Pingdom vs StatusCake

From $18 per month (10 uptime checks, 1 advanced check, 50 SMS; $16.50 annual)

From €16.66 per month (Superior, billed annually; €19.99 monthly)

Priced by a calculator rather than named tiers: 50 uptime checks run about $78/month and 100 about $149, so the per-check rate falls slowly with volume. Transaction checks and Real User Monitoring are priced separately from basic uptime checks and add up.

SSL and domain expiry monitoring included on paid plans, which prevents a genuinely common outage cause.

30-day trial.

Free plan with unlimited uptime tests at 5-minute intervals.

Widely used

SolarWinds · since 2007

Established

StatusCake · since 2012

• Very large global probe network with a long operating history.
• Simple to set up for basic availability monitoring.
• Combines synthetic checks with real-user monitoring.

• SSL and domain expiry alerts prevent an entire class of self-inflicted outage.
• Many test locations even on cheaper plans.
• Simple and reliable.

• Feature development has been slow under SolarWinds ownership.
• Transaction-check authoring is dated compared to code-first alternatives.
• Pricing is no longer competitive against newer entrants.

• No scripted browser journeys.
• Interface is functional rather than pleasant.
• Limited integration with observability platforms.

Organisations wanting an established name for straightforward uptime monitoring.

Small teams wanting broad availability coverage cheaply.