Checkly vs Cypress: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between Checkly and Cypress? Both are popular testing tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.
Checkly is for: Developer teams who want their Playwright tests and API checks to run on a schedule against production, defined in code.
Cypress is for: Front-end teams writing end-to-end and component tests in JavaScript who want a hosted dashboard for recordings, flake tracking and parallel runs.
Quick verdict
There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Checkly if you want the Playwright tests you already write to double as production monitors. Choose Cypress if you want to watch each step of a test run in the browser while you write it.
Checkly vs Cypress: Side by Side
| Checkly | Cypress | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Testing | Testing |
| What it is | Synthetic monitoring and uptime checks | Browser test runner with a hosted dashboard |
| What it tests | Browser flows, APIs and uptime in production | End-to-end and component tests |
| Where tests run | Checkly’s global cloud locations | Your machine or CI; results upload to Cypress Cloud |
| Free access | Hobby: 10k API and 1k browser runs a month | Runner free; Cloud Starter with 500 results a month |
| How you pay | Plan plus usage overage, cheaper billed yearly | Cloud plans by test results, billed yearly |
| Pricing | Free · paid from $24/mo | Free · paid from $67/mo |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Free tier | ||
| Best for | Testing: synthetic monitoring, monitoring as code, Playwright | Testing: end-to-end, component tests, test replay |
Pros & Cons
- Monitoring-as-code (Playwright)
- Combines E2E + uptime
- Free tier to start
- Global checks
- Usage costs scale with checks
- Code-first (not for non-devs)
- Interactive runner shows each command in the browser
- Test Replay and flake reports in Cypress Cloud
- Free open-source runner plus a free Cloud tier
- End-to-end and component tests in one tool
- Cloud dashboard is paid past 500 results a month
- Accessibility and UI Coverage are paid add-ons
- Tests are written in JavaScript or TypeScript only
Key Features Compared
Checkly
- Hobby (free, no card): 10,000 API and 1,000 browser check runs a month (hard cap), 10 uptime monitors, 1 user, 6 locations
- Starter: $24 a month billed yearly for 25,000 API and 3,000 browser runs, 3 users, 1-minute uptime checks
- Team: $64 a month billed yearly for 100,000 API and 12,000 browser runs, 10 users, 22 locations, 30-second checks
- Overage on paid plans from $6.25 per 1,000 browser runs and $2.50 per 10,000 API runs
- Status pages, AI root cause analysis and Slack, email and webhook alerts; Hobby has no SMS or phone alerts
- Separate Communicate and Resolve add-ons priced per plan
Cypress
- The test runner is free and open source; Cypress Cloud is the paid dashboard on top
- Cloud Starter (free): 10 users, 500 test results and 100 AI prompt executions a month, 30-day retention
- Team: $67 a month billed yearly ($799 a year) for 120,000 test results a year, 50 users, 90-day retention
- Business: $267 a month billed yearly ($3,199 a year) for 120,000 test results and 24,000 AI prompt executions a year
- Extra results from $4.40 to $6 per 1,000; Enterprise adds 180-day retention and is priced by sales
- Test Replay, parallelization and Cloud MCP on every plan; UI Coverage and Accessibility are paid add-ons
Choose Checkly if…
- Budget is tight: paid plans start lower ($24/mo vs $67/mo).
- You want the Playwright tests you already write to double as production monitors.
- You keep monitoring config in Git next to your code.
- You want uptime, API and browser checks in one place.
Choose Cypress if…
- You want to watch each step of a test run in the browser while you write it.
- You want recorded runs and flake reports without building your own dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Checkly better than Cypress?⌄
There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Checkly if you want the Playwright tests you already write to double as production monitors. Choose Cypress if you want to watch each step of a test run in the browser while you write it.
What is the difference between Checkly and Cypress?⌄
What it is. Checkly: Synthetic monitoring and uptime checks. Cypress: Browser test runner with a hosted dashboard. What it tests. Checkly: Browser flows, APIs and uptime in production. Cypress: End-to-end and component tests. Where tests run. Checkly: Checkly’s global cloud locations. Cypress: Your machine or CI; results upload to Cypress Cloud. Free access. Checkly: Hobby: 10k API and 1k browser runs a month. Cypress: Runner free; Cloud Starter with 500 results a month. How you pay. Checkly: Plan plus usage overage, cheaper billed yearly. Cypress: Cloud plans by test results, billed yearly.
Checkly vs Cypress: which is cheaper?⌄
Checkly pricing: Free · paid from $24/mo. Cypress pricing: Free · paid from $67/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
When should I skip both Checkly and Cypress?⌄
Skip Checkly if you only need simple up/down pings. UptimeRobot and Better Stack cover that. Skip Cypress if you need Safari coverage from the same runner. Playwright drives WebKit as well as Chromium and Firefox.
Sources · tool facts checked November 2026
See more options in our guide to the best testing tools for startups.
Still not sure which to pick?
Get a free, AI-powered tech stack, including the best testing pick for your budget and team, in 60 seconds.