WatchMore than cron
Heartbeat/cron checks alongside HTTP, SSL, DNS, domain expiry and more — nine monitor types in one account.
Alternative
WatchControl: a hosted Healthchecks.io alternative
Healthchecks.io is a great open-source cron monitor. If you also need uptime, SSL, DNS and domain monitoring, WatchControl gives you heartbeat/cron checks plus eight other types — fully hosted in the EU.
Why switch
Cron monitoring — and everything else — in one place
Fully hosted
Nothing to self-host or maintain — WatchControl runs the monitoring for you, in the EU.
EU-hosted by a Danish company
Run by Certiva ApS in Denmark, your data kept in the EU, with a DPA on request.
Email, webhook & SMS
Email and webhooks on every plan, plus pay-as-you-go SMS credits that never expire.
Status pages & SLA
Public status pages and monthly SLA reports built in.
Free to start
A free plan with no credit card — try it on your own jobs and services first.
Side by side
WatchControl vs Healthchecks.io
| Feature | WatchControl | Healthchecks.io |
|---|---|---|
| Run by a Danish company | ✓ | – |
| Free plan, no credit card | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nine monitor types in one place (not just cron) | ✓ | – |
| Uptime, SSL, DNS & certificate monitoring too | ✓ | – |
| Email, webhook & SMS alerts | ✓ | ✓ |
Comparison based on publicly available information, June 2026. Vendors change features and plans — always check their own site for the latest.
Why teams choose WatchControl over Healthchecks.io
Healthchecks.io is an excellent, open-source dead man's switch for cron jobs — if cron monitoring is all you need, it does that job very well, and you can even self-host it. It is also EU-based (Latvia), so the reason to choose WatchControl is breadth and fully managed operation — not hosting location. The friction starts when cron is only part of the picture: you also want to know your website is up, your certificates are valid, your DNS resolves and your domains are not about to expire.
WatchControl gives you the same heartbeat/cron monitoring alongside eight other monitor types — HTTP/HTTPS, keyword, SSL/TLS, domain expiry, DNS, SMTP, TCP port and ICMP ping — in one fully hosted account. There is nothing to self-host or maintain, and it is run by a Danish company with your data kept in the EU.
You get a free plan with no card, status pages and SLA reports built in, and alerts by email, webhook and pay-as-you-go SMS. If you love the simplicity of Healthchecks.io but are tired of stitching cron monitoring together with separate uptime and certificate tools, WatchControl brings it all into one place.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is WatchControl a hosted Healthchecks.io alternative?
Yes. WatchControl offers cron/heartbeat monitoring as a fully managed service — nothing to self-host — alongside eight other monitor types, run by a Danish company with data in the EU.
Can WatchControl do more than cron monitoring?
Yes. As well as heartbeat/cron checks it covers HTTP/HTTPS, keyword, SSL/TLS, domain expiry, DNS, SMTP, TCP port and ICMP ping — nine types in one account.
Is there a free plan?
Yes — a free plan with no credit card: 5 monitors, 5-minute checks, a status page and email & webhook alerts.
Do I need to self-host anything?
No. WatchControl is fully hosted and maintained for you, in the EU.
Try WatchControl free
Add a heartbeat and a few checks — no credit card required.