Checkmk vs Glances
Checkmk
checkmk.comGlances
nicolargo.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | Checkmk | Glances |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $275/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 2 |
| Spec score · Container Monitoring | 9.4 (#1) | 8.8 (#8) |
| Spec score · Hardware Monitoring Software | 9.4 (#2) | 8.9 (#6) |
| Spec score · Hardware monitoring tools | 9.0 (#3) | 8.6 (#12) |
| Spec score · Server Monitoring | 9.4 (#2) | 8.9 (#6) |
| Deployment | Checkmk can run on customer hardware or virtualized, with packages for major Linux distributions, Docker and Virtual Appliance. | Glances can be installed with pip, pipx, Homebrew or Linux and FreeBSD packages, and Docker images are available. |
| Extensibility | Developers can create custom checks, agent plug-ins, local checks and other extensions; the documentation points to the Checkmk Exchange. | The project uses an open plugin and export-module architecture intended for developer extensions. |
| Support | The Pro plan includes professional support for 8h x 5d, while Ultimate includes 10h x 5d and can be upgraded to 24h x 5d. | The project directs users to its manual, official Reddit forum and GitHub Discussions for help. |
| System requirements | Checkmk 2.5 server packages support Debian 12/13, RHEL 8/9/10, SLES 15 variants and Ubuntu 22.04/24.04/26.04 on x86_64. | Glances 4 requires Python 3.10 or newer and depends on psutil, defusedxml, packaging, and platform-specific packages. |
| What it does | Checkmk provides unified infrastructure monitoring and observability across servers, networks, applications, databases, cloud, containers and user experience. | Glances is a Python-based, cross-platform system monitoring tool with terminal and web interfaces. |
Plans
Checkmk
- CommunityFree
- Synthetic MonitoringFree
- Pro$275 a month
- Cloud$290 a month
- Ultimate$400 a month
In their own words
Checkmk
Checkmk monitors cloud, hybrid, and data center infrastructure, including containers and networks. For web, mail, and database servers, it combines more than 2,000 smart checks with automatic discovery and network mapping. Monitoring can use native agents for Windows, Linux, and other systems, agentless SNMP and TCP/UDP checks, or API-based checks over HTTP/XML, SSH, or TELNET. Cloud coverage includes AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, with automatic component detection and Quick Setup. One instance can monitor thousands of servers, while distributed monitoring supports horizontal scaling. Community includes more than 2,000 integrations and is intended for smaller environments, scaling to approximately 100 hosts. The software can run on customer hardware or virtualized infrastructure, with Linux distribution packages, Docker, and a Virtual Appliance. The Community plan is free forever and includes community support. The pricing note lists paid plans from €190/mo (annual) and a 30-day trial. Other listed plan prices use USD: Pro is $275 a month, Cloud is $290 a month, and Ultimate is $400 a month. Platforms include API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows.
Glances
Glances is a free, open-source, cross-platform tool for monitoring real-time system statistics and running processes. Its listed coverage includes CPU, memory, load, processes, network, disk I/O, sensors, filesystems, containers, alerts, and uptime. Client/server mode enables remote monitoring through a terminal, web interface, or API, while its built-in web UI lets users view a system from a browser-equipped device. Statistics can be exported to CSV or JSON files, databases such as InfluxDB and Prometheus, brokers such as RabbitMQ and Kafka, or a REST endpoint. The project documents Docker and Podman support and describes Docker and LXC container monitoring in its README. Installation options include pip, pipx, Homebrew, Linux and FreeBSD packages, and Docker images. Glances 4 requires Python 3.10 or higher. Its default installation does not include web interface dependencies; separate extras cover features such as web, GPU, containers, exports, and MCP. Version 4.5.1 and higher can provide an MCP server for AI assistants. The project uses the LGPL version 3 license.