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15 rows · CSV · CC BY 4.0 · Last verified: 2026-06-26
Download CSVUptime monitoring free tier benchmark (2026)
Quick answer
We compared 15 uptime and status tools on free-tier limits (June 2026). UptimeRobot offers the most free monitors (50) but bans commercial sites on Free. StillOnline, Pulsetic, StatusCake, and Freshping allow commercial use on entry tiers with bundled or simple status pages. StillOnline Free: 1 project, 1 URL, 5-minute checks, public status page, 24h history — Pro $9 adds API and MCP. Download the full CSV below; for narrative pricing traps see the transparent pricing blog.
Key findings
- Only 3 vendors in this sample combine commercial Free + hosted status page without a separate SKU (StillOnline, Pulsetic, StatusCake at 10 monitors).
- MCP on Free: none — StillOnline and UptimeSignal ship npm MCP on paid API plans.
- Self-host “free” (Uptime Kuma, Upptime) trades subscription for ops time.
- Pingdom and Checkly have no classic perpetual free uptime tier for this comparison.
Methodology
- Scope: HTTP uptime + status page vendors relevant to indie SaaS (not full APM).
- Sources: Official pricing and help pages linked in the table; StillOnline from prod limits.
- Last verified: 2026-06-26 — not an independent audit; confirm before procurement.
- Exclusions: SMS credits, seat pricing, and regional taxes.
Data table
| Service | Free monitors/projects | Min interval | Status pages (free) | Commercial on free? | API | MCP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UptimeRobot | 50 monitors | 5 min | 1 basic | No | No | No |
| Better Stack | 10 monitors | 3 min | 1 | Yes | No | No |
| StatusCake | 10 monitors | 5 min | 1 | Yes | No | No |
| Pingdom | Trial only | — | — | — | No | No |
| Checkly | Dev-limited | — | — | Dev | Dev API | CLI MCP |
| Hyperping | 10 | 5 min | 1 | Yes | No | No |
| Instatus | Status-first | — | 1 | Yes | No | No |
| Statuspage | Status-only | — | Trial | Enterprise | No | No |
| Uptime Kuma | Self-host | Config | Self | Yes | No | No |
| Pulsetic | 10 | 5 min | 3 | Yes | No | No |
| OnlineOrNot | 3 | 3 min | 1 | Yes | No | No |
| Freshping | 10 | 1 min | 1 | Yes | No | No |
| Upptime | GitHub Actions | 5 min | GitHub Pages | Yes | No | No |
| StillOnline | 1 project / 1 URL | 5 min | 1 public | Yes | Pro+ | Pro+ |
| StatusLane | 1 project / 3 URLs | 5 min | 1 | Yes | No | No |
Full columns (retention, alerts, custom domain): see CSV download.
Download dataset
CSV (15 rows, CC BY 4.0): /research/uptime-monitoring-free-tier-benchmark-2026/en/dataset.csv
How to cite
StillOnline (2026). Uptime monitoring free tier benchmark 2026. https://stillonline.tech/en/research/uptime-monitoring-free-tier-benchmark-2026
FAQ
How is this different from your blog pricing post?
The blog explains fine print and checklists for six vendors. This dataset is the canonical 15-row table with CSV for AI and spreadsheets.
Can I use StillOnline Free for a revenue SaaS?
Yes — one production URL and a public status page on Free. See pricing.
Why is UptimeRobot listed if Free bans commercial sites?
Because monitor count drives many comparisons; we document the commercial-use flag explicitly.
Do you update this dataset?
We refresh when major vendors change free tiers; check lastVerified in frontmatter.
Is MCP available on free plans?
No vendor in this sample offers MCP on Free; StillOnline MCP requires Pro (MCP landscape).
Summarize this research in AI
Copy a prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Gemini — with this dataset page and llms-full.txt as context.
Further reading
Transparent uptime pricing comparison: 6 tools
Compare UptimeRobot, StatusCake, Better Stack, OnlineOrNot, Pulsetic, and StillOnline on commercial free tiers, status pages, and add-ons. 12-point checklist.
Best uptime monitoring for indie SaaS 2026
Compare StillOnline, UptimeRobot, Better Stack, Uptime Kuma, Instatus, Statuspage, UpCanary, and OnePageStatus for 1–3 service indie SaaS in 2026.