Comparison

UptimeSignal vs Uptime Kuma

Uptime Kuma is excellent self-hosted monitoring software. UptimeSignal is a managed service — no infrastructure required.

Quick Comparison

Aspect UptimeSignal Uptime Kuma

Hosting Managed SaaS Self-hosted

Cost $0-15/month Free (+ hosting)

Setup 60 seconds Deploy + configure

Maintenance None You manage it

Open source No Yes

Status pages Unlimited free Yes

What Uptime Kuma Does Well

Open source and free — No subscription fees, fully transparent code
Full control — Your data stays on your infrastructure
Highly customizable — Modify and extend as needed
Great community — Active development and support

Where UptimeSignal Wins

No infrastructure to manage

Uptime Kuma requires a server to run on. You need to set it up, keep it running, and maintain it. UptimeSignal just works — we handle everything.

Ironic failure mode

If your infrastructure goes down, your self-hosted Uptime Kuma might go down with it. A monitoring service that shares fate with what it monitors is... not ideal.

External perspective

We check your endpoints from outside your network, just like your users access them. A self-hosted solution can't give you that external perspective.

True cost comparison

A small VPS to run Uptime Kuma costs $5-10/month. Add in maintenance time and the external monitoring gap, and $15/month for a managed service is a fair trade.

When to Choose Uptime Kuma

You specifically want self-hosted software
Data sovereignty is a requirement
You enjoy managing infrastructure
You want to customize the monitoring tool itself

When to Choose UptimeSignal

You want monitoring that works without infrastructure
You need truly external monitoring perspective
You value your time over small cost savings
You don't want your monitoring to go down with your servers

Just monitoring, no infrastructure

Add your URLs and we handle everything. Forever free for 25 monitors.

Start monitoring free →