SolarWinds Observability vs Checkly

SolarWinds Observability7.9Visit Checkly6.8Visit

Higher score SolarWinds Observability #3 in Internet Performance Monitoring Software 7.9/10 From $8/mo (annual) · 30-day trial ✓ 1 of 5 features Visit SolarWinds

vs

Checkly #7 in Internet Performance Monitoring Software 6.8/10 Free plan · paid from $24/mo Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Checkly

• SolarWinds Observability fits best

  Organizations wanting observability beyond Internet checks

• Checkly fits best

  Developers building synthetic checks as code

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Side by side

Feature	SolarWinds Observability 7.9/10 Visit ↗	Checkly 6.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.9	6.8
Ranking	#3 in Internet Performance Monitoring Software	#7 in Internet Performance Monitoring Software
Best for	Organizations wanting observability beyond Internet checks	Developers building synthetic checks as code
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$8/mo (best)	$24/mo
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud
Platforms	Web, Windows, Linux	Web
Support	Docs, Community	Email, Live chat, Community, Docs · 24/7
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features SolarWinds Observability 1/5 · Checkly 0/5
Real-user monitoring	✓ (best)	Not published
Synthetic monitoring	Not published	Not published
DNS monitoring	Not published	Not published
Routing monitoring	Not published	Not published
SaaS monitoring	Not published	Not published
Specs
Probe locations	Not published	Not published
Data retention	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	Combines synthetic and real-user monitoring with application observability Covers logs, databases, infrastructure, networks, Kubernetes, and clouds Supports SaaS, self-hosted, and hybrid deployments	Supports browser, API, network, DNS, SSL, and scheduled-job checks Monitoring as code works with CLI, Terraform, and Pulumi Offers private locations, status pages, and extensive incident integrations
Cons	No free plan; paid access starts at $5 per GB per month Modular pricing can require several separately priced observability areas Internet performance is one part of a much broader platform	Private locations are included with the Team plan Hobby alerting lists email, Slack, and webhooks only Enterprise capabilities are presented as custom solutions
Our verdict	SolarWinds Observability is a full-stack observability platform for DevOps, IT operations, and CloudOps teams. It brings together application metrics, distributed transaction tracing, code profiling, exception tracking, logs, databases,… Read the review →	Checkly is a cloud monitoring platform for developers, SREs, and QA teams. It covers websites, APIs, services, DNS records, TCP endpoints, TLS certificates, scheduled jobs, and network paths from global locations. Browser and Playwright… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• SolarWinds Observability — where it wins

  • Combines synthetic and real-user monitoring with application observability
  • Covers logs, databases, infrastructure, networks, Kubernetes, and clouds
  • Supports SaaS, self-hosted, and hybrid deployments

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan; paid access starts at $5 per GB per month
  • Modular pricing can require several separately priced observability areas
  • Internet performance is one part of a much broader platform

• Checkly — where it wins

  • Supports browser, API, network, DNS, SSL, and scheduled-job checks
  • Monitoring as code works with CLI, Terraform, and Pulumi
  • Offers private locations, status pages, and extensive incident integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Private locations are included with the Team plan
  • Hobby alerting lists email, Slack, and webhooks only
  • Enterprise capabilities are presented as custom solutions

• SolarWinds Observability7.9/10 · From $8/mo (annual) · 30-day trial

  A broad hybrid observability platform with synthetic and real-user monitoring.

  Visit SolarWindsFull verdict →
• Checkly6.8/10 · Free plan · paid from $24/mo

  A developer-focused monitor with broad checks, code-based workflows, and deep alerting.

  Visit ChecklyFull verdict →