NetBrain
NetBrain is an automated network management platform that provides real-time visibility and no-code automation to help you document, troubleshoot, and secure your entire multi-vendor hybrid network infrastructure.
phpIPAM
phpIPAM is an open-source web IP address management application designed to provide modern, lightweight, and interactive management of your IPv4 and IPv6 addresses through a simple interface.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | NetBrain | phpIPAM |
|---|---|---|
| Website | netbraintech.com | phpipam.net |
| Pricing Model | Custom | Free |
| Starting Price | Custom Pricing | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2004 | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Burlington, USA | Slovenia |
Overview
NetBrain
NetBrain provides a specialized platform for managing complex, hybrid network environments through intent-based automation. You can replace manual CLI-based troubleshooting with dynamic maps that update in real-time, giving you instant visibility into your entire topology across cloud, SDN, and on-premises hardware. By capturing the 'intent' of your network, the software helps you ensure that connectivity, performance, and security policies remain intact even as your environment changes.
The platform is designed for large-scale enterprises and service providers who need to reduce mean time to repair (MTTR) and eliminate manual documentation errors. You can use it to automate repetitive diagnostic tasks and share live network insights across your NetOps, SecOps, and DevOps teams. It integrates directly with your existing ITSM and monitoring tools to trigger automated troubleshooting the moment an incident is reported.
phpIPAM
phpIPAM is an open-source solution that helps you take full control of your IP address space. Instead of relying on cluttered spreadsheets, you get a centralized, web-based platform to manage IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, subnets, and VLANs. You can easily track device locations, assign IP addresses to specific hosts, and visualize your entire network hierarchy through an intuitive graphical interface.
The platform simplifies complex networking tasks by automating subnet calculations and providing real-time status checks for your devices. You can manage user permissions with granular control, ensuring your team has the right access levels. It is an ideal choice for network administrators and IT departments who need a reliable, cost-effective way to maintain accurate network documentation without the overhead of expensive enterprise suites.
Overview
NetBrain Features
- Dynamic Network Mapping Create on-demand maps of any part of your network by simply entering an IP address or hostname.
- Intent-Based Automation Define how your network should behave and let the system automatically verify those conditions across all devices.
- Executable Runbooks Digitize your team's expertise into automated workflows that any engineer can run to solve complex issues quickly.
- Path Discovery Visualize the exact hop-by-hop path of traffic across multi-vendor environments to pinpoint where connectivity drops occur.
- Change Management Plan, execute, and verify network changes with automated pre- and post-change analysis to prevent unexpected outages.
- Incident Triggered Automation Connect your ticketing system to trigger automated data collection the instant an alert is generated.
phpIPAM Features
- Automatic IP Scanning. Scan your subnets automatically to discover new hosts and update the status of existing devices in your database.
- Visual Subnet Management. View your nested subnets and IP usage through clear visual representations to identify available space at a glance.
- VLAN and VRF Support. Organize your network by managing VLANs and VRFs independently, ensuring your documentation matches your physical and logical topology.
- PowerDNS Integration. Connect directly to PowerDNS to manage your DNS records automatically whenever you update your IP address assignments.
- RESTful API Access. Integrate your IP management with third-party tools and custom scripts using a comprehensive and well-documented REST API.
- Custom Field Creation. Add your own custom fields to IP addresses, subnets, or devices to track the specific data points your business requires.
Pricing Comparison
NetBrain Pricing
phpIPAM Pricing
- Full IPv4/IPv6 management
- Unlimited subnets and IPs
- REST API access
- VLAN and VRF management
- Active Directory/LDAP integration
- Import/Export tools
- Everything in Community, plus:
- Complete data sovereignty
- Customizable source code
- No recurring license fees
- Community-driven updates
- Full database control
Pros & Cons
NetBrain
Pros
- Dynamic mapping saves hours of manual documentation work
- Visualizes complex traffic paths across multi-vendor hardware
- Automated runbooks significantly reduce troubleshooting time
- Integrates well with existing ITSM tools like ServiceNow
Cons
- Initial setup and discovery can be time-consuming
- Significant learning curve for creating custom automation units
- Requires high resource overhead for very large environments
phpIPAM
Pros
- Completely free to use with no licensing restrictions
- Highly customizable through custom fields and open source code
- Excellent visualization of subnet nesting and IP utilization
- Lightweight performance even when managing large address blocks
Cons
- Requires manual installation and server maintenance skills
- Interface can feel slightly dated compared to paid tools
- Support is limited to community forums and documentation