Stack
Checkly
A synthetic monitoring tool that runs scripted Playwright browser checks against your live site to verify that flows like login and checkout complete.
What it actually does
Checkly runs Playwright browser scripts and API checks on a schedule against your production site, so it can confirm that a multi-step flow completes rather than just that a URL returns 200. When login or checkout breaks, Checkly catches it even if the server is up.
It follows a monitoring-as-code model: checks are written in TypeScript, live in your repo, and deploy via CLI or CI, which fits a solo dev workflow. The free Hobby plan includes 10 uptime monitors, 1,000 browser check runs/mo, and 10,000 API check runs/mo.
Browser check volume adds up fast, so on the free plan checks stop running once credits are exhausted, and frequent browser checks on paid plans cost real money. The trick is to run browser checks sparingly and lean on cheaper API checks.
Checkly vs its main rivals
The tools people actually weigh against Checkly: Datadog Synthetics, Pingdom, New Relic Synthetics, Better Stack. Same criteria for every column, including where Checkly loses.
| Checkly |  Datadog Synthetics |  Pingdom |  New Relic Synthetics |  Better Stack | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pricing & access | |||||
| Free tier | YesHobby plan | NoTrial only | NoTrial only | YesFree tier | Yes10 monitors |
| Starting price | $24/mo | $12/1k browser tests | $15/mo | Usage-based | ~$29/mo |
Coverage | |||||
| Playwright browser checks | YesFree tier | YesPaid | YesPaid | YesScripted | YesPaid |
| API checks | Yes10k/mo free | YesPaid | YesPaid | YesYes | YesYes |
| Monitoring-as-code (CLI) | YesYes | YesTerraform | NoNo | YesTerraform | YesTerraform |
| Links to APM traces | YesOTel | YesFull APM | NoNo | YesFull APM | NoNo |
Scaling & limits | |||||
| Free browser runs/mo | 1,000 | 0 | 0 | Limited | 0 |
| Check locations | Public (free) | 20+ | 100+ | Many | Multiple |
| Free hard cap (no surprise bill) | YesYes | NoNo | NoNo | YesYes | YesYes |
Developer & API | |||||
| REST API | Free | Paid | Paid | Free | Free |
Team & enterprise | |||||
| SSO / SAML | YesPaid | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes | YesPaid |
- The free tier includes Playwright browser checks, so you can verify login and checkout complete, not just that a page returns 200
- Monitoring-as-code: checks live in your repo and deploy via CLI, fitting a solo dev workflow
- The free hard cap means you cannot be surprise-billed on Hobby
- Browser check math adds up fast: one check every 15 minutes is ~2,900 runs/mo, already past the free 1,000-run cap
- On Hobby, checks stop running when credits run out, which defeats the point of monitoring
- Pingdom and Datadog run from far more global check locations than Checkly's smaller free set
Pay less for it
5 ways found10 monitors, 1,000 browser runs, and 10,000 API runs/mo with a hard cap so no surprise bill
Hourly browser checks stay near the free cap; 5-minute intervals burn ~8,640 runs/mo
API checks are far cheaper than browser runs ($2.60/10k vs $6.50/1k), so cover what you can with API checks
Annual billing discounts apply on Starter and Team plans
UptimeRobot — If you only need to know the homepage is up rather than that a multi-step flow completes, 50 free HTTP monitors cost nothing
StackTracker tracks what you actually pay for Checkly and every other tool, flags overpayment, and shows the dollars you would save by switching.
Is it the right tool for you
- Your revenue depends on a multi-step flow like signup or checkout working end to end
- You want checks defined as code in your repo and deployed via CI
- You want a free hard cap so monitoring can never surprise-bill you
- You only need to know the homepage responds, not that a flow completes → use UptimeRobot
- You want synthetics linked into a full APM and log platform you already pay for → use Datadog Synthetics
Track what Checkly and the rest of your stack cost
StackTracker adds up every subscription, plus your hours, so you see the real number.
Prices and limits last verified 2026-07-20.