The free-tier classic versus uptime plus change intelligence.
UptimeRobot is the tool most teams start with: a generous free tier, a simple UI and a huge user base. PulseTrace covers the same uptime ground and adds what UptimeRobot doesn't try to — TLS and domain security grading, external change detection, incident management and an API-first, agent-ready surface.
| Criterion | PulseTrace | UptimeRobot |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 10 monitors, 1-minute checks, 1 region, 1 status page — free forever | 50 monitors at 5-minute checks, HTTP/ping/port/keyword, basic status page |
| Entry price | Team $29/mo (50 monitors, 30 s), Pro $85/mo (200 monitors, 15 s) | Solo from $7/mo (10 monitors, 60 s); Team $29/mo annual (100 monitors, 60 s) |
| Fastest interval | 60 s Free · 30 s Team · 15 s Pro · 10 s Enterprise | 60 s on Solo/Team; 30 s on Enterprise ($54+/mo) |
| Locations | 12 probe regions, per-region results; private probe agent for internal targets | Multi-location checks on paid plans |
| Monitor types | 12: HTTP(S), TCP, UDP, DNS, ICMP, WebSocket, traceroute, gRPC, TLS, SSL/TLS security grading, domain security, multi-step API | HTTP, keyword, ping, port, cron/heartbeat, DNS, API, UDP |
| Security grading | A+–F grade for TLS config, chain, revocation, security headers, cookies, CORS; domain grade for RDAP, DNSSEC, SPF/DKIM/DMARC | SSL and domain expiry alerts; no TLS configuration or header grading |
| Change detection | Fingerprints DNS, TLS, HTTP headers, redirects, content and infrastructure on every check; change events with before/after; anomaly baselines; CT-log & look-alike watch (Pro) | Keyword / web-change detection on a page; no DNS/TLS/header fingerprinting |
| Status pages | 1 page on Free, 5 on Team, unlimited + custom domain on Pro, white-label on Enterprise; trust pages with security grades | Basic on Free, advanced on Team, unlimited on Enterprise, custom domains |
| Alert channels | Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord, Telegram, PagerDuty, Opsgenie, incident.io, Rootly, email, signed webhooks — no SMS/voice | Email, SMS/voice credits, Slack, Teams, Discord, Telegram, PagerDuty, Opsgenie, webhooks and more (20+) |
| API & automation | REST API with scoped keys and rate limits; MCP server for AI agents; OpenAPI import | REST API, CLI, MCP, mobile app |
| Reporting | Availability, SLA/SLO with error budgets, performance, incident and intelligence reports; scheduled delivery (Pro) | Uptime and response-time reports; no SLA error budgets |
| Hosting | Hosted SaaS | Hosted SaaS |
UptimeRobot column last checked April 2026 from public pricing pages and dated pricing reviews. PulseTrace column reflects current plans. Plans change — tell us if something is out of date.
you want the most free monitors possible, need SMS or voice alerts without an incident tool, or want a mobile app.
you need to know what changed — certificates, DNS, headers — not only whether it's up; you want incidents, SLA reports and an API/MCP surface; or you want 30-second checks under $30.
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