Free vs paid domain monitoring
Free vs paid domain monitoring: what actually changes?
Aepto Free monitors up to 3 domains: uptime from 1 region every 10 minutes, DNS, SSL, renewals, PageSpeed and email alerts. Starter ($9 a month, 10 domains) adds Content Monitoring, webhooks and 5 alert contacts. Checks every minute start on Professional ($29).
What does each tier include?
Free runs the basics for 3 domains. Paid adds depth when email-only alerts stop being enough.
On Free
- 3 domains · 5 Watch · 50 AI credits / mo
- Uptime, DNS, SSL, renewals, expenses
- Google PageSpeed scores + threshold alerts
- 1 region · checks from 10 minutes
- 1 standard status page · root email
- API · MCP (Claude) · Chrome/Edge · WordPress. Basic
Unlocks on paid
- AI Content Monitoring, names failures HTTP 200 hides
- Alert webhooks to Slack, Teams, Discord, HTTP
- Third-party API quota monitoring
- Faster checks, more regions, more contacts
- Custom status domains · white-label from Professional
- Advanced API · MCP · Chrome/Edge · WordPress capacity
Free or Starter: which should you start on?
Starter is the cheapest way to get the two unlocks that change the job: Content Monitoring and webhooks.
| Feature | Free | Starter ($9/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| Domains | 3 | 10 |
| Monitoring regions | 1 | 2 |
| Fastest check | Every 10 min | Every 5 min |
| Content Monitoring (pages that return 200 but are broken) | No | Yes |
| Webhooks to Slack, Teams, Discord, HTTP | No | Yes |
| Alert contacts | Account email | 5 |
| Third-party API quota monitoring (vendor rate limits) | No | Yes |
| Status pages | 1 | 2 |
| PageSpeed scores | Yes | Yes |
Plans as of 25 Oct 2026. Need more domains? See every tier on Pricing.
Capacity is the other half
- Domains, Watch slots, AI credits, regions, and check intervals scale by plan.
- Free: 3 domains, 5 Watch slots, 50 AI credits a month.
- Starter ($9 a month): 10 domains, plus Content Monitoring and webhooks.
- Professional ($29), Business ($59), and Agency ($129) raise limits and Theft Guard check frequency.
- Yearly billing is published as 10× monthly (about two months free versus paying monthly for a year).
Upgrade when you recognize these
- 01200 OK hides a dead page
- 02Email-only alerts are too slow
- 03Free domain / region limits bite
- 04You need Advanced Chrome / WP / MCP
What Free still does well
Free runs the real portfolio basics.
- Inventory, uptime from 1 region, DNS and SSL visibility, renewal reminders, expenses, PageSpeed scores, one status page, Theft Guard availability on the Free cadence, and Basic API / MCP / Chrome & Edge / WordPress capacity.
- That is enough to stop flying blind on a small book, and enough to prove whether Attention is worth paying for before Content Monitoring and webhooks become the next unlock.
How to choose without a sales call
- Stay on Free while three domains and email alerts cover your risk.
- Move to paid when a green uptime badge stops answering the question you actually ask (“is checkout working?”), when the team needs Slack or Teams, or when domain, Watch, region, or check-interval limits get in the way.
- Compare every limit on Pricing.
Common questions
Is PageSpeed free?
Yes. Google PageSpeed scores and threshold alerts are available on Free. Third-party API quota monitoring (vendor rate limits) is paid-only.
What is the biggest paid unlock?
AI Content Monitoring, naming body failures HTTP 200 hides, plus alert webhooks and Advanced API / MCP / Chrome / WordPress capacity.
Does Free include Content Monitoring or webhooks?
No. Free does not include AI Content Monitoring or alert webhooks. Those unlock on paid plans. Free still covers uptime, DNS, SSL, renewals, PageSpeed, and email for 3 domains.
Where is the full matrix?
On the pricing page and inside the app after signup, numbers match Subscription plan limits.
When should I upgrade?
Upgrade when you need Content Monitoring across sites that can return 200 while broken, when the team needs Slack / Teams / Discord / HTTP routes, or when domain and region limits on Free are too small for the book.
Try Free. Upgrade when Content AI matters.
Compare every tier on pricing, same numbers as the app.
