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osquery alternatives: 4 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 1, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave osquery: no built-in dashboard or central management; needs a separate fleet manager, and writing useful queries takes SQL skills and knowledge of the table schema. We ranked 4 alternatives by how directly each one replaces osquery, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Wazuh currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Wazuh logoWazuhOpen sourceYesWeb, Linux, Windows +24 of 466.5
2Netdata logoNetdataOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted, Linux +24 of 459.4
  1. Wazuh logo

    1. WazuhTop pick

    Best for: Security teams wanting a free, self-hosted SIEM and endpoint monitoring platform.

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Linux, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from osquery

    Open-source security platform with a central server, dashboards and ready-made detection rules on top of its own agent.

    Pros

    • SIEM, endpoint monitoring, vulnerability detection and compliance in one platform
    • No licence cost when self-hosted
    • Agents for servers, desktops and cloud workloads
    • Optional managed cloud with a free trial

    Cons

    • Self-hosting the server, indexer and dashboard takes real setup and tuning
    • Managed cloud plans start at several hundred dollars a month
    • Default rules can be noisy until tuned
    Visit Wazuh Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Wazuh a good osquery alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Open source
    Yes
    Checked Oct 30, 2026wazuh.com(opens source in a new tab)
    License cost
    None
    Checked Oct 30, 2026wazuh.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud free trial
    14 days
    Checked Oct 30, 2026wazuh.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud starting price
    $571/month (up to 100 agents)
    Checked Oct 30, 2026wazuh.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Netdata logo

    2. Netdata

    Best for: Sysadmins and homelab users who want instant, detailed server metrics with no setup

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted, Linux, macOS, Windows

    59.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from osquery

    Easier real-time host metrics with dashboards out of the box, focused on performance rather than security state.

    Pros

    • Works out of the box with automatic service detection
    • Per-second resolution metrics
    • Built-in anomaly detection and alerts

    Cons

    • Less suited to long-term retention and capacity planning
    • Many charts can feel overwhelming
    • Cloud free tier is limited to a few non-commercial nodes
    Visit Netdata Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Netdata a good osquery alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    GPL-3.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free tier
    Up to 5 nodes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026netdata.cloud(opens source in a new tab)
    Paid price
    From $4.50 per node
    Checked Oct 25, 2026netdata.cloud(opens source in a new tab)
    Homelab plan
    $90/year, unlimited nodes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026netdata.cloud(opens source in a new tab)

The best osquery alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Wazuh logo

Best osquery alternative for most people

Wazuh

Open-source security platform with a central server, dashboards and ready-made detection rules on top of its own agent.

Zabbix logo

Best osquery alternative for a free option

Zabbix

Open-source host monitoring with a central server and alerting, better for uptime and performance than security.

Netdata logo

Best osquery alternative for open source

Netdata

Easier real-time host metrics with dashboards out of the box, focused on performance rather than security state.

Elastic Observability logo

Best osquery alternative for self-hosting

Elastic Observability

Elastic's agent collects host data into a hosted search and dashboard stack, with less SQL to write.

Wazuh logo

Best osquery alternative for Mac

Wazuh

Open-source security platform with a central server, dashboards and ready-made detection rules on top of its own agent.

Wazuh logo

Best osquery alternative for Windows

Wazuh

Open-source security platform with a central server, dashboards and ready-made detection rules on top of its own agent.

Wazuh logo

Best osquery alternative for Linux

Wazuh

Open-source security platform with a central server, dashboards and ready-made detection rules on top of its own agent.

Wazuh logo

Best osquery alternative for working in the browser

Wazuh

Open-source security platform with a central server, dashboards and ready-made detection rules on top of its own agent.

osquery alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to osquery?

Wazuh ranks first right now. Open-source security platform with a central server, dashboards and ready-made detection rules on top of its own agent. Elastic Observability and Zabbix follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to osquery?

Yes. Wazuh (open source), Zabbix (open source) and Netdata (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to osquery?

Yes: Wazuh, Zabbix and Netdata. Wazuh, Zabbix and Netdata can also be self-hosted.

Which osquery alternatives work on Linux?

Wazuh, Zabbix and Netdata run on Linux.

Why do people switch from osquery?

The complaints we hear most: no built-in dashboard or central management; needs a separate fleet manager; writing useful queries takes SQL skills and knowledge of the table schema; detection rules and alerting are up to you to build.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces osquery, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.