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Checkmk vs Nagios XI

Checkmk

checkmk.com

Nagios XI

nagios.com

Side by side

FigureCheckmkNagios XI
Price from$275/moFree
Free planYesYes
Free trialYesYes
Open sourceYes—
WebYesYes
WindowsYesYes
macOSYesYes
LinuxYesYes
iOSYes—
AndroidYes—
APIYesYes
Self-hostedYesYes
Plans published59
Spec score · Container Monitoring9.4 (#1)9.0 (#4)
Spec score · Metrics Monitoring Tools9.4 (#1)9.0 (#5)
Spec score · Infrastructure Monitoring9.4 (#1)9.0 (#3)
Spec score · Cloud Monitoring9.4 (#1)9.0 (#4)
Spec score · Enterprise IT Management Software9.4 (#1)9.0 (#5)
Spec score · Monitoring Observability9.4 (#1)9.0 (#3)
Spec score · Hardware Monitoring Software9.4 (#2)9.0 (#4)
Spec score · Network Monitoring - Enterprise Software9.4 (#1)9.0 (#3)
Spec score · Hardware monitoring tools9.0 (#3)8.8 (#7)
Spec score · Server Monitoring9.4 (#2)9.0 (#4)
Spec score · Network Monitoring - Midmarket Software9.4 (#2)9.1 (#4)
APIThe REST API is designed to cover functionality exposed by the GUI and command line, with OpenAPI documentation generated from the same source as the software.The built-in REST API uses API-key authentication and returns JSON for reading, creating, updating and deleting system data.
Company historyMathias Kettner founded a Munich consulting business in 2007 that later became Checkmk GmbH, and Checkmk Raw launched in 2012.Nagios Enterprises was founded by Ethan Galstad in 2007 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
DeploymentCheckmk can run on customer hardware or virtualized, with packages for major Linux distributions, Docker and Virtual Appliance.Nagios XI is self-hosted on Linux and offers virtual machine images for VMware Workstation, Oracle VirtualBox, VMware ESXi and vSphere, and Microsoft Hyper-V.
Founded20072007
HeadquartersMunich, GermanySt. Paul, Minnesota, United States
IntegrationsCheckmk advertises more than 2,000 built-in integrations covering hardware, networks, applications, operating systems and cloud or container platforms.Nagios XI supports authentication with Active Directory or LDAP over SSL, Single Sign-On with Microsoft Entra ID, and two-factor authentication through Duo.
Rating on G24.7 out of 5 from 306 reviews.4.5 out of 5 from 59 reviews.
Rating on Gartner Peer Insights4.5 out of 5 from 138 reviews.4.3 out of 5 from 250 reviews.
Rating on TrustRadius9.1 out of 10 from 18 reviews and ratings.8.1 out of 10 from 42 reviews.
Self-hostingCheckmk can run on customer hardware or virtualized infrastructure with packages for major Linux distributions, Docker and a virtual appliance.The product runs on a Linux server controlled by the customer rather than as a vendor-hosted service.
SupportThe Pro plan includes professional support for 8h x 5d, while Ultimate includes 10h x 5d and can be upgraded to 24h x 5d.A paid license includes the first year of Maintenance & Support, version upgrades, up to ten support cases, Support Portal access, Premium features, and an assigned Customer Success Manager.
What it doesCheckmk provides unified infrastructure monitoring and observability across servers, networks, applications, databases, cloud, containers and user experience.Nagios XI is commercial infrastructure monitoring software that executes threshold-based checks on servers, network devices, applications and services, records results and sends notifications.

Plans

Checkmk

  • CommunityFree
  • Synthetic MonitoringFree
  • Pro$275 a month
  • Cloud$290 a month
  • Ultimate$400 a month

Checkmk pricing →

Nagios XI

  • Standard — 100 Nodes$2,595, paid once
  • Enterprise — 100 Nodes$4,690, paid once
  • FreeFree
  • FreeFree
  • Standard$2,595, paid once
  • Standard (100-Node)$2,595, paid once
  • Enterprise$4,690, paid once
  • Enterprise (100-Node)$4,690, paid once
  • SitewidePriced on request

Nagios XI pricing →

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.

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Nagios XI

Nagios XI monitors servers, network devices, applications and services from a Linux server you manage. It checks configured thresholds, records results and sends notifications. Standard includes more than 90 configuration wizards, auto-discovery, dashboards, performance graphs, an open REST API, automation, configuration rollback and snapshots. Enterprise adds SLA and capacity-planning reports, scheduled reports and pages, business process intelligence, bulk changes and an audit log. Users can be restricted to assigned host and service groups, with authentication options including Active Directory or LDAP over SSL, Microsoft Entra ID single sign-on and Duo two-factor authentication. It is self-hosted on Linux, with virtual machine images for several hypervisors and offline installation on Red Hat and CentOS Stream. A 30-day trial provides unlimited monitoring, Enterprise features and direct support without a credit card. The free plan is limited to 7 nodes or 100 services, whichever comes first. Paid perpetual licenses are priced by monitored nodes: Standard is $2,595.00 once and Enterprise is $4,690.00 once, each shown for 100 nodes.

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