UptimeRobot is $7/mo (Pro). Paddock is a self-hosted alternative at $0.99/mo. Here's when each makes sense.
| Paddock | UptimeRobot | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Self-hosted, your infra | Managed SaaS (cloud only) |
| Data location | Your server, your disk | UptimeRobot's cloud |
| Free tier | 3 components | Paid only |
| Pro pricing | $0.99/mo | $7/mo (Pro) |
| Dependencies | None (single binary + SQLite) | N/A (managed) |
| Setup time | ~30 seconds | Account signup |
| Dashboard | Built-in at /ui | Cloud dashboard |
| License | BSL 1.1 | Proprietary SaaS |
Paddock is a single Go binary with embedded SQLite. Install it with one command, and you are running in under a minute. Your data stays on your server.
curl -fsSL https://stockyard.dev/paddock/install.sh | sh
Before choosing between Paddock and UptimeRobot, consider what happens when you need to leave. UptimeRobot exports vary in completeness — some fields, some history, some metadata may not come with you. Paddock stores everything in a single SQLite file. Leaving means copying that file. This is not a hypothetical concern: the average team changes tools every 18 to 24 months.
Paddock runs as a single static binary with an embedded SQLite database. There is no application server, no cache layer, no background worker. One process handles HTTP requests and reads from and writes to the database file directly. This simplicity is the entire point — fewer moving parts means fewer things that can break at 2 AM.
Switching from UptimeRobot to Paddock is straightforward for most teams. Export your data from UptimeRobot (most services offer CSV or JSON export), then POST each record to Paddock's API. A migration script that reads the export and writes to /api/ endpoints typically takes less than 50 lines of code. The reverse migration is equally simple — Paddock's SQLite database is a standard file you can query with any SQLite client.
Single binary. Free to start. $0.99/mo for Pro.