Checkly is one of the most respected synthetic monitoring platforms available. Its code-first approach — writing monitors in TypeScript using Playwright, committing them alongside application code, and running them in CI as well as production — genuinely appeals to engineering teams who treat monitoring as part of the software development lifecycle.
But Checkly is not the right tool for every situation. Common reasons teams look elsewhere include:
- → Pricing that scales steeply with check frequency and browser check volume
- → No built-in status pages or on-call scheduling — requiring additional tools
- → The code-first model adds friction for non-engineering stakeholders
- → Teams that need broader uptime, API, and infrastructure monitoring in one platform
This guide covers the best Checkly alternatives in 2026, what each does well, where each falls short, and which teams each suits best.
What Checkly does well (and where it falls short)
Before evaluating alternatives, it helps to understand Checkly's genuine strengths:
Strengths
- ✔ Monitoring as code via CLI, Terraform, Pulumi
- ✔ Native Playwright browser check support
- ✔ CI/CD integration (test on preview deployments)
- ✔ Up to 22 global check locations
- ✔ Multistep API checks and visual regression (Team+)
- ✔ No per-seat licensing
Weaknesses
- ✘ No built-in status pages
- ✘ No on-call scheduling or escalation
- ✘ Usage-based pricing unpredictable at scale
- ✘ Steep learning curve for non-developers
- ✘ No infrastructure or server monitoring
- ✘ Limited free tier (5 browser checks)
Checkly's Team plan starts at $80/month plus usage-based overages of $6.50 per 1,000 browser checks beyond the included allocation. For teams running high-frequency checks, costs can rise quickly.
Checkly alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Browser checks | Status page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonitorGiant | All-in-one uptime + API monitoring | Free tier available | Yes | Yes |
| Better Stack | Incident management + uptime | From $24/mo | Beta | Yes |
| Datadog Synthetics | Enterprise with existing Datadog | ~$5+ per 10k tests | Yes | Yes |
| OneUptime | Open-source, unlimited monitors | Free (self-hosted) | Yes | Yes |
| Hyperping | Playwright + uptime + status page | From $29/mo | Yes | Yes |
| New Relic Synthetics | Teams already on New Relic | Per-seat + usage | Yes | Yes |
| Uptime Kuma | Self-hosted, zero cost | Free (self-hosted) | No | Yes |
1. MonitorGiant — Best all-in-one alternative
Top PickMonitorGiant covers uptime monitoring, API checks, multi-step endpoint testing, status pages, and on-call alerting in a single platform. Unlike Checkly, it is designed for teams that want broad monitoring coverage without stitching together multiple tools. The free tier supports real monitors with no credit card required.
- ✔ Uptime, API, and synthetic checks in one dashboard
- ✔ Built-in status pages and on-call scheduling
- ✔ AI monitoring and LLM cost tracking
- ✔ Predictable flat-rate pricing
- ✘ Less code-first than Checkly (no CLI/Terraform provider)
Best for: Teams that want a single monitoring platform covering uptime, APIs, status pages, and alerting without Checkly's code-first complexity.
2. Better Stack — Best for incident management
Better Stack (formerly Better Uptime) combines uptime monitoring, on-call scheduling, incident management, and status pages. Its Playwright-based synthetic monitoring is in beta as of 2026, so it is not yet at Checkly's depth for browser checks, but for teams that need incidents and on-call management alongside uptime monitoring, it is a strong package.
- ✔ On-call scheduling and escalation policies built in
- ✔ Status pages included
- ✔ Clean UI, fast setup
- ✘ Playwright synthetics still in beta
- ✘ From $24/month; costs rise with team size
Best for: Teams that prioritise incident response workflows and need on-call + status pages alongside uptime monitoring.
3. Datadog Synthetic Monitoring — Best for enterprise
Datadog Synthetic Monitoring is the natural choice for enterprises already running Datadog for APM, logs, and infrastructure. It supports HTTP, browser (Playwright), multistep API tests, and integrates seamlessly with the rest of the Datadog platform. The trade-off is cost — at ~$5+ per 10,000 test runs, high-frequency testing gets expensive fast.
- ✔ Deep integration with Datadog APM, logs, dashboards
- ✔ Global infrastructure, enterprise SLAs
- ✔ Multi-step API and browser tests
- ✘ Very expensive at scale
- ✘ Overkill if you are not already on Datadog
Best for: Enterprise teams already invested in the Datadog ecosystem.
4. OneUptime — Best open-source alternative
OneUptime is a fully open-source monitoring platform that can be self-hosted for free. It offers unlimited monitors, status pages, on-call, and synthetic checks. The hosted cloud version is also available. If cost control and data sovereignty are priorities, OneUptime is the strongest open-source Checkly alternative.
- ✔ Fully open-source, self-hostable
- ✔ Unlimited monitors on self-hosted
- ✔ Status pages, on-call, and synthetic checks included
- ✘ Self-hosting requires infrastructure maintenance
- ✘ Less polished UI than commercial tools
Best for: Teams with DevOps capability who want zero licensing cost and full data control.
5. Hyperping — Best Playwright + uptime combo
Hyperping is a compelling Checkly alternative for teams that want Playwright-based browser monitoring alongside uptime monitoring and status pages in a single tool. Where Checkly focuses purely on synthetic monitoring and requires separate tooling for status pages and on-call, Hyperping bundles all three from the start.
- ✔ Playwright browser checks + uptime + status pages
- ✔ On-call scheduling included
- ✔ Simpler pricing than Checkly
- ✘ Smaller ecosystem than Checkly or Datadog
- ✘ No monitoring-as-code CLI
Best for: Teams that want Playwright checks plus status pages without paying for separate tools.
Which Checkly alternative should you choose?
Choose MonitorGiant if you want all-in-one uptime, API, and synthetic monitoring with status pages and AI monitoring in a single affordable platform.
Choose Better Stack if on-call scheduling and incident management are as important as monitoring itself.
Choose Datadog if you are an enterprise already on Datadog and need synthetics deeply integrated with APM and logs.
Choose OneUptime if you want open-source, unlimited monitors, and full control over your data with zero licensing fees.
Stick with Checkly if your team is developer-heavy, already uses Playwright, and values monitoring-as-code via CLI and Terraform above all else.
Try MonitorGiant free — no credit card required
MonitorGiant gives you uptime monitoring, API checks, synthetic tests, status pages, on-call alerts, and AI cost monitoring in one platform. Set up your first monitor in under two minutes.
Start free monitoring →Conclusion
Checkly is a genuinely excellent tool for developer-first synthetic monitoring. But its lack of built-in status pages, on-call scheduling, and unpredictable usage-based pricing mean it leaves gaps that most teams need to fill with additional tools.
The best Checkly alternative depends on your priorities: all-in-one simplicity, incident management, open-source flexibility, or enterprise-grade integration. The tools above cover every scenario — pick the one that matches your team's workflow and budget.
Written by
Dileep KK, MonitorGiant
LinkedIn21+ years in IT infrastructure management and observability. Built monitoring dashboards, custom alerting pipelines, and AI token-tracking systems across cloud platforms — AWS, GCP, and Azure — and for organisations spanning defence IT, IoT manufacturing, digital marketing, SaaS email, insurance broking, parliamentary digital services, and educational ERP. Active directory, SIEM, WAF, Cloudflare, MSSQL, Linux, Windows, Entra ID — operated at every layer of the stack.