Netdata vs Zabbix

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?
FeatureNetdataZabbix
CategoryMonitoring & StatusMonitoring & Status
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageGoGo Template
Setup difficultyEasyHard
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, kubernetesdocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 80,075★ 6,228
First released20132001
ReplacesDatadog, New RelicDatadog, Nagios

Why pick each one

Choose Netdata if…

  • Instant insight out of the box
  • Beautiful real-time charts
  • Easy install
Netdata details

Choose Zabbix if…

  • Comprehensive and mature
  • Scales to large estates
  • Fully free
Zabbix details

Frequently asked questions

Is Netdata or Zabbix better?

Netdata is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Zabbix if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Netdata and Zabbix free and open-source?

Yes. Netdata is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Zabbix under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Netdata and Zabbix with Docker?

Netdata: yes. Zabbix: yes.

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