Nagios Core vs Zabbix comparison

Nagios and Zabbix are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Nagios is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.4, while Zabbix is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.4. Nagios holds a 3.6% mindshare in NMS, compared to Zabbix’s 11.4% mindshare. Additionally, 79% of Nagios users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Zabbix users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 9, 2024

Nagios Core and Zabbix are open-source IT infrastructure monitoring solutions. Nagios Core is a mature solution that focuses on flexibility in customization, timely alerts, centralized dashboards, and plugin support for versatile monitoring solutions. Zabbix offers comprehensive monitoring capabilities, customizable alerting, user-friendly interface, and extensive reporting.

Comparing the features of Nagios Core and Zabbix:

Both solutions offer comprehensive monitoring, but Zabbix excels in application-level monitoring with built-in features. Nagios Core excels in network device monitoring with a larger plugin ecosystem (though Zabbix has plugins too).
Zabbix offers a user-friendly web interface for configuration and management. Nagios Core relies on text-based configuration files, demanding more technical expertise.
Zabbix is generally considered more scalable for large deployments, thanks to its distributed architecture. Nagios Core can be adequate for smaller setups but may struggle with extensive monitoring needs.
Zabbix offers advanced built-in dashboards and reports with intuitive data visualization. Nagios Core requires additional plugins like NagVis for effective data visualization.
Both provide flexible alerting options via email, SMS, and integrations. Zabbix boasts more robust alerting features with escalation options and SLA management.
Nagios Core's plugin ecosystem offers vast customization possibilities for specific needs. Zabbix provides a good range of built-in features but might be less flexible for highly specialized monitoring requirements.

Pricing and ROI: Nagios Core and Zabbix are free and open-source. Zabbix's user-friendly interface and web configuration might reduce setup and maintenance costs for some. Conversely, Nagios Core's large community and extensive plugin library could minimize the need for paid support. Ultimately, ROI depends on your technical expertise.

Room for Improvement: Nagios Core reviews highlight the need for a more modern UI and easier configuration options. Zabbix reviewers mention occasional scalability limitations for extremely large deployments.

Customer Support: With an open-source model, both rely on community support forums for free assistance. Paid support options are available for Nagios XI and Zabbix enterprise versions, offering faster response times and dedicated help. Reviews suggest a slight edge for Zabbix's community support due to its larger user base.

Deployment: Zabbix offers a more straightforward installation process with a web-based interface for configuration. Nagios Core requires manual configuration through text files, although a web interface is available with the paid Nagios XI version. Both have good documentation, but Zabbix's web interface might be easier for beginners.

The summary above is based on 58 interviews we conducted recently with Zabbix and Nagios Core users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.

To learn more, read our detailed Nagios Core vs. Zabbix Report (Updated: September 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Core vs. Zabbix

September 2024

Download the complete report

Helped 800,905 peers since 2012

Categories and Ranking

Juniper Mist Premium Analytics

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2024, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Juniper Mist Premium Analytics is 0.4%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Nagios Core is 3.6%, up from 3.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zabbix is 11.4%, down from 12.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Shiva_Prasad

Senior Technical Consultant at Black Box Network Services

Jan 25, 2024

A cloud solution for warehousing with a troubleshooting feature

The initial setup is straightforward. It's based on user requirements. We also conduct heat mapping using a couple of tools. The only requirement is to understand the technical or configuration aspects from the user's end and then configure it. Mist takes no more than 15 to 20 minutes for a particular deployment. You need to understand the end user's environment and have a concrete plan on whether it's a greenfield installation or an existing one, considering the density and height. Based on that, we need to develop a passive heat map. Then, you need to discuss with the user to understand exactly what needs to be configured and what they require in their environment. Based on that, you can proceed with the installation. Additionally, you can perform post-installation heat mapping to ensure it matches the earlier heat map. I rate the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy.

Read full review

ImranRasheed

Manager, IT at kas

Jun 7, 2024

Provides immediate alerts if something goes down

We use Nagios for network monitoring of our devices. All devices are listed on Nagios, which alerts us if they are running properly or if there is a shutdown or any issues like a network break. Alerts are generated, and we receive notifications via email or SMS Monitoring with Nagios Core is…

Read full review

it_user301455

Associate Solutions Engineer with 501-1,000 employees

Jun 27, 2017

By proactively monitoring, it helped us to fix problems before any major disaster. Dashboards and reports can be improved.

It monitors almost everything. It provides high scalability, alerting, notification, templating, and end-to-end security By proactively monitoring, it helped us to fix problems before any major disaster. There are a lot of areas for improvement, specifically in the dashboards and reports…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"We can manage the entire system across the network and troubleshoot the pain points."

"The single dashboard is a valuable feature."

"Other products are good but from the configuration point of view Nagios is really very lightweight. The price is really good in my opinion. Another important thing is that my Nagios engine still works with Dual core 8GB ram for the last 10 years."

"The most valuable feature of Nagios Core is it allows us to develop and add as many plugins as we want."

"Key features include the GUI interface, its notification capabilities, and the real-time reporting."

"Nagios Core is stable."

"The most valuable feature is the performance parameters of the system."

"The application performance monitoring feature is valuable."

"The solution is quite efficient."

"I like that it's very simple to install, easy to manage and deploy, and easy to use for monitoring."

More Nagios Core pros

"The implementation process is very straightforward."

"The solution is quite mature and very stable."

"The initial setup was very quick. The first time it was long because I didn't know it yet. I was only using Windows. The first time was very difficult because of the operating system."

"The most valuable function for me is the auto-discovery of interfaces in devices. When you integrate devices into the tool, it automatically finds the interfaces, which is very helpful for my job. Integration and configuration run smoothly in my experience with Juniper and Aruba devices."

"The most valuable feature is the alert and alarm monitoring."

"I really enjoy network traffic triggers that allow us to check traffic threshold from ISP."

"The most valuable feature is the support for monitoring Cisco switches."

"The calculations part is the most valuable."

More Zabbix pros

Cons

"The technical support needs improvement."

"The Wi-Fi side needs improvement."

"Cloud monitoring is an area for improvement because there aren't too many plugins available."

"The user interface could be more interactive because it is pretty basic."

"The dashboard and monitoring features could be improved."

"It's not that easy to install the product itself. Also, the UI is a bit hard for regular users to navigate through."

"Nagios Core does not have a graphic display."

"Nagios Core is limited in terms of distributed setups, and there is no central view for remote data centers."

"The mapping is a little hard."

"Nagios Core can improve the graphical interface, it would make things a little easier."

More Nagios Core cons

"The reporting features need improvement, especially detailed inventory reporting. Since it's freeware, reporting may not be a major focus."

"Zabbix technical support is sold separately."

"The stability could be better."

"The solution needs to add remote features."

"In the next release, I'm hoping for features targeted towards larger users with more customizable options. Despite this, I think pre-canned reports that can be used straight out of the box would be beneficial rather than having to configure each report individually. Additionally, a deeper dive into software configurations on the machines would be useful, although I understand there may be challenges in implementing this due to scripting requirements. More documentation would also be appreciated."

"The documentation could be improved."

"One of the things we don't like is that Zabbix has a license structure with a price that is high compared to the competition. It's very high, for example, compared to something like Microsoft Teams."

"Zabbix can use better documentation and support for troubleshooting."

More Zabbix cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is expensive."

"Nagios Core is a cheap solution."

"I would rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."

"Nagios Core is free to use."

"It's free."

"We are using the free version of Nagios Core."

"Lessening the price point would be an improvement."

"The product is cheaply priced."

More Nagios Core pricing and cost advice

"The product is an open source and free solution."

"This is an open-source solution that can be used free of charge."

"This solution is open-source and free to use."

"There is a license required for this solution and we pay annually for our license."

"Zabbix is free but if you use it in production then you have to pay for it."

"Zabbix and Grafana are both open source products, we only needed to go to their website and download the application and we began to use them. The solutions are free."

"I was using the free, Community Edition."

"The solution is open source so is free."

More Zabbix pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Monitoring Software solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

800,905 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Comparison Review

it_user174738

IT Developer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

May 31, 2015

Nagios vs. Zabbix vs. PRTG vs. Spiceworks vs. Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor

I have researched a quite a few network monitoring tools which can be used for various monitoring purposes of not only the servers, but the intermediate routers as well. There are majorly three types of these softwares. Ones which are completely open-source, you can do almost anything you want…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

38%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Juniper Mist Premium Analytics?

We can manage the entire system across the network and troubleshoot the pain points.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper Mist Premium Analytics?

The solution is expensive. I rate the pricing an eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Juniper Mist Premium Analytics?

The technical support needs improvement.

See all answers

What do you like most about Nagios Core?

What I like about Nagios Core is that it helps me ensure everything is running smoothly by checking the status of hos...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nagios Core?

We are using the free version.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Nagios Core?

The alerting mechanism in Nagios Core could be improved. While Nagios Core is a solid option, I prefer other solution...

See all answers

What do you like most about Zabbix?

The template system in Zabbix is very beneficial as it saves time in configuration.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zabbix?

Zabbix's licensing and pricing are good for our needs.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Zabbix?

To improve Zabbix, adding more features to support the monitoring of modern workloads like containers would be benefi...

See all answers

Comparisons

ThousandEyes vs Juniper Mist Premium Analytics

Compared 36% of the time

Cisco DNA Center vs Juniper Mist Premium Analytics

Compared 26% of the time

Meraki Dashboard vs Juniper Mist Premium Analytics

Compared 23% of the time

InfluxDB vs Juniper Mist Premium Analytics

Compared 15% of the time

More Juniper Mist Premium Analytics Competitors

Nagios XI vs Nagios Core

Compared 25% of the time

Icinga vs Nagios Core

Compared 16% of the time

Centreon vs Nagios Core

Compared 11% of the time

OP5 Monitor vs Nagios Core

Compared 5% of the time

LogicMonitor vs Nagios Core

Compared 3% of the time

More Nagios Core Competitors

LibreNMS vs Zabbix

Compared 7% of the time

Checkmk vs Zabbix

Compared 6% of the time

Icinga vs Zabbix

Compared 6% of the time

Centreon vs Zabbix

Compared 6% of the time

Amazon CloudWatch vs Zabbix

Compared 3% of the time

More Zabbix Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

August 2024

Download Juniper Mist Premium Analytics product report

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Core

August 2024

Download Nagios Core product report

Buyer's Guide

Zabbix

August 2024

Download Zabbix product report

Learn More

Juniper

Nagios

Zabbix

Overview

Juniper Mist Premium Analytics is a comprehensive network analytics solution that provides organizations with valuable insights into their network performance and user experience. The primary use case of this product is to enable IT teams to proactively monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize their network infrastructure.

The most valuable functionality of Juniper Mist Premium Analytics is its AI-driven insights and recommendations. Leveraging machine learning algorithms, it analyzes vast amounts of network data to identify anomalies, predict potential issues, and suggest remediation actions. This proactive approach helps organizations minimize network downtime, improve user experience, and optimize network performance.

By providing real-time visibility into network performance, Juniper Mist Premium Analytics helps organizations quickly identify and resolve network issues. It offers detailed analytics on network traffic, application performance, and user behavior, allowing IT teams to pinpoint the root cause of problems and take immediate action. This not only reduces troubleshooting time but also enhances overall network reliability.

Furthermore, Juniper Mist Premium Analytics enables organizations to optimize their network infrastructure. It provides insights into network capacity utilization, application usage patterns, and user behavior, allowing IT teams to make informed decisions about network design, resource allocation, and capacity planning. This helps organizations to ensure that their network is efficiently utilized and can support the growing demands of their users.

This is IT infrastructure monitoring's industry-standard, open-source core. Free without professional support services.

Zabbix is an open-source monitoring software that provides real-time monitoring and alerting for servers, networks, applications, and services.

It offers a wide range of features including data collection, visualization, and reporting.

With its user-friendly interface and customizable dashboards, Zabbix helps organizations ensure the availability and performance of their IT infrastructure.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Airbnb, Cisco, PayPal, FanDuel

1. IBM 2. Dell 3. Cisco 4. HP 5. Oracle 6. Microsoft 7. Amazon 8. Google 9. Facebook 10. Twitter 11. LinkedIn 12. Netflix 13. Adobe 14. VMware 15. Salesforce 16. SAP 17. Intel 18. AT&T 19. Verizon 20. T-Mobile 21. Vodafone 22. Ericsson 23. Nokia 24. Siemens 25. General Electric 26. Honeywell 27. Philips 28. Sony 29. Samsung 30. LG 31. Panasonic 32. Toshiba

Buyer's Guide

Nagios Core vs. Zabbix

September 2024

Free Report: Nagios Core vs. Zabbix

Find out what your peers are saying about Nagios Core vs. Zabbix and other solutions. Updated: September 2024.

DOWNLOAD NOW

800,905 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Nagios Core vs. Zabbix report.

See our list of best Network Monitoring Software vendors and best IT Infrastructure Monitoring vendors.

We monitor all Network Monitoring Software reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.