Keep vs PagerDuty
Self-host swap-in for PagerDuty. · Self-host PagerDuty · Keep on os-alt
Keep is one of the open-source self-host replacements for PagerDuty — license MIT, 30min docker-compose (keep-frontend + keep-backend + websocket-server; SQLite default, swap to Postgres via `DATABASE_CONNECTION_STRING`) to stand up, and $10-20 vps; sms/voice via twilio at the usual per-leg rate ($0. Compare against PagerDuty's $21-41/user/mo on Professional/Business — bill scales linearly with on-call headcount below.
| Keepopen-source | PagerDutypaid SaaS | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | On-call rotation / incident response / paging | On-call rotation / incident response / paging |
| License / pricing | MIT | $21-41/user/mo on Professional/Business — bill scales linearly with on-call headcount |
| Starting price | $0 self-host | $21/user/mo |
| GitHub | keephq/keep | closed source |
| Setup time | 30min docker-compose (keep-frontend + keep-backend + websocket-server; SQLite default, swap to Postgres via `DATABASE_CONNECTION_STRING`) | SaaS — sign up + bill |
| Monthly cost | $10-20 VPS; SMS/voice via Twilio at the usual per-leg rate ($0.0075-0.05/leg). | from $21/user/mo ($21-41/user/mo on Professional/Business — bill scales linearly with on-call headcount) |
Switching from PagerDuty to Keep
Keep is an alert orchestration / AIOps platform with first-class on-call workflows, not a 1-1 PagerDuty clone. Migration path: (1) connect PagerDuty as a *source* provider in Keep to mirror existing alerts and incidents while you cut over; (2) wire your alert producers (Prometheus, Grafana, Sentry, Datadog — all have first-class providers under `keep/providers/`) to Keep's webhook endpoints; (3) configure the Twilio provider for SMS/voice paging; (4) build workflows for dedup/correlation/escalation in Keep's workflow YAML. PagerDuty schedules don't import directly — recreate them as Keep workflows or pair with a calendar source.
- Good fit for
- Teams that want alert dedup, correlation, and workflow automation alongside on-call paging — i.e. the noisy-alerts problem and the on-call problem solved by the same tool. Currently the most actively maintained option in this category.
- Weak at
- Pure on-call scheduling UI is thinner than PagerDuty's — Keep leads with alert orchestration, not rotation calendars. If all you need is 'who's on-call this week', the workflow surface is more than you'll use.
- License note
- Core is MIT; the `ee/` directory ships under a separate Keep Enterprise license. The non-EE surface (alert ingestion, providers, workflows, UI) is what you want for self-hosted on-call replacement, and that part is OSI-MIT.
Other open-source self-host alternatives to PagerDuty
In a terminal? npx os-alt pagerduty prints PagerDuty's self-host options —
how the CLI works →
FAQ
Is Keep a free alternative to PagerDuty?
Yes — Keep is open source under MIT. Self-host cost: $10-20 VPS; SMS/voice via Twilio at the usual per-leg rate ($0.0075-0.05/leg).. PagerDuty starts at $21/user/mo ($21-41/user/mo on Professional/Business — bill scales linearly with on-call headcount).
How long does Keep take to set up vs PagerDuty?
Self-hosting Keep: 30min docker-compose (keep-frontend + keep-backend + websocket-server; SQLite default, swap to Postgres via `DATABASE_CONNECTION_STRING`). PagerDuty is a hosted SaaS — sign up and you're in.
What is Keep good at, and what is it weak at?
Good fit for: Teams that want alert dedup, correlation, and workflow automation alongside on-call paging — i.e. the noisy-alerts problem and the on-call problem solved by the same tool. Currently the most actively maintained option in this category.. Weak at: Pure on-call scheduling UI is thinner than PagerDuty's — Keep leads with alert orchestration, not rotation calendars. If all you need is 'who's on-call this week', the workflow surface is more than you'll use..