The simplest cron job monitor — a better alternative to Dead Man's Snitch, healthchecks.io, and Cronitor

Setup: 1 line vs everything else

With CronWatch, there's nothing to install, configure, or deploy. Just add one line to the end of your cron job.

# Add to the end of your cron job:
0 3 * * * /scripts/backup.sh \
  && curl -fsS https://cronwatch.io/ping/YOUR-TOKEN

# That's it. If the job misses,
# you get an email alert.

# Requires account setup, webhook config,
# and adding their snippet:
0 3 * * * /scripts/backup.sh \
  && curl https://nosnch.in/YOUR-SNITCH-ID

# Comparable concept, 3x the price

# Also uses ping URLs — good option
# but paid plan starts at $20/mo
0 3 * * * /scripts/backup.sh \
  && curl -fsS https://hc-ping.com/YOUR-UUID

# Free tier limited to 20 checks

# Requires CLI or SDK installation:
pip install cronitor
cronitor configure --api-key KEY

# More features, more complexity,
# starts at $15/mo

Side-by-side comparison

CronWatch focuses on one thing: telling you when a cron job stops running.

Prices correct as of October 2026. CronWatch is in early access — final pricing subject to change.

When to choose CronWatch

CronWatch is not the right tool for everyone. Here's an honest guide.

For most indie developers monitoring 1–20 cron jobs, CronWatch is the fastest path from "my job failed and I didn't know" to "I got an alert within 2 minutes".

Frequently asked questions

• How is CronWatch different from healthchecks.io?
  Both use the same concept: your cron job pings a URL on success, and you get an alert if the ping doesn't arrive on schedule. The difference is price and simplicity. CronWatch is $9/month with a focus on a minimal, fast setup. healthchecks.io is open source with a more complex free tier (20 checks) and paid tiers starting at $20/month. If you're already on healthchecks.io and happy, no need to switch. If you're evaluating options, CronWatch is cheaper for most single-developer use cases.
• How is CronWatch different from Dead Man's Snitch?
  Dead Man's Snitch is a solid product that's been around for years. Their entry pricing is $29/month — more than 3x CronWatch's $9/month. The core functionality is identical: add a curl line to your cron job, get alerted if the job misses. CronWatch targets developers who want simple, affordable monitoring without paying for features they don't use.
• Does CronWatch work with GitHub Actions scheduled workflows?
  Yes. Add a final step to your workflow that runs curl -fsS https://cronwatch.io/ping/YOUR-TOKEN only on success. If GitHub Actions stops running your scheduled workflow (it does this silently after ~60 days of repo inactivity), CronWatch will alert you.
• What happens if my cron job misses a beat?
  CronWatch checks for expected pings every few minutes. If your job's ping doesn't arrive within the configured grace period (default: 1 hour after the expected run time), you get an email alert. No SMS charges, no per-alert fees — just a plain email so you can go fix it.
• When does CronWatch launch?
  We're in early access now. Join the waitlist and you'll be in the first batch of users. Early access pricing is $9/month — locked in for as long as you stay subscribed.