Quick answer
Checkly - Checkly wins for most builders who need API or browser checks, while Pulsetic wins if you mainly want cheap website uptime monitoring with more status pages and longer history.
How the free tiers compare
These free tiers solve slightly different jobs. Checkly is more of a monitoring and QA tool for teams that want API checks, browser or Playwright runs, alerting, and a status page in one place. Its free tier is narrower on raw monitor count, but it gives you a real testing-oriented workflow and no credit card requirement. Pulsetic is the simpler uptime-first option: more emphasis on website and endpoint monitoring, broader alert channels on paid tiers, and a free plan that stretches well for small public status needs. The tradeoff is that Pulsetic’s free tier is lighter on advanced synthetic testing, while Checkly’s paid jump happens sooner if you need more monitors or higher run volume. For simple site monitoring, Pulsetic is cheaper. For builders validating services and user flows, Checkly is the better fit.
Checkly vs Pulsetic free tier, side by side
| ChecklyFTV 58 | PulseticFTV 51 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan monitorsCheckly is uptime-monitor focused; Pulsetic counts several monitor types together. | Up to 10 uptime monitors | Up to 10 monitors, heartbeats, or domains |
| Free check cadenceCheckly checks more often on the free tier. | Uptime checks every 2 minutes | 5-minute check intervals |
| Free synthetic checksCheckly is the stronger choice for synthetic/API validation. | Up to 1,000 browser or Playwright check runs per month; up to 10,000 API check runs per month | Not listed |
| Free monitoring regionsCheckly has broader free geographic coverage. | 6 public locations | 3 monitoring regions |
| Free status pagesPulsetic is simpler on the page count, but Checkly gives a service/subscriber model. | Up to 20 status page services; 250 subscribers; 1 custom dashboard | 3 status pages included |
| Free alertingBoth include basic alerting, but Checkly includes Slack on free. | Email, Slack, and webhook alerting | Email alerts included; 1 webhook per monitor |
| Free historyPulsetic is explicit about free history retention. | Not listed | 3 months of historical uptime and logs |
| Free card requirementPresent in both inputs. | No credit card required | No credit card required |
After you outgrow the free tier
Checkly moves from a free Hobby plan to flat paid tiers starting at $24/month, then $64/month, with an enterprise quote for custom limits. Pulsetic starts lower at $9/month, then $19/month, then $49/month, all flat-priced. So Pulsetic is the cheaper path if you just need more uptime monitoring and status pages. Checkly becomes the better spend when browser or API run volume matters, because that capability is part of the product shape rather than an add-on. No usage-based rates were provided for either product, so there are no reliable per-usage scenarios to calculate beyond the listed flat tiers.
When to pick each one
Pick Checkly when…
- You need API checks or browser/Playwright runs in the free tier.
- You want a monitoring setup that feels closer to QA and release validation than basic uptime alerts.
- You only need up to 10 uptime monitors but care more about check types, alerting, and status pages.
- You are fine with a capped free plan and want a clear path into synthetic monitoring workflows.
- You want no credit card required and plan to stay in a small, code-first setup for a while.
Pick Pulsetic when…
- You mainly need website uptime monitoring for a small site or side project.
- You want 3 status pages on the free tier instead of 1.
- You care about longer historical uptime and logs as you move onto paid plans.
- You want a lower-cost first paid step at $9/month.
- You are monitoring domains, heartbeats, or ports and do not need browser testing.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, Pulsetic is the better value if you want inexpensive uptime monitoring and a low-cost step up from free. Checkly is the better choice if your free-tier decision is really about synthetic checks, API monitoring, or browser-based validation, because its free plan is more specialized and its paid tiers are built around that workflow. In short: Pulsetic for basic site monitoring, Checkly for testing-oriented monitoring.
Read the full listings: Checkly and Pulsetic. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.