Best utilities to monitor web sites for server availability and changes


If search for a way to be informed when one or more sites become unavailable, their server is down, etc., without subscribing to on line monitors that provide this service, no need to worry. In this post I feature two utilities, a free application for Windows and a Chrome extension. I have tried a number of web site monitoring applications and also a number of Chrome extensions that offer similar functions. SiteUp one of the most convenient free programs for Windows that will let you monitor the availability of any number of web sites.

A nice of this utility is that it can even search for a particular word or phrase in monitored web sites, in which case you can be sure not only that the server is up, but also that your site works fine and is not unavailable. Now, if that word is not found, the monitored site is down or hacked (its content changed). The program monitors “simple” and secured (https) sites at an interval you can define. When a server is down or the keyword is not found on the monitored page, its system tray icon changes and you are also notified by a popup message. Nice.

If you prefer to use a Chrome extension to monitor web sites, then Website Status is great one for its simplicity and autonomy. This extension (something rare, believe me) won’t connect to any on line service where you need to have an account and a configuration of web sites to monitor, but it will by itself check each and every site you’d like to monitor. Note though that this extension doesn’t support automatic checking in intervals. After you configure what sites are to be monitored, whenever you feel like checking you the extension’s icon in Chrome’s toolbar and a check is performed line in front of you.

Two convenient utilities, with differences you can judge according to your needs and decide what to use. Of course, if you don’t even use Chrome, your choice is immediately limited.


Download SiteUp and / or Download Website Status for Chrome