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Observium

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What Observium is

Observium is a self-hosted network monitoring and management platform that discovers supported devices and services, collects performance metrics, and generates alerts. Its web interface displays network status, current performance metrics, and historical data. Automatic discovery identifies supported devices and metrics, while discovery protocols support network mapping. The supported-device catalog lists 825 platform definitions, 367 named vendors, 21 device classes, and 916 associated MIBs. Community Edition covers unlimited monitored devices, ports, and sensors, and is positioned for home use, evaluation, labs, and small non-critical deployments. Professional Edition adds threshold alerts for entity types and traffic accounting based on total transferred data or the 95th percentile. Enterprise includes 10 hours of support. The RESTful API supports custom integrations and automation, and listed integrations include collectd, munin, smokeping, and RANCID. Community releases arrive every six months; Professional and Enterprise use an SVN-based release process with daily security and bug fixes and new features. Community is free; Professional is £250 / yr and Enterprise is £1500 / yr.

Who it suits

Community is intended for home use, evaluation, labs, and small non-critical deployments. Professional targets SMEs and ISPs, while Enterprise is aimed at large enterprises.

What it does well

  • Unlimited monitored devices, ports, and sensors
  • Automatic discovery and network mapping support
  • RESTful API for custom integrations and automation
  • Professional subscriptions are free for registered charities and open-source projects

What to know first

  • Community updates and features follow a 6-to-12-month cycle
  • Community releases are distributed every six months
  • Enterprise includes 10 hours of support

Limits

The free Community plan is intended for home use, evaluation, labs, and small non-critical deployments. It receives tar.gz releases every six months, with updates and new features on a 6-to-12-month cycle.

Plans

PlanBilled and limitsPrice
CommunityUnlimited monitored devices, ports and sensors · intended for home labs and small non-critical deploymentsFree
Enterprise£1500 / yr · Unlimited monitored devices, ports and sensors · includes 10 hours of support · ideal for large enterprisesOn request
Professional£250 / yr · Unlimited monitored devices, ports and sensors · ideal for SME and ISPsOn request

As observium.org lists them, read 8 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

  1. Visit https://www.observium.org/.
  2. Choose Community, Professional, or Enterprise based on the deployment and support needs described for each edition.
  3. Set up Observium as a self-hosted deployment on Linux.
  4. Use the RESTful API for custom integrations or automation, if needed.
  5. For Community support, use Discord, IRC, or the mailing list.

Verdict

Observium offers a free Community edition and paid editions with additional alerting, traffic accounting, or support features. Buyers should compare the release cadence and edition-specific capabilities against their deployment needs.

Questions

Is there a free plan?

Yes. Community is free and covers unlimited monitored devices, ports, and sensors.

How much do the paid editions cost?

Professional is billed £250 / yr, and Enterprise is billed £1500 / yr.

What platforms and deployment options are listed?

The listed platforms are Linux, web, API, and self-hosted; deployment is self-hosted.

What license does Community use?

Community is distributed under the QPL Open Source license.

What integrations are listed?

The site lists collectd, munin, smokeping, and RANCID integrations, plus collectors for Apache, BIND, DRBD, Memcached, MySQL, and NFS.

What support comes with Enterprise?

Enterprise includes 10 hours of support time. Community documentation points to informal support through Discord, IRC, and a mailing list.

Facts from Observium's own pages

Alerting
Professional Edition provides threshold alerting for different entity types, and creates alert entries during discovery. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
API
The feature comparison lists a RESTful API, and the documentation describes it as available for custom integrations and automation. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
Community release cadence
Community Edition is distributed as six-monthly tar.gz releases under the QPL Open Source license, with updates and new features on a 6-to-12-month cycle. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
Company
The site identifies Observium Limited as registered in the Isle of Man and gives its address as Viking House, Ramsey, IM8 1GB. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
Device coverage
The supported-device page lists 825 platform definitions, 367 named vendors, 21 device classes, and 916 associated MIBs. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
Discovery
Observium supports automatic discovery of supported devices and metrics, plus network mapping through discovery protocols. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
Founded
2007 · observium.org, 28 Sept 2026
Headquarters
Ramsey, Isle of Man · observium.org, 28 Sept 2026
Integrations
The site lists integrations with collectd, munin, smokeping, and RANCID, with supplied collectors including Apache, BIND, DRBD, Memcached, MySQL, and NFS. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
Intended users
The maker describes Community as suited to home use, evaluation, labs, and small non-critical deployments, Professional for SMEs and ISPs, and Enterprise for large enterprises. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
License and eligibility
Professional subscriptions are available free of charge to registered charities and open-source projects. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
Purpose
Observium is a network monitoring and management platform that discovers devices and services, collects performance metrics, and generates alerts. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
Subscription updates
Professional and Enterprise editions use an SVN-based release mechanism that provides daily security and bug fixes and new features. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
Support
Enterprise includes 10 hours of support time; the Community documentation points users to informal support through Discord, IRC, and a mailing list. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
Traffic accounting
Professional Edition traffic accounting supports billing measurements by total transferred data and 95th percentile. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026
Web interface
Its web interface displays network status, real-time performance metrics, and historical data. · observium.org, 8 Oct 2026

Where Observium stands on Freedom251

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