Software · head to head
Redis vs Checkmk
The short version
- Only Redis has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Redis licensing changed from BSD to AGPL in 2025, impacting open-source usage; 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 Redis 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 Redis
- In-memory data store
- Data structures
- Pub/Sub messaging
- Lua scripting
- Transactions
- Persistence options
- Replication
- Clustering
Only in Checkmk
Nothing recorded that Redis does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Redis
- Cachingnot Checkmk
- Session managementnot Checkmk
- Real-time analyticsnot Checkmk
- Message queuingnot Checkmk
- Leaderboardsnot 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.
Redis
- Licensing changed from BSD to AGPL in 2025, impacting open-source usage
- All data must fit in memory, limiting scalability to available RAM
- No built-in support for multi-tenancy
- Limited transaction support compared to traditional databases
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
Redis
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Redis review.
Checkmk
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Checkmk review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Redis if
- You need in-memory data store.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
- You also want data structures.
Choose Checkmk if
Nothing in the data separates Checkmk from Redis on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Redis or Checkmk better?
- Neither clearly leads. Redis 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, Redis or Checkmk?
- Redis has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Redis and On request for Checkmk.
- Does Redis or Checkmk run on more platforms?
- Redis runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. Checkmk runs on Web.
- Can I use Redis for free?
- Yes. Redis has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Checkmk starts at On request.
- What is Redis best used for?
- Redis is most often used for caching, session management, real-time analytics, message queuing. Of those, caching and session management are not what Checkmk is typically brought in for.
- What can Redis do that Checkmk cannot?
- Redis covers In-memory data store, Data structures, Pub/Sub messaging, Lua scripting.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Redis: Is Redis open source?
Redis was open source under the BSD license since its inception in 2009 and has remained open source. However, in 2024-2025, Redis Labs changed licensing to source-available and AGPL, prompting the creation of Valkey, a BSD-licensed open-source fork.
SourceRedis: What is Redis used for?
Redis is an in-memory data structure store used primarily as a cache, database, and message broker. It provides high-speed data access for real-time applications, sessions, leaderboards, real-time analytics, and other use cases requiring fast data retrieval.
Source