Icinga vs Spiceworks comparison

Icinga and Spiceworks are both solutions in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category. Icinga is ranked #16 with an average rating of 7.7, while Spiceworks is ranked #45 with an average rating of 8.5. Icinga holds a 4.0% mindshare in IM, compared to Spiceworks’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of Icinga users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of Spiceworks users who would recommend it.

Icinga

Read 17 Icinga reviews

3,310 Views
2,955 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Spiceworks

Read 47 Spiceworks reviews

904 Views
471 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Icinga

Spiceworks

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

Spiceworks and Icinga compete in the IT management and monitoring category. Icinga seems to have the upper hand due to its superior monitoring and integration capabilities.

Features: Spiceworks offers a free help desk and inventory system, valuable for ticketing and asset management, with easy setup and an active user community. Its network monitoring is enhanced by community support. Icinga focuses on monitoring with strong plugins for diverse technologies, offering distributed monitoring and automation. It integrates well with platforms like Terraform.

Room for Improvement: Spiceworks' ticketing system is basic, network inventory accuracy needs enhancement, and scalability for larger enterprises is limited. Icinga could improve its user interface, offer more intuitive dashboards, and increase the number of plugins and automation features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Spiceworks provides both on-premises and cloud options. It relies on community support without formal paid services, with active forums for troubleshooting. Icinga is focused on on-premises deployment, supported by a knowledgeable community, with optional commercial support available.

Pricing and ROI: Both Spiceworks and Icinga are free. Spiceworks is ad-supported, maintaining ROI with cost savings in management and visibility. Icinga offers optional paid support, requiring manual configuration impacting ROI through resource use.

To learn more, read our detailed Icinga vs. Spiceworks Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Icinga vs. Spiceworks

April 2025

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Helped 848,253 peers since 2012

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

Icinga

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

16th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (17th), Server Monitoring (7th), Cloud Monitoring Software (14th)

Spiceworks

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

45th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Help Desk Software (17th), IT Asset Management (11th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category, the mindshare of Icinga is 4.0%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Spiceworks is 0.4%, down from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

IT Infrastructure Monitoring

Featured Reviews

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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Jeetendar Kumar

Information Technology Analyst at The Aga Khan University Hospital (Pakistan)

Customizable, easy to use, easy to manage, and provides multiple features

I have used many software, but Spiceworks is the best. The tool provides multiple features. It is a valuable product for inventory. It is also useful as a ticketing system. The solution is easy to use and easy to manage. Many people can use it very easily. The features are not complicated. It is very easy to run, install, and understand. That is why my organization decided to use it. The solution’s asset management capabilities have benefitted us in many ways. We are able to manage all the inventory. We have a complete database. We have a record of everything. It is very valuable. I rate the usability of the user interface and dashboard a nine out of ten. The tool is easy to learn compared to other software.

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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

"We have found the solution to be stable."

"I like the ability to amend and adjust things really easily, which is useful in a case where you could make it auto-discover and then set a template to say all of these applications or servers under this template have an automatic threshold set that you’d set up manually."

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

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

"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."

"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."

"There's a module called Icinga Director, which helps us configure the product using an intuitive interface through clicks instead of creating a text configuration. It's very helpful for us."

"The value of Icinga is that it has hundreds of plugins, so it's really easy to monitor pretty much anything."

More Icinga pros

"Helpdesk and inventory are both equally valuable, and they form the true core of the product."

"If you're in the market for a low-cost service desk system, Spiceworks is a good software solution to start out with, especially when it comes to startups and those organizations that don't currently have any existing service desk software in place."

"It's easy to understand."

"The software is cloud-based, so I do not need to store any data locally."

"The solution can find all asset details automatically, whether it's a Mac address, computer name, IP address, models, etc. It's very helpful."

"It lets us know whether devices are getting out of date and tracked warranties. Spiceworks also gave me visibility in terms of what software was installed on each device and its status."

"The most valuable features are the inventory and personalization."

More Spiceworks pros

Cons

"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."

"Icinga is a complex solution that's hard to learn. It's a powerful product for monitoring, but new users will have a hard time figuring out what to do."

"We have found some problems with Nagios, and support isn't very responsive."

"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 of the areas that are frustrating is remote monitoring for more than one machine."

"The installation and configuration are very complex."

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

"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."

More Icinga cons

"Sometimes, it can be difficult to integrate what you need."

"It would be nice to have remote access to the solution via a tablet. They also need remote control from a PC. Right now, to complete the technical support process, you have to have a tool to access the PC, and check the problems."

"One of the biggest ways in which Spiceworks could improve is by developing better and more automated workflows. For example, in another solution called ServiceDesk by ManageEngine, you can have levels of approval in the event that there is a request for new software, or when someone requests a VPN or WiFi connection. This kind of multi-stage approval feature provided by ServiceDesk does not appear to exist in Spiceworks, and it is one of their main shortcomings for me."

"I would like to see more information when drilling down into access permissions, assignments management, or tagging. When I click a note or a device, I should be able to see more details about the router and modem. For example, I want to see the version, downtime, availability, latency, etc. I should have easy access to everything about our assets at a glance."

"Once a device was recognized on the network, Spiceworks never got rid of it even after you took it off the network. You had to go in and manually remove it."

"Having an integrated asset management tool, where I can plug in things that are offline, would be good."

"Since Spiceworks is a free tool, it's not very scriptable or customizable."

"The GUI must be improved."

More Spiceworks cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is free to use."

"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."

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

"The solution is cheap."

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

"It's an open-source solution."

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

"It might be about $300 annually for a bigger company. If you pay annually, it's better and cheaper."

"Seeing that it is a low-cost solution, I would advise you to go ahead with Spiceworks and experiment with it to see if you can get things working properly, especially if you currently don't have any existing service desk software in place."

"The tool is cheap."

"The product is free! Get it now."

"It's free."

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Comparison Review

it_user174738

IT Developer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

May 31, 2015

Nagios vs. Zabbix vs. PRTG vs. Spiceworks vs. Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor

I have researched a quite a few network monitoring tools which can be used for various monitoring purposes of not only the servers, but the intermediate routers as well. There are majorly three types of these softwares. Ones which are completely open-source, you can do almost anything you want…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

12%

University

Real Estate/Law Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about Spiceworks?

The solution is easy to use and easy to manage.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Spiceworks?

The tool is cheap.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Spiceworks?

I am unable to provide suggestions for improvement at this moment, however, I can provide feedback later. Currently, there do not seem to be any issues.

See all answers

Comparisons

Zabbix vs Icinga

Compared 46% of the time

Nagios Core vs Icinga

Compared 23% of the time

Checkmk vs Icinga

Compared 10% of the time

Nagios XI vs Icinga

Compared 3% of the time

Centreon vs Icinga

Compared 3% of the time

More Icinga Competitors

Zabbix vs Spiceworks

Compared 30% of the time

ServiceNow vs Spiceworks

Compared 27% of the time

Lansweeper vs Spiceworks

Compared 21% of the time

Freshdesk vs Spiceworks

Compared 8% of the time

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs Spiceworks

Compared 6% of the time

More Spiceworks Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Icinga

April 2025

Download Icinga product report

Buyer's Guide

Spiceworks

March 2025

Download Spiceworks product report

Also Known As

Icinga Cloud Monitoring

No data available

Overview

Icinga monitors systems, network devices, infrastructure, and services, helping manage and analyze server resources. It automates ticket incidents and alerting, providing oversight of client Windows and Linux systems.

Icinga offers comprehensive monitoring of servers including CPU utilization and RAM space, facilitating automated incident management and alerting. Frequently deployed on-premises, this monitoring tool is key for managed services providers and organizations to oversee and ensure optimal performance of various environments, including applications like databases and web servers. It provides extensive features for creating custom plugins, stabilization, scalability, and high customization capabilities suitable for different infrastructure needs.

What are the key features of Icinga?

Event Handler: Facilitates automatic self-healing of systems.
Extensive Plugin Library: Offers a wide range of plugins for monitoring.
Ease of Use: Simplifies user experience with an intuitive interface and Icinga Director for easy configurations.
Open-Source Nature: Free to use, modify, and distribute.
Automation Capabilities: Integrates with APIs and Ansible Collections for automation.
Custom Plugins: Users can create and integrate their own plugins.
Stability and Scalability: Provides reliable performance across different scale infrastructures.

What are the benefits or ROI to look for when evaluating Icinga?

Critical Issue Highlighting: Effectively identifies and notifies about critical problems.
High Customization: Offers flexibility for diverse monitoring needs.
Automated Alerting: Reduces manual effort and improves response times.
Extensive Integration: Works seamlessly with other tools and platforms.

Icinga implementations span multiple industries, providing essential monitoring for IT infrastructure in healthcare, finance, and education. Managed services providers utilize Icinga to maintain and monitor client systems across various environments while ensuring optimal performance and compliance. It is highly valued in these sectors for its ability to customize monitoring, improving operational efficiency and reducing downtime.

Icinga

From network inventory and network monitoring to help desk software, and mobile device management (MDM) to cloud services detection, Spiceworks helps you manage everything about your IT workday from one easy place.

Spiceworks

Sample Customers

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

Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Symantec, Webroot, EMC, Pertino

Buyer's Guide

Icinga vs. Spiceworks

April 2025

Free Report: Icinga vs. Spiceworks

Find out what your peers are saying about Icinga vs. Spiceworks and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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