Uptime Kuma vs Netdata
Netdata is an agent you install on every server to get per-second CPU, memory, disk and thousands of other metrics, with Netdata Cloud on top (free for 5 nodes, then $4.50 per node per month). Uptime Kuma is one app that checks whether your endpoints respond and publishes a status page. They answer different questions, and people often compare them anyway.
Uptime Kuma vs Netdata: The Verdict
Netdata tells you what a server is doing right now, at one-second resolution, with anomaly detection on top. Uptime Kuma tells you whether a URL, port or DNS record is reachable and gives the public somewhere to look when it is not. Netdata can do a basic HTTP availability check through its httpcheck collector, but it runs on the host it monitors, so it cannot be the outside-in view. Pick Netdata when you need to diagnose a slow box. Pick Uptime Kuma when you need to know a site is down before your users do, and want a status page. Many self-hosters run both: Netdata on each server, Uptime Kuma on a separate $3/mo pod watching from outside.
Last updated: 2026-09-18Quick Comparison
| Feature | Netdata | Uptime Kuma |
|---|---|---|
| What It Measures | Per-second host metrics: CPU, RAM, disk, network, containers, apps | Endpoint availability and response time |
| Where It Runs | An agent on every monitored server | One app, ideally on a separate server |
| HTTP Availability Check | Basic - httpcheck collector on the agent | Core feature: HTTP(s), keyword, JSON query, TCP, DNS, ping, WebSocket, push, Docker |
| Outside-In View | No - the agent lives on the host | Yes - probes from wherever the pod runs |
| Public Status Page | No | Multiple pages, each mappable to its own domain |
| Anomaly Detection | Yes - ML on every metric | No |
| Resolution | 1 second | Check interval down to 20 seconds |
| Agent on Monitored Hosts | Yes - one agent per host collecting thousands of metrics | None |
| Cloud Pricing | Free for 5 nodes (non-commercial); Homelab $90/yr; Business $4.50/node/mo | None - self-hosted only |
| Notifications | Agent alerts plus Netdata Cloud integrations | 90+ notification services |
| Version and License | v2.11.1, GPL-3.0 | 2.5.5, MIT |
| 1-Click on InstaPods | No - install the agent yourself | Yes - $3/mo, launches ready to use |
What Is Harder With Netdata?
Trade-offs to weigh before committing.
It Cannot See Your Site From Outside
The Netdata agent runs on the host it monitors. If that host loses its network, the agent goes quiet along with the site, and an httpcheck running on it proves nothing. Uptime monitoring needs a vantage point that is not the thing being watched.
No Status Page
Netdata dashboards are for operators. There is no public status page with incident posts and a custom domain for customers or teammates to check during an outage.
The Cloud Has a Per-Node Meter
Netdata Cloud is free for 5 nodes for non-commercial use, $90/yr on the Homelab plan, and $4.50 per node per month on Business, which is $540/yr for 10 nodes (prices checked 2026-09-18). The agent itself is free, but centralised views and alerts across servers are what the Cloud is for.
Thousands of Metrics You May Not Want
Netdata collects everything at one-second resolution, which is exactly right for diagnosing a slow server and more than most people want running on a small VPS just to know a site is up.
Why Pick Uptime Kuma Instead?
What you get when you pick this stack.
The Outside-In Check
Uptime Kuma probes from wherever it runs. Put it on a $3/mo pod in another data centre and it keeps alerting when your main server, its network or its region goes dark. That is the check a host-side agent cannot do.
Status Pages Included
Multiple status pages, each mappable to its own domain, with grouped monitors, branding and incident posts. Netdata has nothing equivalent.
Nothing to Install on the Monitored Hosts
Uptime Kuma needs no agent. It checks HTTP, TCP, DNS, ping, keyword, JSON, WebSocket and Docker targets from the outside, and push monitors let cron jobs report in.
A Flat $3/mo, However Many Monitors
No per-node meter. One InstaPods Launch pod runs dozens of monitors with 90+ notification services and the status page, and the bill does not change when you add a server.
Real Cost Comparison
Watching 10 servers and 20 endpoints with a public status page for a year (prices checked 2026-09-18).
- Netdata agent on 10 servers: free (GPL-3.0)
- Netdata Cloud Business for a company: $4.50 x 10 nodes x 12 = $540/yr (Homelab $90/yr if non-commercial)
- Still no outside-in check and no status page
- Separate uptime tool needed for the 20 endpoints
- InstaPods Launch plan: $3/mo (1 vCPU, 512MB RAM, 10GB)
- Uptime Kuma: free and open source (MIT)
- 20 endpoint monitors plus ping checks on the 10 servers
- Status page, HTTPS and a domain included
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Netdata an uptime monitor?
Not really. Netdata is a real-time metrics agent for the host it runs on. It has an httpcheck collector that can test an HTTP endpoint, but the check runs from inside your infrastructure, so it cannot tell you what users see when the server or its network is down. Uptime Kuma is built for that.
Can Uptime Kuma show CPU and memory?
No. Uptime Kuma checks endpoints, not host metrics. For CPU, memory and disk you want an agent - Netdata for per-second detail, or a lighter tool like Beszel for the basics.
Is Netdata free?
The agent is free and open source (GPL-3.0). Netdata Cloud is free for up to 5 nodes for non-commercial use, $90/yr on the Homelab plan with unlimited nodes under fair usage, and $4.50 per node per month on Business (prices checked 2026-09-18).
Which one has a status page?
Uptime Kuma. It ships multiple status pages, each mappable to its own domain, with incident posts. Netdata has dashboards for operators only.
Should I run both?
It is a common and sensible pairing. Netdata on each server for diagnosis, Uptime Kuma on a separate $3/mo pod for the outside-in check and the status page. They do not overlap.
Can I run Netdata on InstaPods?
Not as a 1-Click app, but a pod is a real Linux server with SSH, so you can install the Netdata agent on it like any other host. Uptime Kuma is the one-click monitor.
Where should the uptime monitor run?
Anywhere except the machine it is watching. A monitor on the same box dies with that box. A $3/mo pod somewhere else is the cheapest way to make sure the alert fires.
Want the Outside-In Check? Deploy It in 60 Seconds
Netdata is the right tool for diagnosing a server. For knowing a site is down before your users do, Uptime Kuma launches on InstaPods for $3/mo, off the box you are watching, with HTTPS and a domain already wired up.
Deploy Uptime Kuma