Focused uptime alternative to Better Stack — no observability stack tax

StillOnline vs Better Stack

Better Stack combines uptime, logs, traces, incidents, and AI SRE (pricing). StillOnline is intentionally narrow: HTTP checks + status page + API/MCP, from $0 / $9 / $29.

Quick answer

StillOnline vs Better Stack: Better Stack is a logs + incidents + AI SRE platform; StillOnline is HTTP uptime + status page only for indie SaaS — $0 / $9 / $29, 1 URL on Free, MCP on Pro. Pricing · Hub.

Independence

StillOnline publishes this comparison; we sell StillOnline. Verify Better Stack pricing on betterstack.com/pricing. Last verified: 2026-06-25.

Best for / Not best for

TL;DR

• Choose Better Stack if you need logs, metrics, on-call, and incident platform in one vendor.
• Choose StillOnline if you need external HTTP monitoring + status page without telemetry stack complexity.
• Many teams use Better Stack internally and a lighter tool for public status + agent API.

Quick comparison

What Better Stack does well

From Better Stack pricing:

• Generous free tier: 10 monitors & heartbeats, 1 status page, Slack/email alerts, plus log/trace allotments.
• Incident management, on-call, Slack-native workflows.
• Status pages with subscribers; advanced branding/custom domain are add-ons on pricing.
• AI SRE and deep integrations for mature teams.

Where StillOnline wins

No observability stack tax

If your question is only “Is my API up, and what do customers see?” — StillOnline avoids log ingestion, metrics retention, and responder seats.

Simpler status page economics

StillOnline: status page ships with the project. Better Stack: one status page included; more pages are line-item fees on pricing.

MCP for monitors on Pro ($9)

StillOnline Pro includes API + MCP for creating checks and reading status — not bundled into a larger responder + telemetry bill. See indie SaaS use case.

RU + EN for smaller teams

Localized UI for founders shipping in Russian and English markets.

When to choose Better Stack

• You want logs, metrics, and traces in the same tool.
• You need on-call rotations and Slack incident rooms.
• Budget supports modular enterprise-style pricing.

When to choose StillOnline

• You need only uptime + public status with predictable $9/$29.
• You want AI agents to manage monitors via MCP without full Better Stack rollout.

Methodology

Compared as HTTP uptime + status tools for indie SaaS (June 2026). StillOnline limits from production plans; Better Stack figures from official pricing as of 2026-06-25. No live SLA benchmark.

Migration (short)

1. Pick one critical health URL you monitor in Better Stack Uptime.
2. Create a StillOnline project and add the same URL (5 min on Free).
3. Point your public status link to StillOnline /s/{slug}; configure owner alerts.
4. After validation, pause the duplicate monitor in Better Stack.

FAQ

Is StillOnline a Better Stack replacement?

For narrow uptime + status, yes. For logs/APM/on-call, no.

Which is better for indie SaaS — StillOnline or Better Stack?

StillOnline for status page + MCP at $9. Better Stack when you need logs and on-call.

Does Better Stack have MCP?

Better Stack offers MCP in a broader observability context; StillOnline’s MCP on Pro targets indie monitor + status workflows.

Can I use StillOnline Free for a commercial SaaS?

Yes — 1 project, 1 check, public status page.

How do pricing and limits compare?

StillOnline $0 / $9 / $29 by project. Better Stack scales via uptime + responder + telemetry — see pricing.