IsDown Alternative: Why Developers Are Switching to API Status Check in 2026

If you're reading this, you probably got the email. IsDown is raising prices on February 16, 2026 — and not just a little. We're talking 10-20% increases across all tiers. For many developers and small teams, that's the nudge they needed to finally explore alternatives.

The good news? You have options. And one of them might save you hundreds of dollars a year while giving you everything you actually need.

Let me introduce you to API Status Check — a completely free service that monitors 114+ APIs and services, with RSS alerts, embeddable status badges, and even an MCP server (more on that later). No credit card required. No usage limits. Just free, reliable API monitoring.

The IsDown Price Hike: What's Changing

IsDown has been a solid choice for API monitoring, but their new pricing structure is hitting teams hard:

Current IsDown Pricing (Before Feb 16, 2026)

• Pro: $49/mo (30 monitors)
• Premium: $99/mo (100 monitors)
• Business: $199/mo (500 monitors + integrations)
• Enterprise: $500+/mo (unlimited monitors + white-label)

New IsDown Pricing (After Feb 16, 2026)

• Pro: $54-59/mo (~10-20% increase)
• Premium: $109-119/mo (~10-20% increase)
• Business: $219-239/mo (~10-20% increase)
• Enterprise: $550-600+/mo (~10-20% increase)

If you're on the Business tier, you're looking at an extra $240-480 per year. For startups and indie developers, that's real money.

What Is API Status Check?

API Status Check is a free, open-source service that monitors the status of 114+ popular APIs and services — from Stripe and OpenAI to GitHub and Vercel. It aggregates official status pages, provides real-time updates, and lets you track outages without building your own monitoring infrastructure.

Think of it as a centralized dashboard for "is it down, or is it just me?" — but for developers who need to know the moment their dependencies go red.

Core Features

• 114+ Services Monitored: Major APIs including Stripe, AWS, OpenAI, GitHub, Vercel, Cloudflare, and more
• RSS Alerts: Subscribe to status updates for the services you depend on
• Embeddable Status Badges: Show live status on your own site or dashboard
• MCP Server: Free npm package for programmatic access (more below)
• Historical Data: Browse past outages and incidents
• Zero Cost: Completely free. No tiers, no limits, no credit card

IsDown vs API Status Check: Feature Comparison

Let's be fair here. IsDown and API Status Check solve different problems for different audiences. Here's an honest breakdown:

Feature	IsDown	API Status Check
Pricing	$49-500+/mo	Free
Services Monitored	2,000+ (custom monitors)	114+ (curated major APIs)
Custom Monitors	✅ Yes	❌ No (only pre-configured services)
Real-time Alerts	✅ Email, SMS, Slack, PagerDuty	✅ RSS (Zapier/Make integration possible)
Status Badges	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Historical Data	✅ Advanced analytics	✅ Basic incident history
MCP Server	✅ Yes ($199/mo Business tier)	✅ Free on npm
PagerDuty Integration	✅ Yes	❌ No (workaround via RSS)
Datadog Integration	✅ Yes	❌ No
API Access	✅ REST API	✅ MCP server, web scraping
White-label	✅ Enterprise tier	❌ No
Self-hosted	❌ No	✅ Open source (can fork)
Uptime Monitoring	✅ Custom uptime checks	❌ Status page aggregation only
Setup Time	10-15 min	30 seconds

The Big Differentiator: What You're Actually Paying For

IsDown is a comprehensive monitoring platform. You can set up custom monitors for any URL or API endpoint, get sophisticated alerting, and integrate with your entire observability stack. You're paying for infrastructure, custom monitors, and enterprise integrations.

API Status Check is a status page aggregator. It monitors official status pages from major services and makes that data accessible. You're not paying because it's solving a simpler problem: "Are the services I depend on currently down?"

The MCP Server Story (Or: IsDown's $199/mo Feature Is Free on npm)

Here's where it gets interesting.

IsDown recently added an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server — basically, a way to query API status programmatically from your code or AI tools. It's a genuinely useful feature for developers building monitoring dashboards or integrating status checks into their workflows.

The catch? It's only available on their $199/mo Business tier.

API Status Check offers the exact same thing — free on npm.

npm install -g apistatuscheck-mcp-server

That's it. No subscription. No usage limits. Just install and query the status of 114+ services programmatically.

For teams who just need API status data and don't require custom monitors, this is a no-brainer.

Who Should Use IsDown?

Let's be clear: IsDown is still the right choice for some teams.

You should stick with (or choose) IsDown if:

• You need custom monitors: Monitoring your own APIs, internal services, or niche third-party tools not on API Status Check's list
• You require enterprise integrations: PagerDuty, Datadog, OpsGenie, etc.
• You need uptime monitoring: Checking if your services are up, not just third-party dependencies
• You have a budget: $49-500/mo is reasonable for your team size and monitoring needs
• You want white-label: Embedding status checks under your own brand

IsDown is a professional-grade monitoring platform. If you're a mid-to-large team with complex observability needs, the price increase might be justified.

Who Should Use API Status Check?

API Status Check is perfect for:

• Indie developers: Building on Stripe, OpenAI, or other major APIs and need to know when they're down
• Startups on a budget: Every dollar counts, and free monitoring is a big win
• Side projects: Why pay $49/mo to monitor dependencies when you can do it for free?
• Teams monitoring major APIs only: If you're only tracking third-party services (not your own), ASC covers the big ones
• Developers using MCP: Get the same programmatic access without the $199/mo price tag
• Anyone who wants a lightweight solution: Zero setup, zero cost, zero hassle

If you're mainly concerned about "is Stripe down?" or "is OpenAI having issues?" rather than monitoring your own infrastructure, API Status Check is built for you.

Migration Guide: Switching from IsDown to API Status Check

Ready to make the switch? Here's how to transition smoothly:

Step 1: Audit Your Current IsDown Monitors

Log into IsDown and list all the services you're currently monitoring. Make two lists:

1. Major APIs (Stripe, AWS, GitHub, OpenAI, etc.) — these are likely covered by API Status Check
2. Custom monitors (your own services, niche APIs) — you'll need another solution for these

Check the full list of monitored services on API Status Check to see coverage.

Step 2: Set Up RSS Alerts

API Status Check provides RSS feeds for each service. You can:

• Use an RSS reader (Feedly, Inoreader) for manual monitoring
• Connect RSS to Slack via Zapier or Make.com
• Build custom alerting with the MCP server

Example RSS feed URLs:

https://apistatuscheck.com/rss/stripe
https://apistatuscheck.com/rss/openai
https://apistatuscheck.com/rss/github

Step 3: Embed Status Badges (Optional)

If you're using IsDown's status badges on your site, replace them with API Status Check badges:

<img src="https://apistatuscheck.com/badge/stripe" alt="Stripe Status" />

Step 4: Install the MCP Server (If Needed)

For programmatic access:

npm install -g apistatuscheck-mcp-server

Then use it in your monitoring scripts or AI workflows.

Step 5: Fill the Gaps

For custom monitors (your own APIs or niche services), consider:

• UptimeRobot (free tier: 50 monitors, 5-min checks)
• Better Uptime (free tier: 10 monitors)
• Pingdom (paid, but cheaper than IsDown for basic uptime)
• Self-hosted: Uptime Kuma (open source, free)

You can often get better value by combining API Status Check (for third-party services) + a lightweight uptime monitor (for your own stuff) than paying for IsDown's all-in-one solution.

Step 6: Cancel IsDown Before Feb 16

Avoid the price hike by canceling before February 16, 2026. Most monitoring tools (including IsDown) are month-to-month, so you won't lose access until your current billing period ends.

Real-World Use Cases

Case Study 1: Solo Developer

Before: Paying $49/mo for IsDown Pro to monitor Stripe, OpenAI, and Vercel

After: Using API Status Check (free) + UptimeRobot free tier for personal API

Savings: $588/year

Case Study 2: Startup Team

Before: Paying $199/mo for IsDown Business (needed MCP server)

After: API Status Check MCP server (free) + Better Uptime ($20/mo for custom monitors)

Savings: $2,148/year

Case Study 3: Agency

Before: Paying $99/mo for IsDown Premium to monitor client dependencies

After: API Status Check for client status + Uptime Kuma (self-hosted) for client sites

Savings: $1,188/year + full control over monitoring stack

The Bottom Line

IsDown is a great product. But for many developers, it's overkill — and getting more expensive.

If you're primarily monitoring major third-party APIs (not your own infrastructure), API Status Check gives you everything you need for $0/month. Add in the free MCP server, and you're getting IsDown's $199/mo feature without spending a dime.

The price increase on February 16 is a perfect opportunity to re-evaluate: Are you paying for features you're actually using, or just for the peace of mind that comes with a familiar tool?

For indie devs, startups, and lean teams, the answer is clear. Switch to API Status Check, pocket the savings, and spend that money on things that actually move your business forward.

Get Started in 30 Seconds

1. Visit apistatuscheck.com
2. Browse the 114+ monitored services
3. Subscribe to RSS feeds for your dependencies
4. (Optional) Install the MCP server: npm install -g apistatuscheck-mcp-server

No signup. No credit card. No catch.

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Ready to make the switch? Visit API Status Check and start monitoring for free.

Questions or feedback? We're building API Status Check in public. If there's a service you'd like us to add or a feature you need, let us know.

The IsDown price hike doesn't have to be a burden. For most developers, it's an opportunity to find a better, simpler, cheaper solution.

Choose wisely. Choose free.