Free Uptime Monitoring Tools
Which uptime monitoring, cron monitoring and status page tools a startup can use for free today, how often each checks, what the free plan limits, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each tool's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Monitoring tools change their free plans from time to time, and some limit commercial use: confirm the terms on the tool's page before you rely on it.
Monitoring tools you can use for free today include UptimeRobot (50 monitors, 5-minute checks), Instatus (15 monitors, 2-minute checks), HetrixTools (15 uptime and 15 server monitors), OneUptime (1 status page, 100 subscribers), and Hyperping (20 monitors, 1 status page). Each of the 12 free plans below links to the tool's page that states it, with its check interval, its main limit and what the first paid plan costs.
An uptime monitor checks your site, API or scheduled jobs from outside and alerts you when something stops answering, often before a customer notices. Most monitoring tools have a free plan that is enough for a startup's first product.
The number of monitors is rarely what decides it. The check interval sets how long an outage can last before you hear about it, and alert channels, history, team members and whether commercial use is allowed differ from tool to tool. Each tool below shows what is free, the shortest check interval, its main limit, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the tool's own page with the date we read it.
Which tools we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the tools'. Some of these tools pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which tools are listed or where.
Uptime, website and cron monitoring with a free plan
Tools that check your site, API or scheduled jobs from outside and alert you when something goes down, with a free plan to start.
- 1
UptimeRobot
Many monitors on a free plan, with 5-minute checks
UptimeRobot's Free plan gives 50 monitors with a 5 min. monitoring interval and no login seats for team members, and needs no credit card. Its first paid plan, Solo, is €9 to €10 a month.
- Check interval
- Every 5 minutes (source: uptimerobot.com)
- First paid plan
- Solo: €9 to €10 a month (source: uptimerobot.com)
Start free at UptimeRobotReferral linkTerms read on uptimerobot.com on UptimeRobot: the free allowance and how to start - 2
HetrixTools
Checks every minute on a free plan
HetrixTools' Free plan includes 15 uptime monitors and 15 server monitors, and every plan checks every minute. Free users must log in every 90 days. Its first paid plan, Professional, is $9.95 a month.
- Check interval
- Every minute (source: hetrixtools.com)
- First paid plan
- Professional: $9.95 a month (source: hetrixtools.com)
Start free at HetrixToolsReferral linkTerms read on hetrixtools.com on HetrixTools: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Hyperping
Small projects that want 20 monitors free
Hyperping's free plan has 20 monitors with 5-minute checks, 1 seat and 1 basic status page, with no credit card required. Its first paid plan, Essentials, is $24 a month, billed yearly.
- Main limit
- 1 seat included (source: hyperping.com)
- Check interval
- Every 5 minutes (source: hyperping.com)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: hyperping.com)
Start free at HyperpingReferral linkTerms read on hyperping.com on Hyperping: the free allowance and how to start - 4
Better Stack
Personal projects that need a few monitors
Better Stack's free plan has 10 monitors and heartbeats and 1 status page. It is free for personal projects. Another 50 monitors cost $25 a month.
- First paid plan
- Extra 50 monitors: $25 a month (source: betterstack.com)
Start free at Better StackReferral linkTerms read on betterstack.com on Better Stack: the free allowance and how to start - 5
StatusCake
Basic uptime tests for a few sites
StatusCake's Free plan includes 10 uptime monitors with 5 Mins test intervals, and its alerts go through integrations. Its first paid plan, Superior, is from €16.66 a month.
- Check interval
- Every 5 minutes (source: statuscake.com)
- First paid plan
- Superior from €16.66 a month (source: statuscake.com)
Start free at StatusCakeTerms read on statuscake.com on StatusCake: the free allowance and how to start - 6
Checkly
API and browser checks on a free Hobby plan
Checkly's Hobby plan gives 10 uptime monitors, 10,000 API and 1,000 browser check runs a month, a maximum frequency of 2 minutes, and no credit card to start. Its first paid plan, Starter, is $24 per month billed annually.
- Check interval
- Every 2 minutes (source: checklyhq.com)
Start free at ChecklyTerms read on checklyhq.com on Checkly: the free allowance and how to start Checkly Startup Discount: what startups get - 7
Uptime Kuma
Teams that will host the monitor on their own server
Uptime Kuma is a self-hosted monitoring tool, and its MIT license grants the software free of charge. You run it on your own server.
Start free at Uptime KumaTerms read on github.com on Uptime Kuma: the free allowance and how to start - 8
Healthchecks.io
Cron jobs and scheduled background tasks
Healthchecks.io's Hobbyist plan is $0 a month and monitors 20 jobs, with 100 log entries per job. Its first paid plan, Business, is $20 a month and monitors 100 jobs.
- First paid plan
- Business: $20 a month, 100 jobs (source: healthchecks.io)
Start free at Healthchecks.ioTerms read on healthchecks.io on Healthchecks.io: the free allowance and how to start - 9
Cronitor
Small projects with a handful of monitors
Cronitor's Hacker plan includes 5 monitors, email and Slack alerts, and a basic status page. Its fastest check frequency is 5 minutes, with no SMS alerts. Its first paid plan, Business, is $2 a month per monitor plus $5 a month per user.
- Check interval
- Every 5 minutes (source: cronitor.io)
- First paid plan
- Business: $2 a month per monitor (source: cronitor.io)
- 10
Fivenines
Servers and uptime checks, tried before paying
Fivenines gives every signup a 14-day Pro trial with no credit card required. Pick a paid plan during or after the trial to keep monitoring active. Its Starter plan is €15 a month, for homelabs and solo operators.
- What's free
- 14-day free Pro trial (source: fivenines.io)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: fivenines.io)
- First paid plan
- Starter: €15 a month (source: fivenines.io)
Start free at FiveninesTerms read on fivenines.io on Fivenines: the free allowance and how to start Fivenines startup offer: what startups get
Status page tools with a free plan
Hosted status pages that tell your users what is up and what is down, with a free plan for a first page.
- 1
Instatus
A status page with a few monitors
Instatus's Starter plan has 15 monitors with 2 min checks and 200 subscribers. Its first paid plan, Pro, is from $20 a month.
- Check interval
- Every 2 minutes (source: instatus.com)
- First paid plan
- Pro: from $20 a month (source: instatus.com)
Start free at InstatusReferral linkTerms read on instatus.com on Instatus: the free allowance and how to start - 2
OneUptime
A free status page with subscribers
OneUptime's free plan includes 1 status page with 100 subscribers and unlimited manual monitors. Active monitors cost $1 a month each. Signing up needs no credit card.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: oneuptime.com)
- First paid plan
- Paid plans from $22 a user (source: oneuptime.com)
Start free at OneUptimeTerms read on oneuptime.com on OneUptime: the free allowance and how to start
Monitoring and observability startup programs
Programs from monitoring and observability companies that give startups credits or discounts on paid plans, largest tracked value first. Most ask for an application.
Also useful for monitoring and analytics
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers uptime monitoring, cron monitoring and status page tools a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each tool's terms. Every term comes from the tool's own pricing or documentation page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. The check interval, alert channels and history can matter more than the number of monitors, so the comparison quotes them wherever the tool states them. Some of these tools pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a tool appears, and no tool pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free uptime monitoring tool?
It depends on what you watch. By the terms each tool states, UptimeRobot's free plan gives 50 monitors with 5-minute checks and needs no card, HetrixTools' gives 15 uptime and 15 server monitors checked every minute, Hyperping's gives 20 monitors and a status page, and Checkly's gives 10 uptime monitors checked every 2 minutes plus 10,000 API check runs a month.
Is UptimeRobot free?
Yes. UptimeRobot's free plan includes 50 monitors with 5-minute checks and needs no credit card, but it has no team login seats. The Solo plan costs from 9 to 10 euros a month.
Which free uptime monitor checks most often?
Among the free plans compared here, HetrixTools checks every minute, Checkly and Instatus every 2 minutes, and UptimeRobot, Hyperping, StatusCake and Cronitor every 5 minutes.
Can I get a free status page?
Yes. Hyperping's free plan includes 1 status page with its 20 monitors, Better Stack's free plan includes 1 status page for personal projects, Instatus gives a status page with 15 monitors and 200 subscribers, OneUptime 1 status page with 100 subscribers, and Cronitor a basic status page with 5 monitors.
Is there an open-source uptime monitor?
Yes. Uptime Kuma is free and open source under the MIT license; you run it on your own server, so there is no plan limit but you host and maintain it yourself.
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