Our List of the 13 Best API Monitoring Tools

Helpful Summary

Overview: This article covers everything you need to know about the 13 best API monitoring tools, their features, how they can help keep your API in optimal performance, and how to pick the best tool for your business.

Why you can trust us: At Instatus, we have a proven record of helping companies like Wistia, Podium, Dovetail, and Deno effectively monitor their website, APIs, and other digital assets.

Why this is important: Finding the right API monitoring tool is crucial to ensure that your APIs remain in optimum health, function, and performance.

Action points: Monitor your APIs more effectively and efficiently by using a reliable tool like Instatus.

Further research: To complement the API monitoring guidance you gain in this article, we invite you to take advantage of our free trial so you can test-drive our platform and its capabilities to monitor your APIs with ease.

Need Help Finding an API Monitoring Tool?

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) act like messengers so different software systems and services can communicate effectively. To ensure these messengers are doing their job properly, we need to monitor them regularly - that's where API monitoring tools come in.

However, with so many options to choose from, finding the right tool can be a challenge.

In this Instatus guide, we will examine 12 popular API monitoring tools, focusing on their key features, benefits, and suitability for different business needs. We’ll also cover key criteria you should consider to help you find the right tool.

Let’s get started.

Why Listen To Us?

At Instatus, we've successfully worked with international companies and brands like Deno, Railway, Podium, Wistia, and Restream in keeping their websites, APIs, and other digital assets at peak performance.

Given our firsthand experience in this field and great user feedback, we’re well-suited to the challenge of helping you pick the best API monitoring tools.

What Are API Monitoring Tools?

API monitoring tools are software that help your organization guarantee that its APIs are up and running efficiently and securely. Given the importance of APIs for delivering critical information around the internet, they must have 100% uptime. If not, monitoring ensures that critical issues are addressed promptly.

As for the scope, these tools track several aspects of API performance, including availability, response time, functionality, and usage patterns. Select tools that cover each of these features.

Why use API Monitoring Tools?

Enhanced Operational Efficiency

Monitoring tools increase operational efficiency by continuously tracking API performance. This proactive approach minimizes downtime and ensures that APIs deliver optimal performance. It’s a prerequisite for offering quality user experience and operational continuity. As a result, your resource management will improve.

Improved Cyber Security

Monitoring tools enhance the security of API ecosystems. By detecting unusual activities and potential breaches in real-time, you can mitigate risks promptly, safeguard sensitive data, and maintain compliance with regulatory standards.

Optimized API Performance

API monitoring optimizes the performance by providing reliable metrics on response times, error rates, and overall service health. With these insights, developers can make informed decisions to improve API response times and efficiency, directly enhancing user satisfaction and engagement. It’s the key to maintaining a competitive edge.

Criteria for Choosing an API Monitoring Tool

Before we start evaluating the best API monitoring tools, here are some key criteria that you should consider.

Intuitiveness and Ease of Use

Find a user-friendly and intuitive tool to reduce the learning curve and increase adoption rates among team members. This will guarantee that you make the most of the tool and respond quickly to API issues.

Comprehensive Monitoring Capabilities

The tool should monitor API interactions in detail, complete with metrics on performance, errors, and usage patterns. Comprehensive monitoring allows for proactive management of APIs, ensuring performance optimization and quick troubleshooting of issues before they affect end-users.

Integration with Existing Systems

API tools that integrate well with existing systems minimize disruptions and streamline workflow.

For example, Instatus offers seamless integration with most common tools and apps, allowing smoother implementation and more cohesive use of technology within your organization.

Support for Advanced Features

Opt for API tools that come with advanced features such as real-time analytics and automated alerts as they can provide greater control and automation, leading to more effective monitoring and management of APIs.

Scalability

As businesses grow, their API monitoring needs will also expand. A scalable API monitoring tool can handle an increasing number of APIs and more complex systems, ensuring it remains effective as your business evolves.

13 Best API Monitoring Tools for Every Business

Here is a summary of the top 13 API monitoring tools with an important use case for each one.

Instatus: Best for businesses seeking a user-friendly and reliable API monitoring tool with effective communication features during outages.
Treblle: Best for larger teams that require detailed API performance analytics, seamless integration, and development tools.
Checkly: Best for developers looking for API monitoring and browser checks with a focus on developer experience.
Pingdom: Best for businesses of all sizes looking for a robust and intuitive solution to monitor website uptime, API performance, and user experience.
Datadog: Best for medium to large enterprises that require a comprehensive API monitoring solution that can integrate multiple facets of IT operations into one platform.
New Relic: Best for large enterprises or tech-driven companies that require an integrated solution for monitoring their APIs, entire software stack, and infrastructure.
Sematext: Best for DevOps teams and enterprises needing a robust API monitoring solution.
API Science: Best for businesses requiring in-depth monitoring of both their internal APIs and third-party integrations to ensure robust performance and compliance.
Dotcom-Monitor: Best for businesses needing to simulate user interactions from multiple locations.
Sauce Labs: Best for large enterprises and development teams that require a robust API testing solution integrated into continuous testing environments.
RapidAPI Testing: Best for organizations looking for a robust API testing solution that can integrate seamlessly into their existing development pipelines.
Workato: Best for businesses looking for a scalable monitoring tool suitable for those needing a low-code approach to manage complex processes.
SAP Integration Suite: Best for large organizations looking for a powerful API monitoring tool that can manage a wide range of integration scenarios.

1. Instatus

Instatus is a straightforward tool designed to monitor website and API uptime while improving communication during outages.

Using Instatus, you can create customized status pages and integrate them with your existing monitoring tools. This empowers you to keep users informed during downtimes, which is crucial for maintaining trust and minimizing support queries.

Moreover, our platform's straightforward design and focus on key functionalities make it a superior choice for companies seeking a simple yet effective tool for logging and monitoring API performance. You only need to glance at our status dashboard to know where to take action.

Key Features

Real-Time Monitoring: Tracks the uptime and response times of APIs and websites in real time.
Integrated Status Pages: Offers customizable status pages that provide transparency during incidents.
Incident Management: Manages and communicates incidents efficiently.
Multi-Channel Notifications: Sends alerts through email, SMS, Slack, and Microsoft Teams.
Customizable Thresholds: Allows users to set custom thresholds for alerts and notifications.

Pros:

Intuitive interface for status management
Effective incident communication tools
Comprehensive support for multiple notification channels
Availability of a free starter plan
Robust incident management capabilities

Cons:

The free plan only gives you access to basic features, with advanced features requiring paid upgrades.

Pricing

Instatus offers a free starter plan. The paid plan starts at $20 per month.

2. Treblle

Treblle offers robust API monitoring and optimization tools that integrate seamlessly into development processes, making it ideal for larger organizations. They also feature a user-friendly dashboard that helps teams make quick decisions. It’s an interesting option for real-time monitoring.

Key features

Real-Time Monitoring: Provides up-to-the-minute data on API performance and health.
Automatic Documentation: Automatically generates and updates API documentation.
Error Tracking: Detailed tracking of API errors to aid in troubleshooting.
Performance Analytics: Analyzes API performance to identify inefficiencies.
Language and Framework Support: Compatible with multiple programming languages and frameworks.

Pros:

Detailed dashboard with actionable insights
Automates many aspects of API management
Extensive integration capabilities with development tools
Treblle mobile app is available for convenient monitoring
Supports a wide range of programming environments

Cons:

Complexity in setup and integration.
The higher cost of the tool may deter smaller teams or startups.
Requires a steep learning curve for utilizing advanced features.

Pricing

Treblle offers a free starter plan, with a couple of premium plans starting at $99 per month.

3. Checkly

Checkly is an API monitoring tool that focuses on developer experience. It offers a wide range of features, including synthetic monitoring, heartbeats and browser checks. Checkly is ideal for a developer looking for a tool that simplifies API monitoring and provides detailed insights into API results and performance.

Key features

API monitoring: Monitors API endpoints for availability, performance, and correctness. You can add multiple assertions to check if the result is correct.
Browser checks: Allows you to simulate user interactions using a library like Playwright to monitor crucial flows like Login.
Heartbeats: You can monitor your internal services and cron jobs by sending a heartbeat to Checkly.
Developer friendly: Checkly provides a simple interface and good documentation that makes it easy to set up and manage API checks. It also shows more detailed responses than most services.

Pros:

Easy to set up and use
Detailed insights into API performance
Supports multiple types of checks
Developer-friendly interface
Good documentation

Cons:

The free plan is limited in check runs and has a single team member
Doesn't have a mobile app for monitoring on the go
Doesn't have incident response features
Doesn't have status page features

Pricing

Checkly offers a free plan with a single-user and limited features. Team plan start at $80 per month.

4. Pingdom

Pingdom by SolarWinds is a prominent tool for website performance and uptime monitoring, designed to ensure seamless operational continuity of websites and APIs. Pingdom also offers detailed reporting tools that allow users to track trends over time, helping them identify potential issues before they impact users.

Key Features

Uptime Monitoring: Tests website availability from multiple locations worldwide to ensure consistent accessibility.
Synthetic Monitoring: Simulates user interactions to proactively discover issues before they affect users.
Real User Monitoring: Gathers performance data from actual users in real-time, providing insights into the user experience.
Advanced Alerts: Delivers instant notifications through various channels like email and Slack, allowing quick response to issues.
Server Monitoring: As a separate add-on, monitor server health and other performance metrics.

Pros:

Known for its user-friendly interface which simplifies the monitoring process
Provides detailed insights into both API performance and user interaction
Ensures that web services are accessible and performant from various locations globally
Customizable alerts help avoid unnecessary notifications and focus on significant issues
Offers detailed reports that aid in troubleshooting and performance enhancement

Cons:

Server monitoring requires an additional fee
Some advanced features may require a steep learning curve for new users
Users have reported occasional slowness in the dashboard's responsiveness

Pricing

Pingdom offers flexible price plans starting at $10/month depending on features and monitoring capabilities. A free trial is available for new users.

5. Datadog

Datadog is a cloud-based platform that automates infrastructure monitoring, application performance monitoring, and log management to provide real-time observability of IT environments. With over 350 different integrations, it’s a versatile choice for dev teams.

Key Features

Comprehensive Monitoring: Covers infrastructure, applications, and logs with over 350 integrations to gather data from various sources.
Real-Time Analytics: Provides monitoring insights through real-time dashboards.
Advanced APM: Offers detailed application performance management capabilities to track and optimize software performance.
Synthetic Monitoring: Allows businesses to test and monitor web applications proactively.
Log Management: Facilitates detailed log analysis, enabling faster troubleshooting and deeper insights into system behaviors.

Pros:

Easily integrates with various systems and applications, enhancing monitoring capabilities
Known for its intuitive user interface that simplifies complex data monitoring
Capable of handling large-scale infrastructure needs
Strong capabilities in managing and analyzing logs

Cons:

Price increases as your needs increase, particularly for APM services
The breadth of features can be overwhelming for new users
Setup can be intricate due to the depth of options and configurations

Pricing

Datadog offers a free basic plan and a couple of flexible premium plans based on features and integrations.

6. New Relic

New Relic provides a cloud-based observability platform designed to help businesses monitor and optimize their applications and infrastructure in real time. They also offer extensive customization options, giving teams the ability to tailor monitoring and alerts to fit specific operational needs.

Key Features

Full-Stack Observability: Integrates application performance monitoring (APM), infrastructure monitoring, log management, and real user monitoring in one platform.
APM: Tracks application performance, supporting complex architectures and providing insights to optimize response times.
Infrastructure Monitoring: Offers visibility into physical, virtual, and cloud environments to manage and optimize operations.
Real User Monitoring: Captures real-time user interactions to identify and troubleshoot user experience issues.
Synthetic Monitoring: Simulates user interactions to test APIs and web applications before they impact users.

Pros:

Seamlessly integrates with various tools and services
Intuitive dashboards that simplify complex data analysis
Effectively handles data at scale, making it suitable for large enterprises
Provides deep insights with sophisticated analytics tools

Cons:

Pricing can be complicated and potentially expensive, particularly for smaller businesses
Some users find the platform complex, especially when first implementing advanced features
Initial setup and configuration are challenging without technical expertise

Pricing

There is no public information available about the New Relic pricing plans. You have to contact their sales team directly to get a pricing estimate.

7. Sematext

Sematext provides a comprehensive monitoring solution that covers all aspects of API performance, making it suitable for DevOps teams and large-scale operations. With its log management features, it enables centralized log management that enhances troubleshooting and performance analysis.

Key Features

Global API Uptime Monitoring: Monitors API uptime from multiple global locations.
Performance Tracking: Tracks API performance using detailed metrics and waterfall charts.
Custom API Metrics: Allows for the creation of custom metrics tailored to specific needs.
Real-Time Alerting: Sends real-time alerts to notify you of any performance issues.
Comprehensive Log Management: Integrates log management to provide a holistic view of API health.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Full-stack monitoring from logs to user experience
Advanced filtering and search capabilities
Offers both synthetic and real user monitoring
Highly scalable and suitable for large infrastructures
Extensive third-party integration options

Cons:

Can be overwhelming to smaller-scale users
Requires higher-tier plans for full access to features

Pricing

New users get a 14-day free trial for each new Monitoring App. For paid plans, the price depends on the number of hosts, containers, and data retention. It starts at $3.60 per host.

8. APIContext (formerly API Science)

APICOntext is tailored for robust API monitoring, particularly effective in managing both internal and external APIs. It ensures operational compliance and performance across complex API ecosystems. You can push your monitoring further using this tool. For instance, it has functionality to help you visualize API usage patterns and detect anomalies.

Key Features

Multi-step and JavaScript Testing: Allows for complex scenarios beyond simple GET requests, using real CRUD operations.
External API Monitoring: Monitors third-party APIs to ensure compliance with service level agreements (SLAs).
Comprehensive Reporting: Provides detailed insights into API performance, helping identify trends and prevent failures.
Advanced Scheduling: Offers flexible scheduling for API checks to maintain constant surveillance.
Full-Featured API: Enables comprehensive control over the monitoring setup, including detailed configuration of checks and alerts.

Pros:

Supports sophisticated test scenarios necessary for modern APIs
Delivers detailed reports that aid in quick decision-making
Allows users to tailor monitoring to specific requirements
Ensures the platform stays current with the latest API monitoring demands

Cons:

Costs can be high, especially for more extensive usage tiers
The basic plan is somewhat restrictive compared to full offerings
Integrating with existing systems can be cumbersome

Pricing

APIContext offers a 30-day free trial for any of their paid plans. Paid plans start from $29 per month.

9. Dotcom-Monitor

Dotcom-Monitor provides a solution for tracking the performance and uptime of APIs with capabilities for handling complex API sequences through multi-step API monitoring. Additionally, it supports load testing which simulates high-traffic scenarios to assess how APIs will perform under stress, crucial for planning scalability and ensuring reliability during peak loads.

Key Features

Multi-Location Testing: Monitors APIs from various global locations to simulate and measure performance across different geographies.
Multi-Step API Monitoring: Supports complex transaction testing, ensuring every part of API sequences functions correctly.
Integration with Postman: Allows using existing Postman collections for internal API testing.
Real-Time Data and Dashboards: Provides live feedback on API performance with detailed dashboards.
Load Testing: Simulates heavy loads to test how APIs perform under stress.

Pros:

Robust monitoring features that simplify detailed API testing and performance
Capable of simulating user interactions from around the world
Helps in anticipating performance issues before they affect end-users
Provides real-time insights with an accessible dashboard

Cons:

Pricing can be prohibitive for some businesses, especially at higher monitoring frequencies
Configuring complex monitoring tasks can be challenging
Some users find the reporting tools less flexible than needed

Pricing

Paid plans for Dotcom-Monitor start at $139.99 per month with a 30-day free trial.

10. Sauce Labs (formerly API Fortress)

Sauce Labs provides a comprehensive cloud-based platform for API testing and monitoring, ensuring high-quality performance across all microservices which can be automated within a CI/CD pipeline. For immediate feedback, Sauce Labs also offers real-time debugging during tests. This allows you to expedite solutions.

Key Features

Functional API Testing and Monitoring: Automated functional testing, business logic testing, and dynamic data-driven testing.
Integration Testing: Facilitates collaboration on integration tests with other teams and reuses tests for end-to-end validations.
Performance Monitoring and Load Testing: Reuses functional tests as performance monitors or functional load tests in any environment.
Contract Testing with Mocking: Uses specification files to generate contract tests to validate API transactions.
API Mocking with Piestry: Supports both consumer and producer side testing, enhancing test reliability.

Pros:

Provides comprehensive tools for early and thorough API testing
Ensures APIs perform optimally under varied conditions and workloads
Suitable for any size of the business with scalable test automation capabilities
Seamlessly integrates with CI/CD tools and supports extensive collaboration

Cons:

Some users find the platform's interface confusing (or difficult) to navigate
Setting up and configuring the tool can be complex due to its advanced features
The cost of Sauce Labs can be a barrier for smaller teams or startups.

Pricing

Sauce Labs offers new users a 28-day free trial. Paid plans start at $39 per month.

11. RapidAPI Testing

RapidAPI Testing is a comprehensive cloud-based platform that enables effective management and monitoring of APIs throughout the development cycle. It supports a wide range of API types including REST, SOAP, and GraphQL. Featuring an intuitive interface, it also makes it simple for you to create and manage tests.

Key Features

Comprehensive API Test Flows: Allows for the creation of detailed test plans that cover various aspects of API functionality.
CI/CD Integration: Seamlessly integrates with continuous integration/continuous deployment pipelines to enhance development workflows.
Global Monitoring: Monitors APIs from multiple geographic locations to ensure global performance and accessibility.
Visual and Code-Based Test Creation: Offers flexibility in test creation either through a visual editor or direct code entry.
Analytics and Insights: Provides detailed analytics on test performance, helping to pinpoint issues and optimize API performance.

Pros:

Capable of handling various types of APIs, making it versatile for different tech stacks
Easily integrates with major CI/CD tools, enhancing workflow automation
Intuitive user interface that simplifies complex testing tasks
Offers real-time insights into API performance and issues

Cons:

May be overwhelming for users new to API testing due to its comprehensive features
More advanced features require paid subscriptions which can be costly
Initial setup and configuration can be time-consuming

Pricing

RapidAPI Testing offers a custom pricing plan for users based on your API monitoring needs and preferences. You need to contact their sales team to get a pricing estimate.

12. Workato

Workato is a powerful integration and automation platform that enables businesses to streamline workflows across various functions and systems. It provides tools for building, managing, and operating integrations and automation, as well as API monitoring in a single platform

Key Features

Comprehensive API Management: Offers tools to build, deploy, and manage APIs with support for real-time integrations and automation workflows.
Robust Automation Capabilities: Automates processes across apps and databases with support for hundreds of pre-built connectors.
Enterprise-Grade Security: Ensures data security with robust governance and compliance features.
Low-Code Development: Facilitates rapid development with a low-code approach, making it accessible to non-developers.
Advanced Analytics: Provides real-time insights and analytics to monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize integrations and workflows.

Pros:

Adapts to varying needs from small businesses to large enterprises
User-friendly interface simplifies complex integrations
An extensive library of connectors supports integration with various systems
Regular updates with new features and improvements

Cons:

Can be expensive, particularly for smaller businesses
Some users may find the setup and customization process challenging without technical expertise
May require significant resources to manage and optimize the platform effectively

Pricing

Workato offers a custom pricing plan for each user. You will need to contact their sales team to get a pricing estimate.

13. SAP Integration Suite

SAP Integration Suite is an integrated platform-as-a-service (iPaaS) that provides comprehensive tools and capabilities to manage and monitor APIs across both cloud and on-premise environments. It supports a wide range of integration scenarios with both SAP and non-SAP systems, facilitating seamless digital transformation for businesses.

Key Features

Superb API Management: Allows organizations to create, publish, monitor, and manage APIs throughout their lifecycle.
Enterprise Integration: Provides tools for integrating applications, data, and processes across different environments (cloud and on-premise).
Event-Driven Architecture: Supports real-time, event-driven integration scenarios to enhance responsiveness and agility.
Business-to-Business Integration: Enables efficient management of electronic communications and transactions with external business partners.
End-to-End Monitoring: Offers capabilities for monitoring all integration flows and APIs, providing visibility into performance and issues.

Pros:

Covers a broad spectrum of integration needs, from simple data synchronization to complex business processes
Scales and adapts to various integration scenarios
Protects data and ensures compliance with industry standards
Provides detailed analytics and insights to help optimize integration processes and API performance

Cons:

The wide range of features and capabilities might overwhelm new users
Comes with a hefty price tag, especially for small to medium-sized enterprises.Requires substantial resources to deploy, manage, and maintain
Integrating with existing non-SAP systems can sometimes be challenging

Pricing

SAP Integration Suite Basic Plan costs $10,608 per year while the Standard Plan costs $60,216 per year.

Conclusion

As our guide illustrates, choosing the right API monitoring tool is much more than a tactical decision. Rather, it’s a crucial step in ensuring the health and performance of your APIs.

Among the options we shared above, Instatus is a compelling choice for all types of businesses looking for a reliable API monitoring tool. With real-time alerts, detailed analytics, easy integration, and overall ease of use, Instatus keeps you informed and your APIs at their best.

Take advantage of our Instatus free plan and experience the wonders it can do for your API monitoring activities. You can also visit our blog to learn more about our company, tools, and platform.