Amazon CloudWatch vs Icinga comparison

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Amazon CloudWatch

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

Icinga and Amazon CloudWatch are monitoring solutions competing in the IT infrastructure monitoring category. Based on data comparisons, Amazon CloudWatch has the upper hand in integration capabilities and advanced analytics, while Icinga is preferred for customizable monitoring options.

Features: Icinga offers adaptable monitoring with extensive plugin support, network monitoring flexibility, and a strong event handler for automated responses. Amazon CloudWatch integrates seamlessly with AWS services, provides robust analytics, and offers detailed metrics collection.

Room for Improvement: Icinga could enhance its user-friendly interface, simplify initial setup, and improve detailed performance analytics. Amazon CloudWatch could reduce its cost barrier, improve documentation clarity for non-AWS infrastructures, and expand its features beyond the AWS ecosystem.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Amazon CloudWatch features a simplified deployment within AWS environments and extensive support documentation. Icinga requires a more involved setup process, but benefits from an active open-source community offering support and customization guidance.

Pricing and ROI: Icinga is cost-effective with no licensing fees, appealing for budget-conscious users. Amazon CloudWatch employs a pay-as-you-go model, offering comprehensive integration at potentially higher costs, providing significant ROI for AWS-centric operations.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon CloudWatch vs. Icinga Report (Updated: September 2025).

Amazon CloudWatch vs. Icinga

September 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Amazon CloudWatch

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

11th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (13th), Log Management (14th)

Icinga

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

20th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (18th), Server Monitoring (11th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (27th)

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the Cloud Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Amazon CloudWatch is 2.4%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Icinga is 3.6%, down from 3.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Amazon CloudWatch	2.4%
Icinga	3.6%
Other	94.0%

Cloud Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Azam S M

Infrastructure Lead at Danat Fz LLC

Has provided reliable monitoring and alerting through extensive metric tracking and dashboard configuration

Amazon CloudWatch itself provides a lot of data. However, for visualization, we need to use third-party tools. We are in a process of integrating Grafana, Loki, and Prometheus to have better visualization on Amazon CloudWatch. We are also integrating Grafana with the application itself to get the application data and logs. Alternatively, there is AWS Kinesis and Glue where you can scrape the logs and have visualization, but a more easy option is Grafana. If you want to get a proper visual representation to see what is happening, then you need to integrate a third-party tool. Amazon CloudWatch has all the data, but to see what is happening, you need some third-party tool.

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Harrison Bulley

Senior Infrastructure Engineer at Net Consulting

A stable, scalable and cost-effective solution that helps with inbuilt scripts for easy modification

I think the software is quite good, but we have had problems with getting it to recognize certain areas and amend certain checks, where we needed so we would have to create backend scripts for those checks. Though, being open source, it has the support to create backend scripts, it would be better to have these scripts in-built.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Amazon CloudWatch is collecting the logs from Lambda."

"You can enable alarms and metrics, and it has robust integration with AWS services. You can also trigger events. For example, if the CPU utilization is above 80%, it can launch a new instance for you."

"The detection is the most valuable feature."

"It is very easy to use; as a monitoring tool, whenever your system experiences issues, it will notify you and is directly linked to your service."

"The initial setup is easy."

"We can create events and alerts. We use the information to dive down into the infrastructure performance."

"The scalability of Amazon CloudWatch rates as high scalability, scoring a perfect ten."

"Scheduling is a valuable feature."

More Amazon CloudWatch pros

"This solution has a self-healing handler where if the service is down, it is automatically restarted."

"Macros and the ability to connect it to Google Maps are valuable features."

"Icinga has multiple automation and integration features. There is an API for everything and a web UI for configurations. The APIs enable you to automate tasks in Icinga. We can also use plugins to talk to the API. The Icinga Director talks to a database in the background, and you can import settings from the CMDB to all systems in Icinga."

"It is really easy in Icinga to create your own plugin and integrate it without any fuss. And it works just perfectly fine."

"We have found the solution to be stable."

"The ability to customize scripts and build your own queries to request information from the infrastructure elements you want to monitor. This level of personalization and customization is highly appreciated."

"The best thing about the solution is how it highlights errors, the issues, and what needs my attention. The solution directs me to areas that I should look for first."

"The drafts are easy but what I like about Icinga is that there are many add-ons that you can download."

More Icinga pros

Cons

"The integration with third-party tools must be made easier."

"There could be further enhancements through CloudWatch's partnerships."

"CloudWatch's scalability could be improved."

"It's not very intuitive. It doesn't have drag-and-drop functionality to trigger actions from notifications."

"There is room for improvement in the pricing, because they have a premium version, but it's not really a premium version. It's just an enhanced monitoring version, and it can be a bit expensive depending on your usage."

"The dashboard of Amazon CloudWatch is not very customizable right now."

"Amazon CloudWatch has all the data, but to see what is happening, you need some third-party tool."

"When connecting to Google Cloud, there is no visibility or traceability from Google Cloud into CloudWatch."

More Amazon CloudWatch cons

"The installation and configuration are very complex."

"I think the software is quite good, but we have had problems with getting it to recognize certain areas and amend certain checks, where we needed so we would have to create backend scripts for those checks. Though, being open source, it has the support to create backend scripts, it would be better to have these scripts in-built."

"In general, the product does not look good. However, it does what it is supposed to do. So, the improvements should focus on usability and UI."

"Icinga’s automation could be improved."

"It needs Trap SNMP. I saw the documentation for Zabbix, that it has its own built-in product which handles SNMP traps, and there's nothing similar in Icinga or Nagios. I think this feature is most important for me."

"One thing that Icinga lacks is the capability to create advanced and customized dashboards within the tool itself."

"The tool currently fails to provide notifications to users."

"At this time, the layout of the website is a bit difficult. It should be more user-friendly for changing the background and logos."

More Icinga cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is expensive."

"The pricing model is pay-as-you-go so you have to be mindful of usage to manage costs."

"It’s an open-source solution."

"We have monthly licensing costs. The licenses are probably in the vicinity of about $300 - $350/month."

"Amazon CloudWatch is a cheap solution."

"The price is okay for me."

"I consider it as a medium-priced solution."

"The product's cost is relatively inexpensive."

More Amazon CloudWatch pricing and cost advice

"The solution is cheap."

"We're using the free version of Icinga."

"Even though Icinga's financial cost is low, it is an expensive product regarding the resources required to maintain and operate it."

"The product is inexpensive compared to other DBM products."

"It is cost-effective, and the return on investment can be very interesting because the price is low."

"It's an open-source solution."

"The solution is free to use."

"This is an open-source solution with paid support."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

13%

Educational Organization

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	17
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	24

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Amazon CloudWatch?

The monitoring features are valuable.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon CloudWatch?

No specific setup costs were mentioned.

What needs improvement with Amazon CloudWatch?

What do you like most about Icinga?

The best thing about the solution is how it highlights errors, the issues, and what needs my attention. The solution directs me to areas that I should look for first.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Icinga?

It is cost-effective, and the return on investment can be very interesting because the price is low. If you want to include this product in the services you offer to your customers, the return on i...

What needs improvement with Icinga?

There is room for improvement in multi-tenancy. It's not perfect, not even really good. It's average, but it should be improved. For instance, multi-tenancy for monitoring the virtual infrastructur...

Grafana Loki vs Amazon CloudWatch

Comparisons

Compared 22% of the time

Amazon OpenSearch Service vs Amazon CloudWatch

Compared 11% of the time

Zabbix vs Amazon CloudWatch

Compared 8% of the time

Dynatrace vs Amazon CloudWatch

Compared 6% of the time

Datadog vs Amazon CloudWatch

Compared 5% of the time

More Amazon CloudWatch Competitors

Zabbix vs Icinga

Compared 36% of the time

Nagios Core vs Icinga

Compared 17% of the time

Checkmk vs Icinga

Compared 11% of the time

Nagios XI vs Icinga

Compared 5% of the time

More Icinga Competitors

Product Reports

Download Amazon CloudWatch product report

Amazon CloudWatch

November 2025

Download Icinga product report

October 2025

Also Known As

No data available

Icinga Cloud Monitoring

Overview

Amazon CloudWatch integrates seamlessly with AWS, providing real-time monitoring and alerting features. Its interface supports task automation, enhancing troubleshooting and analytics capabilities, while offering strong security and scalability at a cost-effective rate.

Amazon CloudWatch is an impactful platform for monitoring AWS resources and managing application performance. It simplifies infrastructure performance monitoring by providing comprehensive analytics capabilities, including application insights and event scheduling. Users appreciate CloudWatch for its detailed metrics, dashboards, and support in issuing alerts to detect anomalies. It efficiently tracks performance, optimizes resource utilization, and ensures service availability. CloudWatch is recognized for its robust alerting features and integration with other AWS services, further supporting its resource monitoring capabilities. However, there is room for improvement in dashboard customization, log streaming speed, and integration with non-AWS services. Enhancements in API integration, machine learning features, and support for third-party tools are also desired.

What features does Amazon CloudWatch offer?

Seamless Integration: Works effortlessly with AWS for cohesive service management.
Advanced Metrics: Provides detailed monitoring of CPU, memory, and more.
Real-time Monitoring: Offers up-to-the-minute alerts on infrastructure status.
Dashboards: User-friendly and informative for quick insights.
Automation: Supports task automation for efficient troubleshooting.

What benefits does Amazon CloudWatch provide?

Cost-effectiveness: Efficient resource monitoring without high costs.
Scalability: Easily adapts to growing infrastructure needs.
Security: Strong protocols for safe monitoring activities.
Improved Performance: Enhances application insights and operational efficiency.
Operational Insights: Provides comprehensive logging and performance analysis.

Industries implementing Amazon CloudWatch often focus on optimizing IT infrastructure. Companies in sectors like finance and e-commerce rely on its monitoring and alerting capabilities to ensure service uptime and performance. The platform's automation and analytics features empower teams to proactively manage performance and detect potential issues promptly.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Icinga is a robust tool for monitoring IT infrastructure, known for its distributed monitoring capabilities and seamless integration with multiple platforms. It efficiently observes servers, network devices, and environments like Linux and Windows, enabling proactive issue identification and resource management.

With a focus on task delegation and clustering, Icinga offers an intuitive interface through its GUI and Icinga Director, simplifying configuration. The extensive plugin library supports diverse technologies, while the API allows automation with tools like Terraform and Ansible. Despite its strengths, users report challenges with data display in the GUI, a need for improved dashboards, and complex configuration processes. Users benefit from its SNMP alerts, email notifications, and automated incident handling, making it essential for managed service environments and enterprises.

What are the key features of Icinga?

Task Delegation: Streamlines monitoring tasks across distributed systems.
Event Handler: Enables automatic service recovery with minimal intervention.
Plugin Library: Offers extensive support for integrating diverse technologies.
API Accessibility: Facilitates automation with popular tools like Terraform.
Custom Plugins: Allows easy creation and personalization for monitoring needs.

What benefits should you consider in Icinga reviews?

Flexibility: Tailors monitoring to specific requirements with community support.
Scalability: Successfully manages growing infrastructure demands.
Proactivity: Enhances issue identification and resource allocation.
Integration: Seamlessly works with existing IT operations platforms.

Icinga is widely adopted in IT environments for monitoring servers, networks, and applications across industries such as finance, healthcare, and technology. Its ability to integrate with various operating systems and automation platforms makes it a versatile choice for industries prioritizing comprehensive surveillance and proactive management of their infrastructure.

Sample Customers

AirAsia, Airbnb, Aircel, APUS, Avazu, Casa & Video, Futbol Club Barcelona (FCBarcelona), National Taiwan University, redBus

Puppet Labs, Audi, Spacex, Debian, Snapdeal, McGill, RIPE Network Coordination Centre