoring with rapid time-to-value is the priority, when automated topology discovery and mapping reduce the operational burden of maintaining device inventories, when distributed multi-site estates benefit from a single cloud-managed pane, when MSP multi-tenancy is required for managed-service operations or co-managed IT, when the IT team prefers an opinionated SaaS product over a configurable on-premise suite, or when predictable per-network-device subscription pricing aligns better with procurement preferences than perpetual plus maintenance.

Alternatives to both