# HookPulse vs Cronitor: cron and heartbeat monitoring

HookPulse tells you when a backup, an automation or a scheduled task stops checking in, and when it is back.

HookPulse · Updated 2026-10-16

| Topic | HookPulse | Cronitor | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | 10 monitors, with their alerts. Extra monitors are free while billing is off; after the 7-day trial, their alerts need a plan. | Hacker: $0, free forever, 5 monitors, e-mail and Slack alerts, no SMS alerts. | [Source](https://cronitor.io/pricing), checked 2026-10-16 |
| Paid plans | Plans add 40, 90 or 490 monitors for 30 days, with no automatic renewal. The price shows when you go past the free plan. | Business: $2 a month per monitor plus $5 a month per user, after a 14-day trial. | [Source](https://cronitor.io/pricing), checked 2026-10-16 |
| Fastest check | Intervals under 90 seconds are free while billing is off. | Every 5 minutes on Hacker; every 30 seconds on Business. | [Source](https://cronitor.io/pricing), checked 2026-10-16 |
| What it watches | Check-ins from jobs and automations, and websites every 1 to 60 minutes. | Cron, heartbeat, website and API monitoring in every plan. | [Source](https://cronitor.io/pricing), checked 2026-10-16 |

## Questions

### Do I pay per user on HookPulse?

No. Plans add monitors, not seats. The price shows when you go past the free plan, before you buy.

### Can I bring my crontab?

Yes. Send your crontab to the import: it shows one proposed monitor per scheduled line, and it creates nothing until you confirm.

### How do the alerts work?

When an expected check-in does not arrive, HookPulse sends an alert by e-mail or through a connected app. When the job checks in again, you get a recovery alert with how long it was down.

[Create a monitor](https://hookpulse.net/?routine=cron-job&every=86400#routines)

[HookPulse vs Cronitor: cron and heartbeat monitoring](https://hookpulse.net/compare/cronitor)