SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor vs Icinga

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor8.9Visit Icinga8.7Visit

Higher score SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor #6 in Infrastructure Monitoring 8.9/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 3 of 3 features Visit SolarWinds

vs

Icinga #8 in Infrastructure Monitoring 8.7/10 Free plan · 60-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Icinga

• SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor fits best

  Enterprise server and application monitoring

• Icinga fits best

  Open-source teams needing flexible checks

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Side by side

Feature	SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Icinga 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.7
Ranking	#6 in Infrastructure Monitoring	#8 in Infrastructure Monitoring
Best for	Enterprise server and application monitoring	Open-source teams needing flexible checks
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$2,900 one-time	—
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	30 days	60 days
Free trial length	30 days	60 days
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, Linux	Web, Linux, Windows
Support	Docs, Community	Email, Phone · 24/7
Integrations	4 integrations	10 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor 3/3 · Icinga 3/3
VM monitoring	✓	✓
Service monitoring	✓	✓
Agentless monitoring	✓	✓
Specs
Included hosts	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Metrics retention	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Deployment model	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
OS coverage	Linux and windows	Multiple
Our review
Pros	Monitors servers, applications, dependencies, capacity, and virtual environments Supports predefined and custom application templates with drill-down dashboards Offers agent-based and agentless collection across hybrid environments	Unlimited hosts and services in the Forever Free Edition Agent-based and agentless monitoring across Linux and Windows Broad integrations, custom checks, plugins, and REST API automation
Cons	No free plan and a listed starting price of $2,900 Node-based subscription licensing uses custom quotes Its breadth may exceed the needs of teams with narrow monitoring scopes	Self-hosted deployment adds operational responsibility Exclusive enterprise modules require a Module Subscription The platform is primarily deployed on Linux
Our verdict	SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) is infrastructure monitoring software for IT operations teams responsible for physical, virtual, cloud, and hybrid environments. It brings server health, application availability, performance,… Read the review →	Icinga is an open-source infrastructure monitoring system for IT teams managing servers, networks, applications, cloud resources, containers, and virtualized environments. It supports host and service availability checks, server and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor — where it wins

  • Monitors servers, applications, dependencies, capacity, and virtual environments
  • Supports predefined and custom application templates with drill-down dashboards
  • Offers agent-based and agentless collection across hybrid environments

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan and a listed starting price of $2,900
  • Node-based subscription licensing uses custom quotes
  • Its breadth may exceed the needs of teams with narrow monitoring scopes

• Icinga — where it wins

  • Unlimited hosts and services in the Forever Free Edition
  • Agent-based and agentless monitoring across Linux and Windows
  • Broad integrations, custom checks, plugins, and REST API automation

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment adds operational responsibility
  • Exclusive enterprise modules require a Module Subscription
  • The platform is primarily deployed on Linux

• SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor8.9/10 · 30-day trial

  A broad monitoring suite for enterprise teams managing hybrid infrastructure.

  Visit SolarWindsFull verdict →
• Icinga8.7/10 · Free plan · 60-day trial

  A flexible, broad monitoring system for teams comfortable managing self-hosted infrastructure.

  Visit IcingaFull verdict →