Software · head to head
Plane vs Checkmk
The short version
- Only Plane has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Plane self-hosted Community edition requires managing your own Docker/Kubernetes infra plus your own PostgreSQL, Redis, and S3-compatible/GCS/MinIO storage; no single-binary install; 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
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Plane and Checkmk actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Plane
- Issue tracking
- Cycles (Sprints)
- Modules
- Views & layouts
- Pages (Docs)
- Analytics
- API access
- Webhooks
Only in Checkmk
Nothing recorded that Plane does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Plane
- Project and task management with cycles, modules, epics, and initiativesnot Checkmk
- Documentation and knowledge management via workspace wiki tied to project worknot Checkmk
- Sprint planning and issue triagenot Checkmk
- Cross-functional collaboration with analytics and dashboardsnot Checkmk
- Migration target from Jira, Linear, Monday, ClickUp, or Asananot Checkmk
Checkmk
No use cases recorded yet. See the Checkmk review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Plane
- Self-hosted Community edition requires managing your own Docker/Kubernetes infra plus your own PostgreSQL, Redis, and S3-compatible/GCS/MinIO storage; no single-binary install
- Cloud Free tier caps at 12 users and 500 AI credits per seat per month
- Substantial feature gating by tier: custom work item types, workspace wiki, time tracking, dashboards, initiatives, teamspaces, and integrations require Pro or above; LDAP, granular access control, and multi-workflow approvals require Enterprise Grid
- Guest-to-paid-member ratio capped at 1:5 on the Pro plan
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Plane
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 12 users
- 500 AI credits/seat
- Cycles, modules
- Pro$6/month
- 1,000 AI credits/seat
- Custom work item types
- Wiki
- Business$13/month
- 2,000 AI credits/seat
- Project templates
- Recurring items
- Enterprise Grid$undefined/month
- Flexible AI credits
- Private/managed deployment
- Granular access control
Checkmk
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Checkmk review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Plane if
- You need issue tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
- You also want cycles (sprints).
Choose Checkmk if
Nothing in the data separates Checkmk from Plane on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Plane or Checkmk better?
- Neither clearly leads. Plane starts at Free and Checkmk at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Plane or Checkmk?
- Plane has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Plane and On request for Checkmk.
- Does Plane or Checkmk run on more platforms?
- Plane runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows. Checkmk runs on Web.
- Can I use Plane for free?
- Yes. Plane has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Checkmk starts at On request.
- What is Plane best used for?
- Plane is most often used for project and task management with cycles, modules, epics, and initiatives, documentation and knowledge management via workspace wiki tied to project work, sprint planning and issue triage, cross-functional collaboration with analytics and dashboards. Of those, project and task management with cycles, modules, epics, and initiatives and documentation and knowledge management via workspace wiki tied to project work are not what Checkmk is typically brought in for.
- What can Plane do that Checkmk cannot?
- Plane covers Issue tracking, Cycles (Sprints), Modules, Views & layouts.