Software · head to head
Sentry vs Checkmk
Sentry
Software
Application monitoring platform built by developers for developers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Sentry has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Sentry spending caps stop event ingestion when reached, eliminating visibility during critical moments; 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 Sentry 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 Sentry
- Error tracking
- Performance monitoring
- Release tracking
- Real user monitoring
- Alerting
- Issue assignment
- Breadcrumbs
- Source maps
Only in Checkmk
Nothing recorded that Sentry does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Sentry
- Error monitoringnot Checkmk
- Performance trackingnot Checkmk
- Debug production issuesnot Checkmk
- Release managementnot Checkmk
- User monitoringnot 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.
Sentry
- Spending caps stop event ingestion when reached, eliminating visibility during critical moments
- Complex configuration required for filters, sampling rules, issue grouping, and alert policies
- Difficult to configure custom alerts and alert content without creating email inbox bloat
- Error grouping is imperfect with noise and filtering issues causing incorrect error prioritization
- Weak for distributed tracing across microservices compared to dedicated APM tools
- UI dashboard is less customizable than alternatives like Datadog APM for complex monitoring needs
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
Sentry
Free- Developer (Free)Free
- 5K errors per month
- 1 user seat
- 30-day data retention
- Team$26/month
- 50K errors per month
- 5M transaction spans
- 90-day data retention
- Business$80/month
- Higher quotas
- Extended retention
- Advanced filtering
- Organization$199/month
- SSO integration
- Audit logs
- Advanced security
Checkmk
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Checkmk review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Sentry if
- You need error tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages.
- You also want performance monitoring.
Choose Checkmk if
Nothing in the data separates Checkmk from Sentry on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Sentry or Checkmk better?
- Neither clearly leads. Sentry 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, Sentry or Checkmk?
- Sentry has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Sentry and On request for Checkmk.
- Does Sentry or Checkmk run on more platforms?
- Sentry runs on Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages. Checkmk runs on Web.
- Can I use Sentry for free?
- Yes. Sentry has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Checkmk starts at On request.
- What is Sentry best used for?
- Sentry is most often used for error monitoring, performance tracking, debug production issues, release management. Of those, error monitoring and performance tracking are not what Checkmk is typically brought in for.
- What can Sentry do that Checkmk cannot?
- Sentry covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Release tracking, Real user monitoring.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Sentry: Does Sentry have a free tier?
Yes. The free Developer tier includes 5,000 errors per month, one user seat, 30-day retention, and 50 session replays per month.
SourceSentry: How much do Sentry's paid plans cost?
Team plan starts at $26/month (annual) or $29/month (monthly) with 50K errors and 5M spans included. Business plan is $80-89/month. Organization plans start at $199/month with SSO and advanced compliance features.
SourceSentry: What programming languages does Sentry support?
Sentry supports over 30 languages and frameworks including JavaScript, Python, Go, Ruby, Java, .NET, PHP, Node.js, and mobile platforms including iOS, Android, and React Native.
SourceSentry: Does Sentry support self-hosting?
Yes. Sentry can be self-hosted, and the open-source version is available for deployment in on-premises environments.
SourceSentry: How does Sentry billing work if I exceed my quota?
Sentry offers spending caps that stop ingestion when reached, meaning you lose visibility exactly when you need it most. You can pre-purchase reserved capacity at 20% discount or pay per event on-demand when exceeding included allotment.
SourceSentry: What integrations does Sentry support?
Sentry integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Slack, PagerDuty, most CI/CD pipelines, and many other developer tools.
Source