UptimeRobot charges $8/mo. Pingdom starts at $10/mo. Both cap your monitors and keep billing you forever. Upwatch is the same core product — HTTP checks, incident tracking, alerting, a classic 90-day-bar status page — running on your own $5 VPS (or your desktop) with unlimited monitors and zero recurring fees.
If you've searched for a UptimeRobot alternative, Upwatch is the pay-once option worth putting at the top of the list: Upwatch is $39, one time, and covers the same core job UptimeRobot charges $8/mo for.
What makes Upwatch the pick for 2026
- HTTP(S) monitors — URL, interval from 30s to 15m, expected status code, optional keyword match.
- In-process checker loop — No cron, no workers, no Redis — one Node process does everything.
- SQLite storage — Check history with automatic 90-day retention pruning. One file to back up.
- Per-monitor detail — Uptime % for 24h / 7d / 30d, response-time sparkline, full incident log.
- Public status page — Clean branded page at /status — per-monitor badges, classic 90-day uptime bars, outage banner.
Upwatch vs UptimeRobot, at a glance
| Upwatch | UptimeRobot | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $39 once | UptimeRobot $8/mo ($96/yr) · Pingdom $10+/mo |
| Monitors | Unlimited | 50 on UptimeRobot's paid tier |
| Check interval | 30s | 60s (paid) |
| Public status page | Included, branded | Limited / upsell |
| Keyword checks | Included | Paid tier |
| Your data | Your SQLite file on your box | Their cloud |
| Multi-client agency use | One VPS monitors everything | Per-account limits / pricing |
Pays for itself vs UptimeRobot in under 5 months — then it's free forever.
Common questions
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes — MIT source at github.com/bensblueprints/uptime-monitor-mvp, always. The paid version is pure convenience: packaged installer, updates, priority support.
Do I need a server?
Not necessarily. Desktop mode runs the whole app in an Electron window. For a public status page or 24/7 monitoring you'll want a $5 VPS — which is still cheaper per year than one month of most competitors' higher tiers.
What check types are supported?
HTTP(S) with status-code and keyword assertions. No ping/port/DNS checks yet — if you need those today, UptimeRobot still has the broader check menu.
The bottom line
Upwatch won't out-feature UptimeRobot on every axis — no subscription tool with a bigger team and a bigger roadmap loses on everything. But for the core job, $39 once against $8/mo forever is a trade most people should at least look at. Upwatch is part of OneTimeSuite, a catalog of pay-once apps that replace subscription SaaS.
Try Upwatch — $39, once
HTTP checks, incident log, alerts and a branded 90-day status page — on your own box.