Head-to-head
PRTG Network Monitor vs Zabbix: which one in 2026?
PRTG Network Monitor is a sensor-licensed monitoring product from Paessler GmbH, and Zabbix is an open source monitoring platform from Zabbix LLC that is free to run and sold through support subscriptions. The core difference is paying for sensor counts versus paying for support tiers.
Verdict
PRTG suits teams that want a bought product with a price list and certification documents, and that accept a bill which climbs with sensor count. Zabbix suits teams with the skills to run it, since the software costs nothing and the spend moves to support. Neither page checked states whether monitoring data is used to train models, so ask both in writing if that matters.
PRTG Network Monitor and Zabbix side by side
| PRTG Network Monitor | Zabbix | |
|---|---|---|
| Price entry | $200 per month, billed annually | Free self-hosted, paid support quoted |
| What you buy | A license sized by sensor count, from 500 to 10,000 sensors, where each server accepts a single license key. | The software itself is open source; the paid part is a support subscription from Silver up to Global. |
| Smallest free option | A Freeware Edition covers up to 100 sensors on about 10 devices, plus a 30-day trial with no sensor limit. | Self-hosted Zabbix is free to run. The hosted Zabbix Cloud offers only a 5-day trial, after which an unpaid node is deleted. |
| Published pricing | PRTG 500 costs $200 per month paid annually, rising to $1,642 per month for 10,000 sensors. Enterprise Monitor is quote only. | Silver is EUR 245 per month and Gold starts at EUR 660, both billed annually. Platinum, Enterprise and Global are quote only. |
| Cost as you grow | Cost steps up with each sensor tier, and Paessler suggests Enterprise Monitor once you pass roughly 1,000 devices. | Support tiers depend on servers, response time and contacts rather than sensor volume; Enterprise has unlimited servers and proxies. |
| Hosted version | PRTG Hosted Monitor exists, with 12 months of monitoring data stored under its DPA. The data center region is not named. | Zabbix Cloud starts at USD 50 per month and has 5 regions, but the cloud page does not name them. |
| Compliance paperwork | The trust center offers an ISO 27001 certificate, a SOC 2 Type II report on request, and DPAs on request. | No certifications are stated on the pages checked. The site points to an NIS2 page without claiming certification. |
| Extending it | An HTTP API, custom sensors, and a Sensor Hub of scripts and templates; database sensors take individual SQL queries. | Templates and an integrations catalog, with webhooks reported by one customer review for connecting to ServiceNow. |
| AI mentions | Paessler says nothing on the pages checked about training on monitoring data. A Freddy AI Agent chat feature is described for Paessler's own support context. | The 8.0 LTS release highlights AI, APM and OpenTelemetry support on the home page. Use of customer data for model training is not stated. |
Where each one wins
PRTG Network Monitor wins on
- Published ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II paperwork, which Zabbix does not show on the pages checked.
- A free tier of 100 sensors and a full 30-day trial, so a small site can test without paying.
- A flat, published price for every sensor tier up to 10,000, which makes budgeting simple.
Zabbix wins on
- The software has no per-sensor license, so growth in monitored items does not raise the bill.
- Support tiers go up to unlimited servers, proxies and high availability for large estates.
- Self-hosting is free, and the data stays on your own servers by design.
Which to pick
Pick PRTG Network Monitor if
You want a fixed price per sensor count, a Windows-friendly desktop app, and compliance documents ready to hand to an auditor.
Pick Zabbix if
You have staff comfortable running open source software and would rather pay for support tiers than for every sensor you add.
Each tool in context: PRTG Network Monitor, Zabbix, and the full Best AI Network Monitoring Software in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is Zabbix really free compared with PRTG?
The Zabbix software is open source and can be self-hosted without a license fee. Paid Silver and Gold subscriptions cover support, not the software. PRTG has a free Freeware Edition limited to 100 sensors on about 10 devices, so Zabbix is the only one here with no software ceiling at no cost.
How many sensors does one PRTG license cover?
PRTG licenses come in sizes from 500 to 10,000 sensors, roughly 50 to 1,000 devices. Licenses cannot be combined on one server, and each server takes a single key. Paessler recommends PRTG Enterprise Monitor, priced by quote, for more than 1,000 devices.
Which one has hosted options if I do not want to run servers?
Both do. PRTG offers Hosted Monitor, and Zabbix offers Zabbix Cloud from USD 50 per month in a Nano tier with 10GB storage. Zabbix Cloud trials last 5 days, and neither vendor page named the specific data center region, so check location before signing.
Does either vendor publish security certifications?
Paessler lists an ISO 27001 certificate for download, a SOC 2 Type II report on request, ISO 9001 and GDPR compliance on its trust center. Zabbix states no certifications on the pages checked and links to an NIS2 compliance page without claiming certification.