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Networking · head to head

Icinga vs Manjaro

Icinga logo

Icinga

Networking

Open source infrastructure monitoring, free at its core, with paid support and modules sold separately by Icinga GmbH

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Manjaro logo

Manjaro

Operating Systems

Arch-based Linux distribution with an installer and sane defaults

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Icinga the free core has no vendor SLA, so production incidents are supported through community channels unless a paid support subscription is purchased; Manjaro holding packages back from Arch can break AUR packages built against current Arch, which is its best-known complaint
  • They diverge on capability: Icinga covers Forever Free core, Manjaro covers Graphical installer.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Icinga and Manjaro actually diverge.

Attributes where Icinga and Manjaro differ
AttributeIcingaManjaro
Pricing modelOpen source core, with paid repository, module and support subscriptions sold separatelyOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsLinux, WebLinux, Desktop
CategoryNetworkingOperating Systems

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

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 Icinga

  • Forever Free core
  • Clustering and HA
  • Icinga Web and API
  • Enterprise modules (paid)
  • Integration ecosystem

Only in Manjaro

  • Graphical installer
  • Delayed updates
  • Hardware detection
  • Multiple desktops

What people use each for

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

Icinga

  • An IT team wanting unlimited-scale open source monitoring with no per-host licence fee, running standard Linux distributionsnot Manjaro
  • An organisation on RHEL or SLES that wants officially packaged Icinga builds via the repository subscription rather than building from sourcenot Manjaro
  • A team wanting an SLA-backed vendor support relationship rather than relying on community forums for a production monitoring systemnot Manjaro
  • A company already invested in Prometheus and Grafana wanting to add host and service-level alerting from a compatible open source toolnot Manjaro

Manjaro

  • Wanting Arch and the AUR without the manual installnot Icinga
  • Desktops needing current package versions with some stability buffernot Icinga
  • Hardware that benefits from automatic proprietary driver handlingnot Icinga

Where each one falls short

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

Icinga

  • The free core has no vendor SLA, so production incidents are supported through community channels unless a paid support subscription is purchased
  • Repository access for enterprise Linux distributions like RHEL and SLES is not free, so organisations standardised on those distributions face a real recurring cost most open source monitoring buyers do not expect
  • Enterprise modules are gated behind a separate module subscription, so some functionality demonstrated in marketing material is not part of the free core
  • Self-hosting and operating Icinga requires real Linux and monitoring expertise that a commercial SaaS tool would otherwise absorb, so total cost of ownership includes staff time not captured in the licence price
  • Pricing for the paid subscriptions varies by geographic region and is not published as a single global rate card, complicating budgeting for multinational organisations
  • The web interface and configuration language, while capable, are less immediately polished than a fully commercial tool like PRTG, and initial setup takes longer to reach a usable state

Manjaro

  • Holding packages back from Arch can break AUR packages built against current Arch, which is its best-known complaint
  • Still a rolling release, so updates can require intervention and are not fit-and-forget
  • The project has had public incidents around expired certificates and governance that dented confidence
  • Not as current as Arch nor as stable as a fixed-release distribution, which is the cost of sitting between them

Pricing, plan by plan

Icinga

Free
  • IcingaFree
    • Unlimited hosts and services
    • Clustering and API
    • Community support
  • Support Subscription$undefined/year
    • Professional support (8x5 or 24/7)
    • Includes module and repository subscriptions

Manjaro

Free
  • ManjaroFree
    • Full functionality
    • Commercial use permitted
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose Icinga if

  • You need forever free core.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Web.
  • You also want clustering and ha.
Icinga review

Choose Manjaro if

  • You need graphical installer.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Desktop.
  • You also want delayed updates.
Manjaro review

Questions people ask

Is Icinga or Manjaro better?
Neither clearly leads. Icinga starts at Free and Manjaro at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Icinga or Manjaro?
Icinga starts at Free and Manjaro at Free.
Does Icinga or Manjaro run on more platforms?
Icinga runs on Linux, Web. Manjaro runs on Linux, Desktop.
Can I use Icinga for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Icinga best used for?
Icinga is most often used for an it team wanting unlimited-scale open source monitoring with no per-host licence fee, running standard linux distributions, an organisation on rhel or sles that wants officially packaged icinga builds via the repository subscription rather than building from source, a team wanting an sla-backed vendor support relationship rather than relying on community forums for a production monitoring system, a company already invested in prometheus and grafana wanting to add host and service-level alerting from a compatible open source tool. Of those, an it team wanting unlimited-scale open source monitoring with no per-host licence fee, running standard linux distributions and an organisation on rhel or sles that wants officially packaged icinga builds via the repository subscription rather than building from source are not what Manjaro is typically brought in for.
What can Icinga do that Manjaro cannot?
Icinga covers Forever Free core, Clustering and HA, Icinga Web and API, Enterprise modules (paid). Manjaro covers Graphical installer, Delayed updates, Hardware detection, Multiple desktops.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Icinga: Is Icinga free to run in production?

Yes, the core platform has no licence fee and no limit on hosts or services monitored.

Manjaro: Is Manjaro free?

Yes, entirely free and open source.

Icinga: What do the paid subscriptions actually add?

A repository subscription provides packages for certain enterprise Linux distributions, a module subscription unlocks enterprise-only add-on modules, and a support subscription bundles both with professional support.

Manjaro: Is Manjaro the same as Arch?

It is based on Arch and uses pacman and the AUR, but holds packages back for testing and ships a graphical installer, so it is not identical.

Icinga: Is Icinga related to Nagios?

Yes, it originated as a fork of Nagios but has since diverged into an independently developed platform.

Manjaro: Why can AUR packages break on Manjaro?

AUR packages are built against current Arch. Manjaro delays packages, so an AUR build can expect a library version Manjaro has not shipped yet.

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