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Logging · head to head

Azure Monitor vs Uptime.com

Azure Monitor logo

Azure Monitor

Logging

Azure's Monitoring and Diagnostics Service

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Uptime.com logo

Uptime.com

Logging

Website monitoring and uptime checker with 80+ global monitoring points

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Azure Monitor has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Azure Monitor billed per GB ingested across three separate log plans, Auxiliary, Basic and Analytics, so the plan chosen changes the rate as much as the volume does; Uptime.com pricing structure not fully detailed publicly
  • They diverge on capability: Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Uptime.com covers Website monitoring.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Azure Monitor and Uptime.com actually diverge.

Attributes where Azure Monitor and Uptime.com differ
AttributeAzure MonitorUptime.com
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Logging).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Azure Monitor

  • Log collection
  • Metrics collection
  • Alerts and notifications
  • Custom dashboards
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in Uptime.com

  • Website monitoring
  • API monitoring
  • Synthetic monitoring
  • Page speed testing
  • Real User Monitoring
  • Status pages
  • Private locations
  • Global network

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Azure Monitor

  • Collecting logs and metrics from Azure resourcesnot Uptime.com
  • Alerting on metric thresholds and log queriesnot Uptime.com
  • Application performance monitoring through Application Insightsnot Uptime.com
  • Long-term log retention for compliancenot Uptime.com
  • Querying operational data with KQLnot Uptime.com

Uptime.com

  • Monitor website availability across multiple global locationsnot Azure Monitor
  • Test API endpoints and validate response timesnot Azure Monitor
  • Verify DNS resolution and certificate validitynot Azure Monitor
  • Track page load performance over timenot Azure Monitor
  • Send alerts to teams when issues occurnot Azure Monitor

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Azure Monitor

  • Billed per GB ingested across three separate log plans, Auxiliary, Basic and Analytics, so the plan chosen changes the rate as much as the volume does
  • Only the first 5 GB a month of Analytics logs is free per billing account
  • Retention beyond the base period is charged per GB per month, up to 2 years interactive and 12 years long term
  • Log queries and search jobs are billed per GB scanned, so investigating an incident costs money
  • Alert rules are billed per time series for metrics and by execution frequency for logs
  • The pricing page shows placeholders rather than rates until a region and currency are chosen

Uptime.com

  • Pricing structure not fully detailed publicly
  • Limited information on check frequency in basic plans
  • Real User Monitoring and status pages require add-ons
  • Lower-tier plans may have feature limitations

Pricing, plan by plan

Azure Monitor

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log collection
    • Metrics collection
    • Alerts and notifications

Uptime.com

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Uptime.com review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Azure Monitor if

  • You need log collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want metrics collection.
Azure Monitor review

Choose Uptime.com if

  • You need website monitoring.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want api monitoring.
Uptime.com review

Questions people ask

Is Azure Monitor or Uptime.com better?
Neither clearly leads. Azure Monitor starts at Free and Uptime.com at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Azure Monitor or Uptime.com?
Azure Monitor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Azure Monitor and On request for Uptime.com.
Does Azure Monitor or Uptime.com run on more platforms?
Azure Monitor runs on Web, Api. Uptime.com runs on Web, API.
Can I use Azure Monitor for free?
Yes. Azure Monitor has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Uptime.com starts at On request.
What is Azure Monitor best used for?
Azure Monitor is most often used for collecting logs and metrics from azure resources, alerting on metric thresholds and log queries, application performance monitoring through application insights, long-term log retention for compliance. Of those, collecting logs and metrics from azure resources and alerting on metric thresholds and log queries are not what Uptime.com is typically brought in for.
What can Azure Monitor do that Uptime.com cannot?
Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Metrics collection, Alerts and notifications, Custom dashboards. Uptime.com covers Website monitoring, API monitoring, Synthetic monitoring, Page speed testing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Azure Monitor: How does Azure Monitor billing work?

Billing is based on data volume ingested into Azure Monitor. Additional charges apply separately for alerts, notifications, web tests, and data export. Activity log and platform metrics are automatically collected with an Azure subscription.

Source
Uptime.com: Does Uptime.com offer a money-back guarantee?

Yes, Uptime.com provides a 30-day money-back guarantee for new users, allowing risk-free trial of their service.

Source
Azure Monitor: What savings are available with Azure Monitor?

Capacity reservations offer up to 36% savings compared to standard pay-as-you-go pricing when you commit to reserved capacity upfront.

Source
Uptime.com: What alerting methods does Uptime.com support?

All plans include email and SMS alerting with 20+ integrations available including Slack, Teams, PagerDuty, and webhooks for custom integrations.

Source
Azure Monitor: Is there a free tier for Azure Monitor?

No dedicated free tier exists. Activity log and platform metrics are automatically collected with an Azure subscription, but detailed monitoring requires additional configuration and associated costs.

Source
Uptime.com: How many monitoring locations does Uptime.com have?

Uptime.com operates 80+ monitoring locations worldwide, enabling checks from multiple geographic regions to detect regional connectivity issues.

Source
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