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Checkmk vs FireHydrant

Checkmk logo

Checkmk

Logging

Comprehensive IT monitoring, open and flexible

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit CheckmkFull review
FireHydrant logo

FireHydrant

Logging

All-in-one incident management for alerting, on-call, and response

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit FireHydrantFull review

The short version

  • Free plans on both; paid from €190/mo and $25/mo.
  • Where Checkmk falls short: pricing calculated by service count, not hosts (approximately 30 services per host on average).
  • Where FireHydrant falls short: free tier has limited functionality with only 2 runbooks.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Checkmk and FireHydrant actually diverge.

Attributes where Checkmk and FireHydrant differ
AttributeCheckmkFireHydrant
PlatformsWebWeb, Slack, Microsoft Teams, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Subscription), free tier (Yes), category (Logging).

Not yet recorded: founded for Checkmk.

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Checkmk

Nothing recorded that FireHydrant does not also cover.

Only in FireHydrant

  • Automated runbooks
  • On-call management
  • Service catalog
  • Incident response collaboration
  • AI incident insights
  • Status pages
  • AI retrospectives

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Checkmk

  • Infrastructure monitoringnot FireHydrant
  • System observabilitynot FireHydrant
  • Enterprise compliance monitoringnot FireHydrant

FireHydrant

  • Manage incidents directly from Slack or Teamsnot Checkmk
  • Automate incident response with runbooksnot Checkmk
  • Triage incidents and track ownershipnot Checkmk
  • Run post-incident retrospectivesnot Checkmk
  • Communicate incidents to customers automaticallynot Checkmk

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Checkmk

  • Pricing calculated by service count, not hosts (approximately 30 services per host on average)
  • Professional support limited to 8-10 hours per week on base plans
  • Synthetic monitoring is separate add-on with per-test pricing

FireHydrant

  • Free tier has limited functionality with only 2 runbooks
  • Pro plan billing is annual-only (no monthly option)
  • AI features concentrated in Enterprise tier
  • Pricing per responder can increase with team size

Pricing, plan by plan

Checkmk

Free
  • Community (Self-Hosted)Free
    • No cost, forever
    • Up to ~100 hosts
    • Basic infrastructure monitoring
  • Pro (Self-Hosted)€190/mo
    • Advanced analytics
    • Reporting
    • Distributed monitoring
  • Ultimate (Self-Hosted)€275/mo
    • Full-stack observability
    • Advanced security compliance
    • 10 hours x 5 days professional support (upgradable to 24/7)
  • CloudAI (SaaS)€240/mo
    • Fully managed cloud hosting
    • 99.5% uptime SLA
    • Supports up to 50000 services

FireHydrant

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10 responders
    • 2 runbooks
    • Slack and Teams chatbot
  • Pro$25
    • 5 runbooks
    • Slack and Teams chatbot
    • 1 retrospective template
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • Everything in Pro plus
    • Viewer licenses
    • Unlimited runbooks

Which should you pick?

Choose Checkmk if

  • You want to start without paying.
Checkmk review

Choose FireHydrant if

  • You need automated runbooks.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Slack, Microsoft Teams, iOS, Android.
  • You also want on-call management.
FireHydrant review

Questions people ask

Is Checkmk or FireHydrant better?
Neither clearly leads. Checkmk starts at Free and FireHydrant at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Checkmk or FireHydrant?
Checkmk starts at Free and FireHydrant at Free.
Does Checkmk or FireHydrant run on more platforms?
Checkmk runs on Web. FireHydrant runs on Web, Slack, Microsoft Teams, iOS, Android.
Can I use Checkmk for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Checkmk best used for?
Checkmk is most often used for infrastructure monitoring, system observability, enterprise compliance monitoring. Of those, infrastructure monitoring and system observability are not what FireHydrant is typically brought in for.
What can Checkmk do that FireHydrant cannot?
FireHydrant covers Automated runbooks, On-call management, Service catalog, Incident response collaboration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Checkmk: Is there a free version of Checkmk?

Yes, Checkmk Community edition is free forever and supports up to approximately 100 hosts for basic infrastructure monitoring with no cost.

Source
FireHydrant: What is included in the free FireHydrant plan?

The free plan supports up to 10 responders, includes 2 runbooks, Slack and Teams chatbot, 1 public status page, and basic integrations (3).

Source
Checkmk: How does Checkmk calculate pricing by host count?

Checkmk uses service-based pricing where each monitored aspect (file system, hardware sensor, switch port, metric) counts as one service. On average, there are approximately 30 services per host.

Source
FireHydrant: How much does FireHydrant Pro cost?

FireHydrant Pro costs $25 per responder per month, billed annually. This includes 5 runbooks, unlimited status pages, and all core incident management features.

Source
Checkmk: What is the difference between Checkmk Pro and Ultimate tiers?

Pro tier at 190 EUR/month includes advanced analytics and 8x5 support, while Ultimate at 275 EUR/month adds full-stack observability, advanced compliance features, and upgradable 24/7 support.

Source
FireHydrant: Can I pay monthly for FireHydrant Pro?

No, the Pro plan requires annual billing to get the $25/responder/month rate. Contact sales for enterprise monthly billing options.

Source
Checkmk: Does Checkmk offer a managed SaaS option?

Yes, Checkmk CloudAI is a fully managed SaaS tier at 240 EUR/month with 99.5% uptime SLA and support for up to 50000 services.

Source
FireHydrant: What AI features does FireHydrant offer?

FireHydrant AI is available in Enterprise plan and includes automated incident summaries, status page updates, live video transcription from Zoom and Google Meet, and triage assistance.

Source
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