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PingZen vs Updown.io: Free Unlimited Monitoring vs Pay-per-Check

Updown.io is a French bootstrapped monitoring service by Adrien Rey-Jarthon. It uses a unique pay-per-check credit model (~€0.60/month for 1 site at 1-minute intervals). Supports HTTP, TCP, ICMP, SSL, domain expiry, and heartbeat checks from 8 global nodes with dual-stack IPv4/IPv6.

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Quick Comparison

Best Value
PingZen
Price
Free forever
Intervals
30 seconds
Protocols
22 protocols
Alerts
12+ channels
Updown.io
Price
Pay-per-check (~€0.60/month/site)
Intervals
15 seconds (paid)
Protocols
6 (HTTP, TCP, ICMP, SSL, Domain, Heartbeat)
Alerts
Email, SMS, Slack, Telegram, webhooks

Feature Comparison

Feature Comparison
FeaturePingZenUpdown.io
HTTP/HTTPS monitoring
TCP monitoring
Ping (ICMP)
SSL certificate monitoring
Domain expiry monitoring
Heartbeat/cron monitoring
IPv6 dual-stack
DNS monitoring
WebSocket monitoring
gRPC monitoring
SMTP monitoring
FTP monitoring
DNSBL monitoring
Telegram alerts
Slack integration
Public status pages
Incident management
Bitcoin payments

Why Choose PingZen

  • 22 protocols vs 6 — DNS, WebSocket, gRPC, SMTP, FTP, DNSBL, and more
  • Unlimited free monitors vs pay-per-check credits
  • Public status pages and incident management
  • Predictable pricing (free) vs variable credit costs
  • Real-time WebSocket dashboard
  • Team workspaces with role-based access

When Updown.io is Better

  • Pay only for what you use — most flexible pricing
  • Dual-stack IPv6 support built-in
  • 15-second check intervals available
  • Multi-location confirmation prevents false positives
  • REST API for CI/CD integration
  • Bitcoin payment accepted

Not sure about PingZen vs Updown.io?

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Migration Tip

Updown.io is ideal for developers wanting pay-per-check flexibility and IPv6. PingZen is better for teams wanting unlimited free monitors, 22 protocols, and status pages without credit management.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Set up your first monitor in 30 seconds. Switching from Updown.io takes 5 minutes.

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Free forever · No credit card · 5-min setup

PingZen

Website monitoring made simple. Know when your site goes down before your users do.

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