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Logging · head to head

Uptime.com vs Grafana Loki

Uptime.com logo

Uptime.com

Logging

Website monitoring and uptime checker with 80+ global monitoring points

From
On request
Rated
-
Grafana Loki logo

Grafana Loki

Logging

Log Aggregation for Grafana Stack

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Grafana Loki has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Uptime.com pricing structure not fully detailed publicly; Grafana Loki grafana Cloud Logs Pro plan includes only 30-day retention; retention beyond 30 days requires Enterprise plan with minimum $25,000 annual commitment
  • They diverge on capability: Uptime.com covers Website monitoring, Grafana Loki covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Uptime.com and Grafana Loki actually diverge.

Attributes where Uptime.com and Grafana Loki differ
AttributeUptime.comGrafana Loki
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APISelf-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support)
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: 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 Uptime.com

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

Only in Grafana Loki

  • Log aggregation
  • Label-based indexing
  • LogQL language
  • Cost-effective
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Uptime.com

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

Grafana Loki

  • Cost-sensitive organisations deploying Kubernetes and Prometheus ecosystemsnot Uptime.com
  • Teams needing index-free log aggregation for high-volume environmentsnot Uptime.com

Where each one falls short

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

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

Grafana Loki

  • Grafana Cloud Logs Pro plan includes only 30-day retention; retention beyond 30 days requires Enterprise plan with minimum $25,000 annual commitment
  • Open-source version requires self-hosting all infrastructure including storage and scaling

Pricing, plan by plan

Uptime.com

On request

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

Grafana Loki

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Grafana Loki review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Uptime.com if

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

Choose Grafana Loki if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support).
  • You also want label-based indexing.

Questions people ask

Is Uptime.com or Grafana Loki better?
Neither clearly leads. Uptime.com starts at On request and Grafana Loki at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Uptime.com or Grafana Loki?
Grafana Loki has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Uptime.com and Free for Grafana Loki.
Does Uptime.com or Grafana Loki run on more platforms?
Uptime.com runs on Web, API. Grafana Loki runs on Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support).
Can I use Grafana Loki for free?
Yes. Grafana Loki has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Uptime.com starts at On request.
What is Uptime.com best used for?
Uptime.com is most often used for monitor website availability across multiple global locations, test api endpoints and validate response times, verify dns resolution and certificate validity, track page load performance over time. Of those, monitor website availability across multiple global locations and test api endpoints and validate response times are not what Grafana Loki is typically brought in for.
What can Uptime.com do that Grafana Loki cannot?
Uptime.com covers Website monitoring, API monitoring, Synthetic monitoring, Page speed testing. Grafana Loki covers Log aggregation, Label-based indexing, LogQL language, Cost-effective.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Grafana Loki: Is there a free tier for Grafana Cloud?

Yes, Grafana Cloud has a Free Forever plan at no cost with no registration required. The free tier is suitable for personal projects and early-stage startups.

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
Grafana Loki: How long is data retained in Grafana's free plan?

The free tier retains metrics, logs, traces, and profiles for 14 days.

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
Grafana Loki: What is the minimum cost for Grafana Enterprise?

Grafana Enterprise has a minimum annual commitment of 25,000 dollars.

Source
Grafana Loki: Do I need a credit card to use Grafana's free tier?

No, Grafana Cloud's Free Forever plan requires no credit card to get started.

Source
Grafana Loki: How is Grafana Cloud billed?

Grafana Cloud Pro starts at 19 dollars per month with usage-based charges on top. Billing is monthly based on your consumption. Grafana offers automatic volume discounts based on your spending.

Source
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