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Openstatus vs FireHydrant

Openstatus logo

Openstatus

Logging

Status pages with uptime monitoring and compliance-ready incident tracking

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
FireHydrant logo

FireHydrant

Logging

All-in-one incident management for alerting, on-call, and response

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Openstatus free tier severely limited to 1 monitor and 1 status page; FireHydrant free tier has limited functionality with only 2 runbooks
  • They diverge on capability: Openstatus covers Branded status pages, FireHydrant covers Automated runbooks.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Openstatus and FireHydrant actually diverge.

Attributes where Openstatus and FireHydrant differ
AttributeOpenstatusFireHydrant
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Mobile
Founded20232018

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 Openstatus

  • Branded status pages
  • Global monitoring
  • Incident notifications
  • Audit-ready trails
  • API and CLI access
  • Terraform provider
  • Self-hosting

Only in FireHydrant

  • Automated runbooks
  • On-call management
  • Service catalog
  • Incident response collaboration
  • AI incident insights
  • Status pages
  • AI retrospectives

What people use each for

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

Openstatus

  • Publishing incident status pages to customersnot FireHydrant
  • Demonstrating compliance readiness to auditorsnot FireHydrant
  • Alerting internal teams when services are downnot FireHydrant
  • Tracking uptime metrics across global regionsnot FireHydrant

FireHydrant

  • Manage incidents directly from Slack or Teamsnot Openstatus
  • Automate incident response with runbooksnot Openstatus
  • Triage incidents and track ownershipnot Openstatus
  • Run post-incident retrospectivesnot Openstatus
  • Communicate incidents to customers automaticallynot Openstatus

Where each one falls short

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

Openstatus

  • Free tier severely limited to 1 monitor and 1 status page
  • Per-status-page pricing adds cost for multi-product organizations
  • No built-in workflow orchestration or incident response automation
  • Limited historical analytics beyond incident documentation
  • No AI-powered incident diagnosis or root cause analysis

FireHydrant

  • Free tier has limited functionality with only 2 runbooks
  • Pro plan billing is annual-only (no monthly option)
  • AI features concentrated in Enterprise tier
  • Pricing per responder can increase with team size

Pricing, plan by plan

Openstatus

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 monitor with 10-minute intervals
    • 1 status page with 3 components
    • No credit card required
  • Starter$30/month
    • 20 monitors with 1-minute intervals
    • 1 status page with 20 components
    • 3-month data retention
  • Pro$100/month
    • 50 monitors with 30-second intervals
    • 5 status pages with 50 components each
    • 12-month data retention
  • Scale$500/month
    • 50 monitors with 30-second intervals
    • 10 status pages with 500 components each
    • 24-month data retention

FireHydrant

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10 responders
    • 2 runbooks
    • Slack and Teams chatbot
  • Pro$25/responder-month
    • 5 runbooks
    • Slack and Teams chatbot
    • 1 retrospective template
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Everything in Pro plus
    • Viewer licenses
    • Unlimited runbooks

Which should you pick?

Choose Openstatus if

  • You need branded status pages.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want global monitoring.
Openstatus review

Choose FireHydrant if

  • You need automated runbooks.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Mobile.
  • You also want on-call management.
FireHydrant review

Questions people ask

Is Openstatus or FireHydrant better?
Neither clearly leads. Openstatus starts at Free and FireHydrant at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Openstatus or FireHydrant?
Openstatus starts at Free and FireHydrant at Free.
Does Openstatus or FireHydrant run on more platforms?
Openstatus runs on Web, API. FireHydrant runs on Web, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Mobile.
Can I use Openstatus for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Openstatus best used for?
Openstatus is most often used for publishing incident status pages to customers, demonstrating compliance readiness to auditors, alerting internal teams when services are down, tracking uptime metrics across global regions. Of those, publishing incident status pages to customers and demonstrating compliance readiness to auditors are not what FireHydrant is typically brought in for.
What can Openstatus do that FireHydrant cannot?
Openstatus covers Branded status pages, Global monitoring, Incident notifications, Audit-ready trails. FireHydrant covers Automated runbooks, On-call management, Service catalog, Incident response collaboration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Openstatus: Can I use OpenStatus for free?

Yes, the free tier includes 1 monitor with 10-minute check intervals and 1 status page with 3 components, no credit card required.

Source
FireHydrant: What is included in the free FireHydrant plan?

The free plan supports up to 10 responders, includes 2 runbooks, Slack and Teams chatbot, 1 public status page, and basic integrations (3).

Source
Openstatus: What is included in annual billing for Starter plan?

Annual billing costs $300/year (vs $360/month), saving 2 months. Includes 20 monitors, 1-minute intervals, and all alert types.

Source
FireHydrant: How much does FireHydrant Pro cost?

FireHydrant Pro costs $25 per responder per month, billed annually. This includes 5 runbooks, unlimited status pages, and all core incident management features.

Source
Openstatus: Can I add extra status pages beyond my plan limit?

Yes, additional status pages cost $20/month and are billed separately on top of your plan.

Source
FireHydrant: Can I pay monthly for FireHydrant Pro?

No, the Pro plan requires annual billing to get the $25/responder/month rate. Contact sales for enterprise monthly billing options.

Source
FireHydrant: What AI features does FireHydrant offer?

FireHydrant AI is available in Enterprise plan and includes automated incident summaries, status page updates, live video transcription from Zoom and Google Meet, and triage assistance.

Source
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