Better Uptime
by Better Stack, Inc.
Uptime monitoring with on-call and status pages.
Score
Score
Our verdict
Better Uptime, part of Better Stack, delivers fast external checks, unlimited phone/SMS alerts on paid seats, and a clean path from detection to resolution with built‑in incident workflows and on‑call. The 30‑second polling stands out, as do Playwright‑based transactions, screenshots, and traceroute/MTR for root‑cause context. Pricing is straightforward: a Responder license at $34/mo ($29/mo yearly) includes the full incident stack and unlimited alerts, while monitors and heartbeats scale with predictable add‑ons. The free plan is generous for personal projects (10 monitors, 10 heartbeats, one status page, 3‑minute checks). Downsides: per‑responder licensing can add up for large on‑call rosters, and some status‑page enterprise controls (SSO, IP allowlisting, custom sender) are priced separately. Overall, it’s a strong value for teams wanting uptime, on‑call, and status pages in one tool without SMS credit juggling.
Overview
Screenshot
Score breakdown
Overall score
Scores are editorial assessments by the Compare Best AI team on a 0–10 scale.
Expert review
CBAI Editorial Team
Compare Best AI · Editorial Team
## Overview
How we tested
Days tested
7 days
Tasks evaluated
- ·Set up HTTP(S) and API monitors with 30s intervals
- ·Configured a cron heartbeat and grace periods
- ·Built a branded status page on a custom subdomain
- ·Created on-call schedules and multi-step escalations
Method
Compared against UptimeRobot and Pingdom using identical inputs
Reviewer
CBAI Editorial Team
Plans & pricing
Free for personal projects
Personal and hobby projects
- 10 monitors & 10 heartbeats
- 1 status page
- 3-minute checks
- Slack & e-mail alerts
- 3 GB logs and 3 GB traces (3-day retention)
- Limitation Unlimited phone/SMS not included
Responder
Teams needing on-call, alerts, and status pages
- Everything in Free
- Unlimited phone & SMS alerts
- Incident management & on-call
- Up to 30s check frequency
- Status pages with custom domain
- Screenshots, traceroute/MTR, SLA reporting
- Slack/MS Teams, webhooks, REST API
- Add 50 monitors +$25/mo ($21/mo yearly)
Enterprise
Large orgs needing security & data residency
- Custom quotes and data locations
- SCIM, SSO enforcement, SOC 2 report under NDA
- Audit logs ($250/mo; $208/mo yearly)
- Advanced reporting & analytics add-on
Pricing may vary by region. Always verify on the vendor's website.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Better Uptime | UptimeRobot | Pingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | |||
| 30-second checks | |||
| Heartbeat/cron monitoring | |||
| Incident response | |||
| Built-in on-call scheduling | |||
| Alerting | |||
| Unlimited phone/SMS included | |||
| Communication | |||
| Public status pages | |||
| Synthetics | |||
| Real‑browser transaction monitoring | |||
Is it right for you?
Good fit for
SaaS startups
Consolidates uptime, on-call, and status pages with predictable per‑responder pricing and unlimited alerts.
Agencies
Scale monitors and heartbeats per client; add status pages and subscriber e‑mails as needed.
Platform/SRE teams
Fast 30s checks, Playwright transactions, and deep incident workflows reduce MTTR.
Indie developers
Free plan covers 10 monitors, 10 heartbeats, and one status page with 3‑minute checks.
Less suited for
HIPAA‑regulated workloads
Better Stack states it is not HIPAA compliant; seek a HIPAA‑eligible vendor.
Seat‑averse pricing
Per‑responder licensing adds cost as on‑call headcount grows, despite affordable monitor add‑ons.
User reviews
Editorial score
Distribution is estimated from our editorial score. Verified user reviews coming soon.
Use cases
Typical ways teams rely on this tool — from everyday tasks to specialized workflows.
- Production API uptime
- E-commerce checkout flow monitoring
- Cron/backup job heartbeat alerts
- Customer-facing status page
- 24/7 on-call scheduling
- SLA reporting
Integrations
Reported connectors
Apps and services commonly connected out of the box or via official connectors.
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Zapier
Privacy & compliance
Security & data practices
Highlights we track from the vendor's documentation. Always confirm current terms, subprocessors, and regional policies on their official site.
- SOC 2 Type II
- GDPR
- Data encrypted at rest and in transit
- Not HIPAA
Details
Category
Price
- Free for personal projects
- Responder $34/mo ($29/mo billed yearly)
- Enterprise custom
Free version
Best for
- API and website uptime with 30-second checks
- Cron/heartbeat monitoring for jobs and backups
- Branded public status pages on custom domains
- Consolidated alerting with built-in on-call
Frequently asked questions
Better Uptime
Security & IT
Ready to get started?
Visit the Better Uptime website to explore plans and start your free trial.
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