BoxWatch vs Freshping
Freshping was a Freshworks product that monitored URLs and endpoints from 10 global probe locations, alerting teams when sites went down. It offered HTTP, ICMP ping, TCP, UDP, WebSocket, and DNS checks with a generous free tier of 50 monitors. BoxWatch covers similar uptime checking but adds a resident agent on each Linux server, giving you CPU, memory, disk, load, and process-level visibility alongside the synthetic checks. Note: Freshping shut down permanently on March 6, 2026; the comparison below reflects its capabilities at time of shutdown.
Quick verdict
Freshping was the right pick if you only needed to know whether a public URL was up, wanted a zero-cost entry point, and had no interest in what was happening inside the server. BoxWatch is the right pick if you also need host-level metrics, process monitoring, cron heartbeat monitoring, disk-full prediction, or the ability to probe private and firewalled endpoints from your own infrastructure. For teams that have already moved off Freshping and want to consolidate uptime checks with server observability, BoxWatch covers both without requiring a second tool.
Pricing
| Plan | Freshping | BoxWatch |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 50 checks, 5 status pages, 10 global locations | 5 servers, 20 cron checks, 10 processes/server, 24h retention |
| Entry paid | Blossom: $11/mo (60 checks, 12 users) | Pro: $13/mo (25 servers, 100 uptime checks, 50 processes) |
| Mid tier | Garden: $36/mo (80 checks, 50 users) | Team: $29/mo (100 servers) |
| High volume | No higher tier | Scale: $79/mo (unlimited servers) |
| Pricing model | Per check count (not per host) | Flat per plan, unlimited checks on paid tiers |
| Status | Shut down March 2026 | Active |
Feature comparison
When Freshping was the better choice
Freshping's free tier was genuinely hard to beat for pure URL uptime monitoring: 50 monitors checked every minute from 10 global locations at no cost. If your only concern was whether a public website responded to HTTP requests, Freshping required no agent, no server access, and almost no setup. Its tight integration with the Freshworks ecosystem (Freshdesk, Freshservice) also made it convenient for teams already on those platforms.
When BoxWatch is the better choice
- You need to see what is happening inside the server (CPU, memory, disk, load average, per-process stats), not just whether a port responds.
- You run cron jobs or background workers that must alert when they stop pinging in (heartbeat/dead-man's-switch monitoring).
- You want to probe private or firewalled endpoints; because BoxWatch probes run from your own agents, they can reach services that are not on the public internet.
- You want disk-full prediction, maintenance windows, alert cooldown and dedup, or a TV wall dashboard, none of which Freshping offered.
- You need a flat predictable bill: BoxWatch charges per plan regardless of how many checks you configure, whereas Freshping charged by check count.
FAQ
Freshping shut down in March 2026. Can I migrate my uptime checks to BoxWatch?
Yes. BoxWatch supports HTTP, TCP, and TLS synthetic checks that run from your installed agents. You can recreate your Freshping monitors by adding uptime checks in the BoxWatch dashboard. Because the probes run from your own servers, you can also reach internal endpoints that Freshping's cloud-only probes could not.
Freshping had 10 global probe locations. How does BoxWatch handle multi-region checks?
BoxWatch uptime checks run from your own agents rather than from a centralized probe network. If you have servers in multiple regions, each can run checks independently, giving you region-specific visibility. If all your servers are in one region, you get one probe location. This is a genuine trade-off: Freshping's cloud probe network was better for testing geographic availability of public sites from external vantage points.
Does BoxWatch have a free tier like Freshping did?
Yes. The BoxWatch Hobby plan is permanently free and covers 5 servers, 20 cron heartbeat checks, and 10 monitored processes per server, with 24-hour data retention. It includes uptime checks, email alerts, and the core dashboard at no cost.