# Source: src/lib/business/vs-pages.ts → vsPages[montastic]. Keep in sync.

# SiteGuardian vs Montastic (2026)

> SiteGuardian vs Montastic. Montastic is the lightweight free-tier monitor aimed at a 3-monitor shop. SiteGuardian is the boring smallest paid product aimed at small shops that want one loud email on a paid cadence.

URL: /vs/montastic
Canonical page: /vs/montastic
Site index: /llms.txt
Hub of all comparisons: /vs/all
Updated: 2026

## TL;DR
- SiteGuardian wins once 4+ URLs matter; Montastic wins when 3 free is enough. Montastic runs a free tier of 3 monitors on a 5-minute cadence and Pro at $8/mo annual for unlimited monitors with a status page and SSL add-on. SiteGuardian does not run a free tier; it ships uptime, SSL expiry, broken-link coverage, checkout-failure monitoring, and form-failure monitoring on every paid plan, in one loud email, with three flat tiers.
- When Montastic: 3 free monitors are enough and the $0 bill is the deciding factor.
- When SiteGuardian: 4+ URLs to watch and one loud email per outage the second one stops.
- The verdict: SiteGuardian when 4+ URLs matter; Montastic when 3 free is enough.

## Pricing at a glance
- SiteGuardian Starter — $19/mo — 1 site, 10 URLs, every-5-min probes.
- SiteGuardian Pro — $39/mo — 3 sites, 50 URLs, every-1-min probes.
- SiteGuardian Lifetime — $299 once — 1 site, 50 URLs, every-5-min probes, every future update included.
- Montastic Free — $0/month — 3 monitors, 5-min cadence.
- Montastic Pro — $8/month (annual) — Unlimited monitors, status page, SSL add-on.

## How they differ
- Probe cadence (paid) — SiteGuardian: Every minute (Pro); Montastic: Every 5 minutes.
- Probe cadence (free) — SiteGuardian: not available; Montastic: Every 5 minutes, up to 3 monitors.
- Public status page — SiteGuardian: not available; Montastic: included.
- SSL expiry alerts — SiteGuardian: included; Montastic: Add-on.
- Custom slow threshold per URL — SiteGuardian: On every plan; Montastic: not available.
- Pricing model (paid) — SiteGuardian: $19/mo Starter, $39/mo Pro, $299 once Lifetime; Montastic: $8/mo Pro.

## When each is the right fit
- SiteGuardian — A small Shopify / WordPress shop who has 4+ URLs and wants one loud email the minute the checkout stops.
- Montastic — A hobbyist / one-shop operator with exactly 2-3 URLs to watch who is happy on a 5-min cadence.

## The verdict
- SiteGuardian when 4+ URLs matter; Montastic when 3 free is enough.
- Pick SiteGuardian if: A small Shopify / WordPress shop with a home, /contact, /checkout, and maybe /about who wants one loud email per URL.
- Pick Montastic if: A hobbyist / non-commercial site with 2-3 URLs to watch and a $0 bill requirement.

## Buying-time FAQ
- Q: Is Montastic cheaper than SiteGuardian?
  A: Yes, on its $8/month Pro tier. SiteGuardian Starter is $19/month. The dividing line is what you get for the $11 more — per-URL slow thresholds, minutely probe cadence on Pro, and a paid product that does not pretend dashboard-edness is the job.
- Q: Does SiteGuardian have a free tier?
  A: No. SiteGuardian is paid from the first URL. Montastic free covers 3 monitors; for a one-shop operator who only has the home page and the contact page, that may be all you need.
- Q: Does Montastic ship SSL expiry?
  A: Montastic ships SSL monitoring as a paid add-on (bundled with the Pro plan). SiteGuardian ships certificate expiry on every plan — Starter, Pro, and Lifetime alike — at 90 / 30 / 7 / 1 days out.
- Q: Can I run Montastic free and SiteGuardian Starter together?
  A: Yes, briefly. Most shops do this for two weeks, decide which email they actually open, then keep the one and cancel the other.
- Q: Does SiteGuardian ship a status page?
  A: No. Montastic paid ships one. If a public status page is a buying-time requirement, choose Montastic paid, or pair SiteGuardian with a separate status-page tool.
- Q: Which is the right fit for a 1-shop store with no dev?
  A: SiteGuardian, if you have 4+ URLs to watch and you want one loud email the moment /checkout stops. Montastic, if 3 monitors are enough and the $0 bill is the deciding factor.

## Freshness
- Pricing and features last checked July 2026. Competitor offerings may change.

## Related reads
- /vs/all — every comparison in one matrix.
- /vs/uptime-robot — SiteGuardian vs UptimeRobot.
- /vs/hetrixtools — SiteGuardian vs Hetrixtools.
- /online-store-uptime — Online store uptime.
- /tools/uptime-check — Free uptime check.
- /pricing — See plans & pricing.
- /audit — Free URL audit.