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Logging · head to head

Checkly vs Honeybadger

Checkly logo

Checkly

Logging

Active reliability platform combining uptime monitoring, API testing, and incident response

From
Free
Rated
-
Honeybadger logo

Honeybadger

Logging

Error and Uptime Monitoring for Developers

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Checkly free tier has limited check allocations per month; Honeybadger the free Developer plan is limited to one user, 5,000 errors per month, 50 MB per day of logging and one uptime monitor
  • They diverge on capability: Checkly covers Synthetic browser testing, Honeybadger covers Error tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Checkly and Honeybadger actually diverge.

Attributes where Checkly and Honeybadger differ
AttributeChecklyHoneybadger
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
PlatformsWeb, CLI, APIWeb, Api
FoundedUnknown2012

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Checkly

  • Synthetic browser testing
  • API monitoring
  • Heartbeat monitoring
  • Monitoring-as-Code
  • Root cause analysis
  • Global locations

Only in Honeybadger

  • Error tracking
  • Incident management
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support
  • Api support

Both cover

  • Uptime monitoring
  • Status pages

What people use each for

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

Checkly

  • Monitor API endpoints with custom assertionsnot Honeybadger
  • Test user journeys with browser automationnot Honeybadger
  • Detect performance degradation across regionsnot Honeybadger
  • Verify DNS and TCP connectivitynot Honeybadger
  • Ensure cron jobs and background tasks completenot Honeybadger

Honeybadger

  • Exception and error tracking for Ruby, Elixir, PHP, Python and JavaScript applicationsnot Checkly
  • Uptime and cron heartbeat monitoring alongside error datanot Checkly
  • Publishing a public status page for a small SaaS productnot Checkly

Where each one falls short

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

Checkly

  • Free tier has limited check allocations per month
  • Overage charges can add up with high-volume workloads
  • Status pages require separate paid tier
  • Root cause analysis is separate billing component

Honeybadger

  • The free Developer plan is limited to one user, 5,000 errors per month, 50 MB per day of logging and one uptime monitor
  • SSO, unlimited teams and priority support require the Business plan at $80 per month
  • Error data retention is 15 days on Developer, 90 days on Team and 180 days on Business
  • Log and event retention is 7 days on the free plan and up to 30 days on Team
  • Premium integrations including Jira, PagerDuty, SMS and webhooks are excluded from the free Developer plan
  • S3 archiving of Insights events is not available on the Developer plan
  • Uptime check frequency is capped at 5 minutes on Developer and 2 minutes on Team; 1 minute checks require Business

Pricing, plan by plan

Checkly

Free
  • HobbyFree
    • 10 uptime monitors
    • 1,000 browser checks monthly
    • 10,000 API checks monthly
  • Team$64/month
    • 75 uptime monitors
    • 12,000 browser checks monthly
    • 100,000 API checks monthly
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Custom monitor quantities
    • All 22 global locations
    • 1-second check frequency

Honeybadger

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • 5,000 errors per month
    • 50 MB per day logging
    • 1 monitor
  • Team$26/month
    • 50,000 errors per month
    • 100 MB per day logging
    • 5 monitors
  • Business$80/month
    • 50,000 errors per month
    • 100 MB per day logging
    • 5 monitors

Which should you pick?

Choose Checkly if

  • You need synthetic browser testing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI, API.
  • You also want api monitoring.

Choose Honeybadger if

  • You need error tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want incident management.

Questions people ask

Is Checkly or Honeybadger better?
Neither clearly leads. Checkly starts at Free and Honeybadger at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Checkly or Honeybadger?
Checkly starts at Free and Honeybadger at Free.
Does Checkly or Honeybadger run on more platforms?
Checkly runs on Web, CLI, API. Honeybadger runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Checkly for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Checkly best used for?
Checkly is most often used for monitor api endpoints with custom assertions, test user journeys with browser automation, detect performance degradation across regions, verify dns and tcp connectivity. Of those, monitor api endpoints with custom assertions and test user journeys with browser automation are not what Honeybadger is typically brought in for.
What can Checkly do that Honeybadger cannot?
Checkly covers Synthetic browser testing, API monitoring, Heartbeat monitoring, Monitoring-as-Code. Honeybadger covers Error tracking, Incident management, API, Webhooks. Both handle Uptime monitoring, Status pages.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Checkly: What is included in the free Checkly plan?

The free Hobby plan includes 10 uptime monitors, 1,000 monthly browser checks, 10,000 monthly API checks, 6 monitoring locations, and 2-minute minimum check frequency with email, Slack, and webhook alerts.

Source
Honeybadger: Is Honeybadger free?

Honeybadger offers a free Developer plan permanently with 5,000 errors per month, 50 MB per day logging, and 1 monitor, supporting unlimited projects for a single user.

Source
Checkly: Can I write monitoring checks in my preferred language?

Yes, Checkly uses TypeScript/JavaScript for monitoring-as-code, integrated with Playwright for browser testing and supporting REST API testing.

Source
Honeybadger: How much does the Honeybadger Team plan cost annually?

The Team plan costs $26 per month billed annually at $286 per year, providing 50,000 errors per month with unlimited users and 90-day error retention.

Source
Checkly: How much does status page add to my bill?

Status pages cost between $0-$30/month depending on your plan tier, billed separately from core monitoring.

Source
Honeybadger: What's the difference between Honeybadger Business and Team plans?

Both Team and Business plans include 50,000 errors per month, but Business adds 180-day error retention (vs 90-day), includes enterprise security and compliance features, and supports unlimited teams.

Source
Checkly: What is the minimum check frequency?

The Hobby and Starter plans support 2-minute and 1-minute minimums respectively. The Team plan supports 30-second intervals, while Enterprise offers 1-second minimum frequency.

Source
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