Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

OpenNMS VS Zabbix

Compare OpenNMS VS Zabbix and see what are their differences

OpenNMS logo OpenNMS

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

Zabbix logo Zabbix

Track, record, alert and visualize performance and availability of IT resources
  • OpenNMS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23
  • Zabbix Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-02

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    Some users may find the user interface less intuitive or outdated compared to commercial alternatives.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.

Zabbix features and specs

  • Open-source
    Zabbix is free and open-source, allowing for extensive customization and modification to meet specific needs without licensing costs.
  • Scalability
    Zabbix can handle a large number of devices and data points, making it suitable for both small businesses and large enterprises.
  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    Zabbix offers a wide range of monitoring capabilities including servers, networks, cloud services, and applications.
  • Alerting and Notification
    It provides robust alerting mechanisms, allowing notifications via email, SMS, and other methods.
  • Flexible Configuration
    The system allows for detailed and flexible configuration, accommodating various specific monitoring requirements.
  • Extensive API
    Zabbix comes with a comprehensive API that allows for integration with third-party tools and custom automation scripts.
  • Strong Community Support
    As an open-source project, Zabbix has a strong community that can provide support and share best practices.

Possible disadvantages of Zabbix

  • Complex Setup and Configuration
    Initial setup and configuration can be complicated and time-consuming, often requiring a steep learning curve.
  • Resource Intensive
    Zabbix can be resource-intensive, particularly on the database side, which might require substantial hardware resources for large deployments.
  • User Interface
    The user interface is considered less modern and user-friendly compared to some commercial alternatives.
  • Documentation
    While comprehensive, the documentation can sometimes be difficult to navigate for new users.
  • Maintenance Effort
    Ongoing maintenance, such as updates and troubleshooting, can be labor-intensive.
  • Dependency on MySQL
    The heavy reliance on MySQL databases can be a disadvantage for users preferring other database technologies.
  • Initial Costs for Large Scale Deployments
    Although the software is free, the costs associated with setting up and maintaining the necessary infrastructure and hardware can be significant, especially for larger deployments.

OpenNMS videos

OpenNMS 101 - Module 6: SNMP Review

More videos:

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

Zabbix videos

An overview of Zabbix 4.0 and how we are using it.

More videos:

  • Review - Zabbix Monitoring Solution - Overview
  • Review - ZABBIX Network Discovery For Dynamic Deployments

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenNMS and Zabbix)
Monitoring Tools
8 8%
92% 92
Log Management
8 8%
92% 92
Network & Admin
100 100%
0% 0
Performance Monitoring

User comments

Share your experience with using OpenNMS and Zabbix. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

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

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...
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.
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...

Zabbix Reviews

  1. Stan
    · Founder at SaaSHub ·
    Indispensable

    Zabbix has been part of my toolbox for quite some time. I can easily say it's an indispensable tool for me now.

    Managing a dozen servers without Zabbix would be unimaginable. I'm monitoring all of this: CPU, Memory, Hard-drives, website response times, downtime. The UI might be a bit "old school", but everything works flawlessly.

    With regards to hard-drive monitoring, I love the machine learning option that allows you to "predict" the number of days before running out of space. That's quite helpful, as I've got some of my servers down due to running out of space multiple times in the past (before I was using Zabbix).

    👍 Pros:    Open-source|It can monitor everything
    👎 Cons:    The ui is a bit unintuitive in some cases

Self Hosting Like Its 2025
If you’re looking for straightforward monitoring and the thought of setting up a full Zabbix or Grafana stack seems daunting, this software is a real lifesaver. With just one deployment, you can monitor your services and receive notifications through a wide variety of channels including…
Source: kiranet.org
11 Best Nagios Alternatives (Free & Open Source) in 2024
Unlimited scaling: Zabbix is a flexible software that lets you monitor anything you want. It is highly scalable as it helps you manage both multi-tenant enterprise environments and your home.
Source: www.guru99.com
The Best Nagios Alternatives for Server, Application and Network Monitoring
Zabbix is a very strong competitor to Nagios and its development is very encouraging. Zabbix is completely free to use, which makes it a competitor to Nagios Core. Zabbix beats Nagios in the free monitoring market because it has a good frontend, which Nagios Core lacks and it also provides NetFlow monitoring, which isn’t present in Nagios Core – that is a separate paid...
The 10 Best Nagios Alternatives in 2024 (Paid and Open-source)
Zabbix, a widely adopted open-source monitoring tool, offers a range of practical features. It allows you to monitor various aspects of your system, including transactions, application performance, and real browser monitoring. With ready-to-use templates for different servers and operating systems, Zabbix simplifies the monitoring process.
Source: betterstack.com
Top 11 Grafana Alternatives & Competitors [2024]
Zabbix offers a unified view of the entire IT infrastructure through its user-friendly web-based interface. It delivers potent visualization capabilities through customizable dashboards, complemented by robust alerting mechanisms and comprehensive support for alert escalations.
Source: signoz.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Zabbix should be more popular than OpenNMS. It has been mentiond 5 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.

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

Zabbix mentions (5)

  • Learning Resources
    Official Zabbix trainings, documentation on zabbix.com ? Source: over 2 years ago
  • zabbix installation
    Hallo, do you know a howto to install zabbix on an ubuntu 20.04 ? I tried the manuals from zabbix.com for MySQL Apache but it didn't work. Source: about 3 years ago
  • How I am getting experience as a linux admistrator (Follow Up)
    He suggested that I indeed should set up a home-lab. To be specific he said that I should create a minimal install of Centos 8 and install zabbix server on it (https://zabbix.com) and monitor a whole bunch of other VMs, services and stuff.. He said that I should set up a variety of VMs and also maybe host a website on one of them. And then if I was able to do that, I could help to share a load of zabbix related... Source: about 3 years ago
  • Ubuntu Impish 21.10 / Zabbix 6.0 LTS
    This is a fresh 21.10 install, using the install repo as detailed on the zabbix.com download page. Source: about 3 years ago
  • One dev conference speaker's family member died, need your help to fill the speaking slot on Nov 27/28
    Well, if you can't find anyone, I am more than happy to fill the slot with something regarding Zabbix - just let me know ;). Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenNMS and Zabbix, you can also consider the following products

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

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

cStatus - Monitor and scan a network.

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

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