Cacti vs NetXMS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Cacti
RRDtool-based network graphing and monitoring solution
VS
NetXMS
Enterprise-grade network and infrastructure monitoring
| Feature | Cacti | NetXMS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,852 | ★ 391 |
| First released | 2001 | 2004 |
| Replaces | PRTG, SolarWinds | SolarWinds, PRTG |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Cacti or NetXMS better?
Cacti is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider NetXMS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Cacti and NetXMS free and open-source?
Yes. Cacti is licensed under GPL-2.0 and NetXMS under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cacti and NetXMS with Docker?
Cacti: yes. NetXMS: yes.