UptimeWire and Pingdom both tell you when a website stops answering. Pingdom goes further. Besides checking that a site is up, it can walk through a page like a visitor and report how real visitors experience it. UptimeWire stays with availability.
This page compares the two on scope, intervals, and pricing. It is written by UptimeWire, so read it with that in mind. Where Pingdom does something we do not, we say so.
Note
Pingdom facts on this page were checked on its official pages on 2026-11-03. Plans and prices change. Confirm anything that matters on the vendor pages listed under Sources.
Quick comparison
| Question | UptimeWire | Pingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Availability, SSL, domain, DNS | Availability, scripted browser checks, page speed, real-user data |
| Free plan | 1 website, 5-minute checks | None found; a free trial |
| What you pay for | A number of websites | Packs of uptime checks, advanced checks, and SMS |
| Shortest interval | 1 minute (Business, Agency) | 1 minute |
| Check types | Four fixed checks per website | HTTP(S), ping, TCP, UDP, DNS, SMTP, POP3, IMAP |
| SSL certificate check | Every website, every plan | On HTTPS checks, with a set number of days before expiry |
| Domain expiration check | Every website, every plan | Not found in its documentation |
| Browser scripts | None | Transaction checks in a real browser |
| Real-user monitoring | None | Priced by page views |
| Users | 1 to 5, by plan | Unlimited, according to its pricing page |
| Status pages | None on Free; 2, 5, or 25 on paid plans | Public status pages included |
Two kinds of monitoring
This is the difference that matters most.
Availability monitoring asks a website from the outside whether it answers. It can say that the address responds, that the certificate is valid, that the domain is registered, and that the name resolves. It cannot say that a person can log in, add an item to a cart, or pay.
Performance and journey monitoring goes further. A scripted check opens a page in a real browser and clicks through a flow. Real-user monitoring collects measurements from the browsers of actual visitors.
UptimeWire does the first kind only. A website is one exact address, such as https://example.com/, and each website gets four checks:
- Uptime: an HTTP request to the address on a schedule.
- SSL certificate: whether the certificate is valid and when it expires, for
httpsaddresses. - Domain expiration: when the domain registration ends, where the registry publishes it.
- DNS resolution: whether the name resolves to a public address.
It does not run browser journeys, measure page speed, or collect visitor data. See what the checks do.
Pingdom covers both kinds. Its uptime checks support HTTP(S), ping, TCP, UDP, DNS, and mail protocols. Its transaction checks run a script or a recorded flow in a real browser from its probes. Its page speed checks and transaction checks are what it calls advanced checks. Its real-user monitoring collects data from visitors' browsers, and its pricing page lists 13 months of retention for that data.
If a broken checkout is what you fear, an availability check will not catch it, and Pingdom's transaction checks can.
Intervals and detection
A shorter interval finds a problem sooner. It does not promise an alert within that time.
- UptimeWire: 5 minutes on Free, 3 on Starter, 1 on Business and Agency. An incident opens after three failed checks in a row, 20 seconds apart.
- Pingdom: its documentation gives 1 minute as the interval for uptime checks. Pingdom says it runs a second check before it alerts. Transaction checks run from every 5 minutes to once a day.
We found conflicting numbers for how many probe locations Pingdom has, so we do not quote one. UptimeWire's paid plans check from several locations (2 on Starter, 3 on Business, 5 on Agency), and you cannot pick them.
SSL, domain, and DNS
- UptimeWire: the warning period for a certificate is set per website (1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 30, or 60 days, default 30). Domain expiration has its own period. DNS asks whether the name resolves to a public address.
- Pingdom: an HTTPS check can mark the site down when the certificate is invalid or expired, and has a setting for how many days before expiry to alert. A DNS check confirms that a name server resolves a host to the expected address. We found no domain expiration check in its documentation. That means "not found", not "not offered". Ask Pingdom if it matters to you.
See how to prevent SSL certificate expiration.
Alerts and status pages
Pingdom lists email, SMS, push, webhooks, and third-party integrations. SMS comes in a set number per pack. The pricing page does not say which plan gets which channel.
UptimeWire sends email and Telegram on every plan. Webhook and Discord start on Starter. Slack and Microsoft Teams start on Business. Email and Telegram carry outage, recovery, certificate, domain, and DNS alerts. The other channels carry outage and recovery only. SMS and push are not available yet.
Pingdom lists public status pages and reports as included. UptimeWire has none on Free and 2, 5, or 25 on the paid plans. It does not send updates to subscribers and does not support incident posts.
Pricing
Important
The two price lists use different units. Do not compare them as if they were the same size.
UptimeWire, in US dollars: Free, $0 for 1 website. Starter, $19 a month or $190 a year for 10 websites. Business, $49 or $490 for 25. Agency, $99 or $990 for 100. Every website on every plan gets all four checks. See the pricing page.
Pingdom, as shown on its pricing page on 2026-11-03, which opened with annual billing:
| Pack | Uptime checks | Advanced checks | SMS | Yearly price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 1 | 50 | $198 |
| 2 | 25 | 4 | 100 | $436 |
| 3 | 50 | 10 | 200 | $858 |
| 4 | 100 | 20 | 350 | $1,637 |
Larger packs go up to thousands of checks. Real-user monitoring is priced separately by page views. The page offers a free trial and shows no free plan. The length of the trial is stated differently on two of its pages, and other Pingdom pages show a lower "from" price than this table, so check the pricing page before you rely on a number. The monthly price was not visible when we read the page.
A Pingdom uptime check and an UptimeWire website are not the same unit. At Pingdom, SSL and DNS checks are further checks of their own. At UptimeWire, one website carries all four. We do not state which costs less for you. Count the checks you need in each.
When UptimeWire is a good fit
- Your concern is that the site is reachable and that the certificate, the domain, and the DNS do not lapse.
- You manage several small sites and want the same four checks on each.
- You do not need scripted journeys or visitor data.
- You want to know the cost from the number of websites.
When Pingdom may be the better fit
- You need to know that a flow such as login or checkout works, not only that a page answers.
- You want page speed checks or data from real visitors.
- You need checks on other protocols: TCP, UDP, SMTP, POP3, or IMAP.
- You want unlimited users on the account.
Final assessment
Neither service is better for everyone.
Choose Pingdom if how the site works for visitors matters as much as whether it answers, and you will use the scripted and real-user tools.
Choose UptimeWire if you want website availability with certificate, domain, and DNS checks on every site, and you accept a narrower product.
Both are worth a trial on a real website before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
Does UptimeWire do transaction monitoring or real-user monitoring?
No. It checks the address, the certificate, the domain, and DNS from outside. It does not run browser journeys or collect visitor data.
Does a passing availability check mean my site works?
No. It means the address answered as expected. A broken form or checkout can pass it.
Does Pingdom monitor domain expiration?
We did not find it in its documentation. Check with Pingdom before you rely on it.
Can I use both?
Yes. Some teams use a focused monitor for availability and a wider tool for the flows that matter.