Developer Tools
Better Stack
Uptime monitoring, logs and incident management.
What it is
Better Stack combines uptime monitoring, log management, on-call scheduling and status pages in one product. Bundling uptime checks, logs, on-call and a status page removes three integrations a small team would otherwise wire together. Each part is competent rather than best-in-class, which is the usual trade for a bundle.
Better Stack pricing
Better Stack publishes 4 plans. Paid tiers start at $34/user/mo billed annually, and a free tier is listed alongside them.
| Plan | Price | What the vendor’s page says |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | $0/mo | Free plan $0/month: 10 monitors & heartbeats, 1 status page, Slack and e-mail alerts, 100,000 exceptions/month, 5,000 session replays, 3 GB logs and 3 GB traces retained 3 days, 30 GB metrics |
| Responder license | $34/user/mo billed annually | Responder license $34 per month, or $29 per license per month billed annually; unlimited team members are free and only responders need a license |
| Micro | $120/mo billed annually | Telemetry bundles are separate and include 30-day log retention: Nano $30/month ($25 billed yearly) for 40 GB each of traces, logs and metrics; Micro $120 ($100 yearly) for 160 GB each; Mega $250 ($210 yearly) |
| Mega | $250/mo billed annually | Telemetry bundles are separate and include 30-day log retention: Nano $30/month ($25 billed yearly) for 40 GB each of traces, logs and metrics; Micro $120 ($100 yearly) for 160 GB each; Mega $250 ($210 yearly) |
Prices read from the vendor's own pricing page on 2026-09-09. Vendors change plans without notice — check the source before you budget. Source
Cheaper alternatives to Better Stack — same category, ordered by verified starting price.
Key features
Uptime monitoring
Checks endpoints from multiple regions and alerts on failure.
Log management
Ingests and queries application logs with retention tiers.
On-call scheduling
Runs rotations and escalation policies for incidents.
Strengths and trade-offs
What works well
- Monitoring, logs and on-call together
- Clean interface and quick setup
- Status pages included
Where it falls short
- Log retention costs rise with volume
- Fewer integrations than specialist tools
- Alert tuning needed to avoid noise
Who it is for
Small teams that want monitoring and on-call without assembling three vendors.
Pick it or skip it
Pick Better Stack if
- Teams with a small on-call rota: only responders need a $34/month license ($29 billed annually) and unlimited team members are free
- Side projects and small sites — the free plan covers 10 monitors and heartbeats, one status page and 3 GB of logs retained for 3 days
- Anyone replacing three tools at once: uptime checks, on-call, logs and a status page are one subscription rather than four
- Predictable telemetry volumes: bundles are flat (Nano $30/month for 40 GB each of logs, traces and metrics) rather than per-GB metering
Skip it if
- You need a polished customer-facing status page: white-labeling, SSO and IP allowlisting are $250 per page per month each, and password protection is another $50
- You expect Slack workflows to be included — channel- and thread-based incident workflows are $9 per responder license per month on top of the license
- You have many responders: the per-license price is the whole model, so cost scales with how many people carry the pager
- You need phone call routing — that is $250 per phone number per month, more than seven responder licenses
Our verdict
Good consolidation for small teams. Large log volumes need a cost check first.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does Better Stack cost?
- There is a free plan (10 monitors, 1 status page, 3 GB logs), then $34 per responder licence per month, or $29 billed annually. Team members who do not respond to incidents are free. Telemetry bundles are separate, starting at $30/month ($25 yearly) for 40 GB each of logs, traces and metrics.
- Does Better Stack charge per team member?
- No — unlimited team members are free. You pay per responder license, which is the person who can be alerted and handle incidents.
- How much is a white-label status page on Better Stack?
- Removing the 'Powered by Better Stack' footer is $250 per page per month ($208 billed annually). Single Sign-On and IP allowlisting are also $250 per page per month each, and password authentication is $50.
- Is there a free plan?
- Yes. It covers 10 monitors and heartbeats, 1 status page, Slack and e-mail alerts, 100,000 exceptions and 5,000 session replays a month, with 3 GB of logs and traces retained for 3 days.
- How much does Better Stack cost?
- Better Stack publishes 4 plans: Free plan at $0/mo, Responder license at $34/user/mo billed annually, Micro at $120/mo billed annually, Mega at $250/mo billed annually. Every figure is read from the vendor's own pricing page; the pricing section above shows the source sentence for each tier.
- Does Better Stack have a free plan?
- Yes. Better Stack offers a free tier with limits; paid plans unlock higher usage or team features.
- Who is Better Stack best for?
- Small teams that want monitoring and on-call without assembling three vendors.
- What are the main drawbacks of Better Stack?
- The trade-offs we noted: Log retention costs rise with volume; Fewer integrations than specialist tools; Alert tuning needed to avoid noise.
- When should you not use Better Stack?
- Skip Better Stack if: You need a polished customer-facing status page: white-labeling, SSO and IP allowlisting are $250 per page per month each, and password protection is another $50; You expect Slack workflows to be included — channel- and thread-based incident workflows are $9 per responder license per month on top of the license; You have many responders: the per-license price is the whole model, so cost scales with how many people carry the pager.
What we checked
- Public APIOffers a documented API you can build against.Yes
- Mobile appHas a native app for iOS or Android, not just a mobile website.Yes
- Open source / self-hostableSource is open and the tool can be run on your own infrastructure.No
- SSO (SAML)Supports SAML single sign-on on at least one plan.Yes
“Not checked” means exactly that — we have not verified it, and we do not guess.
Evidence and freshness
Status: Vendor pricing page verifiedReviewed: 2026-09-09
- Better Stack — Pricing ↗
Checked 2026-09-09 · Supports: Free plan $0/month: 10 monitors & heartbeats, 1 status page, Slack and e-mail alerts, 100,000 exceptions/month, 5,000 session replays, 3 GB logs and 3 GB traces retained 3 days, 30 GB metrics, Responder license $34 per month, or $29 per license per month billed annually; unlimited team members are free and only responders need a license, Slack and MS Teams native incident management: basic single-channel integration included, channel- and thread-based workflows $9 per responder license per month, Status pages: 1 included; additional public status page $15/month ($12 annually); custom CSS & JavaScript $15 per page/month; white-labeling $250 per page/month ($208 annually), Status page password authentication $50 per page/month, IP allowlisting $250, Single Sign-On $250, sending e-mail from your own domain $250 per page/month, Status pages include 1,000 subscribers; each additional 1,000 subscribers is $40/month, Call routing is $250 per phone number per month ($208 annually), AI SRE chat is metered at $5 per million tokens, Telemetry bundles are separate and include 30-day log retention: Nano $30/month ($25 billed yearly) for 40 GB each of traces, logs and metrics; Micro $120 ($100 yearly) for 160 GB each; Mega $250 ($210 yearly), 60-day money-back guarantee; annual billing is advertised as about 2 months free
Limit: Vendor pricing page was reviewed by an editor on this date; this record is not a ToolCompare benchmark. Prices and limits change.
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