As of November 2026 · Published by Vesana, one of the compared vendors · All comparisons

A Nagios alternative for MSPs

Nagios Core is free and open source, compiled from source and configured in text files. Nagios XI adds a web interface and a perpetual license per node. Vesana is installed with one command and configured in the browser, and your own Nagios plugins keep running in it as monitoring scripts.

Where Vesana differs

One-command install on Debian or Ubuntu; hosts and checks are configured in the web interface, not in object files.
Nagios plugins keep working as monitoring scripts: Vesana reads the plugin format (exit code and performance data) directly.
Tenants built in. Nagios Core has no tenant model; in Nagios XI users are limited to granted host and service groups.
Remote networks are reached by an agent or collector over outbound HTTPS 443, instead of NRPE or SSH from the server.
Paid plans by host as a perpetual license with 12 months of updates; renewal adds another 12 months.

When Nagios may be the better fit

Nagios Core costs nothing, is GPL-licensed, and has thousands of community plugins and a very large user base. If you need open-source code, Nagios Core fits better.

No lock-in

Switching tools once is enough. A Vesana license is perpetual: if you stop renewing, the version you have installed stays fully licensed and nothing is locked. Your data lives in your own PostgreSQL database on your server, and price increases for existing customers are capped. Our fairness commitment

Side by side

	Vesana	Nagios Core	Nagios XI
Getting it running
Server setup	One command on Debian or Ubuntu	Compiled from source Source	Install on a clean Linux server; database included Source
Remote networks	Outbound only over HTTPS 443; no inbound ports, no VPN	NRPE or SSH from the server; passive results via NRDP/NSCA Source	NRPE or SSH; passive via NRDP/NSCA over 80/443 Source
Free to try	Yes: Up to 25 hosts, 1 tenant, no time limit	Yes: Free software Source	Yes: Free license: 7 nodes or 100 services Source
Cost
Public price	€990/year for 150 hosts, incl. 12 months of updates	Free Source	Standard from $2,595 for 100 nodes (one-off) Source
Billed by	Hosts; checks and tenants not counted	Free Source	Nodes (hosts); services unlimited Source
Customers and access
Multi-tenancy	Yes: Built in; unlimited tenants in paid plans	Not stated by the vendor Source	Partly: Users see only granted host and service groups Source
MCP / AI	Yes: MCP server, AI account per person, audit log	Not stated by the vendor Source	Not stated by the vendor Source
Platform
Hosting	Self-hosted	Self-hosted Source	Self-hosted Source
Runs on	Linux (Debian, Ubuntu)	Linux Source	64-bit Linux Source
Open source	No: Commercial, perpetual license	Yes: GPL v2 Source	No: Commercial, perpetual license Source

What Nagios is known for

Nagios Core: Thousands of community plugins on Nagios Exchange · source
Nagios Core: More than one million users · source
Nagios XI: Perpetual license, no subscription required · source
Nagios XI: Built on the Nagios plugin ecosystem · source

Every statement about Nagios Core and Nagios XI comes from the vendor's own pages, linked next to it. Prices and features change; if something here is out of date, write to us and we correct it.

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