ElastiFlow vs SoftPerfect Bandwidth Manager
ElastiFlow
elastiflow.comSoftPerfect Bandwidth Manager
softperfect.comSide by side
| Figure | ElastiFlow | SoftPerfect Bandwidth Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 3 | 10 |
| Spec score · Bandwidth Monitoring Software | 8.8 (#3) | 7.9 (#17) |
| Deployment | NetObserv installation documentation provides Docker, Linux, Ansible, and Helm deployment options. | Centralized configuration is available from one network location, and end users usually need no client software installed. |
| Founded | 2017 | 2000 |
| Integrations | Documented data platforms include Elasticsearch, Elastic Cloud, Elastic Cloud Enterprise, OpenSearch, AWS OpenSearch Service, Apache Kafka, Confluent, Redpanda, Splunk and Cribl Stream. | The vendor says the product is compatible with Microsoft ISA Server and Internet Connection Sharing. |
| Purpose | ElastiFlow provides network observability and security analytics by collecting and analyzing network flow and telemetry data. | The Windows tool monitors network traffic and applies bandwidth limits and quality-of-service rules. |
| Security controls | The Trust Center lists encryption in transit and at rest, access reviews, penetration testing, incident-response procedures and restricted customer-data access. | Settings allow administrators to set a logon password for the Bandwidth Control Service and a separate limited-access password. |
| Support | Basic support is available through the Community Slack and ElastiFlow Forum, while Premium includes 8x5 support and Enterprise includes a dedicated representative available 24x7. | SoftPerfect offers technical support by email, a public forum and a personal contact centre. |
Plans
SoftPerfect Bandwidth Manager
- LiteFree
- Standard — single device$49, paid once
- Professional — single device$99, paid once
- Enterprise — single device$149, paid once
- Standard — site licence$499, paid once
- Professional — site licence$1,000, paid once
- Enterprise — site licence$1,500, paid once
- Standard — worldwide licence$1,500, paid once
- Professional — worldwide licence$3,000, paid once
- Enterprise — worldwide licence$4,500, paid once
In their own words
ElastiFlow
ElastiFlow collects and analyzes network flow and telemetry data for network observability and security analytics. Its performance and availability solution is intended to help network operations and engineering teams find and resolve issues across complex, distributed environments. It handles NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow, with application visibility, conversation analysis, and bandwidth monitoring. NetObserv offers visibility, open-data-platform integration, pre-built dashboards, and machine-learning jobs. ElastiFlow extracts more than 6,200 standard and vendor-specific fields from flow records and enriches them with GeoIP, autonomous-system, and IP-reputation information. Supported platforms include Elasticsearch, Elastic Cloud, Elastic Cloud Enterprise, OpenSearch, AWS OpenSearch Service, Apache Kafka, Confluent Platform, Redpanda, Splunk, and Cribl Stream. Deployment options include Docker, Linux, Ansible, and Helm. The virtual appliance supports VMware ESX, Proxmox, and KVM, and is intended for up to 16,000 flows per second from one location. Basic costs nothing and supports up to 4,000 records per second and 25 SNMP devices. A 30-day trial is available.
SoftPerfect Bandwidth Manager
SoftPerfect Bandwidth Manager monitors network traffic and applies bandwidth limits and quality-of-service rules. Administrators can target IP or MAC addresses, ports, protocols, and network interfaces, then set prioritized bidirectional rate and usage limits. Configuration can be centralized at one network location, and end users usually do not need client software. Quotas, scheduling, email notifications, reports, and a live usage monitor help track traffic. Enterprise adds deep packet inspection for detecting IM, P2P file sharing, gaming, and media streaming. Remote management uses a Windows GUI console connecting over TCP port 8701; the vendor says there is no web-based management interface. The product's stated purpose is Windows network management, and version 3.3.0 added Windows ARM64 support while setting Windows 10 as the minimum. The free Lite plan allows five rules or streams. Paid perpetual licences range from $49, paid once to $4,500, paid once and include one year of free updates. The vendor describes compatibility with Microsoft ISA Server and Internet Connection Sharing.