Compared: StatusCake
A StatusCake alternative for agencies that want earlier renewal warnings
StatusCake and ExpiryOwl compared on price, SSL and domain monitor limits, check intervals, alerts and API, with each StatusCake fact sourced.
What StatusCake is
StatusCake provides external monitoring for websites, APIs, SSL certificates, domains, page speed and servers, plus status pages. It says it has been monitoring teams since 2012 and has more than 220,000 customers.
statuscake.com · verified 2026-09-25Side by side
Everything in the StatusCake column was read on StatusCake's own website on the date shown next to it. Prices and plans change; follow the link to see today's version. Where we couldn't confirm something, we say so instead of guessing.
| Topic | StatusCake | ExpiryOwl |
|---|---|---|
| Starting paid price | Superior: $20.41 per month on annual billing, $24.49 per month on monthly billing.statuscake.com · verified 2026-09-25 | Freelancer: $9/month or $90/year for 50 domains and 10 clients. |
| Free plan | Free: 10 uptime monitors at 5-minute intervals, 1 page speed monitor, 1 domain monitor and 1 SSL monitor.statuscake.com · verified 2026-09-25 | Free: 5 domains, 1 client, 1 seat, uptime every 15 minutes and a read-only API. |
| SSL certificate expiry | SSL monitors with expiration alerts: 1 tested every 24 hours on Free, 50 every 30 minutes on Superior, 100 every 10 minutes on Business.statuscake.com · verified 2026-09-25 | Every certificate checked every 6 hours: issuer, SANs, chain and hostname match. Alerts at 30, 14, 7, 3, 1 and 0 days. |
| Domain expiry | Domain monitors with expiration alerts: 1 on Free and 50 on Superior, tested every 7 days; 120 on Business, tested every 5 days.statuscake.com · verified 2026-09-25 | Daily RDAP lookups: expiry date, registrar, statuses, transfer lock and nameservers, plus DNS change alerts. |
| Pricing model | Tiered plans with separate limits per monitor type: Superior has 100 uptime, 50 SSL and 50 domain monitors; Business is $66.66 per month on annual billing.statuscake.com · verified 2026-09-25 | Flat per agency, sized by domain count, not per monitor: Agency is $29/month for 250 domains, unlimited clients and 5 seats. |
| Alert channels | Email alerts plus more than 15 third-party integrations for alerts; 75 or 400 free SMS credits per month on paid plans.statuscake.com · verified 2026-09-25 | Email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord, Telegram, signed webhooks (Zapier, Make, n8n) and an iCal feed of expiry dates. |
| API | API documentation and a Terraform provider are published.statuscake.com · verified 2026-09-25 | REST API and an MCP server on paid plans; a read-only API on Free. |
When StatusCake is the better choice
- You also need page speed and server monitoring alongside uptime, SSL and domain checks.statuscake.com · verified 2026-09-25
- You want domain blacklist monitoring or certificate scores.statuscake.com · verified 2026-09-25
- You prefer a vendor with a long track record: StatusCake says it has monitored teams since 2012.statuscake.com · verified 2026-09-25
When ExpiryOwl fits better
- We look for renewals that should have happened. ACME certificates (Let's Encrypt, ZeroSSL, Google Trust Services) normally renew when about a third of their lifetime remains; when one passes that point we flag it as renewal overdue. For Let's Encrypt we use its ACME Renewal Information (ARI) window. That is usually weeks before the certificate expires.
- ExpiryOwl is organised around clients: group domains per client, send each one a white-label monthly PDF report and give them a status page. Unlimited clients from Agency ($29/month).
- Flat pricing per agency, not per monitor: Agency is $29/month or $290/year for 250 domains, and Agency Pro is $79/month for 1,000.
- It lives where you already work: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord, Telegram, signed webhooks for Zapier, Make and n8n, an iCal feed of expiry dates, a REST API and an MCP server.
StatusCake is a trademark of its owner. We are not affiliated with them. If something here is out of date, email [email protected] and we'll correct it.
Start with five domains, free.
The free plan watches 5 domains for one client: certificates, domain registration, DNS and uptime every 15 minutes. No card, no trial clock.