Cacti vs OpenNMS Horizon
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
OpenNMS Horizon
Enterprise network management and monitoring platform
| Feature | Cacti | OpenNMS Horizon |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,852 | ★ 1,168 |
| First released | 2001 | 2000 |
| Replaces | PRTG, SolarWinds | SolarWinds, PRTG |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenNMS Horizon if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Cacti or OpenNMS Horizon better?
Cacti is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OpenNMS Horizon if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Cacti and OpenNMS Horizon free and open-source?
Yes. Cacti is licensed under GPL-2.0 and OpenNMS Horizon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cacti and OpenNMS Horizon with Docker?
Cacti: yes. OpenNMS Horizon: yes.