Redgate Monitor vs SolarWinds SQL Sentry: Which SQL Server Monitor Fits Your Team?

Redgate Monitor and SolarWinds SQL Sentry are two of the most established answers to the question “what is happening on my SQL Server right now, and why?” Both come from vendors with long histories in the Microsoft data platform, both are agentless, and both cover on-premises SQL Server, Azure and AWS. The Redgate Monitor vs SQL Sentry decision usually turns on scope: how many database engines you run, how deep you need to dig into SQL Server internals, and whether you want to host the monitoring yourself.

Redgate Monitor (formerly SQL Monitor) now covers SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL and MongoDB from one console, and is available self-hosted or as SaaS. SQL Sentry stays focused on the Microsoft data platform, adding SQL Server Analysis Services and Azure Synapse to the picture, and runs as self-hosted Windows software with an optional web portal.

This comparison is based on each vendor’s product pages and documentation as of October 2026. For a wider field of options, see our list of the top SQL Server monitoring tools.

Redgate Monitor vs SQL Sentry at a Glance

Area	Redgate Monitor	SolarWinds SQL Sentry
Database engines	SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL, MongoDB	SQL Server, Azure SQL, SQL Server Analysis Services, Azure Synapse
SQL Server versions	2008 R2 and later	2017, 2019, 2022 and 2025 (version 2026.3 requirements)
Cloud targets	Amazon RDS, Amazon Aurora, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure flexible servers	Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Amazon RDS for SQL Server, EC2 and GCP VMs
Deployment	Self-hosted (Windows or Linux base monitor) or SaaS on AWS (US or EU region)	Self-hosted on Windows, with optional self-hosted web portal
Agents on monitored servers	None	None
Alerting	Customizable alerts, webhooks for Splunk and ServiceNow	Advisory Conditions, prebuilt and custom
Licensing unit	Per server per year, Standard and Enterprise editions	Per monitored target (instance, SSAS or Azure SQL Database)
Free trial	14 days	14 days, fully functional

Platforms Supported

Redgate Monitor

According to the Redgate Monitor product page, the tool monitors SQL Server 2008 R2 and later, PostgreSQL 10 and later, Oracle 19c and later, MySQL 8.0 and later, and MongoDB 6.0 and later from a single dashboard. It covers Windows and Linux hosts (including cloud VMs), Amazon RDS, Amazon Aurora, and several Azure services including Azure SQL Database, Managed Instance and Flexible Server.

Coverage is not equal across engines, and Redgate is upfront about it. Its documentation comparing functionality by engine shows SQL Server with the broadest feature set, PostgreSQL next (with PostgreSQL-specific views such as vacuum information), Oracle with multi-tenant support, and MySQL and MongoDB with the most gaps, such as no query tracking. Every engine shares the global dashboard and alerting.

SQL Sentry

SQL Sentry focuses on the Microsoft data platform. The SolarWinds SQL Sentry page lists SQL Server (including on Linux, VMware, Hyper-V and Amazon RDS or EC2), Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, SQL Server Analysis Services and Azure Synapse. The system requirements for version 2026.3 list SQL Server 2017 through 2025, Analysis Services in both Tabular and Multidimensional modes for the same versions, and Windows Server targets.

The practical takeaway: if part of your estate runs PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL or MongoDB and you want one tool, Redgate Monitor is the only one of the two that covers it. If you run SSAS cubes or Synapse alongside SQL Server, SQL Sentry covers those, and Redgate does not list them. Teams on older SQL Server versions such as 2012 or 2014 should note that Redgate’s stated range reaches further back than SQL Sentry’s current requirements.

Depth of SQL Server Diagnostics

Redgate Monitor

For SQL Server, Redgate Monitor’s diagnostics include query analysis and wait statistics, estimated query plans, stored procedure statistics, blocking analysis, deadlock analysis and individual query executions. Estate-wide views cover database versions, SQL Agent and Azure Elastic Jobs, backups and licensing for self-managed servers. Operational checks include tempdb information, service health, backup health, file usage tracking and data usage projections.

Two features stand out. Deployment tracking marks schema changes on performance graphs, with integrations for Redgate Flyway, Octopus Deploy and an API, which helps answer “did the release cause this?” Monitor AI adds AI-assisted query analysis. The Enterprise edition adds security monitoring: instance and database permissions, permission change tracking and configuration compliance.

SQL Sentry

SQL Sentry is built around depth on SQL Server. Its feature list includes a Performance Analysis Dashboard, Top SQL with query analysis, SQL Server deadlock analysis, blocking analysis, TempDB analysis, index analysis, Always On availability group monitoring and storage forecasting. The Event Calendar and Event Chains show scheduled jobs and events on a timeline, which is useful for spotting job collisions and maintenance windows that overlap with load.

SolarWinds also offers Plan Explorer, a free execution plan analysis tool closely associated with SQL Sentry, and a Database Migration Testing Tool. For Analysis Services, SQL Sentry tracks SSAS performance, top commands and usage totals. An AI Query Assist feature is listed as a tech preview in the licensing documentation.

How They Compare on Depth

On core SQL Server troubleshooting (waits, top queries, blocking, deadlocks, tempdb), both tools cover the ground a production DBA needs. SQL Sentry leans further into the Microsoft platform with index analysis, the Event Calendar and SSAS monitoring. Redgate leans into estate-wide operations, deployment tracking, and security and compliance views (on Enterprise). If you also audit databases for compliance, our roundup of database security and compliance auditing tools covers dedicated options.

Deployment and Architecture

Redgate Monitor

Redgate Monitor is offered two ways. Self-hosted, it has three components according to Redgate’s planning documentation: a base monitor service that runs on Windows or Linux and collects data and raises alerts, a data repository (usually a SQL Server database, with PostgreSQL plus TimescaleDB also supported), and a web server that hosts the browser console and a PowerShell API. No agents are installed on monitored servers; it uses WMI for Windows hosts, SSH for Linux hosts, and normal database connections.

Redgate Monitor SaaS moves hosting, updates and maintenance to Redgate. It runs on AWS with a US or EU region and a dedicated tenancy per customer, and Redgate cites ISO 27001 compliance and regular penetration testing. Redgate says SaaS offers the same core capabilities as the self-hosted version.

SQL Sentry

SQL Sentry is self-hosted. Its components documentation describes a Windows client installed on DBA workstations, one or more monitoring services (roughly one per 50 to 100 targets), a central SQL Server database that stores collected data, and an optional self-hosted web portal. It is agentless and does not install a database on each monitored server.

All SQL Sentry components run on Windows. The 2026.3 requirements list Windows Server 2016 through 2025 and Windows 10 or 11 for the client and monitoring service, and Windows Server 2016 or later for the portal. Plan for a dedicated monitoring server; SolarWinds lists four cores and 12 GB of RAM as a minimum for a standard five-target installation.

Deployment Takeaway

If you want no monitoring infrastructure to run, or your operations team is Linux-first, Redgate’s SaaS or Linux base monitor is the easier path. If you prefer full control on-premises and are comfortable running Windows servers, SQL Sentry’s architecture is well understood and scales by adding monitoring services.

Alerting

Redgate Monitor offers customizable alerting across every supported engine, with webhooks for tools such as Splunk and ServiceNow. Because alerting works the same way regardless of engine, a team running SQL Server and PostgreSQL gets one alert inbox and one configuration model.

SQL Sentry’s alerting is built on Advisory Conditions, which SolarWinds describes as a proactive alerting and response system for specific database conditions. You can use the prebuilt conditions or write custom ones. The SQL Sentry Advisory Conditions model suits DBAs who want to encode their own rules for very specific SQL Server states.

Licensing Model

Neither vendor’s pages show a clear published price in the material we reviewed, so expect to request a quote. The database monitoring licensing structures differ:

• Redgate Monitor is licensed per server per year, in Standard and Enterprise editions. One license covers one server (with multiple instances), one cloud PaaS instance, one cluster node, one virtual machine or five Azure SQL Databases. Standard includes the global overview, diagnosis, alerting, deployment tracking and multi-platform monitoring, with volume tiers starting at one to four servers. Enterprise adds security monitoring and auditing, a high availability architecture, a Data API and a sensitive action log, and is priced on request.
• SQL Sentry is licensed per monitored target, covering SQL Server instances, SSAS instances and Azure SQL Databases. The portal, clients and monitoring services need no extra licenses, and the SQL Server instance hosting the SQL Sentry database can be monitored with a free license. Each license also covers three VMware vCenter hosts, Windows Servers or Hyper-V hosts. New licenses use the Database Self Hosted (DBSH) type, which can also monitor targets in SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer. SolarWinds notes subscription and volume licensing options.

Redgate’s per-server unit tends to favor hosts with many instances, while SQL Sentry’s per-target unit is simpler to count when each server runs one instance.

Who Each Tool Fits

Redgate Monitor Fits

• Mixed estates running SQL Server alongside PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL or MongoDB.
• Teams that want SaaS monitoring or a Linux-hosted base monitor.
• Organizations that ship database changes often and want deployments marked against performance data, especially Flyway users.
• Teams with security and compliance requirements that the Enterprise edition’s permission and configuration tracking can address.

SQL Sentry Fits

• Dedicated SQL Server DBA teams who want deep, Microsoft-specific diagnostics such as index analysis, tempdb analysis and the Event Calendar.
• Estates that include SQL Server Analysis Services or Azure Synapse.
• Organizations that require self-hosted, on-premises monitoring on Windows infrastructure.
• Shops already licensing SolarWinds database products, since DBSH licenses also apply to Database Performance Analyzer.

Which To Choose

If you run more than SQL Server, Redgate Monitor is the practical pick, since it covers five engines in one console. Check the per-engine feature matrix first: PostgreSQL support is strong, MySQL and MongoDB are lighter.

If SQL Server is your whole world and your DBAs live in it, SQL Sentry’s Microsoft-focused depth, SSAS coverage and Advisory Conditions are hard to beat. Trial it against your noisiest instance.

If you do not want to run monitoring servers, Redgate Monitor SaaS is the only hosted option of the two.

If you are still on SQL Server 2012 to 2016, confirm support before buying; Redgate lists 2008 R2 onward, while SQL Sentry’s current requirements start at 2017.

Both offer 14-day trials, so the most reliable test is running both against the same problem workload. If you are comparing a wider range of products that cover multiple engines, our guide to database performance monitoring tools is a useful next stop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Redgate Monitor the same as SQL Monitor?

Yes. Redgate Monitor is the current name of the product previously sold as SQL Monitor, which has since expanded beyond SQL Server to PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL and MongoDB.

Does SQL Sentry monitor PostgreSQL or MySQL?

No. SQL Sentry focuses on SQL Server, Azure SQL, Analysis Services and Azure Synapse. SolarWinds sells Database Performance Analyzer for broader engine coverage.

Does either of these tools need agents on my servers?

No. Both are agentless. Redgate Monitor uses WMI, SSH and standard database connections, and SQL Sentry uses a polling monitoring service.

Is there a cloud-hosted version of SQL Sentry?

The documentation we reviewed describes SQL Sentry as self-hosted on Windows, with an optional self-hosted web portal. Redgate Monitor offers both self-hosted and SaaS.

Conclusion

Redgate Monitor vs SQL Sentry is a choice between breadth and Microsoft-specific depth. Redgate Monitor suits teams with mixed database estates, a preference for SaaS or Linux hosting, and an interest in tying deployments to performance. SQL Sentry suits DBA teams who manage SQL Server, Analysis Services and Synapse on Windows and want detailed diagnostics with rule-based alerting. Match the tool to your estate, then confirm with a trial on real workloads.