Cacti vs DU Meter
Cacti
cacti.netDU Meter
hageltech.comSide by side
| Figure | Cacti | DU Meter |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Bandwidth Monitoring Software | 8.2 (#7) | 8.1 (#10) |
| Spec score · Network Monitoring | 8.2 (#13) | 8.1 (#15) |
| Founded | 2001 | 1997 |
| Purpose | Cacti is a network graphing and operational monitoring framework built around RRDtool. | DU Meter monitors Internet usage on a computer and shows real-time graphs, reports, and alerts for downloads and uploads. |
Plans
DU Meter
- Regular DU Meter license$8.98, paid once
- DU Meter Family Pack$17.97, paid once
In their own words
Cacti
Cacti is a free, self-hosted network graphing and operational monitoring framework built around RRDtool. It collects data through SNMP object identifiers or scripts, which can retrieve database information or run other code. Availability checks cover SNMP, ICMP, TCP, and UDP. Discovery and automation can create graphs and data sources, while Remote Data Collectors distribute collection and cache data during network interruptions. Graph items support line, area, stacked, horizontal-rule, vertical-rule, print, and comment types. Device templates connect devices with graph templates and data queries, and plugins can extend collection to other protocols, with WMI listed as an example. Role-based management covers users, groups, and domains. Cacti supports SNMP versions 1, 2, and 3, with a documented limitation for advanced SNMPv3 settings such as SHA224+ or AES192+ when PHP SNMP is used. It is available for Linux/Unix and Windows. Installation requires MySQL, PHP, RRDtool, Net-SNMP, and a PHP-capable web server such as Apache or IIS.