Nines vs Pingdom: Uptime Monitoring Comparison (2026)
Pingdom is a mature, enterprise-grade platform with Real User Monitoring and 100+ global check locations — a good fit for large teams that need RUM alongside synthetic checks. Nines is leaner: synthetic-only, includes status pages and Prometheus on every plan, and costs less once you factor in Pingdom's add-on pricing for those features.
Last reviewed: 2026-04
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Nines | Pingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring type | Synthetic (HTTP, TCP, DNS) | Synthetic + Real User Monitoring (RUM) |
| Check locations | Select global regions | 100+ locations worldwide |
| Minimum check interval | 1 min (Free), 30 sec (Pro) | 1 min (Starter), 30 sec (higher tiers) |
| Status pages | Included on all plans | Add-on (~$99/mo for custom domain) |
| Prometheus /metrics endpoint | Yes — native on all plans | No native Prometheus support |
| SSL certificate monitoring | Pro and above | Yes (on paid plans) |
| Founded / ownership | Independent, developer-focused | Founded 2007, owned by SolarWinds |
| Import/migration tool | Not yet (manual setup) | N/A |
Pricing Comparison
| Tier | Nines | Pingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Free (7 monitors, status page included) | None |
| Entry paid tier | $9/mo Pro (20 monitors, status page + Prometheus included) | ~$15/mo Starter (10 uptime checks, 1 RUM site, no status page) |
| Mid tier | $19/mo Business (50 monitors, all features included) | ~$40/mo+ (status page is a separate ~$99/mo add-on) |
| Status page (custom domain) | Included | ~$99/mo add-on |
| Prometheus metrics | Included | Not available |
When to choose Pingdom
Choose Pingdom when you need Real User Monitoring (RUM) alongside synthetic checks, require 100+ global check locations, or your team is already inside the SolarWinds ecosystem. Pingdom has deeper enterprise integrations and a longer track record if those matter to your organisation.
When to choose Nines
Choose Nines when you want synthetic uptime monitoring with status pages and Prometheus metrics included at $9/mo — no add-ons required. Nines is built for developers who value simplicity: a clean API, a public /metrics endpoint for your existing dashboards, and a status page your users can actually find. If you do not need RUM and do not want to pay separately for a status page, Nines is cheaper and simpler at every tier.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Nines cheaper than Pingdom?
- Yes, at every paid tier. Nines Pro is $9/mo; Pingdom Starter is ~$15/mo and does not include a status page. Nines also has a free tier with 7 monitors, which Pingdom does not offer.
- Can I migrate from Pingdom to Nines?
- There is no automated import tool yet. Export your Pingdom monitor list, then recreate each monitor in Nines manually. It takes a few minutes for a typical setup.
- Does Nines support Real User Monitoring like Pingdom?
- No. Nines focuses exclusively on synthetic monitoring (HTTP, TCP, DNS). If you need RUM to track real browser performance, Pingdom or Datadog are better fits.
- How do monitoring regions compare?
- Pingdom has 100+ global check locations. Nines offers a curated set of regions — see the pricing page for the current list. For most applications the coverage is sufficient; if you need hyper-local checks in obscure regions, Pingdom has the edge.
- What's included in status pages?
- Nines includes a public status page on all plans, including Free. Pingdom charges approximately $99/mo for a comparable feature with a custom domain.
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