Probecast vs Checkly
Developer-first synthetic monitoring: Playwright-based browser checks and API checks, managed as code from the CLI and CI.
The short version
Checkly goes deep on one product — Playwright E2E, monitoring as code, CI-native. Probecast goes wide across many client projects and adds the business layer: reports, SLA and revenue per client. Both speak dev: API, CLI and agent workflows on each side. Depth on your own SaaS, Checkly; breadth across client work, Probecast.
Probecast is monitoring plus monthly client reports for devs and agencies who ship projects for other people. It watches websites, APIs, cron jobs, TCP ports, browser flows and public MCP servers from 4 regions, groups everything by client and ends each month in a white-label report — with an API, a CLI and an MCP server so your coding agent can manage monitors too.
What each one does.
| Capability | Checkly | Probecast |
|---|---|---|
| Synthetic browser checks | Playwright-native, very deep | Browser flows with screenshots — simpler, per client |
| API checks | Yes, as code | Yes — dashboard, API, CLI or your coding agent via MCP |
| Monitoring as code | Core workflow (CLI, Terraform, CI) | API and CLI create monitors; not a full IaC workflow |
| Uptime, heartbeats, TCP and SSL | Focused on synthetic and API checks | Websites, heartbeats, TCP ports, SSL and domain expiry included |
| Client layer | Built for product teams | Clients, white-label reports, password status pages, per-client team access |
| Third-party provider catalog | You write each check | 1,000+ providers and public MCP servers already checked |
| AI agent integration | Developer tooling and AI features of its own | MCP server: your coding agent adds monitors and reads incidents |
Capabilities checked October 2026 · Checkly details from public materials — tell us if something is out of date
Checkly pricing
Free developer tier, then usage-based pricing on check runs. Pricing on checklyhq.com.
Probecast pricing
Free · Indie $9 · Startup $25 · Agency $150/mo flat — synthetic checks included on Agency, no per-run metering.
When Checkly is the better choice
- You own one product and want deep Playwright E2E coverage of it.
- Monitors belong in the repo and deploy from CI in your workflow.
- Usage-based pricing matches your check volume.
When Probecast is the better choice
- You watch twelve client projects, not one product, and need them separated.
- Clients expect a monthly report and a status page with their name on it.
- You want uptime, revenue and support in one view per client.
Can monitors live in code with Probecast?
Monitors are created and deleted through the REST API and the CLI, so a deploy script can own them — including an Idempotency-Key so retried pipelines never duplicate monitors. There is no Terraform provider today.
How deep are Probecast synthetic checks?
They cover the flows agencies prove to clients — load, click, assert, screenshot — from 4 regions. For heavy multi-step E2E suites in Playwright, Checkly is the deeper tool.
See it with your own projects.
Start free with one project — or add a monitor from the terminal with npx probecast.
Checkly is a trademark of its owner. Probecast is not affiliated with and does not endorse or disparage Checkly; this page reflects public information as of October 2026 and both products evolve. Found an error? Tell us at probecast.io/contact and we will fix it.