Side by side
Ganglia vs WhatsUp Gold
Both stand on network monitoring. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+2
Ganglia combines node monitoring, cluster aggregation, and a web view of live and historical metrics. Account for the gmetad and RRDtool setup, and heed the project's security warning for publicly accessible installations.
Visit Ganglia Free trial APISelf-hostedWeb+1
WhatsUp Gold brings infrastructure monitoring, topology mapping, automation, and integrations into one product. Its deployment and licensing limits are worth checking against the size and platform requirements of an environment.
Visit WhatsUp GoldThe facts
| Ganglia | WhatsUp Gold | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | A free trial |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows | API, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Network Detection & Response Lite: $866 a year |
| Plans published | 1 | 6 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | ganglia.github.io | whatsupgold.com |
| On network monitoring | #8 of 55 | #45 of 55 |
Ganglia: what it does well
- Free, BSD-licensed open-source project
- Shows live data and historical metric graphs
- Custom host metrics can be announced with gmetric
- Supports pluggable C or Python metric modules
What to know first
- The web frontend depends on gmetad
- Gmetad requires RRDtool and is not built by default
- Large data displays may call for a powerful dedicated machine
- Public installations may need upgrading or password protection
WhatsUp Gold: what it does well
- Monitors networks, servers, applications, storage, and cloud resources.
- Topology maps show relationships, dependencies, and device status.
- Can automate common fixes with scripts and policies.
- Integrates with AWS CloudWatch and Azure Monitor.
What to know first
- Server software requires Windows Server 2019, 2022, or 2025.
- Business costs $1,229 a year for 50 devices.
- A single server can poll at most 100,000 metrics.
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