BoxWatch vs updown.io
updown.io is a lean, agentless uptime monitoring service that checks your URLs, TCP ports, and cron-job heartbeats from global probe locations using a pay-per-check credit model. BoxWatch is a Linux server-monitoring SaaS that installs a lightweight agent on each host and collects CPU, memory, disk, process, and network metrics alongside synthetic uptime checks and cron heartbeats. The two tools overlap only on external HTTP/TCP checks and pulse (heartbeat) monitoring; everything else sits in different categories.
Quick verdict
Pick updown.io when you need cheap, reliable external uptime checks for public-facing URLs and you have no interest in what is happening inside the server. Its credit model makes it extremely cost-effective for monitoring large numbers of endpoints at low check frequency. Pick BoxWatch when you need to know what is happening on the Linux host itself: CPU spikes, memory pressure, disk-full forecasts, process crashes, and cron-job failures, all on a flat per-plan price that never grows with the number of checks you configure.
Pricing
| Plan | updown.io | BoxWatch |
|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | 100,000 free credits (~27 days at 1-min checks on 1 URL) | Hobby: $0, 5 servers, 20 cron checks |
| Entry paid | 200,000 credits for ~$5 (~27 days at 1-min on 1 URL) | Pro: $13/mo, 25 servers, 100 uptime checks |
| Mid-tier | 1,500,000 credits for ~$25 (~7 months at 1-min on 1 URL) | Team: $29/mo, 100 servers |
| Scale / heavy use | 10,000,000 credits for ~$100 | Scale: $79/mo, unlimited servers |
| Pricing model | Per check (credits consumed per request) | Flat per plan, unlimited checks within tier |
| Host-level metrics | Not available | Included in every paid plan |
Feature comparison
When updown.io is the better choice
- You only need to verify that public URLs and TCP ports respond correctly from multiple global locations, with no interest in server internals.
- Your monitoring budget is very small: a handful of checks at moderate frequency can run for months on a single $5 credit pack.
- You want ICMP ping checks: updown.io supports ICMP; BoxWatch does not.
When BoxWatch is the better choice
- You need CPU, memory, disk, network, and load metrics alongside uptime checks, all in one tool.
- You want disk-full forecasting, process-level monitoring, or host-to-host comparison charts.
- Your uptime checks must reach private or firewalled endpoints (BoxWatch synthetic checks run from the agent on your own network; updown.io probes only from its own public nodes).
- You want a predictable flat monthly price regardless of how many checks or hosts you add within your tier.
FAQ
Does updown.io monitor server resources like CPU or memory?
No. updown.io is purely an external availability and performance checker. It cannot install an agent on a host and has no visibility into CPU, memory, disk usage, running processes, or system load. If you need host-level metrics, you need a separate tool such as BoxWatch.
Can updown.io reach internal or private endpoints?
No. updown.io probes run from its own globally distributed nodes, so only publicly reachable URLs and TCP ports can be monitored. BoxWatch synthetic checks run from the agent installed on your server, so they can reach anything your server can, including services on private networks or behind firewalls.
How do updown.io's maintenance windows work?
updown.io does not have a built-in scheduled maintenance window UI. You can silence alerts for a period using the mute_until API parameter, or disable checks entirely via the API or dashboard toggle. BoxWatch includes a dedicated maintenance window feature in the UI that suppresses both monitoring and alerts for a configured time range.