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Checkmk vs Openstatus

Checkmk logo

Checkmk

Logging

Comprehensive IT monitoring, open and flexible

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit CheckmkFull review
Openstatus logo

Openstatus

Logging

Status pages with uptime monitoring and compliance-ready incident tracking

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit OpenstatusFull review

The short version

  • Free plans on both; paid from €190/mo and $30/mo.
  • Where Checkmk falls short: pricing calculated by service count, not hosts (approximately 30 services per host on average).
  • Where Openstatus falls short: free tier severely limited to 1 monitor and 1 status page.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Checkmk and Openstatus actually diverge.

Attributes where Checkmk and Openstatus differ
AttributeCheckmkOpenstatus
PlatformsWebWeb, API

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

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Openstatus, 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 Openstatus does not also cover.

Only in Openstatus

  • Branded status pages
  • Global monitoring
  • Incident notifications
  • Audit-ready trails
  • API and CLI access
  • Terraform provider
  • Self-hosting

What people use each for

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

Checkmk

  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Openstatus
  • System observabilitynot Openstatus
  • Enterprise compliance monitoringnot Openstatus

Openstatus

  • Publishing incident status pages to customersnot Checkmk
  • Demonstrating compliance readiness to auditorsnot Checkmk
  • Alerting internal teams when services are downnot Checkmk
  • Tracking uptime metrics across global regionsnot 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

Openstatus

  • Free tier severely limited to 1 monitor and 1 status page
  • Per-status-page pricing adds cost for multi-product organizations
  • No built-in workflow orchestration or incident response automation
  • Limited historical analytics beyond incident documentation
  • No AI-powered incident diagnosis or root cause analysis

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

Openstatus

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 monitor with 10-minute intervals
    • 1 status page with 3 components
    • No credit card required
  • Starter$30/mo
    • 20 monitors with 1-minute intervals
    • 1 status page with 20 components
    • 3-month data retention
  • Pro$100/mo
    • 50 monitors with 30-second intervals
    • 5 status pages with 50 components each
    • 12-month data retention
  • Scale$500/mo
    • 50 monitors with 30-second intervals
    • 10 status pages with 500 components each
    • 24-month data retention

Which should you pick?

Choose Checkmk if

  • You want to start without paying.
Checkmk review

Choose Openstatus if

  • You need branded status pages.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want global monitoring.
Openstatus review

Questions people ask

Is Checkmk or Openstatus better?
Neither clearly leads. Checkmk starts at Free and Openstatus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Checkmk or Openstatus?
Checkmk starts at Free and Openstatus at Free.
Does Checkmk or Openstatus run on more platforms?
Checkmk runs on Web. Openstatus runs on Web, 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 Openstatus is typically brought in for.
What can Checkmk do that Openstatus cannot?
Openstatus covers Branded status pages, Global monitoring, Incident notifications, Audit-ready trails.

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
Openstatus: Can I use OpenStatus for free?

Yes, the free tier includes 1 monitor with 10-minute check intervals and 1 status page with 3 components, no credit card required.

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
Openstatus: What is included in annual billing for Starter plan?

Annual billing costs $300/year (vs $360/month), saving 2 months. Includes 20 monitors, 1-minute intervals, and all alert types.

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
Openstatus: Can I add extra status pages beyond my plan limit?

Yes, additional status pages cost $20/month and are billed separately on top of your plan.

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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