Gatus vs UptimeRobot
Both are alternatives to Pingdom. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as UptimeRobot vs Gatus — same comparison, one verdict.
Gatus is open source (Apache-2.0) and UptimeRobot is not (Proprietary (hosted service)) — so the real question is whether you want to own the uptime & status monitoring stack or rent it.
Gatus
Monitoring as a YAML file, for people who already run everything from Git.
Gatus is a developer-first health-check service configured entirely in YAML, which means your monitoring lives in the repository, gets reviewed in pull requests, and is deployed like any other code. It handles HTTP, TCP, ICMP, DNS and TLS-expiry checks, evaluates rich conditions on responses — status code, body content, response time, certificate age — and ships a clean dashboard and status page. Apache-2.0, around 11.7k stars, actively developed. It is the natural pick for a team already doing GitOps, and the wrong one if a non-engineer needs to add a monitor.
UptimeRobot
Hosted checks from outside your network, with a free tier that is actually usable.
UptimeRobot is the hosted answer, and it solves the one problem no self-hosted monitor can: it watches your site from outside your own infrastructure, so when your server, your network or your data centre goes down, the thing telling you about it is not also down. The free tier is unusually generous — 50 monitors at 5-minute intervals, email alerts and a public status page — which is more than enough for most personal sites and small businesses. Paid plans add 30-second checks, SMS and voice alerts, and multi-location verification to cut false alarms. It is proprietary and hosted, which is why it scores where it does; it is on this page because external monitoring is a real requirement and pretending otherwise would not serve the reader.
Side by side
6 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Gatus | UptimeRobot | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 94 | 48 |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Local-first data | Yes | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary (hosted service) |
| Pricing | Free and open source. A single binary or container. | Free tier: 50 monitors at 5-minute checks, with a public status page. Paid plans add 30-second intervals, SMS/voice alerts and multi-location checks. Checked 2026-08-01. |
Gatus edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Gatus
Strengths
- +Configuration is YAML in Git — reviewed, versioned and diffable
- +Rich condition evaluation, including response body and TLS expiry
- +Apache-2.0 with no enterprise carve-out
- +Very light: one small binary, minimal memory
Trade-offs
- −No UI for adding monitors — everything is a config change
- −Same blind spot as any self-hosted monitor: it can go down with you
- −Fewer notification integrations than Uptime Kuma
- −Not usable by non-technical team members
UptimeRobot
Strengths
- +Checks from outside your network — the one thing self-hosting cannot do
- +Free tier covers 50 monitors, which is genuinely enough for most people
- +Nothing to install, patch or keep running
- +Multi-location verification cuts false alarms from transient network blips
Trade-offs
- −Proprietary and hosted — you do not own the monitoring or its history
- −Free tier is capped at 5-minute checks, so a short outage can be missed
- −SMS and voice alerts are paid add-ons
- −Your uptime data lives in a third party's system
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Gatus
if you want the source and the option to fork it, and you would rather run it on your own hardware, and your data should stay on machines you control.
Choose UptimeRobot
if checks from outside your network — the one thing self-hosting cannot do.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — no UI for adding monitors — everything is a config change, and proprietary and hosted — you do not own the monitoring or its history. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
Gatus vs UptimeRobot — common questions
Is Gatus a better fit than UptimeRobot for uptime & status monitoring?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Gatus scores 94 to UptimeRobot's 48 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. UptimeRobot earns its place on a different axis — checks from outside your network — the one thing self-hosting cannot do. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Gatus keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. UptimeRobot keeps your data on its own infrastructure, which is the part to plan for: confirm the export path before you commit, not when you are already trying to leave.
Can I self-host Gatus?
Gatus can be self-hosted; UptimeRobot cannot, so it stays on the vendor's infrastructure whatever you do.
Are Gatus and UptimeRobot both alternatives to Pingdom?
Yes — both appear in our Pingdom comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Pingdom and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
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Facts verified 2026-08-01. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.