The latest articles on DEV Community by DriftDev (@driftdev). https://dev.to/driftdev https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3906368%2F3d688406-eb68-46b6-b39f-acef43ed3a73.png https://dev.to/driftdev en DriftDev Fri, 01 May 2026 08:22:05 +0000 https://dev.to/driftdev/uptimerobot-raised-their-price-4-i-built-an-alternative-p57 https://dev.to/driftdev/uptimerobot-raised-their-price-4-i-built-an-alternative-p57 <h2> I got hit by a 4× price hike – so I built my own uptime monitor </h2> <p>In July 2025, my monitoring bill went from <strong>$8 → $34/month</strong>.</p> <p>Same service. Same monitors.<br> Just… 4× the price.</p> <p>I was running a handful of side projects (5–10 apps), nothing crazy. But suddenly monitoring became one of my biggest recurring costs.</p> <p>That forced a decision:</p> <ul> <li>Pay it (and accept the new normal)</li> <li>Cut monitoring (not great…)</li> <li>Or build something myself</li> </ul> <p>I chose option 3.</p> <h2> What I actually needed (and probably you too) </h2> <p>When I looked at my usage, I realized I wasn’t using 90% of the features.</p> <p>What I <em>really</em> needed was simple:</p> <ul> <li>Reliable HTTP checks</li> <li>Fast alerts when things break</li> <li>Coverage from multiple regions</li> <li>A clean status page</li> </ul> <p>That’s it.</p> <h2> So I’m building <strong>Uptimely</strong> </h2> <p>A minimal uptime monitoring tool focused on the essentials:</p> <ul> <li>1-minute checks</li> <li>Monitoring from EU / US / AS</li> <li>Alerts via Slack, Telegram, Webhooks, Email</li> <li>Simple branded status pages</li> <li>SSL monitoring</li> </ul> <p>No feature overload. No complicated tiers.</p> <p><strong>Flat pricing: $9/month</strong></p> <p>And a small free tier:</p> <ul> <li>3 monitors</li> <li>5-minute checks</li> </ul> <h2> What’s been harder than expected </h2> <p>Honestly? Not the monitoring itself.</p> <p>It’s deciding what <em>not</em> to build.</p> <p>Every feature feels “nice to have”, but I’m trying to stay ruthless and keep this focused for indie devs—not turn it into another bloated platform.</p> <h2> Why I’m sharing this early </h2> <p>I’m building this solo, no VC, async.</p> <p>And I don’t want to build the wrong thing.</p> <p>If you’ve used uptime monitoring tools before, I’d really like your input:</p> <ul> <li>What’s the <strong>one feature</strong> you rely on daily?</li> <li>What annoyed you enough to consider switching?</li> <li>What’s missing in current tools?</li> <li>What would make you switch instantly?</li> </ul> <p>Landing page is live → <a href="https://uptimely.dev" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://uptimely.dev</a> (waitlist open)</p> <p>Every comment genuinely shapes what I build next.</p> webdev devops sideprojects monitoring