Cisco Catalyst Center vs LibreNMS
Cisco Catalyst Center
cisco.com
LibreNMS
librenms.orgSide by side
| Figure | Cisco Catalyst Center | LibreNMS |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Network Topology Mapping Software | 7.9 (#12) | 8.1 (#10) |
| API | The platform exposes northbound REST APIs for discovery, inventory, topology, provisioning, assurance, and other network operations. | The API can manage installations, create graphs, and retrieve data. |
| Integrations | Cisco documents integrations with ISE, ThousandEyes, Webex, Microsoft Teams, ServiceNow, Infoblox, and BlueCat, plus generic APIs for other ITSM and IPAM systems. | Documented integrations include Oxidized, RANCID, NfSen, Smokeping, Graylog, and Nagios plugins. |
| Purpose | Cisco Catalyst Center is a centralized network controller and management dashboard for enterprise network operations. | LibreNMS is a network monitoring system with device support. |
Plans
Cisco Catalyst Center
- Cisco DNA AdvantagePriced on request
- Cisco DNA EssentialsPriced on request
In their own words
Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Catalyst Center has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
LibreNMS
LibreNMS is a free, self-hosted network monitoring system with device support. It can discover networks using CDP, FDP, LLDP, OSPF, BGP, SNMP, and ARP. Customizable alerts can be sent through email, IRC, Slack, and other transports, while the API can manage installations, create graphs, and retrieve data. Distributed polling supports horizontal scaling. Documented functions include VLAN, ARP and FDB collection, traffic billing, syslog, service monitoring, and customizable dashboards. Integrations include Oxidized, RANCID, NfSen, Smokeping, Graylog, and Nagios plugins. Authentication choices include MySQL, LDAP, Active Directory, and HTTP, with two-factor authentication also documented. Installation guides cover CentOS and Ubuntu, and Docker images are available. Native iPhone and Android apps provide core functionality, and an online demo is available before installation. Community help is offered through Discord and a forum; commercial SLA-backed support and consultancy are available through partners.