Uptime Kuma is the easier pick if you want to add monitors in a browser; Gatus fits better if your team wants monitoring configuration in Git. Both are free, open-source tools you run yourself. They check whether services are working and can alert you when something goes wrong.
The distinction lasts beyond installation. A browser interface is convenient for occasional changes, while a YAML configuration file gives developers something they can review and version alongside their code. Both approaches still leave you responsible for running the monitor and keeping its data safe.
Scores
1–5 per criterion · select a score for its reasoning and any sources| # | Product | Overall | Components to run | What it can check | Fastest check interval | Alert channels | Public status pages | Ways to manage monitors | Sign-in and users | Getting data out | Database choices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uptime Kuma | 3.4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 | Gatus | 3.0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
How each criterion is scored
Components to run
What a minimal install needs before the first check runs: the monitor itself plus any separate service it requires, such as a database server or a cache. Optional services don't count.
- 5 One downloadable program with storage built in and nothing else to install
- 4 One container with storage built in; installing without a container needs a separately installed language runtime or build tool
- 3 The app plus one required service, such as a database server or a cache
- 2 The app plus two required services
- 1 The app plus three or more required services
What it can check
How many of nine kinds of check the documentation lists: an HTTP(S) request that checks the response content, an open TCP port, ping (ICMP), a DNS record, TLS certificate expiry, a heartbeat that a cron job or script sends in (push), a query against a database server, a Docker container's state, and a server's CPU, memory and disk use.
- 5 All nine
- 4 Eight of the nine
- 3 Seven of the nine
- 2 Six of the nine
- 1 Five or fewer of the nine
Fastest check interval
The shortest time between two checks of the same service that the documentation states or shows as possible. A shorter interval notices an outage sooner.
- 5 15 seconds or less
- 4 16 to 59 seconds
- 3 1 minute
- 2 2 to 5 minutes
- 1 Longer than 5 minutes
Alert channels
How many notification services the monitor can send alerts to without extra software (email, Slack, Telegram, PagerDuty, a generic webhook and so on), counted from the project's own list.
- 5 50 or more
- 4 25 to 49
- 3 10 to 24
- 2 5 to 9
- 1 Fewer than 5
Public status pages
How many of five status-page features are documented: several status pages from one install, a status page on its own domain, incident notices posted on the page, scheduled maintenance shown on the page, and a way for visitors to subscribe to updates (email or RSS).
- 5 All five
- 4 Four of the five
- 3 Three of the five
- 2 Two of the five
- 1 None or one of the five
Ways to manage monitors
How many of five ways to create and change monitors are documented: forms in the web interface, text configuration files, an HTTP API the project supports for creating or changing monitors, importing monitors from a file, and exporting them to a file. An API the project calls internal or unsupported doesn't count.
- 5 All five
- 4 Four of the five
- 3 Three of the five
- 2 Two of the five
- 1 One of the five
Sign-in and users
How many of four sign-in and user features are documented: a login that protects the dashboard, two-factor login, single sign-on through an outside identity provider (OpenID Connect, SAML or LDAP), and several user accounts with roles that limit what each can change.
- 5 All four
- 4 Three of the four
- 3 Two of the four
- 2 One of the four
- 1 None of the four
Getting data out
How many of four ways to use monitoring results elsewhere are documented: a Prometheus metrics endpoint with per-monitor results, an HTTP API the project supports for reading monitor status and history, status or uptime badges to embed in other pages, and API keys or tokens for scripts that are separate from user passwords.
- 5 All four
- 4 Three of the four
- 3 Two of the four
- 2 One of the four
- 1 None of the four
Database choices
Where the monitor can keep its data: a database built into the app (such as SQLite) and which kinds of separate database server it supports. More choices let you use a database you already run and back up.
- 5 A built-in database or three or more kinds of database server
- 4 A built-in database or two kinds of database server
- 3 A built-in database or one kind of database server
- 2 Only a built-in database, with no separate server option
- 1 Only one kind of database, which runs as a separate server
Where the choice matters
Day-to-day configuration. Uptime Kuma manages monitors through its web interface. That’s a comfortable way to add a website or server check without editing a file. Gatus expects configuration in YAML, a text format you can store in Git. That makes changes reviewable alongside a deployment, but someone needs to maintain the file.
Checks and alerts. Both can monitor HTTP, TCP, and DNS, and both can alert services such as Slack. Gatus can evaluate details of a response, including its body and response time. Uptime Kuma also lists checks for things like Docker containers and game servers, so its specific monitor types are worth checking against your setup. It advertises more than 90 notification services; Gatus also supports many providers, so the particular service you use matters more than the count.
Communicating an outage. Uptime Kuma supports multiple status pages, lets you map them to domains, and can show maintenance messages. That is useful when different audiences need different views of your services. Gatus has a status page and system-wide announcements; its maintenance windows can suppress alerts. These serve different jobs: silencing an alert does not tell visitors what is happening.
Access and data. Gatus supports OpenID Connect, a way to sign in through an identity provider, as well as basic username-and-password authentication. Uptime Kuma documents two-factor authentication for its login. Both can expose metrics to Prometheus, a tool for collecting monitoring data. Gatus also documents a read-only API for status and history; Uptime Kuma describes its internal API as unsupported for third-party integrations.
History after a restart. Gatus uses memory storage by default, so its history disappears on restart unless you configure SQLite or PostgreSQL. Uptime Kuma supports SQLite and MariaDB. With either tool, its database needs storage that persists across restarts or container replacements. Backups serve a separate purpose: they help recover data if it is lost or damaged.
Which should you choose?
- For a browser-managed home lab or public status pages: Uptime Kuma is the more convenient starting point.
- For checks reviewed in Git or sign-in through an identity provider: Gatus fits the workflow.
- For Prometheus metrics or durable history: Either can work. Gatus needs a database configured for history, and both need persistent storage and backups.
Sources
2 products
Sources used for scores and product facts.