UptimeRobot alternative: Compare UptimeRobot to IsDown
IsDown and UptimeRobot although have some overlap, they have different strengths. Learn which tool, or combination, is right for monitoring your infrastructure and third-party dependencies.
Trusted by IT Managers from small to large companies
IsDown and UptimeRobot have different strengths
IsDown
Status Page Aggregator + Uptime Monitoring
Monitors third-party services you depend on (AWS, Stripe, Slack, GitHub, etc.) by aggregating their official status pages. Also includes uptime monitoring for your own infrastructure.
UptimeRobot
Possibly the most popular Uptime Monitoring tool
Monitors your own infrastructure and websites by checking if they're responding. Tests endpoints you control and alerts you when your services go down. Does not monitor third-party status pages.
Bottom line: IsDown and UptimeRobot aren't direct competitors. They're complementary tools. Many teams use both: UptimeRobot for their own infrastructure, and IsDown for third-party dependencies. However, IsDown also offers uptime monitoring, making it a more comprehensive all-in-one solution.
Quick Comparison at a Glance
Here are the main differences between IsDown and UptimeRobot:
| Feature |  |
UptimeRobot |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Purpose | Status Page Aggregation + Uptime Monitoring | Uptime Monitoring Only |
| Third-Party Status Monitoring | ✅ 4522+ services | ❌ No |
| Uptime Monitoring | ✅ Yes, but limited (HTTP, Ping, Keyword, SSL) | ✅ Yes (HTTP, Ping, Port, Keyword, Domain, SSL, Cron, and more) |
| Your Own Infrastructure Monitoring | ✅ Yes (HTTP/HTTPS) | ✅ Yes (HTTP, Ping, Port, Keyword) |
| Starting Price | $216/year (15 monitors) | Free (50 monitors, 5-min checks) |
| Check Frequency | 2-5 min for vendors status, 1-5 min for uptime | 5 min (free), 60s (paid), 30s (enterprise) |
| Status Pages | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Private Status Page | ✅ Yes ( Password, IP restrictions, SSO) | ✅ Yes, but limited ( Only Password ) |
| Datadog Integration | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Try IsDown Free for 14 Days
No credit card required • Extend trial if needed
Detailed Feature Comparison
IsDown and UptimeRobot serve different primary purposes, but IsDown offers more comprehensive monitoring.
Third-Party Status Aggregation
IsDown: Monitors 4522+ external services (AWS, Stripe, GitHub, Slack, etc.) by aggregating their official status pages. Essential for understanding when problems are caused by vendor outages. UptimeRobot: Does not monitor third-party status pages—only endpoints you configure.
Infrastructure Uptime Monitoring
IsDown: Includes HTTP/HTTPS uptime monitoring for your own endpoints, with 1-5 minute check intervals. UptimeRobot: Specialized uptime monitoring with HTTP, HTTPS, ping, port, and keyword monitoring. More granular options (60-second checks on paid plans, 30-second on Enterprise). Better for complex infrastructure monitoring needs.
Early Warning Detection
IsDown: Unique early warning system that detects outages 30+ minutes before official vendor updates by monitoring user reports and social media. Critical for proactive incident management. UptimeRobot: Standard monitoring—alerts when your configured checks fail. No early warning capability.
Pricing & Value
IsDown: Starts at $444/year for 30 monitors (status pages + uptime). Includes advanced integrations (Datadog, PagerDuty). UptimeRobot: Free plan with 50 monitors (5-minute checks). Paid plans start at $96/year (annual) for 60-second checks. More affordable if you only need basic uptime monitoring without third-party status aggregation.
Integrations & Workflow
IsDown: Native integrations with Datadog, PagerDuty, Slack, Teams, OpsGenie, Incident.io, and more. Designed for enterprise workflows. UptimeRobot: Integrations via webhooks, email, SMS, Slack, Telegram, Discord, Teams. Mobile app available. More focused on direct notifications rather than workflow integration.
Target Audience
IsDown: IT managers, DevOps teams, SREs who need visibility into third-party dependencies alongside their own infrastructure. Teams using Datadog, PagerDuty, or modern incident management tools. UptimeRobot: Developers, small businesses, and teams primarily focused on monitoring their own websites and APIs. Perfect for solopreneurs and startups with simple monitoring needs.
Which Tool Should You Use?
Only Your Infrastructure
You only need to monitor your own websites, APIs, and servers. No third-party dependencies.
Recommendation:
Use UptimeRobot
UptimeRobot's free plan is generous (50 monitors, 5-minute checks) and sufficient for most small to medium businesses monitoring only their own infrastructure.
Third-Party Services
You depend on external services (AWS, Stripe, Slack, etc.) and need status visibility.
Recommendation:
Use IsDown
IsDown aggregates 4522+ third-party status pages, provides early warning detection, and integrates with your existing tools (Datadog, PagerDuty, Slack).
Complete Monitoring
You need to monitor both your infrastructure AND third-party dependencies.
Recommendation:
Use IsDown (all-in-one)
IsDown provides both status page aggregation AND uptime monitoring in one platform, simplifying your monitoring stack. Or use both tools for maximum coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use IsDown and UptimeRobot together?
Absolutely! Many teams use both: UptimeRobot for monitoring their own infrastructure (websites, APIs, servers) and IsDown for monitoring third-party dependencies (AWS, Stripe, Slack, etc.). This gives you complete visibility across your entire technology stack. Alternatively, IsDown's uptime monitoring feature allows you to consolidate both into a single platform.
Which tool is better for small businesses or startups?
If you only need basic uptime monitoring for your own infrastructure, UptimeRobot's free plan (50 monitors, 5-minute checks) is excellent and hard to beat. However, if you depend on third-party services (which most modern applications do), IsDown is essential for understanding when external vendors cause issues. Consider starting with UptimeRobot free and adding IsDown when you need third-party visibility.
Does IsDown replace the need for UptimeRobot?
IsDown includes uptime monitoring for your own endpoints, so it can replace UptimeRobot if you need both status page aggregation and uptime monitoring in one tool. However, UptimeRobot offers more specialized uptime monitoring features (ping, port monitoring, 30-second checks on Enterprise) and has a generous free tier. The choice depends on whether you value consolidation or specialized features.
What's the main difference in alert philosophy?
UptimeRobot alerts you when your own services stop responding to checks. IsDown alerts you when third-party vendors report issues on their status pages (plus early warnings from user reports). UptimeRobot answers "Is my website down?" while IsDown answers "Is AWS/Stripe/Slack down?"
Can UptimeRobot monitor third-party services like AWS or Stripe?
Not really. While you could theoretically configure UptimeRobot to monitor specific endpoints of AWS or Stripe, it wouldn't give you visibility into their overall service status, component-level outages, or incident updates. IsDown aggregates official status pages, showing you detailed incident information, affected components, and historical data that UptimeRobot can't provide.
Which integrates better with Datadog or PagerDuty?
IsDown offers native integrations with both Datadog and PagerDuty, streaming status events directly into your observability and incident management workflows. UptimeRobot can send alerts to PagerDuty via webhooks but doesn't have native Datadog integration. For teams heavily invested in these platforms, IsDown provides deeper integration.
Is UptimeRobot's free plan sufficient for most use cases?
For basic uptime monitoring of your own infrastructure, yes! 50 monitors with 5-minute checks covers most small to medium business needs. You'll want to upgrade if you need faster checks (60 seconds), more monitors, SSL monitoring, or advanced status page features. But the free tier is genuinely useful, not just a trial.
If I need a private status page, which tool should I use?
IsDown offers a private status page with password protection, IP restrictions, and SSO integration. UptimeRobot only offers a basic password protected status page. So if you need to integrate with your existing SSO, or only make it available for a limited set of IPs, IsDown is the better choice.
Ready to Get Complete Monitoring Visibility?
14-day free trial · No credit card required · No code required