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Checkly starts at $24 and has a free plan. Its listed strengths are browser and API coverage, Playwright monitoring flows, and monitoring as code. But run limits are worth pricing out before you commit. One Reddit thread asks for a self-hosted option with involved Playwright tests and historical results; it says Uptime Kuma’s tests are too basic. The alternatives here cover different monitoring needs, but the published details don’t establish that any one is a direct Checkly replacement.
01Why people leave Checkly
Need a self-hosted option
One Reddit thread asks for self-hosted continuous monitoring and historical results, and says Uptime Kuma’s tests are too basic for the desired Playwright flows.
Want more Playwright history
The thread specifically wants involved Playwright tests and a record of successes and failures. The published details don’t confirm which alternatives support that.
Run limits affect the price
Checkly’s listed run limits are a reason to price out expected usage before committing, especially if monitoring volume could change.
02The alternatives, ranked by fit
- Open-source monitoring
PrometheusPrometheusPrometheus is the clearest fit if you’re leaving because you want an open-source monitoring base. It’s listed for cloud-native service monitoring, with PromQL-based queries and alerts. That makes it worth considering when you want to build around those capabilities rather than buy Checkly’s browser and API coverage. The published details don’t confirm Playwright monitoring support.
Trade-off: Independent servers use local storage, per the published details.
7.6/10from
Freefree plan - No per-host license
ZabbixZabbixZabbix may suit teams that want broad infrastructure monitoring without per-host license fees. It’s listed for IT and OT monitoring and for experienced teams managing their own stack. That’s a different reason to switch from Checkly than seeking a like-for-like Playwright monitor: the published details don’t establish browser testing or historical Playwright results.
Trade-off: The published details say it takes work to configure well.
7.6/10from
Freefree plan - Configurable dashboards
GrafanaGrafanaGrafana is worth considering if your monitoring need extends beyond browser and API flows to combining telemetry signals in configurable dashboards. The listed starting price is $19, with a free plan. It may fit teams willing to watch usage charges, but the published details don’t confirm Playwright testing or Checkly-style monitoring-as-code parity.
Trade-off: Pro’s $19 fee is only the start; usage charges matter.
7.0/10from
$19/mofree plan - Traces and logs
Scout APMScout APMScout APM is a possible switch if you’re looking to bring traces and logs together, or want to evaluate monitoring tools on a small workload. It starts at $19 and has a free plan, according to the pricing page. Its stated strengths differ from Checkly’s browser and API coverage, and the details flag plan limits worth checking.
Trade-off: Plan limits make the listed price worth checking closely.
6.5/10from
$19/mofree plan - All-in-one observability
New RelicNew RelicNew Relic may fit if leaving Checkly is part of a broader move to consolidate observability tools. It starts at $10 and has a free plan, per the pricing page, and is also positioned for incident response. That is broader than Checkly’s stated browser and API focus; the published details don’t confirm equivalent Playwright flows.
Trade-off: User and ingest costs can rise, per the published summary.
7.5/10from
$10/mofree plan - Broad monitoring coverage
DatadogDatadogDatadog is an option if you’re considering a wider monitoring platform or consolidating observability and security tools, rather than replacing Checkly feature for feature. Its listed starting price is $500. The published details also mention Datadog AI features, but don’t establish whether it covers Checkly’s Playwright monitoring flows.
Trade-off: The available price does not tell you the full bill.
6.7/10from
$500/mo - Cloud-native observability
DynatraceDynatraceDynatrace may be a fit if your move away from Checkly is also about broader observability for Kubernetes or cloud-native environments. It’s listed from $7 and for topology-driven investigation. That scope differs from Checkly’s stated browser and API monitoring; the published details don’t confirm Playwright support, so verify fit before switching.
Trade-off: Check the annual commitment before trusting the $7 starting price.
6.8/10from
$7/mo
03Side by side
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkly Checkly (current) | 6.8 | $24/mo | Yes | Teams writing Playwright monitoring flows |
| Prometheus Prometheus | 7.6 | Free | Yes | Teams wanting open-source monitoring |
| Zabbix Zabbix | 7.6 | Free | Yes | Teams avoiding per-host license fees |
| Grafana Grafana | 7.0 | $19/mo | Yes | Teams combining multiple telemetry signals |
| Scout APM Scout APM | 6.5 | $19/mo | Yes | Teams wanting traces and logs together |
| New Relic New Relic | 7.5 | $10/mo | Yes | Teams consolidating observability tools |
| Datadog Datadog | 6.7 | $500/mo | No | Teams seeking broad monitoring coverage |
| Dynatrace Dynatrace | 6.8 | $7/mo | No | Teams needing broad observability coverage |
Questions people ask
Which Checkly alternative is open source?
Prometheus is listed as an open-source monitoring option with a free plan. Zabbix is listed with no license cost, but the published details don’t label it open source. Prometheus has a specific storage caveat: its independent servers use local storage.
Which alternatives support Playwright monitoring?
The published details don’t confirm Playwright monitoring support for any of these alternatives. Checkly is specifically described as strong in browser coverage and for teams writing Playwright monitoring flows. Confirm browser testing, historical results, and monitoring-as-code support with each vendor before switching.
What is the cheapest Checkly alternative?
Prometheus and Zabbix are listed with free plans and no numeric starting price; Zabbix is also described as having no license cost. Among alternatives with a published starting price, Dynatrace is listed from $7, New Relic from $10, and Grafana from $19. Check each plan’s terms and limits.