Uptime Monitoring Without Datadog: Simpler, Cheaper Alternatives

Who This Is For

This guide is for engineering teams and founders who:

• Need uptime monitoring but not full observability
• Are paying too much for Datadog relative to features used
• Want a simpler setup without the learning curve
• Need status pages that Datadog doesn't offer

If your Datadog bill is growing but you're only using it to know if stuff is up, this guide is for you.

Why Teams Look Beyond Datadog for Uptime

1. Datadog Is an Observability Platform

Datadog excels at:

• Application Performance Monitoring (APM)
• Log management
• Infrastructure metrics at scale
• Distributed tracing
• Real User Monitoring

For uptime monitoring, you're paying for an aircraft carrier when you need a speedboat.

2. Pricing Adds Up Fast

Datadog Synthetics pricing:

• API tests: $7.20 per 10K test runs
• Browser tests: $12 per 1K test runs
• Private locations: Additional cost

Example: 50 monitors, 1-minute intervals

50 monitors × 60 min × 24 hr × 30 days = 2,160,000 test runs
At $7.20 per 10K = $156/month

Plus you still need a status page tool.

3. Complexity You Don't Need

Datadog's UI and concepts are powerful but complex:

• Learning curve for new team members
• Many options can overwhelm
• Simple tasks require navigation

For "is my website up?", this is overkill.

4. No Status Pages

Datadog doesn't include status pages. You'd need to add:

• Atlassian Statuspage ($29-199/month)
• Instatus ($20-150/month)
• Better Stack

More tools, more subscriptions, more complexity.

What You Actually Need

For most teams, uptime monitoring requirements are:

Wakestack: Uptime Monitoring Without Datadog's Complexity

What Wakestack Provides

1. Uptime Monitoring

   • HTTP/HTTPS checks
   • TCP port monitoring
   • DNS verification
   • SSL certificate tracking
   • 30-second intervals

2. Server Monitoring

   • CPU, Memory, Disk metrics
   • Process monitoring
   • Lightweight Go agent

3. Status Pages

   • Custom branding
   • Custom domains
   • Subscriber notifications
   • Incident management

4. Organization

   • Nested host grouping
   • Infrastructure hierarchy
   • Clear relationships

What Wakestack Doesn't Provide

• APM / distributed tracing
• Log aggregation
• Custom dashboards
• 500+ integrations
• Container orchestration visibility

If you need these, Datadog is the right choice. If you don't, you're overpaying.

Migration Path: Datadog → Simpler Monitoring

Step 1: Audit Your Datadog Usage

Check what you actually use:

• Synthetics monitors → Migrate to Wakestack
• Infrastructure basics → Wakestack agent handles
• APM → Keep Datadog OR remove if not used
• Logs → Keep Datadog OR use dedicated log tool

Step 2: Set Up Wakestack

1. Create account at wakestack.co.uk/signup
2. Add your uptime monitors
3. Install agent on key servers
4. Create status page

Step 3: Run Parallel

Run both for 1-2 weeks:

• Verify Wakestack catches same issues
• Compare alerting reliability
• Test status page workflow

Step 4: Reduce Datadog Scope

Options:

• Full migration: Cancel Datadog entirely
• Partial: Keep APM, migrate synthetics
• Hybrid: Use both for different purposes

Cost Comparison

Small Team (20 endpoints)

Datadog approach:

Synthetics: 20 × 60 × 24 × 30 = 864,000 tests
At $7.20/10K = ~$62/month
Status page tool: ~$29/month
Total: ~$91/month

Wakestack approach:

Pro plan: $29/month (includes status pages)
Total: $29/month

Savings: $62/month ($744/year)

Growing Team (50 endpoints + server monitoring)

Datadog approach:

Synthetics: ~$155/month
Infrastructure (5 hosts): ~$75/month
Status page: ~$29/month
Total: ~$259/month

Wakestack approach:

Pro plan: $29/month
Total: $29/month

Savings: $230/month ($2,760/year)

When Datadog Is Worth It

If you actively use:

• APM with trace correlation
• Log analysis
• Custom dashboards
• Container/K8s deep visibility

The integration value justifies the cost.

Other Datadog Alternatives for Uptime

UptimeRobot

Best for: Budget-conscious teams Price: Free tier, $7/month Pro Pros: Cheap, simple Cons: No server monitoring, dated UI

Better Stack

Best for: DevOps teams Price: $29/month per seat Pros: Modern, includes on-call Cons: Per-seat pricing adds up, no server monitoring

Pingdom

Best for: Enterprises Price: $15+/month Pros: Established, RUM available Cons: Expensive, separate status pages

Wakestack (Recommended)

Best for: Teams wanting all-in-one Price: $29/month flat Pros: Server monitoring, status pages, nested hosts Cons: Newer platform

Feature Comparison

Uptime Monitoring

Beyond Uptime

Decision Framework

Stay with Datadog if:

• ✅ You actively use APM and traces
• ✅ You need log correlation
• ✅ You have complex microservices
• ✅ Budget isn't a concern
• ✅ You need deep K8s visibility

Switch to Wakestack if:

• ✅ You mainly check "is it up?"
• ✅ You need status pages
• ✅ You want simpler pricing
• ✅ You want basic server metrics
• ✅ You value simplicity over power

Use Both if:

• ✅ You need APM for some services
• ✅ You want cheaper uptime monitoring
• ✅ You need status pages
• ✅ Separation of concerns makes sense

Try Wakestack Free

See how simple uptime monitoring can be.

• 5 monitors free
• Status page included
• Server monitoring included
• No credit card required

Start Simple Monitoring →

Related Resources

• Datadog Alternative: Full Comparison
• Best Uptime Monitoring Tools in 2026
• Uptime Monitoring: Complete Guide