ISC Stork vs Subnetly

ISC Stork is a free, open-source web interface for monitoring, troubleshooting, and maintaining Kea DHCP server configuration. It reports host and daemon health, including memory, CPU utilization, software versions, and uptime, and monitors DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 pool use and high-availability status. With the required Kea hooks installed, administrators can manage reservations, subnets, and pools through its interface. Stork can display BIND configuration and DNS zone information, but DNS support is in early stages and it does not change BIND settings. Traffic activity can be exported to Prometheus for Grafana charts, and LDAP can be used for administrator authentication and authorization. A deployment uses a Stork server and agents installed on application servers; the server requires PostgreSQL. The server and agents communicate through TLS-encrypted gRPC channels. Stork expects the running Kea configuration to be authoritative, and the Kea Configuration Backend hook is incompatible with Stork management. It runs on most Linux and Unix platforms and macOS under the MPL 2.0 license. ISC offers free community help and paid professional support.

Subnetly is a hybrid SaaS DDI platform for DNS, DHCP, IP address management, network discovery, and network visibility. Its dashboard records IP use and ownership, identifies conflicts and orphaned addresses, and can export QBR data. Local agents manage authoritative DNS zones and DHCP scopes, with a SaaS console coordinating records and configurations. Agents scan active network segments using ARP, SNMP, and ICMP to build a hardware asset registry. Subnetly says its AI insights can identify capacity risks and configuration gaps as well as address issues. Deployment options include Docker, Kubernetes/Helm, Windows Server, and a Linux daemon. The company says agents communicate outbound over HTTPS or TLS without open inbound ports or VPN tunnels. REST APIs and monitoring webhooks support third-party automation, though access varies by paid tier. MSP controls cover customer and site separation, technician roles, and audit records. A free plan is available; paid plans start at $49 a month. Starter and Pro include 14-day trials, Business has a 21-day trial, and signup requires no credit card.