updown.io is a small, focused uptime monitor that has been around since 2012, run from Paris according to its docs. Its most unusual feature is the pricing model: you buy credits and each check consumes one. If you are weighing it against SiteDownCheck, the main question is whether you prefer paying for exactly what you use or having a free plan with a fixed ceiling. This page compares them honestly. We are a new, small service, and updown.io has a longer track record than we do.
Details about updown.io are from its homepage and docs as read in October 2026. Prices change, so check their pricing page. Our details come from our pricing page.
How the pricing models differ
At the time of writing, updown.io's homepage described a pay-per-use model where one credit equals one check, with check frequency adjustable from 15 seconds to 1 hour, and bulk credit packs sold at discounts. New users were listed as receiving 100,000 free credits to start, and SMS alerts were priced separately per message. We are deliberately not repeating the price list here; see their pricing page for current figures.
SiteDownCheck has no credits. The free plan is 3 monitors, checked every 5 minutes or slower, with no trial period and no credit card. A Pro plan is planned but has no price or date.
The practical consequence: with a credit model, a monitor you check every minute costs far more than one you check every 30 minutes, and you can run a lot of monitors if you pick relaxed intervals. With a fixed free plan, cost is zero, but the monitor count and interval floor are capped.
Side-by-side
| updown.io | SiteDownCheck | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay per check with credits | Free plan; Pro coming soon with no price or date |
| Free offer | 100,000 starting credits at time of writing | 3 monitors, permanent |
| Check interval | 15 seconds to 1 hour per their homepage | 5 minutes to 60 minutes |
| Confirmation | Downtime confirmed from at least two locations per their homepage | Re-checked from our default location before alerting |
| Locations | Multiple, per their homepage | One default location on the free plan |
| Alerts | Email, webhook, Slack, Teams, Telegram, SMS, Zapier and more per their homepage | Email, Slack, Discord, any HTTPS webhook |
| SSL expiry alerts | Yes per their homepage | Yes, at 30, 14, 7 and 1 days |
| Domain expiry alerts | Yes per their homepage | Yes |
| Cron / pulse monitoring | Yes per their docs | Heartbeat monitors included, counted in your 3 |
| Keyword / string match | Yes per their docs | Yes; also JSON path checks |
| Status page | Hosted status pages per their homepage | 1 public page with 30-day history, badges |
| Maturity | Established since 2012 | New and small |
Where updown.io is stronger
- Scale without a subscription. Credits make it practical to run many monitors at relaxed intervals, or a few at high frequency, and pay only for what you consume.
- Fast intervals. Down to 15 seconds is available today. Our floor is 5 minutes.
- Multi-location confirmation. Confirming a downtime from at least two locations is a stronger way to rule out a single-path network fault than our single-location re-check.
- More alert channels. Microsoft Teams, Telegram and SMS are listed. We offer email, Slack, Discord and webhooks, with SMS planned for Pro.
- Track record. More than a decade of operation, with APDEX tracking and an API described in its docs.
Where SiteDownCheck fits better
- Zero cost, zero accounting. There are no credits to top up and no bill to estimate. For three important URLs, that is simple.
- Keyword, JSON and maintenance windows built in. You can require a value in a JSON response, schedule maintenance so alerts pause, and show a maintenance notice on the status page.
- Everything bundled on one page. Status page, badges, monthly report and SSL, domain and DNS change alerts are part of the same free plan.
- Diagnostics in the same place. The DNS, SSL and HTTP status tools are free and need no account.
- A defined meaning of down. Connection failures, timeouts, certificate errors and HTTP 5xx, 404 and 410 count as down. Responses such as 401, 403 and 429 count as up with restricted access.
Who should choose what
Choose updown.io if you want fine control of frequency, many monitors at low cost, SMS or Teams alerts, or you are comfortable with usage-based billing and want multi-location confirmation.
Choose SiteDownCheck if you have a few important URLs, want free monitoring with a status page and expiry warnings, and are happy with 5-minute checks from one location.
If you are undecided, run both on one URL for a week. Compare when each reported the incident and the recovery time. A second opinion from a different network is the cheapest false-alarm filter there is, and how often should you monitor a website will help you decide whether faster checks are worth paying for.
Our limits
We have no per-check pricing, no sub-5-minute checks, no multi-location checks on the free plan, no SMS and no mobile app. Pro is planned to add 50 monitors, 1-minute checks, SMS and phone alerts, custom-domain status pages and multi-region checks. We will not announce a price or date until we have them.
Next steps
- Start a free monitor.
- Add domain expiry watch so renewals never surprise you.
- Learn how to renew SSL and automate it.
- Put a badge in your README.
- Read about cron and heartbeat monitoring.
FAQ
Is SiteDownCheck pay-per-check?
No. The free plan has a fixed size. There are no credits and nothing to top up.
Can I check every 15 seconds?
Not with us. The fastest interval today is 5 minutes. Pro is planned to add 1-minute checks.
Which is better for many monitors?
A credit model like updown.io's scales more flexibly. Our free plan stops at 3 monitors.
Does SiteDownCheck confirm outages from two locations?
No. We re-check from our default location before alerting. Multi-region checks are planned for Pro.
Try SiteDownCheck free
3 monitors, 5-minute checks, email and webhook alerts and a public status page. No credit card.
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