Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups
Register | Login

Observium VS OpenNMS

Compare Observium VS OpenNMS and see what are their differences

Hyperview
DCIM software reinvented. featured
Contents:
  1. » Base Details
  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

Observium logo Observium

Observium

OpenNMS logo OpenNMS

Project home page of OpenNMS - a java based network managememnt platform developed under the Open Source model
  • Observium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-16
  • OpenNMS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23

Observium features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Observium offers a clean and intuitive web-based interface, making it easy for users to navigate and monitor their network infrastructure without extensive training.
  • Detailed Network Monitoring
    Observium provides comprehensive monitoring capabilities, including support for a wide range of devices and detailed insights into bandwidth usage, CPU/memory consumption, and other critical metrics.
  • Automatic Discovery
    The platform automatically discovers network devices and adds them to the monitoring dashboard, reducing the manual effort required for setup and maintenance.
  • Wide Compatibility
    Observium is compatible with a large number of network hardware and software vendors, ensuring that users can monitor a diverse set of devices without compatibility issues.
  • Flexible Alerting
    The alerting system in Observium allows users to set up custom alerts based on a variety of conditions, ensuring timely notifications for potential issues.
  • Open Source Option
    Observium offers a free Community Edition with essential features, making it accessible for small businesses and individuals with limited budgets.

Possible disadvantages of Observium

  • Limited Free Version
    While the Community Edition is free, it lacks some advanced features and support available in the paid Professional Edition, potentially limiting its usefulness for larger organizations.
  • Resource Intensive
    Observium can be resource-intensive, requiring significant CPU and memory, especially in large network environments, which can affect performance and scalability.
  • Complex Configuration
    Initial setup and configuration can be complex and may require a certain level of expertise in network management, potentially posing a barrier for less experienced users.
  • Limited Customization
    The customization options for dashboards and reports are somewhat limited in comparison to other network monitoring tools, which may not meet specific user requirements.
  • Support Limitations
    Community support is limited for the free version, and official support services are only available for the paid Professional Edition, which may pose challenges for troubleshooting issues.
  • No Integrated Ticketing
    Observium lacks an integrated ticketing system for issue management, necessitating the use of external tools for end-to-end incident handling and resolution.

OpenNMS features and specs

  • Open Source
    OpenNMS is an open-source network management system, which means it is free to use and modify. This allows organizations to save on licensing costs and tailor the software to their specific needs.
  • Customization
    Being open-source and highly modular, OpenNMS offers extensive customization options. Users can add plugins and scripts to adapt the system to their unique requirements.
  • Scalability
    OpenNMS can scale to monitor very large networks, making it suitable for both small businesses and enterprise environments. It supports distributed monitoring environments for large-scale deployments.
  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    The platform provides a wide range of monitoring capabilities, including performance monitoring, fault detection, and service assurance across various types of network devices and applications.
  • Community and Support
    OpenNMS has an active community and extensive documentation, providing users with a wealth of resources for troubleshooting and development. Professional support options are also available from the developers.

Possible disadvantages of OpenNMS

  • Complexity
    The advanced features and flexibility of OpenNMS come with a steep learning curve. It can be complex to set up and configure, particularly for users without a strong background in network management.
  • Resource Intensive
    OpenNMS can be resource-intensive, requiring substantial hardware resources, especially as the scope of monitoring and the size of the network grows.
  • User Interface
    Some users may find the user interface less intuitive or outdated compared to commercial alternatives. This can impact the ease of navigation and the overall user experience.
  • Initial Investment in Setup
    While the software itself is free, deploying OpenNMS can require a significant time investment for setup and configuration. Organizations may also need to invest in training for their technical staff.
  • Limited Proprietary Integration
    Integration with some proprietary systems and devices may be limited, potentially requiring additional customization or the use of third-party tools to achieve full compatibility.

Analysis of Observium

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Observium is considered a good option for network monitoring needs. Its combination of comprehensive monitoring features, a user-friendly interface, and broad device support makes it a valuable tool for network administrators.

Why this product is good

  • Observium is highly regarded for its automated network monitoring capabilities. It offers an intuitive interface and supports a wide range of devices, providing detailed insights into network performance. The system's historical data collection and alerting features allow for proactive network management and can help prevent issues before they affect users. Observium is also praised for its ease of installation and minimal maintenance requirements, making it an attractive option for organizations of varying sizes.

Recommended for

  • Small to medium-sized businesses looking for an affordable and effective network monitoring solution.
  • Network administrators who need a tool that supports a wide array of devices and can be quickly deployed.
  • Organizations seeking proactive monitoring tools to prevent network issues and maintain optimal performance.

Analysis of OpenNMS

Overall verdict

  • OpenNMS is a solid choice for network monitoring and management.

Why this product is good

  • OpenNMS is an open-source network management platform that offers a comprehensive suite of features for monitoring network health, performance, and outages. It is highly customizable and scalable, catering to both small businesses and large enterprises. Its open-source nature means it benefits from contributions from a large community, leading to continuous improvements and updates. The platform also supports a wide range of network protocols and has robust reporting and alerting features.

Recommended for

    OpenNMS is recommended for IT professionals, network administrators, and businesses that require scalable and customizable network monitoring solutions. It is suitable for organizations with varying levels of network complexity and those that value the flexibility and community support that come with open-source software.

Observium videos

+ Add

Observium Video Demo

More videos:

  • Review - Observium Network Monitoring [Automated Installation] 15 min or less
  • Tutorial - How To Install Observium On Ubuntu With Nginx

OpenNMS videos

+ Add

OpenNMS 101 - Module 6: SNMP Review

More videos:

  • Review - OpenNMS 101 - Module 2: Getting Started (Horizon 19 and later)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Observium and OpenNMS)

Observium

OpenNMS

Monitoring Tools
47 47%
Monitoring Tools
53% 53
Log Management
46 46%
Log Management
54% 54
Performance Monitoring
50 50%
Performance Monitoring
50% 50
Network & Admin
32 32%
Network & Admin
68% 68

User comments

Share your experience with using Observium and OpenNMS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

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

Observium Reviews

The Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools in 2023
Description: Observium Community is the free version of Observium’s network monitoring solution. With the free version, users can monitor an unlimited number of devices while also taking full advantage of Observium’s network mapping features. The Observium network monitoring platform features automatic discovery of connected devices, ensuring that the map of your network is...
Source: solutionsreview.com
Top 10 PRTG Alternatives for Monitoring Networks and IT Infrastructure
Observium is similar to LibreNMS (which is a fork of it) and comes in Enterprise, Professional and Community Editions, so you have a free version if you want to try it out. It is more a network centric tool instead of a systems monitoring tool.
Source: www.networkstraining.com
10 Best Zabbix Alternatives
Unlike other monitoring tools, Observium is easy to install and set up. If you are looking for a viable alternative to Zabbix, Observium is also a good option to consider. Unlike Zabbix, Observium is much easier to set up and customize even though it shares similar requirements. However, Observium does not run on Windows and has no data export.
Source: www.comparitech.com
13 Best Nagios Alternatives for Networks, Servers, IT Systems Monitoring
Many businesses prefer Observium because its features have been automated for the most part. Users can install the software and admins gain immediate visibility in the environment.
Source: www.networkstraining.com
Best Linux Network Monitoring Tools for 2020
Observium Community is a Linux network monitoring tool designed for small servers. It provides a compendium of online experts who send its users biannual patches and updates to system software. It’s compatible with a wide variety of operating systems and uses standard SNMP network monitoring. Observium Community operates with an impressive variety of monitoring features, but...
Source: www.dnsstuff.com

OpenNMS Reviews

The Best Nagios Alternatives for Server, Application and Network Monitoring
OpenNMS earns our recommendation for its extensive support for monitoring solutions and systems, making it a versatile choice for organizations with diverse monitoring needs. The partnership with larger companies ensures seamless integration and robust support, enhancing the reliability of the platform. OpenNMS's commitment to open-source principles fosters a...
Source: www.websentra.com
10 Best Open Source Monitoring Software for IT Infrastructure
OpenNMS got built-in reporting, which means you can view the report in a beautiful dashboard and chart. Overall, OpenNMS got an excellent user interface.
Source: geekflare.com
Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools and Software (Linux/Windows)
For example, there are many other open source monitoring tools that exist such as OpenNMS, Cacti, and Zennos and you have to consider the benefits of each one from the perspective of your requirement.
Source: www.ittsystems.com
Best Linux Network Monitoring Tools for 2020
OpenNMS has been around since the late 1990s, when it was established as a management-oriented open-source monitoring tool for businesses and large networks. It has since acquired a formidable online community with a streamlined process of modifications and improvements. OpenNMS prides itself on its notification system, which provides live updates to the central control...
Source: www.dnsstuff.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Observium should be more popular than OpenNMS. It has been mentiond 2 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.

Observium mentions (2)

  • Documenting Existing Linux Servers
    Environment-wide stats such as disk utilization and load averages can be done using Observium with very minimal effort required to get started (no additional agent required as it monitors using SNMP, and it automatically detects what to monitor on a system / UPS / PDU / etc). Source: over 3 years ago
  • Nagios Monitoring
    If you're looking for a tool that can graph resource utilization for a large number of device types out of the box using SNMP, you might take a look at Observium. Source: over 3 years ago

OpenNMS mentions (1)

  • iTerm2 and the Gap Between Developers and Users
    Up until recently, I was at OpenNMS, an open source network monitoring project that was Doing It Right™ for a very long time, even with a commercial component. However, since being acquired, it has kind of lost its direction as it fumbled around trying to work on a new product, and I've watched it slowly sink into obscurity as it has failed to engage meaningfully with its community. It's still a great tool with a... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Observium and OpenNMS, 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.

LibreNMS - A fully featured network monitoring system that provides a wealth of features and device support.

Pandora FMS - Pandora FMS: Opensource monitoring software

Icinga - Icinga is a fork of Nagios and is backward compatible.

cStatus - Monitor and scan a network.

Loading...