--- title: "Checkly vs Cypress: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder" description: "Checkly vs Cypress compared for 2026: pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which testing tool is the better fit for your startup." source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/checkly-vs-cypress retrieved: 2026-11-08 --- ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=checklyhq.com&sz=128) vs ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/cypress.svg) # Checkly vs Cypress: Which is Better in 2026? Testing Choosing between [Checkly](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/checkly) and [Cypress](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/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 ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=checklyhq.com&sz=128) [Checkly](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/checkly) * ✓Monitoring-as-code (Playwright) * ✓Combines E2E + uptime * ✓Free tier to start * ✓Global checks * ✗Usage costs scale with checks * ✗Code-first (not for non-devs) ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/cypress.svg) [Cypress](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/cypress) * ✓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. [Checkly review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/checkly) ### 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. [Cypress review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/cypress) ## 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 1. 1.[Checkly pricingchecklyhq.com ](https://www.checklyhq.com/pricing/) 2. 2.[Cypress Cloud pricingcypress.io ](https://www.cypress.io/pricing) See more options in our guide to the [best testing tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/testing). ## 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. [Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/build-stack)