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Checkmk VS NetXMS

Compare Checkmk VS NetXMS and see what are their differences

Checkmk logo Checkmk

Checkmk - the software for effective IT monitoring

NetXMS logo NetXMS

NetXMS is an enterprise grade multi-platform open source network management and monitoring system.
  • Checkmk Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-21

Checkmk is a comprehensive solution for IT Monitoring of servers, applications, networks, cloud infrastructures (public, private, hybrid), containers, storage, databases and environment sensors. In the network field we support SNMP, but also have integrations to APIs and powerful agents for operating systems. Our users benefit from more than 1.900 Plugins for vendors like Cisco, Brocade, Dell, Enterasys, Extreme Networks, Huawei, Intel and many more.

  • NetXMS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-05

Checkmk features and specs

  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    Checkmk offers extensive monitoring capabilities for servers, networks, applications, and cloud services, providing a holistic view of IT infrastructure.
  • Scalability
    The tool is designed to scale seamlessly from small environments to large, distributed enterprise networks, making it suitable for organizations of all sizes.
  • Ease of Use
    Checkmk features an intuitive web-based interface, which simplifies the setup and administration of monitoring services.
  • Flexible Configuration
    It allows for both automatic configuration and manual fine-tuning, giving administrators the flexibility to customize monitoring to their specific needs.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Checkmk supports integration with a variety of third-party tools like Ticketing systems, CMDBs, and communication platforms, streamlining workflows and enhancing efficiency.
  • Alerting and Notifications
    Advanced alerting and notification options ensure that IT staff are quickly informed of issues, with customizable thresholds and multi-channel notifications.
  • Extensive Plugin Support
    The availability of numerous plugins extends Checkmk’s functionality, catering to a wide range of monitoring scenarios.

Possible disadvantages of Checkmk

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Despite its ease of use, the extensive feature set can be overwhelming for new users, requiring time and training to fully leverage its capabilities.
  • Cost
    While there is an open-source edition, the enterprise edition with advanced features can be relatively expensive compared to some other monitoring solutions.
  • Resource Intensive
    Checkmk can be demanding on system resources, especially in large deployments, necessitating robust hardware and careful resource planning.
  • Complex Initial Setup
    The initial setup, particularly for complex environments, can be time-consuming and may require significant effort to configure correctly.
  • Limited Support for Non-Linux Systems
    While it is strong in monitoring Linux environments, support for non-Linux systems may not be as extensive, potentially limiting its use in heterogeneous environments.
  • Dependency on Network Connectivity
    Checkmk's effectiveness can be hampered by poor network connectivity, which can affect the accuracy and timeliness of monitoring data.
  • Documentation
    Despite being comprehensive, some users have reported that the documentation can be dense and difficult to navigate, making problem-solving more challenging.

NetXMS features and specs

  • Open Source
    NetXMS is open-source software, allowing users to access and modify the source code, leading to greater flexibility and customization options.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    NetXMS can be used on various operating systems including Linux, Windows, and macOS, providing versatility in deployment environments.
  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    The platform offers comprehensive monitoring capabilities for networks, servers, applications, and virtual infrastructures, enabling holistic IT oversight.
  • Scalability
    NetXMS is designed to scale efficiently as an organization grows, capable of handling large environments without significant performance degradation.
  • API and Integration
    Provides a well-documented API, facilitating integration with other systems and enabling automation of processes.

Possible disadvantages of NetXMS

  • Complexity
    The platform can be complex to set up and configure, requiring a steep learning curve for new users not familiar with its functionalities.
  • Limited Community Support
    Compared to some other open-source monitoring tools, NetXMS has a smaller community, which may result in less available support and fewer community-driven solutions.
  • Interface Usability
    Some users find the user interface less intuitive compared to other modern network monitoring tools, which can affect user experience and efficiency.
  • Documentation Depth
    The official documentation might not cover all scenarios comprehensively, which can make troubleshooting and advanced configurations more challenging.
  • Resource Intensive
    In large-scale environments, the tool can become resource-intensive, demanding more powerful hardware to maintain performance.

Checkmk videos

Episode 1: Install Checkmk and monitor your first hosts

NetXMS videos

NetXMS - Creating Sample Dashboard

More videos:

  • Review - Basics 4: SNMP and NetXMS Agent
  • Review - Basics 1: NetXMS Intro

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Checkmk and NetXMS)
Monitoring Tools
68 68%
32% 32
Log Management
72 72%
28% 28
Performance Monitoring
63 63%
37% 37
Network & Admin
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Checkmk and NetXMS

Checkmk Reviews

The Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools in 2023
Description: Checkmk Raw Edition is an open source infrastructure and application monitoring tool that also includes network monitoring capabilities. For network monitoring, Checkmk can discover and monitor switches and routers, wireless networks, and firewalls; the software supports integration with several network hardware vendors. The solution uses a rule-based concept...
Top 10 PRTG Alternatives for Monitoring Networks and IT Infrastructure
Those wanting to monitor databases as part of their network analysis can do so with Checkmk, as well as track Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and performance, the latter being sometimes tricky with other network monitoring software.
10 Best Zabbix Alternatives
The Checkmk server can only be deployed on a Linux machine. A basic knowledge of Linux is all you need to get the application up and running. All the software you need is either included in your Linux distribution or in the Checkmk package. It is also possible to run Checkmk as a virtual appliance, a physical appliance, or as a Docker-Container. The agents used by Checkmk to...
10 Best Open Source Monitoring Software for IT Infrastructure
Flexible monitoring: Over 1,900 official integrations provided ‘out of the box’. Monitor states, metrics, events & logs via Checkmk agents, vendor APIs, SNMP, or any way you prefer
Source: geekflare.com
13 Best Nagios Alternatives for Networks, Servers, IT Systems Monitoring
Unlike Solarwinds NPM described above which is focused only on networking, checkmk can monitor a wide range of devices such as servers, network devices, applications etc.

NetXMS Reviews

The Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools in 2023
Description: NetXMS is an open source infrastructure and network monitoring and management solution. The tool features flexible event processing, reporting, and visual graphing for all layers of the IT infrastructure. For network monitoring, NetXMS offers automatic Layer 2 and 3 discovery and full SMNPv3 support. The vendor’s network monitoring solution also includes both...
10 Best Zabbix Alternatives
NetXMS is capable of auto-discovering devices in your network and collects information from them using agents. The collected information is sent back to the NetXMS servers for processing and storage. Network administrators can access collected data using desktop, web or a mobile (Android) management console. Some of the key features and capabilities include:

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Checkmk seems to be a lot more popular than NetXMS. While we know about 54 links to Checkmk, we've tracked only 3 mentions of NetXMS. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Checkmk mentions (54)

  • Ask HN: What do you monitor on your servers?
    Or Checkmk [1], which is coming from Nagios and brings thousands of plugins for nearly every hardware and service you can think of.. [1] https://checkmk.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Monitoring solution
    CheckMK https://checkmk.com. You can spin this up in a docker container. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • "All in one monitoring solution"?
    I use CheckMK to do all of this and more, except nutanix. But checkmk also can Monitor nutanix via the "Nutanix Prism" special agent Integration. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Is there an alternative to BI Tools?
    BI machine and NVR report to CheckMK Raw host so it's easy to see historic stats. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Uptime Monitor
    I’m using https://checkmk.com/ to monitor stuff and it seems to work great. Lots of built in features and functions and if they don’t have what you need you can also create custom scripts to check and report on anything you can dream up. Runs great in docker (I’m using portainer but will run fine in plain old docker). Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

NetXMS mentions (3)

  • What do you use for Windows Server monitoring?
    We use NetXMS for that https://netxms.com/. You can configure literally any metric and monitor it. On the other hand, I've heard good things about PRTG. You should give it a try. Also, might give you some ideas. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Monitoring, alerting and visual graphs - What are you using?
    We are using netxms (https://netxms.com/), an open-source solution that acts as a log watcher for us. This might be also helpful https://www.starwindsoftware.com/blog/vmware-monitoring-with-sexigraph-new-release. Source: over 2 years ago
  • CheckMK vs Zabbix for monitoring
    I use Zabbix in my lab only. According to that experience, it performs well. At work, we use netxms for monitoring multiple servers: https://netxms.com/. You install the agent on the client locations. You can configure it to collect any metrics you need. Another approach is combining a few tools. Might be helpful: https://www.starwindsoftware.com/blog/you-cant-have-too-much-monitoring. Source: over 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Checkmk and NetXMS, you can also consider the following products

Zabbix - Track, record, alert and visualize performance and availability of IT resources

The Dude - MikroTik is a Latvian company which was founded in 1996 to develop routers and wireless ISP systems. MikroTik now provides hardware and software for Internet connectivity in most of the countries around the world.

Datadog - See metrics from all of your apps, tools & services in one place with Datadog's cloud monitoring as a service solution. Try it for free.

Pandora FMS - Pandora FMS: Opensource monitoring software

Nagios - Complete monitoring and alerting for servers, switches, applications, and services

OpenNMS - Project home page of OpenNMS - a java based network managememnt platform developed under the Open Source model