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Software · head to head

Checkmk vs Nagios XI

Checkmk logo

Checkmk

Software

Comprehensive IT monitoring, open and flexible

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Nagios XI logo

Nagios XI

Software

Enterprise-grade monitoring solution with advanced visualization and reporting

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Nagios XI has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Checkmk pricing is metered per service (each individual metric or sensor monitored) rather than per host, so cost scales with monitoring depth, not just server count; Nagios XI free Edition caps at 7 nodes or 100 services, whichever limit is hit first

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Checkmk and Nagios XI actually diverge.

Attributes where Checkmk and Nagios XI differ
AttributeCheckmkNagios XI
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

Where each one falls short

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

Checkmk

  • Pricing is metered per service (each individual metric or sensor monitored) rather than per host, so cost scales with monitoring depth, not just server count
  • Pro edition starts at 190 euro per month billed annually, and Ultimate at 275 euro per month billed annually; prices are published in euros only
  • The CloudAI SaaS edition is capped at 50,000 services even though self-hosted Pro and Ultimate scale to over 100,000 hosts

Nagios XI

  • Free Edition caps at 7 nodes or 100 services, whichever limit is hit first
  • Standard Edition is licensed per node count, starting at $2,595 for 100 nodes and rising to $14,995 for 1,000 nodes
  • Enterprise Edition, which adds capacity planning and SLA reporting, is sold as an add-on starting at $4,690 for 100 nodes on top of the base license
  • Sitewide Edition for large distributed environments has no published price and requires contacting sales

Pricing, plan by plan

Checkmk

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Checkmk review.

Nagios XI

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Nagios XI review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Checkmk if

Nothing in the data separates Checkmk from Nagios XI on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Checkmk review

Choose Nagios XI if

  • You want to start without paying.
Nagios XI review

Questions people ask

Is Checkmk or Nagios XI better?
Neither clearly leads. Checkmk starts at On request and Nagios XI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Checkmk or Nagios XI?
Nagios XI has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Checkmk and Free for Nagios XI.
Does Checkmk or Nagios XI run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Nagios XI for free?
Yes. Nagios XI has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Checkmk starts at On request.
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Related pages

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