ManageEngine Network Configuration Manager vs RANCID
ManageEngine Network Configuration Manager
manageengine.comRANCID
shrubbery.netSide by side
| Figure | ManageEngine Network Configuration Manager | RANCID |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19.83/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 1 |
| Spec score · Network Configuration Management Software | 9.1 (#1) | 7.9 (#9) |
| Device support | The product page says the editions support devices from more than 200 vendors. | The maker lists support for devices including Allied Telesis, Cisco, Juniper, Catalyst, Foundry/Brocade, Redback, ADC, Alteon, and HP Procurve, plus others. |
| License | The EULA grants a proprietary, non-transferable license and prohibits redistribution, modification, reverse engineering and multi-server installation. | The published license permits redistribution and use in source and binary forms subject to its stated conditions. |
| Purpose | Network Configuration Manager manages configuration and change workflows for switches, routers, firewalls, and other network devices. | RANCID monitors network-device configurations, records configuration and hardware/software history in a revision control system, and emails detected differences. |
| Support | The product page lists 24x5 technical support for the Professional and Enterprise editions. | The maker directs users to [email protected] and the rancid-announce and rancid-discuss mailing lists for problems, contributions, and suggestions. |
Plans
ManageEngine Network Configuration Manager
- FreeFree
- Free EditionFree
- TrialFree
- Professional Edition$238 a year
- Professional Edition$238 a year
- Enterprise Edition$3,358 a year
- EnterprisePriced on request
- ProfessionalPriced on request
In their own words
ManageEngine Network Configuration Manager
ManageEngine Network Configuration Manager manages configuration and change workflows for switches, routers, firewalls, and other network devices. It schedules configuration backups, tracks changes in real time, and supports version comparison and rollback to trusted configurations. Configlets and scripts can automate tasks and apply changes in bulk. The product checks device configurations against defined policies and standards, supports compliance reporting, and identifies firmware vulnerabilities with CVE IDs, severity information, and patch links. The product page says it supports devices from more than 200 vendors and encrypts retrieved configuration data with AES 256-bit encryption. This is an on-premises product, with Windows and Linux installers and Android and iOS apps for viewing backups, changes, vulnerabilities, compliance, and user activity. The Free Edition covers two devices. Professional is $238 a year for a 10-device pack; Enterprise is $3,358 a year for a 250-device pack. Both paid editions list 24x5 technical support.
RANCID
RANCID is free, open-source software that monitors network-device configurations and keeps their changes in revision control. It logs into devices, runs commands, reformats output to remove changing values that do not represent meaningful configuration differences, emails detected changes, and commits updates to version control. CVS, Subversion, and Git are listed for maintaining history. Login scripts connect through Telnet or SSH, and included looking-glass software provides device access. The maker lists support for equipment including Allied Telesis, Cisco, Juniper, Catalyst, Foundry/Brocade, Redback, ADC, Alteon, and HP Procurve, among others. RANCID is available for Linux, macOS, and self-hosted deployment; version 3.14 is identified as current. It has no GUI or web interface for configuration, although separate tools can show diffs and repositories. Setup guidance generally assumes basic Unix and tool knowledge, and versions 2.3 onward require Expect 5.40 or later.