At a glance
| Database engines | MySQL, Percona Server, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Valkey, Redis, ProxySQL |
| Deployment | Self-hosted PMM Server on Docker, Podman, Kubernetes (Helm) or a virtual machine, including AWS Marketplace |
| Collection/agents | PMM Client (pmm-agent plus exporters) next to each database; remote monitoring for cloud databases |
| Alerting | Percona Alerting with built-in rules, templates and contact points |
| Query monitoring | Query Analytics backed by ClickHouse |
| Licensing | PMM Server AGPLv3, PMM Client Apache 2.0; paid support optional |
PMM is the most complete free package for teams running MySQL, PostgreSQL or MongoDB who want dashboards, query analytics, advisors and alerting without assembling a stack from parts. It does not cover SQL Server or Oracle, and you own the server that runs it, including its storage, upgrades and backups.
Overview
Percona Monitoring and Management is Percona's open source database observability and management platform. It collects metrics and query statistics from MySQL (including Percona Server and MariaDB), PostgreSQL, MongoDB and Valkey or Redis, with dashboards for ProxySQL and HAProxy as well, and it can monitor managed databases on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud. Version 3 is the current major line; 3.10.0 was released on 22 October 2026.
PMM has two parts. PMM Server bundles Grafana for dashboards, VictoriaMetrics for metrics, ClickHouse for query analytics data and PostgreSQL for its own settings. PMM Client, which is pmm-agent plus exporters, runs next to each monitored database and sends data to the server.
Key features
- Query Analytics (QAN) showing query metrics, filters and per-query details for MySQL, PostgreSQL and MongoDB
- Percona Advisors that run configuration, performance, security and query checks, with support for custom advisors
- Percona Alerting with built-in rules, templates, contact points, silencing and per-node threshold overrides
- Backup and restore management for MySQL and for MongoDB, including scheduled backups and point-in-time recovery for MongoDB
- Pre-built Grafana dashboards for each supported database, plus ProxySQL and HAProxy
- HA Cluster mode, generally available from 3.10.0, running 1, 3 or 5 PMM Server replicas on Kubernetes
- Native ARM64 PMM Server images from 3.10.0, for hosts such as AWS Graviton
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free and open source with no per-server licence fee
- Query analytics, advisors, alerting and dashboards in one package
- Covers MySQL, PostgreSQL and MongoDB, plus managed cloud databases
- Active release cadence, with HA Cluster mode now generally available
Cons
- No SQL Server or Oracle support
- You run and maintain PMM Server and its embedded data stores yourself
- Backup management covers MySQL and MongoDB only; the documentation lists no PostgreSQL backups
- PMM 2 users must migrate: Percona states that migration from 2.x will no longer be possible after PMM 3.13.0, expected in January 2027
Pricing
PMM is free and open source with no licence fee: Percona's repository lists PMM Server under GNU AGPLv3 and PMM Client under Apache 2.0. You pay only for the infrastructure you run it on. Percona sells support and services separately; those prices are not published.
Pricing checked on the vendor's official page on 7 November 2026. Prices change; confirm before buying.
Who it is best for
Teams running MySQL, PostgreSQL or MongoDB who want free, self-hosted monitoring with query analytics and advisors in a single package.
Who should look elsewhere
- SQL Server or Oracle estates: see SQL Server monitoring tools.
- Teams that do not want to run monitoring infrastructure and would rather pay for SaaS: see database monitoring tools.
Verdict
PMM gives MySQL, PostgreSQL and MongoDB teams a capable monitoring stack at no licence cost, with query analytics that most free tools lack. The trade-offs are the engine list, which excludes SQL Server and Oracle, and the work of running a stateful server yourself. Teams still on PMM 2 should plan their migration now.
Frequently asked questions
Is Percona PMM free?
Yes. PMM Server is licensed under AGPLv3 and PMM Client under Apache 2.0, with no licence fee. Percona sells support separately.
Does PMM monitor SQL Server?
No. Percona documents support for MySQL (including Percona Server and MariaDB), PostgreSQL, MongoDB and Valkey or Redis, but not SQL Server or Oracle.
Can I still upgrade from PMM 2?
For now, through a two-step path via PMM 3.7.0. Percona's release notes say that path is available only through PMM 3.12.x and that migration from 2.x will not be possible after 3.13.0, expected in January 2027.
Sources
- Percona PMM repository and licences
- Percona PMM releases
- PMM 3.10.0 release notes
- PMM 3 documentation
- Percona PMM product page
Checked November 2026.
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