What is the difference between Grafana and Checkly?

Grafana is best for Teams wanting open-source dashboards and visualization, while Checkly is best for DevOps teams wanting monitoring as code. Grafana starts at Free and Checkly starts at Free.

Is Grafana or Checkly cheaper?

Grafana starts at Free and is free. Checkly starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Checkly?

Both Grafana and Checkly offer free tiers.

Grafana vs Checkly

Grafana is open-source observability platform for metrics visualization, dashboards, and alerting from any data source, while Checkly is API and browser monitoring with Playwright tests, deployed via code. Grafana is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Grafana is built for teams wanting open-source dashboards and visualization, whereas Checkly targets devops teams wanting monitoring as code.

At a glance

	Grafana	Checkly
Best for	Teams wanting open-source dashboards and visualization	DevOps teams wanting monitoring as code
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
API Checks	—	✓
Alerting	✓	—
Alerts	—	✓
Dashboards	✓	—
Data Sources	✓	—
Monitoring as Code	—	✓
Open Source	✓	—
Playwright	—	✓

Grafana

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Customizable dashboards give real-time visibility into project progress
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in monitoring

Try Grafana → Full review

Checkly

Strengths

Includes Monitoring as Code as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows
Includes Playwright as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows
Free for 5 checks — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes api checks alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Developer-oriented tooling may not suit non-technical team members
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in monitoring
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Checkly → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Grafana and Checkly are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Grafana offers Alerting, Dashboards and Data Sources that Checkly lacks. Checkly brings API Checks, Alerts and Monitoring as Code that Grafana does not have.

Team fit: Grafana is geared toward any size teams, while Checkly is aimed at small teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Open source: Grafana is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Checkly is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Grafana's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. customizable dashboards give real-time visibility into project progress. Checkly's biggest strengths are: includes monitoring as code as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows. includes playwright as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows.

Watch out for: With Grafana, users commonly note that may lack some advanced features. With Checkly, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Grafana if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting open-source dashboards and visualization
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Alerting and Dashboards
You care about customizable dashboards give real-time visibility into project progress
Your team size fits the any size profile Grafana is designed for

Choose Checkly if...

You need a tool built for devops teams wanting monitoring as code
You specifically need API Checks and Alerts
You care about includes playwright as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Checkly is designed for
The free tier works for you: free for 5 checks