Obkio

Obkio is a network performance monitoring service for organizations investigating intermittent problems across locations. It suits teams that need frequent synthetic checks alongside device, application, and route diagnostics. Its breadth is useful, but meaningful use beyond two agents requires a paid plan with custom pricing.

Overview

Distributed agents run synthetic tests between network locations every 500 milliseconds, measuring latency, packet loss, jitter, throughput, and MOS score. Combining those measures with device health, application checks, and traceroutes gives teams several ways to narrow down where performance degrades. Obkio uses synthetic traffic rather than capturing real user traffic, so it offers network signals without monitoring actual user sessions.

Deployment is hybrid, and the service supports synthetic checks, traffic monitoring, and topology maps. The free plan is permanent but capped at two software agents, making it a limited starting point for networks that need coverage across multiple locations.

For broader category browsing, see Network Performance Monitoring Software, VoIP Monitoring Software, and Network Monitoring.

Key features

• Frequent performance tests: Agents test between locations every 500 milliseconds. Tracking latency, packet loss, jitter, throughput, and MOS score can help teams catch intermittent changes across several dimensions.
• Device monitoring: SNMP collects health data from routers, switches, and firewalls. Correlating that data with network performance can help distinguish a device problem from a broader path issue.
• Application checks: Application performance monitoring and HTTP URL tests help teams assess whether a slowdown is more likely tied to the network, application, or user.
• Traceroutes: Visual paths with hop-level latency can point to where performance starts to degrade, adding diagnostic context beyond an end-to-end result.
• Reporting and integrations: Reports can be exported as Excel, PDF, or JSON and scheduled daily, weekly, or monthly. Slack, Microsoft Teams, PagerDuty, and HTTP webhooks support notifications or events; email is also an alert channel.
• Security and support: The pricing page lists MFA, TLS-encrypted communications, encryption of stored data, user roles, and audit logs. Online documentation is available 24/7; live chat and email support are listed weekdays from 9am to 5pm EST.

Pricing

Obkio uses a freemium model. The 14-Day Free Trial costs nothing for 14 days, includes Premium features, allows up to 10 agents, and requires no credit card. When it ends, the account switches to Free and agents above two are disabled, so teams should plan for that reduction in coverage.

The Free plan costs nothing and is free forever, with a maximum of two software agents. It is suitable for a small-scale evaluation, but the cap is restrictive for multisite monitoring.

All other plans have custom pricing rather than a published price. Starter has monthly pricing by quote and is aimed at SMEs with fewer than three locations; Basic is also monthly by quote for multiple network locations; Premium is monthly by quote for mid-to-large multisite networks. These plans target progressively broader network needs, but buyers must request pricing to compare costs.

50 Remote Users includes 50 agents, 10 devices, two users, Public Monitoring Agents, and Windows 11 and macOS workstations. 100 Remote Users provides 100 agents with the same 10 devices, two users, Public Monitoring Agents, and workstation platforms. Both require a quote, and their fixed device and user allowances matter alongside the higher agent counts.

Non-Profit Organizations is quote-based for multi-site NPOs. Education Sponsorship is quote-based for colleges and universities. Custom Enterprise uses tailored pricing for MSPs and large businesses. Those options address specialized organizational needs, but none offers a listed price for straightforward budget comparison.

Platforms

Obkio supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows, as well as an API. That range accommodates desktop and mobile access alongside integrations, though the stated remote-user plans specifically identify Windows 11 and macOS workstations.

Who it's for

Obkio is a strong fit for small businesses, multisite organizations, MSPs, remote users, nonprofits, and colleges or universities that need to investigate intermittent network performance. The combination of synthetic checks, SNMP device health, HTTP tests, and hop-level traceroutes is particularly relevant when teams need to separate network symptoms from device or application issues.

It is less compelling for teams that require actual user-traffic monitoring, or for organizations that need broad agent coverage without entering a quote-based plan. Its two-agent free tier can validate a narrow setup, but does not provide expansive ongoing coverage.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Tests run every 500 milliseconds and measure five performance indicators, giving teams a frequent, multi-signal view of network paths.
• Pro: Device, application, and hop-level diagnostics complement synthetic checks and help narrow down possible causes.
• Pro: Scheduled exports, multiple notification integrations, and listed security controls support operational workflows.
• Con: The permanent free plan stops at two software agents, limiting its usefulness for networks spread across sites.
• Con: The 14-day trial's 10-agent allowance falls to two active agents when it converts to Free, which can interrupt broader coverage unless the organization moves to a quoted plan.
• Con: Custom pricing across the non-free plans makes it difficult to compare costs before requesting a quote.
• Con: Synthetic traffic does not capture real user traffic, so teams seeking direct user-session monitoring should look elsewhere.

Alternatives

Paessler PRTG Network Monitor may suit buyers seeking a sensor-based free tier: its Freeware Edition allows up to 100 sensors, about 10 devices, while Obkio's free plan is capped at two agents.

ManageEngine OpManager is worth considering when a perpetual free allowance of three devices is a better fit than Obkio's two-agent limit; its Standard Edition starts at $95 a year.

PingPlotter may be preferable for a single-connection use case with a clear entry price: its free plan allows one connection, no remote collection, and 10-minute monitoring history, while its Professional Edition is $29 a month.

Checkmk is an option for teams wanting a free Community edition with 2000+ pre-built integrations, up to about 100 hosts, and community support.

SoftPerfect Bandwidth Manager offers a free Lite tier with five rules or streams, usage reports, a live usage monitor, and penalties for heavy downloads or uploads; consider it when those bandwidth-management functions are the priority.

Zabbix is another alternative for buyers comparing network monitoring options.

perfSONAR is a free, open-source network measurement toolkit for teams prepared to install and operate their own infrastructure.

LibreNMS is a free, self-hosted network monitoring system, with commercial SLA-backed support and consultancy available through partners.

Verdict

Choose Obkio if your organization needs frequent synthetic performance checks and wants device, application, and traceroute diagnostics in the same service. The two-agent free tier and explicit trial limits make it easy to start narrowly, but its quote-based plans and lack of real user-traffic capture are strong reasons to look elsewhere if you need predictable pricing or direct session monitoring.