IT teams and managed service providers (MSPs) require software solutions that allow them to use remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools in line with remote working. While some require enterprise-scale closed-source RMM software, others require free and open source options.
Here, we compare the best open source RRM software on the market:
Open source RRM tools comparison
Patch management
| Product | Ticket system | Compliance management | Troubleshooting | Automated update |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netdata | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Zabbix | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| TacticalRMM | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Icinga | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Nagios Core | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Checkmk Raw | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| OpenNMS Horizon | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Data & event features
| Product | Audit trail | Custom reporting | Data visualization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netdata | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Zabbix | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| TacticalRMM | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Icinga | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Nagios Core | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Checkmk Raw | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| OpenNMS Horizon | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Other features
| Product | Supported OS | Access control | Device auto discovery | Deployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netdata | Windows&Linux&Mac | ✅ | ✅ | on-prem |
| Zabbix | Multi OS | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| TacticalRMM | Multi OS | ❌ | ❌ | on-prem |
| Icinga | Windows&Linux | ✅ | ❌ | on-prem |
| Nagios Core | Linux&*nix | ❌ | ❌ | on-prem |
| Checkmk Raw | Linux&*nix | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| OpenNMS Horizon | Ubuntu | ✅ | ✅ | on-prem |
GitHub overview
| Vendor | Product | # of GitHub stars | # of GitHub contributers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netdata | Netdata | 69,200 | 585 |
| Zabbix | Zabbix | 4,000 | 32 |
| AmidaWare | TacticalRMM | 2900 | 53 |
| Icinga | Icinga | 2,000 | 267 |
| Nagios Enterprises | Nagios Core | 1,500 | 77 |
| Checkmk | Checkmk Raw | 1,500 | 217 |
| The Order of the Green Polo | OpenNMS Horizon | 915 | 126 |
For more on the feature definitions, see common and differentiating features.
Analysis
1. Netdata by Netdata
Netdata provides real-time monitoring and troubleshooting for systems, applications, and infrastructures through a user-friendly interface that delivers performance metrics and insights.
Other features
- Log manager
- Log analyzer
- Endpoint monitoring
2. Zabbix by Zabbix
Zabbix is an open source monitoring software tool that provides real-time monitoring, alerting, and visualization of IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, applications, and services.
Other features
- Endpoint monitoring
3. TacticalRMM by AmidaWare
AmidaWare specializes in developing open source remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools, particularly Tactical RMM, which is designed to help IT professionals efficiently manage and monitor their network and devices.
Other features
- Inventory management
4. Icinga by Icinga
Icinga is an open source monitoring system that checks the availability of network resources, alerts users of outages, and provides performance data for reporting, enabling comprehensive infrastructure oversight across multiple locations and cloud environments. Icinga is a monitoring package that was created by the team that developed Nagios.
Other features
- Inventory management
- Inventory discovery
- Inventory creation
- Endpoint monitoring, see endpoint management and endpoint security.
5. Nagios Core by Nagios Enterprises
Nagios Enterprises specializes in providing IT infrastructure monitoring solutions that help organizations monitor their systems, applications, and services, alerting them to issues before they affect critical business processes.
Other features
- Library of free plug-ins
- Endpoint monitoring
6. Checkmk Raw by Checkmk
Checkmk offers 4 edition remote monitoring and management software: cloud edition, enterprise edition, MSP edition, and open source edition.
Other features
- Endpoint monitoring
7. OpenNMS Horizon by OpenNMS Group
OpenNMS is an open source network management platform designed for managing and monitoring large-scale networks. It is developed and maintained by The OpenNMS Group, Inc., which is a company founded by the original creators of OpenNMS. The platform is used for monitoring and managing network infrastructure, including servers, applications, and services.
Other features
- Endpoint monitoring
Choosing the right RMM software: Open source RMM pros & cons
Pros
1. Customization and flexibility for managed service providers
Open source RMM software can deliver endless customization for skilled developers. According to the top leaders in the industry, utilizing an open source code may attract skilled engineers and developers into your business.1
2. Cost-effective solution for remote monitoring and management
Open source RMM software is completely free, with no software licensing fees or maintenance costs, making it an economically smarter solution for MSPs.
Explore remote monitoring and management solution pricing for enterprise-scale software products.
Cons
1. Resource demands and technical expertise required
- Maintaining open source projects in-house takes considerable time and effort.
- Hidden costs caused during the development process may put organizations in difficult position.2
2. Limited features and automation compared to commercial solutions
- Open source project maintainers are unpaid and work in their spare time. They are unable to match the release cadence of established MSP software companies.
- Lack of features is a significant hurdle for MSPs considering free MSP software.
Open source RMM software benefits
- Open source RMM software is built on open source licensing principles, allowing anyone to view, modify, and distribute its source code. This transparency fosters a collaborative environment where developers contribute to the software’s evolution.
- Open source RMM software offers a more customizable and flexible option for IT professionals compared to proprietary RMM solutions.
Importance of remote monitoring and asset management in the WFH economy
The world is witnessing a concentrated shift to an employee-centric Work From Home/Work From Anywhere (WFH/WFA)-environment. Organizations need to actively maintain, secure, monitor, and control the IT assets leased out to such employees.
See Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) challenges.
Common features explained
- Infrastructure monitoring: used to continuously track and manage the performance, health, and availability of IT infrastructure components to ensure optimal operation and proactive issue resolution.
- Alerting: used for rapid information about user and system events.
- Real-time monitoring and management: See, for more.
- 3rd party integrations: Availibility of harmonious integration with popular tools
- Dashboard: Lets observe IT assets, clients, their performance, events, and issues on GUI.
Differentiating features explained
- Ticket system: The delivery of issues at hand to 3rd parties.
- Compliance management: is used to ensure that IT systems and processes adhere to regulatory standards and internal policies by continuously monitoring, reporting, and automating compliance-related tasks.
- Troubleshooting: is used to remotely diagnose, isolate, and resolve issues within the IT infrastructure, minimizing downtime and ensuring continuous operation.
- Automated update: used to automatically deploy the latest software patches and updates across managed devices to enhance security, performance, and stability without manual intervention.
- Audit trail: used to maintain a detailed, chronological record of all activities and changes made within the IT environment, enabling accountability, transparency, and compliance auditing.
- Custom reporting: used for the delivery of customized reporting based on specification made by user. Enables filtration of specified parameters on data.
- Data visualization: Helps with making sense of data about alerts, performance, compliance, security, and more by transforming raw data into visual formats.
- Access control: Manages access to the system by utilizing different tasks such as authorization, authentication, and permission.
- Device auto discovery: Automatic discovery of devices or users within the scope of network.
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