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SolarWinds Observability starts at $8 and suits teams that need hybrid monitoring, self-hosted deployment or application and infrastructure mapping. But Reddit users report renewal increases, subscription changes and per-node pricing; the size and terms of those changes vary. Our shortlist spans free and paid options, including tools for network analysis, open-source monitoring and broader observability. Compare the actual scope you need before treating any listed starting price as a like-for-like replacement quote.
01Why people leave SolarWinds Observability
Renewal terms may change
One Reddit post describes a forced move from perpetual licenses to subscription with a three-year contract. Another commenter says they received a one-year perpetual renewal quote, so reports differ.
Renewal costs can rise
Reddit commenters report a 25% renewal increase and an Observability quote about 30% higher; another post cites a 70% increase. These are individual renewal accounts, not a standard price.
Support concerns
A commenter evaluating self-hosted Observability says SolarWinds support has declined. That is one user's report, not evidence of a consistent experience across customers.
02The alternatives, ranked by fit
- No license fee
ZabbixZabbixZabbix is worth considering if the SolarWinds renewal is the problem and your team can manage its own monitoring stack. It has no license cost and is positioned for IT and OT infrastructure monitoring, which makes it a closer infrastructure-minded option than an incident-response tool. The trade is operational effort, not a published per-host starting price.
Trade-off: The source says it takes work to configure well.
7.6/10from
Freefree plan - Flexible dashboards
GrafanaGrafanaGrafana may suit teams that want to combine telemetry signals and build configurable dashboards instead of buying SolarWinds as a broad monitoring suite. Its listed starting price is $19, with a free plan, but that figure is not the whole cost: the source flags usage charges. Check expected usage before comparing it with a renewal quote.
Trade-off: Pro's $19 fee is only the start; usage charges matter.
7.0/10from
$19/mofree plan - Open-source monitoring
PrometheusPrometheusPrometheus is a fit for teams that want an open-source monitoring base, especially for cloud-native services and PromQL-based queries and alerts. The listed price is n/a, with a free plan. That can change the license-cost calculation against a subscription renewal, but it is not a like-for-like promise of SolarWinds' broader hybrid suite.
Trade-off: Independent servers use local storage, per the source.
7.6/10from
Freefree plan - Network intelligence
KentikKentikKentik is the most network-focused pick here: its listed use cases include data center and cloud networks, traffic and performance investigation, and cloud egress cost analysis. That may suit network teams leaving SolarWinds for deeper network intelligence. The listed starting price is $2,000, so check the annual commitment and fit before treating it as a lower-cost move.
Trade-off: The Pro price and annual commitment are substantial.
6.0/10from
$2,000/mofree plan - All-in-one observability
New RelicNew RelicNew Relic is positioned for teams consolidating observability tools and prioritizing incident response. Its listed starting price is $10, and it has a free plan. That makes it a candidate if you want a broad alternative rather than a network-only tool, but the source warns that user and ingest costs can rise.
Trade-off: User and ingest costs may rise.
7.5/10from
$10/mofree plan - Broad monitoring coverage
DatadogDatadogDatadog is aimed at teams seeking broad monitoring coverage or consolidating observability and security tools. It is also positioned for teams adopting Datadog AI features. The listed starting price is $500, but the source warns that this does not tell you the full bill. Get a quote based on your actual scope before comparing it with SolarWinds.
Trade-off: The listed starting price does not show the full bill.
6.7/10from
$500/mo - Topology-driven investigation
DynatraceDynatraceDynatrace is positioned for broad observability, Kubernetes and cloud-native environments, and topology-driven investigation. That may appeal to teams that value mapping and investigation while moving off SolarWinds. Its listed starting price is $7, but the source flags an annual commitment; confirm the commitment and scope rather than relying on the entry price.
Trade-off: Check the annual commitment before relying on the $7 starting price.
6.8/10from
$7/mo
03Side by side
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SolarWinds Observability SolarWinds Observability (current) | 7.0 | $8/mo | No | Hybrid IT teams needing broad monitoring |
| Zabbix Zabbix | 7.6 | Free | Yes | Teams avoiding per-host license fees |
| Grafana Grafana | 7.0 | $19/mo | Yes | Teams combining multiple telemetry signals |
| Prometheus Prometheus | 7.6 | Free | Yes | Teams wanting open-source monitoring |
| Kentik Kentik | 6.0 | $2,000/mo | Yes | Teams monitoring data center and cloud networks |
| New Relic New Relic | 7.5 | $10/mo | Yes | Teams consolidating observability tools |
| Datadog Datadog | 6.7 | $500/mo | No | Teams seeking broad monitoring coverage |
| Dynatrace Dynatrace | 6.8 | $7/mo | No | Teams needing broad observability coverage |
Questions people ask
Why are teams leaving SolarWinds Observability?
The Reddit material points mainly to renewal pressure: users describe subscription changes, higher quotes and per-node pricing. One post cites a 70% increase; commenters elsewhere report increases of 25% and about 30%. These are individual accounts, and another commenter says they were offered a one-year perpetual renewal.
Does SolarWinds Observability have a self-hosted option?
The published product information identifies self-hosted deployment as a fit for SolarWinds Observability. A Reddit thread asks what data leaves a self-hosted environment and whether telemetry can be disabled, but the Reddit threads we read do not answer those questions. Check the product documentation and contract for your specific deployment.
Which SolarWinds Observability alternative is cheapest?
The published alternatives list marks Prometheus and Zabbix as free plans with no numeric starting price, while Grafana starts at $19 and New Relic at $10. Those figures do not establish equal scope or total cost. Grafana flags usage charges, and Zabbix requires configuration work, according to the source.