pgwatch vs SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer

pgwatch is a free, open-source metrics collector and visualization solution for PostgreSQL databases. A remote daemon periodically connects to databases and reads PostgreSQL statistics using a normal database user, without special database rights or server-side extensions. Grafana presents the metrics and lets users add graphs; optional alerts can go through Mail, Slack, or PagerDuty. Metrics can be extended using pure SQL, and supported storage options include PostgreSQL, Prometheus, JSON File, and RPC. A built-in web interface manages databases and metric definitions and displays logs. pgwatch supports PostgreSQL 14 and newer, including single instances, high-availability clusters, pooled environments using PgBouncer or Pgpool II, and Patroni cluster managers. It is self-hosted, with a one-minute Docker installation described alongside custom installation options. The FAQ says it can be deployed fully on premises. Some operating-system metrics may be unavailable on cloud-managed PostgreSQL services because of platform restrictions.

SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer monitors and optimizes databases deployed in cloud and on-premises environments. It examines database activity, wait times, SQL statements, execution plans, and locks to help teams locate performance issues. Monitoring runs continuously with down-to-the-second views for both current and historical analysis, while machine learning supports database anomaly detection. Supported targets include Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, IBM Db2, SAP ASE, SAP HANA, Amazon Aurora, Google Cloud SQL, and Percona. Databases on Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud are covered, and VMware vSphere performance can be correlated with guest operating-system and infrastructure metrics. DPA is agentless, with stated resource use below 1% of total. It runs through API, Linux, self-hosted, and Windows environments with hybrid deployment. Integrations include RESTful API, SolarWinds Platform, PerfStack, AppStack, and CyberArk Vault. Pricing starts at $142/mo (annual), with a 14-day fully functional trial and no credit card requirement.