ScaledPapers vs UptimeRobot
UptimeRobot is the most popular budget uptime monitor: point it at a URL, get alerted when it stops responding. The free plan is generous — 50 monitors on 5-minute checks — and paid tiers buy faster intervals, more seats, and longer retention.
ScaledPapers covers the same core job (scheduled HTTP checks with alerts) and adds the piece UptimeRobot gates to paid plans as an afterthought: a proper public status page with incident history, free on every account.
At a glance
| ScaledPapers | UptimeRobot | |
|---|---|---|
| Free monitors | 5 checks (interval ≥ 5 min, 1 region) | 50 monitors (5-minute interval) |
| Check types | HTTP/API, Website, DNS, TCP | HTTP(s), keyword, ping, port, heartbeat, DNS, SSL, domain |
| Fastest interval | 60 seconds | 15 seconds (Enterprise) |
| Probe regions | 5 Americas regions per check; 16-region one-shot homepage checker | Multi-location probes on paid plans |
| Status pages | Free, full-featured: incidents, components, subscribe (email/RSS/Slack) | "Basic" on Free; full pages on paid tiers |
| Incident flow | Failed check → component down → incident → subscriber email | Alerts to integrations; status page reflects monitor state |
| API | api.scaledpapers.com — CRUD, run-now, history, usage |
REST API (rate-limited on free) |
| Paid starts | Not live yet (free while in beta) | Solo $13/mo (10 monitors, 60s checks) |
Where ScaledPapers fits
You monitor a handful of production URLs and want the results to be public — a status page your customers can subscribe to, incidents they can read, and a 24-hour tick bar per check. That whole loop is free: create checks in the console or through the Checks API, link them to components, and incidents flow to the page automatically.
The trade-off versus UptimeRobot's free tier is monitor count: 5 checks against their 50. If you need fifty cheap monitors and no public page, UptimeRobot's free plan is the better raw deal. If you need the page, UptimeRobot reserves its full status pages and 60-second checks for paid tiers, while ScaledPapers includes both on the free plan. Keyword, heartbeat, and SSL-expiry checks are not available yet.
Where UptimeRobot fits
UptimeRobot fits people who want maximum monitor count for $0 and don't need polished customer communication. Paid Solo ($13/mo) unlocks 60-second checks; Team and Scale add seats, 30/15-second intervals, and longer retention.
Note from their terms and help docs (checked September 2026): the free plan's commercial-use terms have changed more than once since December 2024 — their current help center says business use is allowed, third-party guides say it is banned. If you run a business on their free tier, verify their current Terms of Service.
Notes
- UptimeRobot pricing (checked Sep 2026): Free $0 (50 monitors, 5-min checks, 3-month retention), Solo $13/mo (10 monitors, 60s), Team $46/mo (100 monitors, 30s), Scale $98/mo (200 monitors, 15s). Annual billing discounts these ~8–15%.
- ScaledPapers free limits: 5 checks, 5-minute minimum interval, 1 probe region, 14 days of samples — see Account.
- Product updates are on the changelog.