Checkmk vs Observium
Checkmk
checkmk.com
Observium
observium.orgSide by side
| Figure | Checkmk | Observium |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $275/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 3 |
| Spec score · Hardware Monitoring Software | 9.4 (#2) | 7.8 (#37) |
| Spec score · Network Monitoring | 9.4 (#2) | 7.7 (#33) |
| Spec score · Network Performance Monitoring Software | 9.3 (#1) | 7.9 (#13) |
| Spec score · Network Monitoring - Enterprise Software | 9.4 (#1) | 7.8 (#14) |
| Spec score · Hardware monitoring tools | 9.0 (#3) | 7.7 (#42) |
| Spec score · Network Monitoring - Midmarket Software | 9.4 (#2) | 7.8 (#14) |
| API | The 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 feature comparison lists a RESTful API, and the documentation describes it as available for custom integrations and automation. |
| Founded | 2007 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Munich, Germany | Ramsey, Isle of Man |
| Integrations | Checkmk advertises more than 2,000 built-in integrations covering hardware, networks, applications, operating systems and cloud or container platforms. | The site lists integrations with collectd, munin, smokeping, and RANCID, with supplied collectors including Apache, BIND, DRBD, Memcached, MySQL, and NFS. |
| 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. | Enterprise includes 10 hours of support time; the Community documentation points users to informal support through Discord, IRC, and a mailing list. |
Plans
Checkmk
- CommunityFree
- Synthetic MonitoringFree
- Pro$275 a month
- Cloud$290 a month
- Ultimate$400 a month
Observium
- CommunityFree
- EnterprisePrice not published
- ProfessionalPrice not published
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.
Observium
Observium is a self-hosted network monitoring and management platform for discovering devices and services, collecting performance measurements, and producing alerts. Its web interface combines network status, live metrics, and historical data. Automatic discovery can find supported devices and metrics, while discovery protocols create network maps. The supported-device catalogue lists 825 platform definitions, 367 named vendors, 21 device classes, and 916 associated MIBs. Professional Edition adds threshold alerts for entity types and traffic accounting based on transferred data or the 95th percentile. The platform provides email, SMS, webhook, and mobile alert channels, plus synthetic checks, traffic monitoring, and topology maps. A RESTful API supports custom integrations and automation. Listed integrations include collectd, munin, smokeping, and RANCID, with collectors for Apache, BIND, DRBD, Memcached, MySQL, and NFS. Community is free; Professional is billed at £250/yr and Enterprise at £1500 / yr.