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Technology · head to head

Checkmk vs Keycloak

Checkmk logo

Checkmk

Technology

Comprehensive IT monitoring, open and flexible

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Keycloak logo

Keycloak

Developer Tools

Open-source identity and access management server.

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Checkmk pricing calculated by service count, not hosts (approximately 30 services per host on average); Keycloak requires self-hosted deployment and operational expertise to install, configure and maintain
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Checkmk and Keycloak actually diverge.

Attributes where Checkmk and Keycloak differ
AttributeCheckmkKeycloak
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
PlatformsWebSelf-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Windows, API
CategoryTechnologyDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What people use each for

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

Checkmk

  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Keycloak
  • System observabilitynot Keycloak
  • Enterprise compliance monitoringnot Keycloak

Keycloak

  • Organisations requiring self-hosted identity infrastructure for compliance or data residencynot Checkmk
  • Companies with existing LDAP/Active Directory systems needing federated authenticationnot Checkmk
  • Open-source projects and communities requiring free IAM without licensing costsnot Checkmk
  • Enterprises building custom identity workflows requiring fine-grained authorisationnot Checkmk
  • Teams with sufficient operational expertise to manage infrastructurenot 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

Keycloak

  • Requires self-hosted deployment and operational expertise to install, configure and maintain
  • No managed cloud option provided by Red Hat; organisations must operate infrastructure themselves or use third-party distributions
  • Clustering and high-availability configurations require additional operational knowledge
  • Community support only; commercial support requires third-party vendors or distributions

Pricing, plan by plan

Checkmk

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

Keycloak

Free
  • Open-sourceFree
    • Full platform functionality
    • Self-hosted deployment
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose Checkmk if

  • You want to start without paying.
Checkmk review

Choose Keycloak if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Self-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Windows, API.
Keycloak review

Questions people ask

Is Checkmk or Keycloak better?
Neither clearly leads. Checkmk starts at Free and Keycloak at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Checkmk or Keycloak?
Checkmk starts at Free and Keycloak at Free.
Does Checkmk or Keycloak run on more platforms?
Checkmk runs on Web. Keycloak runs on Self-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Windows, API.
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 Keycloak is typically brought in for.

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
Keycloak: What protocols does Keycloak support?

Keycloak supports OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0 and SAML 2.0 protocols for authentication and authorisation.

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
Keycloak: Can Keycloak integrate with existing user directories?

Yes. Keycloak supports user federation with LDAP and Active Directory systems, allowing organisations to leverage existing user directories.

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
Keycloak: Is Keycloak free?

Yes. Keycloak is fully open-source and free to deploy and use. No licensing fees are required.

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
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