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Checkmk VS SolarWinds NPM

Compare Checkmk VS SolarWinds NPM and see what are their differences

Checkmk logo Checkmk

Checkmk - the software for effective IT monitoring

SolarWinds NPM logo SolarWinds NPM

Advanced network monitoring for on-premises, hybrid, and cloud. Download a FREE 30-day trial of SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) today!
  • 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.

  • SolarWinds NPM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-22

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.

SolarWinds NPM features and specs

  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    SolarWinds NPM provides detailed insights into network performance by tracking metrics like bandwidth usage, latency, and packet loss. It supports a wide range of devices and vendors, making it versatile for varied network environments.
  • Customizable Dashboards and Alerts
    The platform offers highly customizable dashboards and alerting mechanisms, allowing users to tailor notifications and visualizations according to their specific needs.
  • Scalability
    SolarWinds NPM can scale to support large and complex network environments, making it suitable for both small businesses and large enterprises.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The software has an intuitive, web-based interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and utilize its features without requiring extensive training.
  • Robust Reporting
    SolarWinds NPM includes advanced reporting capabilities that help administrators analyze network trends, generate compliance reports, and present data to stakeholders.

Possible disadvantages of SolarWinds NPM

  • Cost
    The initial cost and ongoing maintenance fees for SolarWinds NPM can be significant, particularly for small businesses or non-profits with limited budgets.
  • Resource Intensive
    The software can be resource-intensive, requiring robust server infrastructure to operate efficiently, which may necessitate additional investments in hardware.
  • Complex Configuration
    Setting up and configuring SolarWinds NPM to fit specific network environments can be complex and time-consuming, often necessitating a steep learning curve or professional assistance.
  • High Volume of Alerts
    While customizable, the alert system can generate a high volume of notifications, which could lead to alert fatigue if not properly configured.
  • Limited Integration with Some Tools
    Although SolarWinds NPM integrates well with many systems, there are some third-party tools and platforms with which integration is less straightforward.

Checkmk videos

Episode 1: Install Checkmk and monitor your first hosts

SolarWinds NPM videos

SolarWinds NPM: Your Complete Network Monitoring Solution

More videos:

  • Review - Overview of Quality of Experience Dashboard in SolarWinds NPM

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Checkmk and SolarWinds NPM)
Monitoring Tools
40 40%
60% 60
Log Management
41 41%
59% 59
Performance Monitoring
29 29%
71% 71
Application Performance Monitoring

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 SolarWinds NPM

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.

SolarWinds NPM Reviews

The Best Cacti Monitoring Alternatives
The SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor is a paid tool, the best of the best. It’s a network monitoring solution to help you find, diagnose, and resolve network performance issues. The tool is mainly focused on maintaining the health of the devices within your network.
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.
Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools and Software (Linux/Windows)
Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor is another Great monitoring tool that has a large community behind it and has updates almost every year.
15 Best IT Monitoring Tools and Software
SolarWinds NPM is SolarWinds’s network troubleshooter. NPM is easy to use, can be used across physical, cloud-based, or mixed businesses.
Source: blog.inedo.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Checkmk seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 54 times since March 2021. 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

SolarWinds NPM mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of SolarWinds NPM yet. Tracking of SolarWinds NPM recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

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

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

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.

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

Dynatrace - Cloud-based quality testing, performance monitoring and analytics for mobile apps and websites. Get started with Keynote today!

Paessler PRTG - An advanced network monitoring solution to monitor network up/downtime, traffic and usage.

Wireshark - Wireshark is a network protocol analyzer for Unix and Windows. It lets you capture and interactively browse the traffic running on a computer network.