DNSViz vs PingPlotter

DNSViz is a free, open-source tool for visualizing DNS zone status and investigating DNSSEC deployment. It lays out a domain's authentication chain and resolution path, and identifies configuration errors. The graph can show delegations, record sets, negative responses, DNSKEY and DS records, signatures, wildcards, warnings and errors. It classifies DNS data as secure, bogus or insecure according to whether a trust chain reaches an anchor. The web service can run new analyses, but its maintenance mode means historical analyses cannot be loaded and new results cannot be saved to its database. For command-line use, the suite includes tools to query DNS, assess results and produce graph or text output. Queries use recursive resolvers by default, or authoritative servers when requested; graph output can be an image, DOT graph or HTML file. DNSViz documents installation on Linux, macOS and FreeBSD, among other Python-supported environments, and provides a Docker container. It is intended for understanding and troubleshooting DNSSEC, including pre-deployment checks of proposed zone and delegation changes.

PingPlotter monitors network performance and maps network paths to help locate connection problems. It tracks latency, jitter and packet loss, with desktop editions monitoring connections from one Windows or macOS computer. PingPlotter Cloud adds an online dashboard for remote connections, while Insights analyzes network data for incidents, possible causes and fixes. Cloud alert actions can make REST calls to services including Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat and JIRA. Webhooks can report agent status or connection-quality changes and link to compatible apps through services such as Zapier and Power Automate. Desktop editions have a 14-day trial; afterward, the free version allows one connection, no remote collection and 10 minutes of monitoring history. Cloud trials last seven days. The free plan is free. Standard Edition starts at $6.99/mo.; Professional Edition is $29 a month, and PingPlotter Cloud is $90 a month. Platforms listed include Windows, macOS, Linux, web and iOS.