Uptime Basics includes production transactional SMS delivery and a monthly SMS alert allowance with each paid plan. Email alerts remain available independently and do not use the SMS allowance.
Monthly allowances
| Plan | Included SMS segments |
|---|---|
| Starter | 20 per month |
| Plus | 50 per month |
| Pro | 100 per month |
Allowances reset at 12:00 AM UTC on the first day of each calendar month. Unused segments do not roll over, and Uptime Basics does not automatically charge overage fees.
What counts toward the allowance
The allowance is measured in SMS segments, not alert events.
- One standard short SMS sent to one phone number uses one segment.
- Sending the same alert to two phone numbers uses two segments.
- A message that requires multiple carrier segments uses each segment from the allowance.
- Uptime Basics keeps its standard monitor alert messages within one segment whenever possible.
Phone verification codes do not use the monitor-alert allowance. Verification requests have separate daily limits to prevent abuse.
Supported destinations
Customer SMS alerts currently support verified phone numbers in Canada and the United States. Add and verify each phone number on Account > Alerts before selecting it for an account default or an individual monitor.
Check current usage
Open Account > Alerts to see:
- SMS segments used this month.
- Segments remaining.
- The next reset date and time.
- A warning after at least 80% of the allowance has been used.
Each monitor can use the account default destination or a different verified phone number. Every destination still counts separately.
When the allowance is reached
At 100% usage, Uptime Basics suppresses additional SMS monitor alerts until the next monthly reset. Monitoring continues, incidents and logs continue to update, and enabled email alerts continue normally.
There are no surprise SMS overage charges. Upgrading a plan increases the available allowance immediately. A scheduled downgrade keeps the current allowance until the downgrade takes effect at the next billing cycle.
Reduce unnecessary SMS usage
- Keep email enabled as the primary channel for routine monitoring.
- Use SMS for the monitors where immediate attention matters most.
- Avoid selecting multiple SMS recipients unless each person needs the alert.
- Resolve flapping or incorrectly configured monitors that repeatedly change status.