inping vs Uptime Kuma: hosted or self-hosted
Uptime Kuma is free, self-hosted and checks many protocols; inping is hosted and adds an agent and vulnerability reports. A comparison with linked sources.
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Uptime Kuma is the right choice if you want to run uptime checks for free on a server of your own, including ping, TCP and over 90 notification services; inping is worthwhile if the measuring should not depend on your own server and server metrics and vulnerabilities belong in it.
What speaks for Uptime Kuma?
The MIT licence, the Docker command and the variety: HTTP(S), TCP, keyword, JSON queries, WebSocket, ping, DNS, push, Docker containers. No vendor sees your data, and notifications range from Telegram to Slack. For a single team, that is a lot for €0.
What question does running it yourself raise?
Who monitors the monitor? A single instance measures from one location, and if its server fails, the alert stays away. inping assesses outages across several runners, so that a single disrupted location triggers no notification. With Uptime Kuma, updates, backups and the database are also on you.
What does inping cover beyond that?
Server metrics through the agent, vulnerabilities in packages, text diffs, logs, and teams with roles. Uptime Kuma’s README does not name these. It checks Docker containers as a state, so you know whether they are running, not how heavily they are loaded.
inping and Uptime Kuma at a glance
| Feature | inping | Uptime Kuma |
|---|---|---|
| Uptime | HTTP(S) only, from several locations, from 60 s (Free) or 30 s (Pro) Features | HTTP(S), TCP, keyword, JSON, WebSocket, ping, DNS, push, Docker; 20 s Source: GitHub, Uptime Kuma As of November 2026 |
| Server agent | Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Windows, Docker; read-only Integration | Docker containers as a check type; server metrics not stated Source: GitHub, Uptime Kuma As of November 2026 |
| Vulnerabilities | Packages and runtimes from lock files and the host, checked daily against OSV and endoflife.date Advisories | not stated As of November 2026 |
| Page changes | Text diff per page, new pages from the sitemap Features | not stated As of November 2026 |
| Logs | Logs, errors and traces through the Sentry SDKs Features | not stated As of November 2026 |
| Status pages | Yes, with your own logo and your own domain Features | Yes, several, also on your own domain Source: GitHub, Uptime Kuma As of November 2026 |
| Alert channels | Email and signed webhook Features | Over 90 services, including Telegram, Discord, Slack, email Source: GitHub, Uptime Kuma As of November 2026 |
| Entry price | Pro €10 a month plus VAT, one price for the whole team Pricing | €0, server costs and working time on you Source: GitHub, Uptime Kuma As of November 2026 |
| Free to use | Free for good: 1 project, 10 URLs and 25 pages per project, 2 agents, 1 own runner Pricing | Complete, MIT licence Source: GitHub, Uptime Kuma As of November 2026 |
| Hosting | SaaS; agent and runner also run on your own hardware Integration | Self-hosted (Docker or Node.js) Source: Uptime Kuma, installation As of November 2026 |
| Company seat | medienakzent, Konstanz, Germany Imprint | not stated (open source project with no vendor named) Source: GitHub, Uptime Kuma As of November 2026 |
| Data location | Platform on servers in the EU; payment through the reseller Paddle (UK) Privacy | On your own server Source: GitHub, Uptime Kuma As of November 2026 |
| DPA | Yes, DPA under Art. 28 GDPR DPA | not stated (self-hosted, no vendor) Source: GitHub, Uptime Kuma As of November 2026 |
When is Uptime Kuma the better choice?
- You do not want to pay anything and have a server of your own for it.
- Data should not leave your server, and no vendor should be involved.
- You need ping, TCP, DNS, WebSocket or services such as Telegram and Discord directly.
- You want to make your own changes to the open source code.
When does inping fit better?
- Monitoring should run independently of your own server, from several locations.
- CPU, memory, disks and vulnerabilities should be included.
- Several people and clients need roles and separate projects.
- You do not want to look after updates and backups of the monitoring.
Frequently asked questions
Is Uptime Kuma really free?
Yes, the software is under the MIT licence. The only costs are the server and your working time for operation, updates and backups.
Is Uptime Kuma available as a hosted service?
The project describes itself as a self-hosted tool and, in its README, names only a time-limited demo, not a hosting service of its own.