Checkmk vs WhatsUp Gold
Checkmk
checkmk.comWhatsUp Gold
progress.comSide by side
| Figure | Checkmk | WhatsUp Gold |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $275/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 1 |
| Spec score · Enterprise IT Management Software | 9.4 (#1) | 7.5 (#18) |
| Spec score · Network Monitoring | 9.4 (#2) | 7.5 (#35) |
| Spec score · Server Monitoring | 9.4 (#2) | 7.5 (#33) |
| 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. | WhatsUp Gold includes REST API performance monitors and supports REST API use. |
| Deployment | Checkmk can run on customer hardware or virtualized, with packages for major Linux distributions, Docker and Virtual Appliance. | The 2026 release supports Windows Server 2025 and Windows Server 2022, and its installer enables IIS where supported. |
| Founded | 2007 | 1981 |
| Headquarters | Munich, Germany | Burlington, Massachusetts, United States |
| 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. | Technical support is available to customers with active maintenance and support services or subscriptions; the guide also describes business-hours phone support and optional 24x7x365 emergency support for business-critical issues. |
| 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. | WhatsUp Gold requires Microsoft SQL Server and a Windows Server platform; Log Management requires a separately installed Elasticsearch instance. |
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.
WhatsUp Gold
WhatsUp Gold has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.