Cortex vs Hertzbeat
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?
Cortex
Horizontally scalable, multi-tenant Prometheus as a service
VS
Hertzbeat
Real-time monitoring system with customizable templates
| Feature | Cortex | Hertzbeat |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,844 | ★ 7,351 |
| First released | 2016 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Datadog, Grafana Cloud | Zabbix, Datadog |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Cortex or Hertzbeat better?
Hertzbeat is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Cortex if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Cortex and Hertzbeat free and open-source?
Yes. Cortex is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Hertzbeat under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cortex and Hertzbeat with Docker?
Cortex: yes. Hertzbeat: yes.