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Healthchecks vs Checkly

Healthchecks logo

Healthchecks

Logging

Simple and effective cron job monitoring

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: Healthchecks free tier limited to 20 jobs, restricting scale for small teams; Checkly free tier has limited check allocations per month
  • They diverge on capability: Healthchecks covers Ping URL monitoring, Checkly covers Uptime monitoring.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Healthchecks and Checkly actually diverge.

Attributes where Healthchecks and Checkly differ
AttributeHealthchecksCheckly
Pricing modelPer-job monitoring with fixed tierssubscription
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, CLI, API
Founded2015Unknown

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 Healthchecks

  • Ping URL monitoring
  • Customizable schedules
  • Event logs
  • Status badges
  • Email alerts
  • SMS and phone alerts
  • Multiple integrations

Only in Checkly

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

What people use each for

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

Healthchecks

  • Monitoring cron jobs that run on schedulesnot Checkly
  • Alerting teams when background tasks failnot Checkly
  • Tracking Kubernetes CronJob execution healthnot Checkly
  • Monitoring Jenkins builds and deploymentsnot Checkly

Checkly

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

Where each one falls short

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

Healthchecks

  • Free tier limited to 20 jobs, restricting scale for small teams
  • Requires explicit ping integration into each job
  • No workflow orchestration or job scheduling capabilities
  • SMS and phone credits consumed separately on paid plans
  • Limited to ping-based detection without deep job introspection

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

Healthchecks

Free
  • HobbyistFree
    • Monitor 20 jobs
    • 100 log entries per job
    • Email alerts
  • Supporter$5/month
    • Monitor 20 jobs
    • 100 log entries per job
    • Support the service financially
  • Business$20/month
    • Monitor 100 jobs
    • 1000 log entries per job
    • 50 SMS and WhatsApp credits
  • Business Plus$80/month
    • Monitor 1000 jobs
    • 1000 log entries per job
    • 500 SMS and WhatsApp credits

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 Healthchecks if

  • You need ping url monitoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want customizable schedules.
Healthchecks 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 Healthchecks or Checkly better?
Neither clearly leads. Healthchecks 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, Healthchecks or Checkly?
Healthchecks starts at Free and Checkly at Free.
Does Healthchecks or Checkly run on more platforms?
Healthchecks runs on Web, API. Checkly runs on Web, CLI, API.
Can I use Healthchecks for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Healthchecks best used for?
Healthchecks is most often used for monitoring cron jobs that run on schedules, alerting teams when background tasks fail, tracking kubernetes cronjob execution health, monitoring jenkins builds and deployments. Of those, monitoring cron jobs that run on schedules and alerting teams when background tasks fail are not what Checkly is typically brought in for.
What can Healthchecks do that Checkly cannot?
Healthchecks covers Ping URL monitoring, Customizable schedules, Event logs, Status badges. Checkly covers Uptime monitoring, Synthetic browser testing, API monitoring, Heartbeat monitoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Healthchecks: What does the free Hobbyist plan include?

The Hobbyist plan ($0/month) includes monitoring for 20 jobs, 100 log entries per job, and email alerts with no credit card required.

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
Healthchecks: What is the difference between Business and Business Plus?

Business ($20/month) monitors 100 jobs with 50 SMS credits. Business Plus ($80/month) monitors 1000 jobs with 500 SMS credits and priority support.

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
Healthchecks: Do nonprofits and open-source projects get special pricing?

Yes, open-source projects and nonprofits receive the Business plan at no cost.

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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