New Relic vs SolarWinds
Side-by-side from the Top 11 ranking of The 11 Best IT Infrastructure Monitoring Software Tools. Last verified June 19, 2026.
The short answer
New Relic ranks higher on Top 11 (#3 vs #6) for IT teams monitoring server uptime, network health, and application performance. Top choice for deep application insights with a generous free tier.
At a glance
| New Relic | SolarWinds | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #3 / The 11 Best IT Infrastructure Monitoring Software Tools | #6 / The 11 Best IT Infrastructure Monitoring Software Tools |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 8.9 | 8.1 |
| Best for | Developer-centric observability | Broad on-premise IT management |
| Pricing | $$$ (Usage-based) | $$$ (Perpetual license) |
| HQ | San Francisco, USA | Austin, USA |
| Founded | 2008 | 1999 |
New Relic
Top choice for deep application insights with a generous free tier.
newrelic.com/See full entry in The 11 Best IT Infrastructure Monitoring Software Tools
SolarWinds
Offers deep visibility into on-premise networks and Windows servers.
www.solarwinds.com/See full entry in The 11 Best IT Infrastructure Monitoring Software Tools
Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.