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Upstat vs Sentry

Service uptime monitoring for operations teams versus error tracking for developers.

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Executive Snapshot

Sentry is application error monitoring. Upstat is service uptime monitoring.

Sentry monitors application-level errors by capturing exceptions, crashes, and stack traces from within your code—designed for developers debugging software issues. Upstat monitors external service availability (uptime, API, heartbeat checks) to detect when services go down—designed for DevOps and operations teams. The platforms serve different but potentially complementary purposes: Sentry catches code errors, Upstat detects service outages.

Different monitoring approaches

Sentry requires SDK integration within application code to capture runtime errors and performance issues. Upstat performs external monitoring (uptime, API checks) without code changes. Teams often use both: developers use Sentry for code debugging, operations teams use Upstat for service availability and incident coordination.

Capability comparison

Platform Focus

Upstat

Complete incident operations platform with native uptime monitoring, response workflows, runbooks, and status communication.

Sentry

Error monitoring and application performance platform for developers; tracks exceptions, crashes, and code-level issues.

Monitoring Approach

Upstat

External monitoring (uptime, API, heartbeat checks) to detect service availability issues.

Sentry

Application-level monitoring via SDK integration; captures runtime errors, exceptions, and performance issues from within application code.

Target Audience

Upstat

DevOps, SRE, and operations teams managing production systems and external services.

Sentry

Software developers and engineering teams debugging code-level issues during development and production.

Incident Response

Upstat

Full incident workspace with Kanban views, timelines, role assignments, on-call routing, and embedded runbooks.

Sentry

Issue tracking with error grouping, stack traces, and debugging context; incident coordination happens in external tools.

On-Call Management

Upstat

Built-in on-call scheduling, escalation policies, and rotation management for operations teams.

Sentry

Alert notifications via email and integrations (Slack, PagerDuty); no native on-call scheduling capabilities.

Use Case Overlap

Upstat

Monitors external service availability; detects when APIs, websites, or services go down.

Sentry

Monitors application errors; detects when code throws exceptions or crashes. Complementary to external monitoring.

Status Communication

Upstat

Customer-facing status pages automatically updated from uptime monitoring and incidents.

Sentry

No native status pages—developers fix errors; external status communication handled separately.

Pricing

Upstat

$29 / $49 per user with monitoring, incidents, on-call, and status pages included.

Sentry

$26-80+/month per plan based on error event volume; additional costs for Seer AI debugging agent and quota overages.

When teams choose Upstat over Sentry

Operations monitoring versus developer debugging

Sentry provides detailed stack traces and error context for developers debugging code-level issues during development and production. Upstat monitors external service availability for operations teams managing production systems—detecting when APIs, websites, or services go down. Choose based on whether your primary need is code debugging (Sentry) or operations monitoring (Upstat).

Incident coordination for operations teams

Sentry tracks error issues with debugging context but provides no on-call scheduling, escalation policies, or incident workspace for operations teams. Upstat includes built-in on-call management, incident workflows, runbooks, and status pages—designed specifically for DevOps and SRE teams coordinating production incident response.

External monitoring without code changes

Sentry requires SDK integration and code instrumentation to capture errors from within applications. Upstat performs external monitoring (uptime, API, heartbeat checks) without requiring code changes or SDK integration—ideal for monitoring third-party services, legacy systems, or any HTTP endpoint.

Learn more about When teams choose Upstat over Sentry

Evaluating Sentry versus Upstat

These tools serve different purposes and are often complementary rather than direct replacements.

  • 1
    Clarify whether your team needs error monitoring (Sentry) or service uptime monitoring (Upstat)—they serve different purposes.
  • 2
    If consolidating: assess whether external service monitoring meets your needs versus application-level error tracking.
  • 3
    Configure Upstat for production service monitoring (uptime, API, heartbeat checks).
  • 4
    Set up Upstat on-call management and incident workflows for operations teams.
  • 5
    Keep Sentry for developers debugging code errors, or replace with Upstat if prioritizing operations monitoring.

Evaluation checklist

Choose Sentry for application error tracking and code debugging. Choose Upstat for external service monitoring and incident operations. Many teams use both for comprehensive coverage.

Learn more about Evaluating Sentry versus Upstat

Use Case Comparison

Different tools for different teams

Sentry use case: Developers debugging application errors, tracking exceptions, analyzing stack traces, monitoring code-level performance issues during development and production.

Upstat use case: DevOps and SRE teams monitoring production service availability, managing on-call rotations, coordinating incident response, maintaining status pages, and executing runbooks when services go down.

Complementary approach: Many engineering organizations use both—Sentry for development teams debugging code, Upstat for operations teams managing production systems.

Pricing Comparison

Sentry Team Plan $80/month + event-based usage fees

Focused on error tracking and debugging for development teams

Upstat Teams $29/user/month (predictable pricing)

Includes monitoring, incidents, on-call, runbooks, and status pages for operations teams

The platforms serve different audiences: Sentry for developers, Upstat for operations. Pricing reflects different value propositions and use cases.

When to use Sentry

Software development teams benefit from Sentry's detailed error tracking, stack traces, release tracking, and performance monitoring. Developers need application-level visibility to debug code issues during development and production.

DevOps and operations teams managing production systems typically prioritize external service availability monitoring, on-call management, incident coordination, runbooks, and status communication—capabilities Upstat provides that Sentry lacks. Many organizations use both tools for comprehensive coverage across development and operations.

Frequently asked questions

Software teams using Sentry for error monitoring evaluate whether Upstat complements their setup or provides different capabilities.

Does Upstat replace Sentry for error monitoring?

No. Sentry monitors application-level errors by capturing exceptions, crashes, and stack traces from within your code—essential for debugging software issues. Upstat monitors external service availability (uptime, API, heartbeat checks) to detect when services go down. The tools are complementary: Sentry catches code errors, Upstat detects service outages. Teams typically need both or choose based on whether they prioritize code debugging (Sentry) or operations/uptime monitoring (Upstat).

Can we use Sentry with Upstat?

Yes. Many teams use Sentry for application error tracking and Upstat for external service monitoring and incident coordination. When Sentry detects critical error spikes, teams can create incidents in Upstat for coordinated response with on-call routing, runbooks, and status communication. The platforms serve different but complementary purposes in the development and operations workflow.

Does Upstat provide on-call management like Sentry?

Sentry sends alert notifications via email and integrations (Slack, PagerDuty) but does not provide on-call scheduling or escalation management—developers typically receive all error notifications. Upstat includes built-in on-call scheduling, rotation management, and escalation policies specifically designed for operations teams managing production services, not code-level error notifications.

Should DevOps teams choose Sentry or Upstat?

It depends on your primary need. Choose Sentry if your team primarily debugs application code and needs detailed stack traces and error context. Choose Upstat if your team manages production services and needs external monitoring, incident coordination, on-call management, runbooks, and status pages. Many teams use both: developers use Sentry for code issues, operations teams use Upstat for service availability.

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External service monitoring with incident coordination for DevOps and SRE teams

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