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Cronitor vs Checkly

Cronitor logo

Cronitor

Logging

Monitoring for cron jobs, websites, and background tasks

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Checkly logo

Checkly

Logging

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cronitor free tier limited to 5 monitors, limiting viability for small teams; Checkly free tier has limited check allocations per month
  • They diverge on capability: Cronitor covers Cron job monitoring, Checkly covers Uptime monitoring.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cronitor and Checkly actually diverge.

Attributes where Cronitor and Checkly differ
AttributeCronitorCheckly
Pricing modelPay-per-monitor plus user seatssubscription
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, CLI, API
Founded2014Unknown

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 Cronitor

  • Cron job monitoring
  • Uptime and performance checks
  • Real-user monitoring
  • Alert integrations
  • Email reports

Only in Checkly

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

Both cover

  • Heartbeat monitoring
  • Status pages

What people use each for

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

Cronitor

  • Monitoring scheduled cron jobs and background tasksnot Checkly
  • Tracking website and API uptime with global checksnot Checkly
  • Alerting teams when critical jobs fail to executenot Checkly
  • Communicating service status to customersnot Checkly

Checkly

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

Where each one falls short

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

Cronitor

  • Free tier limited to 5 monitors, limiting viability for small teams
  • Pay-per-monitor pricing scales quickly with infrastructure size
  • Requires integrating ping calls into existing jobs
  • Limited to monitoring jobs that can send pings
  • No built-in workflow orchestration or task scheduling

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Cronitor

Free
  • HackerFree
    • 5 monitors
    • Email and Slack alerts
    • Basic status page
  • Business$2/monitor/month
    • Unlimited monitors
    • 30-second check frequency
    • 10 alert integrations
  • Enterprise$6000/year
    • Custom features and integrations
    • 5-second check frequency
    • Dedicated engineer

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Cronitor if

  • You need cron job monitoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want uptime and performance checks.
Cronitor review

Choose Checkly if

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

Questions people ask

Is Cronitor or Checkly better?
Neither clearly leads. Cronitor starts at Free and Checkly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cronitor or Checkly?
Cronitor starts at Free and Checkly at Free.
Does Cronitor or Checkly run on more platforms?
Cronitor runs on Web, API. Checkly runs on Web, CLI, API.
Can I use Cronitor for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cronitor best used for?
Cronitor is most often used for monitoring scheduled cron jobs and background tasks, tracking website and api uptime with global checks, alerting teams when critical jobs fail to execute, communicating service status to customers. Of those, monitoring scheduled cron jobs and background tasks and tracking website and api uptime with global checks are not what Checkly is typically brought in for.
What can Cronitor do that Checkly cannot?
Cronitor covers Cron job monitoring, Uptime and performance checks, Real-user monitoring, Alert integrations. Checkly covers Uptime monitoring, Synthetic browser testing, API monitoring, Monitoring-as-Code. Both handle Heartbeat monitoring, Status pages.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cronitor: How does Cronitor billing work for the Business plan?

Business plan costs $2 per monitor per month plus $5 per user per month, billed monthly based on actual usage.

Source
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
Cronitor: What is the difference between Hacker and Business plans?

Hacker plan ($0/month) includes 5 monitors and basic Slack/email alerts. Business plan ($2/monitor/month) offers unlimited monitors, 30-second checks, 10 integrations, 12-month retention, and email reports.

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
Cronitor: Does Cronitor offer a free trial?

Yes, Cronitor provides a 14-day free trial on the Business plan without requiring a credit card.

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
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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