With the recent deprecation of Let's Encrypt's certificate expiration emails, system administrators are in need of alternative certificate monitoring tools. We've done the research to compare 5 of the top SSL monitoring tools below:
1. CertNotifier
Overview: CertNotifier offers email reminders starting 2 months before your certificate expires. Single-mindedly focused on SSL monitoring without extraneous features.
The good: Does only one thing: certificate expiration reminder emails. Best value premium offering.
The bad: If you need more features, you'll need to integrate other services.
2. UptimeRobot
Overview: UptimeRobot is known for, well, uptime monitoring 😂, but it can also track SSL certificate validity and send alerts through numerous channels.
The good: Uptime monitoring and many other features. Can alert via email, SMS, Slack, and webhook integrations.
The bad: Bloated for users who only need certificate expiry alerts.
3. StatusCake
Overview: A feature-rich website monitoring tool, StatusCake can monitor SSL certificate expiration along with general site performance and much more.
The good: Bundles SSL monitoring, server monitoring, domain monitoring, and page speed monitoring in an easy-to-use dashboard.
The bad: SSL monitoring only in paid plans, many unnecessary features.
4. Certspotter
Overview: Another very focused product, like CertNotifier, but also offers certificate transparency log monitoring to be alerted when unauthorized certificates are issued for your domains.
The good: Transparency log monitoring is a unique offering. Real-time notifications via email, webhook, and Slack.
The bad: Pricey, part of a much larger product (SSLMate.) Only one email alert destination in hobbyist plan.
5. Nagios
Overview: Everything but the kitchen sink monitoring solution with a massive user base and long history. Favored by IT professionals. Offers SSL certificate monitoring, and so much more.
The good: Very customizable. Can monitor anything that runs on electricity. Widespread in IT infrastructure. Alerting via email, SMS, and more.
The bad: High maintenance overhead, high learning curve, overkill for most.
Choosing the Right SSL Monitoring Tool
Selecting the right monitoring solution depends on your level of technical expertise, budget, and scale. CertNotifier is a specialized, low-cost solution designed for affordable SSL monitoring without the fluff. Get notified before your certificates expire. It takes less than 2 minutes to set up.