Tool profile
Checkly: cost, fit and limits
Checkly is a monitoring-as-code platform made by Checkly Inc. that runs uptime monitors and Playwright-based synthetic browser checks, with alerts, status pages and AI features for root cause analysis and test reporting aimed at engineering teams.
What to know first
Checkly offers a Hobby plan at $0 with 10 uptime monitors, Starter at $24 per month with 50, and Team at $64 with 75, all billed annually, plus a custom Enterprise tier. The pricing page names an AI test reporter, AI root cause analysis and a Reliability for AI-generated code pitch. The privacy policy says OpenAI and Anthropic models support some features, which belongs in any data review.
Checkly at a glance
| Maker | Checkly Inc. (affiliate Checkly GmbH, per the privacy policy), Not stated on the vendor pages |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | $0 per month (Hobby, billed annually) |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Uptime Monitoring Software in 2026, rank 4 of 13 |
| Website | checklyhq.com |
Who Checkly is best for
Developers who keep tests in a repository
Checks are written as code, so the same Playwright scripts that test a release can monitor production without being rewritten in a vendor form.
Teams that want AI help with failed checks
AI root cause analysis and an AI test reporter are named on the pricing page, aimed at shortening the time from a red check to a cause.
Startups moving off ping-only tools
Starter adds email, Slack and webhook alerting and 50 uptime monitors, enough for a small product with a few critical user flows.
Checkly plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | $0 per month, billed annually | 10 uptime monitors for personal projects and learning, with the basic feature set and no paid alert channels. |
| Starter | $24 per month, billed annually | 50 uptime monitors for startups and growing projects, with email, Slack and webhook alerting added to the basics. |
| Team | $64 per month, billed annually | 75 uptime monitors for growing teams and businesses, building on Starter; the pricing page lists it above Starter in the plan table. |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | Contact sales for larger needs; no price or limits are printed on the pricing page we read. |
Checked November 2026.
What Checkly does
- Uptime monitoring and browser checks
- Simple uptime monitors and Playwright browser checks share one product, so a homepage ping and a scripted checkout test report through the same alert rules.
- AI test reporter
- The pricing page names an AI-powered test reporter for synthetic monitoring results, meant to summarize why a scripted check failed rather than only reporting that it did.
- AI root cause analysis
- Automated root cause analysis powered by AI agents is named on the pricing page. The pages read do not explain which data the agents consult.
- Status pages and scheduling
- Status pages and contextual alerting are listed on the pricing page, and checks can be scheduled with custom control over how they are distributed across the available monitoring locations.
How Checkly handles your data
The privacy policy says OpenAI and Anthropic models are used for some product features, and the pages we read do not say whether customer data is used to train models at Checkly or at those providers. Retention, hosting region and certifications for Checkly itself were not stated on the pages read; the policy names a sub-processor, Clay, as SOC 2 Type II. Ask for the security documentation before sending customer-facing page content to the AI agents.
Where Checkly falls short in practice
- Low monitor caps. Hobby allows 10 uptime monitors, Starter 50 and Team 75, so a company with hundreds of endpoints must contact sales or split work across tools.
- Code skills required. The strongest features assume someone can write and maintain Playwright scripts over time, which is a real barrier for teams that only want a simple homepage check and an alert.
Works with
Alternatives to Checkly
Checkly: common questions
What is monitoring as code at Checkly?
Checkly lets engineers define checks in code, mainly Playwright browser scripts, and run them as scheduled monitors. The same scripts can be versioned beside application code. The pricing page lists uptime monitors, browser checks and status pages, and the site compares itself with Datadog and New Relic on separate pages.
How much does Checkly cost?
In USD, Hobby is $0 per month with 10 uptime monitors, Starter $24 with 50 and Team $64 with 75, all billed annually. Enterprise is a custom quote. The page toggles between monthly and annual billing and says annual saves up to 20 percent, as of November 2026.
Does Checkly use OpenAI or Anthropic models?
The privacy policy says OpenAI and Anthropic models are used for some product features. The pricing page names AI root cause analysis and an AI test reporter. The pages we read do not list which feature uses which provider, or whether prompts are retained, so request that detail before enabling the AI features.
Which alert channels does Checkly support?
The pricing page lists alerting by email, Slack and webhooks on Starter and above. The Hobby plan is described as for personal projects and learning. Pages we read name no phone call or SMS channel, so teams that need paging should confirm that before they commit to a plan.
Is Checkly a good fit for a non-developer?
Less so. Its design rests on code and Playwright, and plans are capped at 10, 50 and 75 uptime monitors. A site owner who only wants ping checks and a status page will find simpler options in the ranking, such as UptimeRobot or Oh Dear, with lower setup effort.