LibreNMS vs Observium
LibreNMS
librenms.org
Observium
observium.orgSide by side
| Figure | LibreNMS | Observium |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Network Monitoring | 7.9 (#23) | 7.7 (#33) |
| Spec score · Network Monitoring - Midmarket Software | 8.0 (#11) | 7.8 (#14) |
| Spec score · Network Monitoring - Enterprise Software | 7.9 (#10) | 7.8 (#14) |
| Spec score · Hardware Monitoring Software | 7.9 (#27) | 7.8 (#37) |
| Spec score · Network Performance Monitoring Software | 8.0 (#12) | 7.9 (#13) |
| Spec score · Hardware monitoring tools | 7.7 (#40) | 7.7 (#42) |
| Alerting | Its customizable alerting can notify through email, IRC, Slack, and other transports. | Professional Edition provides threshold alerting for different entity types, and creates alert entries during discovery. |
| API | The API can manage installations, create graphs, and retrieve data. | The feature comparison lists a RESTful API, and the documentation describes it as available for custom integrations and automation. |
| Discovery | It can automatically discover networks using CDP, FDP, LLDP, OSPF, BGP, SNMP, and ARP. | Observium supports automatic discovery of supported devices and metrics, plus network mapping through discovery protocols. |
| Integrations | Documented integrations include Oxidized, RANCID, NfSen, Smokeping, Graylog, and Nagios plugins. | The site lists integrations with collectd, munin, smokeping, and RANCID, with supplied collectors including Apache, BIND, DRBD, Memcached, MySQL, and NFS. |
| Purpose | LibreNMS is a network monitoring system with device support. | Observium is a network monitoring and management platform that discovers devices and services, collects performance metrics, and generates alerts. |
Plans
Observium
- CommunityFree
- EnterprisePrice not published
- ProfessionalPrice not published
In their own words
LibreNMS
LibreNMS is a free, self-hosted network monitoring system with device support. It can discover networks using CDP, FDP, LLDP, OSPF, BGP, SNMP, and ARP. Customizable alerts can be sent through email, IRC, Slack, and other transports, while the API can manage installations, create graphs, and retrieve data. Distributed polling supports horizontal scaling. Documented functions include VLAN, ARP and FDB collection, traffic billing, syslog, service monitoring, and customizable dashboards. Integrations include Oxidized, RANCID, NfSen, Smokeping, Graylog, and Nagios plugins. Authentication choices include MySQL, LDAP, Active Directory, and HTTP, with two-factor authentication also documented. Installation guides cover CentOS and Ubuntu, and Docker images are available. Native iPhone and Android apps provide core functionality, and an online demo is available before installation. Community help is offered through Discord and a forum; commercial SLA-backed support and consultancy are available through partners.
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.