The best free uptime monitor depends on what you actually need. UptimeRobot has a long-running free plan. UptimePad gives 10 monitors for commercial use and includes SSL, DNS, a read-only public API, and one status page. Competitor limits change, so verify current free-plan terms before switching. Below: a side-by-side based on the parts of a free plan that matter.
| Tool | Monitors | Check interval | SSL + DNS | Commercial use | Regions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UptimePad Commercial use included | 10 | 5 min | ✓ | ✓ | 1 |
| UptimeRobot Check current plan | Check current plan | Check current plan | Check current plan | Check current terms | Check current plan |
| Better Stack Check current plan | Check current plan | Check current plan | Check current plan | Check current terms | Check current plan |
| StatusCake Check current plan | Check current plan | Check current plan | Check current plan | Check current terms | Check current plan |
| Hetrix Tools Check current plan | Check current plan | Check current plan | Check current plan | Check current terms | Check current plan |
| Uptime Kuma Self-hosted only | Self-managed | Self-managed | ✓ | ✓ | Self-hosted |
Best fit for indie SaaS, agencies, and small teams that want one tool to do uptime + SSL + DNS without buying a broad observability suite. 10-monitor free tier for commercial use, email alerts, and a clear paid upgrade path for regional monitoring and API access.
The reliable choice if you want a long-running HTTP uptime brand and its current free-plan limits fit your needs. Verify SSL, DNS, interval, and API terms against the current UptimeRobot pricing page before deciding.
Modern UI and a thoughtful incident management story. Check its current free-plan limits and paid feature gates if incident management is the main reason you are comparing tools.
Comparable to UptimeRobot for HTTP uptime. Check its current free-plan limits, paid feature gates, and status page options before choosing.
A close free competitor to UptimePad on budget uptime and SSL checks. Worth comparing if you prefer dense operational tooling.
The self-hosted choice. Open source, runs in Docker, and is bounded by the infrastructure you operate. You are the operator. If Kuma goes down with your server, your monitor is gone too. Pair with a hosted ping every hour for sanity.
Three things to watch for when comparing free plans:
UptimePad and UptimeRobot are strong hosted options. UptimePad includes 10 monitors for commercial use with SSL, DNS, email and Web Push alerts, one status page, and 30-day history. UptimeRobot has the longest track record. If you can self-host and operate the monitor yourself, Uptime Kuma is a strong option to compare.
10 monitors at 5-minute check intervals, with email and Web Push alerts, SSL monitoring, DNS monitoring, 30-day incident history, and one public status page.
Yes. UptimeRobot publishes a free plan. Check its current pricing page for the latest monitor count, interval, SSL, DNS, and API terms.
UptimePad Free includes SSL monitoring, DNS monitoring, commercial use, and 10 monitors. Some hosted competitors include SSL on free and others reserve it for paid plans, so verify current terms before switching. Self-hosted tools can also cover SSL if you are willing to operate them.
Many hosted tools reserve Slack and Discord for paid workflows. UptimePad Free includes email only, Starter adds Slack and Discord, and Pro adds the rest of the non-usage channels.
Hosted free tiers usually use slower intervals than paid tiers, and exact limits change. UptimePad allows 5-minute checks on Free, 1-minute checks on Starter and Pro, and 30-second checks on Scale.
10 monitors, commercial use, SSL, DNS, email alerts, and a read-only public API on Free.
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