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Operating Systems · head to head

Manjaro vs Zabbix

Manjaro logo

Manjaro

Operating Systems

Arch-based Linux distribution with an installer and sane defaults

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zabbix logo

Zabbix

Networking

Open source infrastructure and network monitoring with distributed proxies and templating

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Manjaro holding packages back from Arch can break AUR packages built against current Arch, which is its best-known complaint; Zabbix the database is the scaling limit, and high frequency polling grows history tables fast enough that untuned installations hit housekeeping stalls and query timeouts within months.
  • They diverge on capability: Manjaro covers Graphical installer, Zabbix covers Agent and agentless collection.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Manjaro and Zabbix actually diverge.

Attributes where Manjaro and Zabbix differ
AttributeManjaroZabbix
PlatformsLinux, DesktopLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web
CategoryOperating SystemsNetworking

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), 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 Manjaro

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

Only in Zabbix

  • Agent and agentless collection
  • Templates
  • Low-level discovery
  • Distributed proxies
  • Trigger expressions
  • Escalation actions

What people use each for

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

Manjaro

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

Zabbix

  • A service provider monitoring thousands of customer devices where per-device commercial licensing is the largest line itemnot Manjaro
  • Branch or industrial sites with unreliable links that need local collection and bufferingnot Manjaro
  • Mixed estates where the same tool must poll SNMP switches, Linux hosts, Windows servers and Java applicationsnot Manjaro
  • Replacing an aging Nagios installation while keeping script-based checks that already existnot Manjaro

Where each one falls short

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

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

Zabbix

  • The database is the scaling limit, and high frequency polling grows history tables fast enough that untuned installations hit housekeeping stalls and query timeouts within months.
  • Initial configuration is heavy; getting useful alerting rather than noise requires understanding trigger expressions, macros and template inheritance, which is a multi-week learning curve for a team new to it.
  • The AGPLv3 change at version 7.0 affects anyone offering Zabbix over a network as part of a commercial service, and that obligation is easy to inherit accidentally during an upgrade.
  • The web interface is functional rather than pleasant, and many sites end up running Grafana alongside it purely for presentation, which is a second system to maintain.
  • Upgrades between major versions touch the database schema and can take hours on large history tables, so the maintenance window is proportional to how much data you kept.

Pricing, plan by plan

Manjaro

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

Zabbix

Free
  • ZabbixFree
    • No device, node or metric limits
    • Full feature set with no paid edition of the software
    • AGPLv3 from version 7.0 onward
  • Zabbix Technical Support$undefined/year
    • Tiered subscriptions with defined response times
    • Access to Zabbix engineers for configuration and performance issues
    • Bug fix priority and backports

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Zabbix if

  • You need agent and agentless collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web.
  • You also want templates.
Zabbix review

Questions people ask

Is Manjaro or Zabbix better?
Neither clearly leads. Manjaro starts at Free and Zabbix at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Manjaro or Zabbix?
Manjaro starts at Free and Zabbix at Free.
Does Manjaro or Zabbix run on more platforms?
Manjaro runs on Linux, Desktop. Zabbix runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web.
Can I use Manjaro for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Manjaro best used for?
Manjaro is most often used for wanting arch and the aur without the manual install, desktops needing current package versions with some stability buffer, hardware that benefits from automatic proprietary driver handling. Of those, wanting arch and the aur without the manual install and desktops needing current package versions with some stability buffer are not what Zabbix is typically brought in for.
What can Manjaro do that Zabbix cannot?
Manjaro covers Graphical installer, Delayed updates, Hardware detection, Multiple desktops. Zabbix covers Agent and agentless collection, Templates, Low-level discovery, Distributed proxies.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Manjaro: Is Manjaro free?

Yes, entirely free and open source.

Zabbix: Is Zabbix genuinely free for commercial use?

The software has no licence fee at any scale. From version 7.0 it is AGPLv3, so offering it as a network service to third parties carries source distribution obligations.

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.

Zabbix: What is the real cost of running it?

Database administration and the person who tunes it. Budget for PostgreSQL with TimescaleDB and someone who owns the retention policy.

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.

Zabbix: How does it compare to a commercial per-device tool?

It removes the licence line entirely and adds an operations line. Below a few hundred devices the commercial tool is often cheaper in total; above that Zabbix wins clearly.

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