Overview

A web frontend and JSON API provide configuration and visualization for Nagios, Naemon and Prometheus, with user permissions. Naemon is the monitoring engine and is described as 100% compatible with Nagios, which makes the platform a sensible option for teams with existing Nagios-based monitoring. Prometheus support adds exporter management, alert rules and graphical configuration, bringing metrics monitoring into the same environment.

The scope spans servers, virtual machines, network devices, applications, containers, cloud environments and IoT. That breadth is useful for teams seeking a common monitoring platform across mixed infrastructure, but it is more than a narrowly focused service monitor requires.

Key features

The cross-platform agent monitors CPU, memory, disks, network interfaces, services, processes and temperature sensors, along with QEMU and Docker containers on Windows, Linux and macOS. Server auto-discovery, process monitoring and container monitoring help cover both host-level health and workloads.

Users can build and share dashboards, then generate availability and SLA reports manually or on a schedule in PDF, HTML or CSV. This makes the platform useful not just for operational visibility but also for teams that need recurring service reporting. Integrations include Grafana, Prometheus, PagerDuty, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, ServiceNow, Slack, i-doit, Checkmk and Nagios Core.

LDAP/Active Directory, single sign-on, multi-tenancy and role-based access control are included in the editions comparison. The product and monitoring agent use TLS/SSL by default; HTTPS and TLS client authentication are also listed. The maker provides an email channel for vulnerability reports, and high-impact vulnerabilities affected versions before 5.5.2 and 5.4.0, making version maintenance important.

Pricing

The Community Edition is 0.00 USD per free for infrastructure and application monitoring. It is the obvious choice for teams that can run the Community edition's supported Ubuntu or Debian server platform and do not require Enterprise subscription terms.

Paid subscriptions are priced per year. Bronze costs 1.00 EUR per year for 1,000 services; Silver is 3.50 EUR per year for 5,000 services and 2 satellites; Gold is 5.00 EUR per year for 10,000 services and 5 satellites; and Platin is 10.00 EUR per year for 30,000 services and 10 satellites. These tiers give larger deployments progressively more service capacity and satellite coverage, while Silver and above also allow up to two additional development or test systems alongside one production master.

Enterprise subscriptions add Red Hat/Enterprise Linux support, while Ubuntu/Debian support is available to both Community and Enterprise. Basic subscription support includes up to five requests per contract period; higher tiers list 25 or 50 cases per year and response times. Specific offers use custom pricing for service and satellite needs. The subscription limits and support terms matter as much as the low annual prices when sizing a production environment.

Platforms

The product supports Windows, macOS, Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat Linux, CentOS, SLES and openSUSE, with Linux and self-hosted deployment alongside web and API access. The iOS app release dated July 1, 2026 adds a mobile option. Server platform eligibility differs by edition: Ubuntu and Debian are supported for Community and Enterprise, while Red Hat/Enterprise Linux is an Enterprise subscription feature.

Who it's for

openITCOCKPIT suits IT teams monitoring mixed estates that want Nagios-compatible checks, Prometheus metrics, dashboards and service reporting together. Its agent coverage and auto-discovery are especially relevant where hosts, processes and containers all need monitoring. It is less suitable for teams seeking a small, narrowly scoped monitor or those whose required server platform is only covered by an Enterprise subscription.

Pros and cons

Broad monitoring coverage: servers, networks, applications, containers, cloud environments and IoT can sit within one platform.
Useful reporting and integrations: shareable dashboards, scheduled SLA and availability reports, and a wide range of named integrations support operational workflows.
Accessible Community edition: free infrastructure and application monitoring is available on Ubuntu and Debian.
Edition constraints affect deployment: Red Hat/Enterprise Linux requires Enterprise, subscriptions limit production to one master, and development or test systems are permitted only at Silver and above.
Support is tiered: Basic covers up to five requests per contract period, so teams with heavier support needs must consider higher tiers and their case limits.

Alternatives

For a broader category comparison, see Infrastructure Monitoring. Netdata may suit a smaller deployment: its free Community plan caps usage at 5 active connected nodes and 1 active custom dashboard per room. Checkmk is worth considering for its free Community tier, which includes 2,000+ pre-built integrations, up to about 100 hosts and community support. Sensu Go offers a free plan capped at 100 nodes and one site.

Checkmate is another free, self-hosted alternative with all features, no monitor limits and 12 alert channels. Nagios XI may appeal to teams seeking a Nagios-branded option, with a free self-supported plan capped at 7 nodes or 100 services, whichever comes first. Prometheus is a free, open-source monitoring and alerting toolkit under the Apache 2.0 license. Mackerel has a free plan limited to 5 combined standard and micro hosts, 500 metrics, one-day data retention and 10 monitoring rules. Site24x7 Server Monitoring is an alternative for readers comparing server monitoring services.

Verdict

Choose openITCOCKPIT if your team needs a self-hosted monitoring system spanning Nagios-compatible checks, Prometheus metrics, container coverage and scheduled reporting. Its free Community Edition makes it a credible starting point, while paid tiers scale service and satellite capacity. Look elsewhere if your deployment depends on Red Hat/Enterprise Linux without an Enterprise subscription, or if the subscription system and support limits are a poor fit for your operating model.

	CloudPhysics	openITCOCKPIT
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	—	€0.08/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Web	api, iOS, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Web, Windows
Free plan	No	Yes
VM monitoring	Yes	—
Deployment model	hybrid	—
Agentless monitoring	Yes	—

CloudPhysics vs openITCOCKPIT

CloudPhysics

openITCOCKPIT