Pingdom (by SolarWinds) doesn't offer a permanent free plan — just a trial. If you want to monitor for free long-term, that's the main thing to know going in.
A side-by-side on the details that matter most when picking between the two.
| Upzilla | Pingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 10 monitors, any type, no time limit | No permanent free plan — 14 to 30-day trial only |
| Starting paid price | Free tier covers most small setups | Around $10–15/month for roughly 10 uptime checks |
| Real User Monitoring | Not a separate product | Sold as a separate subscription from Synthetic Monitoring |
| SMS alerts | Included, no separate credit purchase | Fixed SMS quota per plan, additional credits cost extra |
| Status pages | Included on every monitor, every plan | Available; check current plan for specifics |
Competitor pricing and plan details are based on publicly available information as of 2026 and can change — check the vendor's own pricing page for current terms before deciding.
Pingdom is an established, capable tool — the differences are mostly about pricing shape.
Pingdom's free option is a time-limited trial. Upzilla's free plan runs indefinitely with 10 monitors of any type.
Pingdom prices Synthetic Monitoring and Real User Monitoring as separate products. Upzilla keeps monitor types under one account and one price.
Because Pingdom doesn't price per monitor, adding one more check past your plan's limit can mean jumping to the next pricing tier.
Pingdom's SMS alerts draw from a fixed quota with paid overage. Upzilla includes SMS and voice call alerts without a separate credit system.
Not a permanent one — Pingdom offers a free trial (commonly cited as 14 to 30 days) rather than an ongoing free tier.
No — RUM is billed as a separate subscription from Pingdom's Synthetic (uptime) Monitoring.
Yes — add the same URLs as monitors in Upzilla, confirm alerts fire correctly, then let your Pingdom trial or subscription lapse.
10 monitors free, no time limit, no card required.