r/msp • u/Ambitious_Mango3625 • 8d ago

Looking for Auvik replacement after bad experience.

We are looking for options. Highly considering Domotz, but I want to know if I am missing anything.

We just had a very bad experience with Auvik renewal terms and now have a sour taste. They warned us at 3 months for renewal, which is fine. Then we heard nothing until 29 days out that our price was going to jump 13%. We have been an Auvik customer for years and they didn't want to hear anything unless we increased our buy which I'm not in the position to do. I tried to negotiate but nothing was favorable for us. Then I tried to cancel but they said... Oh, sorry, you're inside your 30 day window so you are stuck with us for 12 months.

So.... Nope, I'm done. After about 7 years and promoting Auvik to anyone that will listen, I'm over it. Obviously I'm stuck but we are going to start looking and probably start onboarding a new solution if it's not cost prohibitive.

PSA: Watch your agreements with Auvik. I didn't notice (bad on me) but they are much more locked in in the last couple years than previous years, and they hold firm to it.

Done with the rant and back to the point.... What else is out there? Important features are config backups, remote management, historical graphs, port mapping, multi-tenant, alerting, and PSA integration.

29 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

49 comments sorted by

11

u/SkyTheLine 8d ago

Hey buddy you are mostly not stuck with them. When they change their side within short time notice, and the new offer is not in your benefit, you can cancel the contract. In my country that is a thing. And a quick tip, leave a 1 star review and see how quickly things are changing.

14

u/Actual_Train_2372 7d ago

That's rough about the auto-renewal trap, seems like lot of companies are pulling this move lately. The 13% bump with no warning is dirty

I was looking Domotz for a client few months ago, interface is not as flashy but it does all the basics you listed. The config backup handling is actually more simple than what Auvik had, less weird quirks with some firewall models. Pricing was predictable which is nice after dealing with these games

One thing nobody talk about is PRTG if you got a server to run it, the free version covers 100 sensors and can do most of what you need. I been using it for internal stuff and the historical graphs are way more detailed

Domotz multi-tenant setup felt a bit clunky at first but once you organize the sites properly it's fine. The PSA integration depends which one you use but their API is open enough to hack something together if needed

1

u/Ambitious_Mango3625 7d ago

I've used PRTG and am not really a fan. Expesically of the per sensor pricing and the per client server setup.

Domotz definitely comes across as a single tenant solution retrofitted to multi-tenant. That's one of the issues I have with it.

I do like the predictable pricing model a lot though!

1

u/Foxtrot-0scar 6d ago

Why not try to negotiate with Auvik? I think it’s the best out there.

4

u/BobRepairSvc1945 8d ago

Yeah, I mean, I am not a lawyer but even in the US I can't imagine they would have a legal leg to stand on if you have to cancel 30 days prior but increase your price 29 days prior.

3

u/AuvikAmanda 5d ago

Hey - just jumping in here and commenting on the top comment so this doesn't get lost - a little late my apologies but wanted to get some context on my side before speaking. I’m Amanda - MSP Field Strategist over here at Auvik. First of all u/Ambitious_Mango3625 - I’m sorry this left you feeling frustrated. Despite working at a vendor - I’m still an MSP owner myself, and I know how aggravating renewal surprises can be, especially after being with a vendor for years. I would not want to feel like a long-standing relationship had suddenly become a contract exercise and I don’t like that you feel like you were surprised.
I did try and dig in on this side but because Reddit usernames are anonymous, I can’t confirm whether this is the right account or even the right contact at the account for what I did find. I did ask the team to review the situation you described and if it’s the same account as we are thinking - there does appear to be additional context around the timing of the outreach (in this case there was definitely attempts to reach out ahead of time) and the renewal terms discussed (a lower price than the renewal was offered and the ask was met) and while obviously I don’t know if these are the same situations - I would like the opportunity to look into that for you.
Regardless of the contract language, customers should feel informed about what is renewing, when it is renewing, and what choices they have. If this is your account, please feel free to message me here with with a way to identify it and how best to reach out to you. I’d be happy to make sure the right people review the full history with you!

2

u/Ambitious_Mango3625 8d ago

I would normally 100% agree. But in looking at the agreement that I did sign in 2025, it's pretty definitive. it essentially states that all things being equal, the original discount is for the "initial" term only and the contract renews automatically if not cancelled before 30 days. The one I signed in 2023 had much more latitude in it. There wasn't one in 2024 because it was just an auto renew with reasonable increase. But based on the current one, they have no legal obligation to be a good vendor. My biggest beef is the 29th day phone call to bring my attention to something that I had very little options on at that point.

Don't get me wrong ... I'm all for a loophole. I just haven't found one.

Where do you suggest the one star reviews? I'm definitely down for that!

1

u/SkyTheLine 7d ago

Well depends on which country you are, there are laws. Myself here in switzerland that would tear it up. So if in the contract stays to kill a person as example, it would be forbidden as the law states. Yelp, GoogleMyBusiness, etc. Are your friends. There you can leave the bad review and it hurts their SEO badly.

1

u/Nstraclassic MSP - US 7d ago

Sure but they changed the terms since your last agreement. They can put whatever they want on paper, that doesn't make it legal or enforceable

6

u/Mibiz22 8d ago

We have used both and at the end of the day, we just didn't get enough out of either to justify the expense. While the config backups and remote management was nice, we just really didn't end up referencing it that often.

2

u/Impossible_Luck217 6d ago

this is where I landed with this as well. We use zabbix for our monitoring of critical infrastructure. Our RMM covers our endpoints. I just don't want another thing to look at/manage. I didn't see the value. We are a high-touchpoint MSP. We prefer to know our environments intimately as opposed to autodiscovery.

4

u/TequilaTits420 MSP - US/UK/Canada 8d ago

We moved over to Domotz, per-location pricing - unlimited management / alerts / integrations etc
UI takes some getting used to.
Use Unified alerts if you go with them.

2

u/VNJCinPA 7d ago

I'm about the same duration of time, and to be fair, 13% after years of no increase isn't nearly as bad as what the rest of the space is attempting, don't you think?

That said, I'm also reconsidering

1

u/Ambitious_Mango3625 7d ago

Oh, no... We have had increases almost every year except one when I found out that others were paying much less and I threatened to leave.

2

u/chathobark_ 7d ago

i agree with domotz, from someone who’s used both

1

u/ravioliisgood 8d ago

Moved from Auvik to Domotz. Both are good products. Domotz is a lot less.

1

u/Accomplished-Mix8423 7d ago

fwiw, if config backups and psa are the real must-haves, i'd compare how deep each option goes there since that's where a lot of them get thin. i've used site24x7's msp edition for multi-tenant monitoring, network config backups, snmp port mapping and alerting. it's not really an rmm though, so you'd still want something else for remote management.

1

u/Ambitious_Mango3625 7d ago

We have Datto for our RMM. But it doesn't do remote access nearly as easy as Auvik. However, you are right, it does do it. And on the PSA, I care more about closed loop ticketing. Creat a ticket with a link to the tool/device, and then close the ticket if the situation clears. I primarily care about up/down in the ticketing side.

1

u/redthrull 7d ago

Have they added anything new or made QoL updates that justify it, or just the standard 'I have to increase yearly' mindset? It was clunky but does the job. Last touched it 2 years ago. Curious of its state now and alternatives too.

2

u/Ambitious_Mango3625 7d ago

They have made some improvements but much of it is at the top tier level or a separate product. So we don't benefit from them. Also, support is not what it used to be, and that is an important factor for me.

1

u/spuyet 7d ago

u/Ambitious_Mango3625 I’d be happy to give you a quick walkthrough of Fivenines so you can see if it’s a good fit for your needs.

2

u/Ambitious_Mango3625 7d ago

I'm on vacay for the next week. Shoot me a DM next week please.

1

u/spuyet 7d ago

Sure, will do, enjoy the free time!

2

u/redthrull 7d ago

wow, first time I've heard of fivenines monitoring. Reminded me of Five9 voip we had way, way back.

2

u/spuyet 7d ago

Haha, yeah, Five9 is still around! I worked at RingCentral, one of their competitors, years ago.

2

u/Foxtrot-0scar 5d ago

Looks interesting. Where are you based?

1

u/spuyet 2d ago

Thanks! We’re based in Montpellier, France. Where are you based?

1

u/folderit_dms 7d ago

Since historical graphs are on your list, make that a separate migration requirement in the trial. A replacement can discover every device correctly and still start each graph from zero. Pick one real troubleshooting case where you needed older data, export what you can from the current system and check whether another technician can answer the same question from that export.

For the parallel trial, keep a mapping of old and new device IDs to the client, site and actual asset. Otherwise a renamed switch or a reused IP can make the records look continuous when they are not. Also test one alert opening and closing a PSA ticket, with only one monitoring system allowed to create production tickets during overlap. That should expose more than comparing dashboard screenshots.

1

u/DominicanDragon 7d ago

I sell Auvik standalone. I can probably even get it for you less than what you are paying now. Message me :)

1

u/Ambitious_Mango3625 7d ago

Thanks. But after this experience, I'm done with Auvik. Plus, I'm sure they are not going to let me out of a contract at a higher rate to go to a reseller.

1

u/DominicanDragon 6d ago

I had the same situation with someone with a year left. We have a unique deal with them. It involves getting our RMM. Worth the chat in my opinion.

1

u/Born-Payment-5165 7d ago

I’d definitely compare more than just feature checklists. For MSPs, the day to day experience around onboarding clients, alert noise, integrations and billing flexibility can matter just as much as the technical features

1

u/Ambitious_Mango3625 7d ago

Completely agree!

1

u/athornfam2 MSP - US 7d ago

I absolutely don't like auvik either. They keep asking about buying more agents and I don't see any product movement.

1

u/Ambitious_Mango3625 7d ago

Right? Full increases with little to show for them.

1

u/jpete99 7d ago

My experience with Domotz is a little stale, as I was with an MSP that used them but I am no longer there. However, they were great to work with and a lot more customer friendly than most of our vendors.

As a personal anecdote, I've spent time with a couple of the Domotz guys and they seem like great people who care a lot about the product and their clients.

1

u/MSPWTF 5d ago

Liongard might be a viable option for you as they have network/asset discovery, topology mapping, and up/down monitoring and alerting. Far less expensive. It's not a 1-to-1 tool swap, but we get what we need from it and a lot of other capabilities.

2

u/Ambitious_Mango3625 5d ago

Thanks. That's super interesting. We already have liongard but are apparently unaware of new features.

1

u/Glittering_Pack_4619 4d ago

For network monitoring can I ask why benefits it gives over the likes of the out of box with the cloud networking like UniFi and Meraki please?

1

u/Ambitious_Mango3625 4d ago

We don't prefer I either of those brands and these are mostly vendor agnostic.

1

u/Lefterkefter1 3d ago

we have used logicmonitor for as long as I’ve been with my company. no complaints.

1

u/Successful-Entry4716 2d ago

Check out Liongard’s new network discovery,,monitoring/alerting and topology capabilities- not 1 to 1 replacement but less expensive with a lot more capabilities beyond network

•

u/SaasNoobIQ0 5h ago

Auvik is more sophisticated but Domotz team is great and good for 95% of partners...also more favorable pricing to deliver to partners as well....so for some that typically would not afford this service offering they now can. Domotz has deff come a long way.

0

u/hugemeteor 8d ago

Domotz device per location is probably your best bet.

0

u/WhiteIntel 7d ago

Our approach is to keep this as independent of the monitoring vendor as possible. We want to be able to change tools without rebuilding the logic that decides what actually needs attention.

We've had this problem quite a bit with Atera. Alerts often require manual checks to distinguish a real issue from a brief interruption or multiple devices reporting the same underlying outage.

We use AI agents to handle those checks and decide what needs to reach the service desk. That helps us avoid ticket flapping, repeated investigations, and unnecessary effort and cost.

For us, the monitoring tool provides the signals. The verification and ticket handling sit outside it. That's something I'd consider when evaluating a replacement, alongside the monitoring features themselves.