Cacti vs Kentik Network Monitoring System
Cacti
cacti.net
Kentik Network Monitoring System
kentik.comSide by side
| Figure | Cacti | Kentik Network Monitoring System |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $2,000/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 5 |
| Spec score · Bandwidth Monitoring Software | 8.2 (#7) | 8.0 (#13) |
| Spec score · Network Monitoring | 8.2 (#13) | 7.9 (#22) |
| Spec score · Network Monitoring - Midmarket Software | 8.2 (#8) | 8.1 (#10) |
| Spec score · Network Performance Monitoring Software | 8.2 (#9) | 8.0 (#11) |
| Founded | 2001 | 2014 |
| Purpose | Cacti is a network graphing and operational monitoring framework built around RRDtool. | Kentik NMS monitors network health and performance by unifying device metrics, enriched flow telemetry, and AI-assisted troubleshooting in a SaaS platform. |
Plans
Kentik Network Monitoring System
- TrialPriced on request
- Pro$2,000 a month
- TrialFree
- Pro$24,000 a year
- PremierPriced on request
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.
Kentik Network Monitoring System
Kentik Network Monitoring System has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.