Glances vs UptimeRobot
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Glances is an open‑source, cross‑platform monitoring tool that provides a concise, real‑time view of system resources such as CPU, memory, disk I/O, network, and processes. It runs on Linux, Windows, macOS and can be accessed via a web interface, making it ideal for both local and remote monitoring. Designed for system administrators and DevOps teams, Glances aggregates metrics into a single dashboard, supports customizable alerts, and integrates with scripts or APIs for automated workflows. Its lightweight design ensures minimal overhead while delivering comprehensive performance insights.
UptimeRobot monitors websites, APIs, and other online services, checking them at regular intervals and notifying you the moment an endpoint becomes unavailable. It offers a simple dashboard to view status, response times, and historical uptime data. The service includes public status pages, multiple alert channels, and integrations with popular collaboration tools, making it easy for teams to stay informed and respond quickly to incidents.
- Fully open‑source and free
- Runs on all major operating systems
- Lightweight with low resource overhead
- Extensible via plugins and API
- Easy to set up with no coding required
- Generous free tier for small projects
- Multiple alert channels and integrations
- Clear visual dashboard and public status pages
- No native mobile app
- Limited built‑in visualization compared to commercial tools
- Alerting requires manual configuration or external scripts
- Limited check frequency on the free plan
- Advanced features require paid subscription
- No self‑hosted option
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View all →The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataGlances is a free, open‑source, cross‑platform system monitor for servers, while UptimeRobot is a SaaS uptime service with a freemium tier focused on website/API availability.
Key differences
- •Scope: Glances monitors OS‑level resources; UptimeRobot monitors external URLs/services.
- •Deployment: Glances runs locally on any OS; UptimeRobot is cloud‑only.
- •Pricing model: Glances is completely free; UptimeRobot offers limited free checks but charges for higher frequency and features.
- •Alerting: Glances requires manual setup or external scripts; UptimeRobot provides built‑in multi‑channel alerts.
- •Extensibility: Glances offers plugins, API, and data export; UptimeRobot offers an API but no plugin system.
Pricing & value
Glances is fully free and open‑source; UptimeRobot’s advanced features require paid subscription.
Ease of use / learning curve
UptimeRobot is a zero‑config SaaS with instant setup; Glances needs installation, CLI knowledge, and manual alert configuration.
Features & depth
Glances provides detailed CPU, memory, disk, network, process metrics and plugin ecosystem; UptimeRobot only checks endpoint uptime.
Integrations & ecosystem
Glances integrates with InfluxDB, Prometheus, Elasticsearch, Docker, etc.; UptimeRobot integrates mainly with Slack, Teams, Zapier, PagerDuty.
Collaboration
UptimeRobot includes public status pages and shared dashboards; Glances lacks built‑in sharing features.
Scalability
UptimeRobot’s cloud service scales to monitor many URLs without local resource limits; Glances consumes local host resources.
Support
UptimeRobot offers email and live‑chat support; Glances relies on GitHub issues and email only.
Choose Glances if…
Teams needing deep, on‑premise server performance monitoring without cost.
Choose UptimeRobot if…
Web admins who want quick, hosted uptime checks with built‑in alerts and status pages.
Common questions
Can I monitor server CPU and memory with UptimeRobot?
No; UptimeRobot only checks URL, ping, port, or keyword availability, not OS‑level metrics.
Is there any cost to use Glances for commercial environments?
No; Glances is open‑source and free for any use case.
Does Glances provide built‑in mobile or push notifications?
No; alerts must be configured manually or via external scripts; there is no native mobile app.