The 18 Best Network & Admin in 2026

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor

Real-time network visibility and performance monitoring for IT pros.

Paid (Subscription)

Best for: Large enterprise IT teams

Splunk Enterprise

Turn machine data into actionable insights for IT and security teams.

Paid (Subscription)

Best for: Large-scale IT teams

ManageEngine OpManager

Comprehensive network monitoring and management for IT teams

Paid (Subscription)

Best for: IT teams needing deep, customizable on‑prem network and server monitoring

docker-mailserver

Fully featured mail server in a Docker container

Free

Best for: Developers and sysadmins needing a ready‑made Dockerized mail server

it-tools

IT management and monitoring software

Contact for Pricing

Best for: Mid-sized IT teams seeking automation and real-time alerts.

Checkmate

Real-time server monitoring and incident tracking

Free

Best for: GitHub open-source maintainers

NPS

Lightweight Intranet Penetration Proxy Server

Free

Best for: Exposing services behind NAT or a firewall via intranet tunneling

windows

Run Windows inside a Docker container

Free

Best for: Developers needing a disposable Windows desktop on a Linux host

frp

Fast, open-source reverse proxy for NAT traversal and firewall bypass

Free

Best for: DevOps teams needing free, self‑hosted TCP/UDP reverse proxy

VMware vRealize Network Insight

Deep visibility and analytics for your virtual network infrastructure

Paid (Subscription)

Best for: VMware vSphere and NSX users

SRS

High‑efficiency open‑source real‑time video server

Free

Best for: Developers needing a free, customizable real‑time streaming server

GLPI

Free Asset and IT Management Software

Free

Best for: Small to medium-sized IT teams

Firecracker

Secure and fast microVMs for serverless computing

Free

Best for: DevOps teams prioritizing security

Wireshark

The world’s foremost network protocol analyzer for deep packet inspection

Free

Best for: Network admins needing deep protocol analysis

PRTG Network Monitor

All‑in‑one network monitoring for IT pros and sysadmins

Freemium

Best for: IT pros with complex networks

RustDesk

Self-hosted remote desktop alternative to TeamViewer

Free

Best for: IT pros seeking control and security

CasaOS

Simple home server OS built on Docker

Free

Best for: Anyone standing up a first home server without deep Docker knowledge

Riverbed Network Performance Management

Real‑time visibility and optimization for enterprise networks.

Contact for Pricing

Best for: Large enterprise IT teams