Catchpoint Pricing 2026

Catchpoint pricing is custom and uses a points-based system where costs depend on monitoring frequency, node locations, test types, and data retention requirements. No price is published for the Starter, Pro or Expert plan, so a quote from Catchpoint sales is needed. Expert, the most comprehensive plan, is custom-quoted like the others.

Catchpoint does not offer a permanently free tier. However, they may provide trial access or proof-of-concept deployments for qualified organizations evaluating the platform. Given the enterprise focus and custom pricing model, Catchpoint is positioned as a premium Internet performance monitoring solution rather than a free or low-cost tool.

Catchpoint uses a points-based consumption model where you purchase a point allocation and different monitoring tests consume points based on test type, frequency, and node location. Points give you flexibility to adjust monitoring on the fly - you can shift points between different tests as priorities change. The contracted points allocation covers data storage for your retention period (60 days, 13 months, or 3-7 years). If you exceed your point allocation, you're charged at your contracted rate without penalties.

Starter offers basic synthetic monitoring with 60-day data retention and email support. Pro adds extended monitoring nodes, 13-month retention, advanced analytics, and business hours phone support. Expert provides 3-year retention (extendable to 7 years), RUM capabilities, premium nodes worldwide, 24/7 priority support, dedicated customer success manager, and custom SLA. Choose Expert if you need long-term trend analysis, comprehensive coverage, or white-glove support.

Both Catchpoint and ThousandEyes use consumption-based pricing models with custom quotes. ThousandEyes typically starts at $50,000+ annually with unit-based pricing, while Catchpoint uses points-based pricing in a similar range. Catchpoint emphasizes no overage penalties and flexible point allocation, while ThousandEyes has wider agent network (200+ locations). Pricing is comparable at enterprise scale, but the consumption model and pricing transparency differ - both require detailed usage modeling for accurate cost estimates.

Catchpoint does not publish its contract terms. Pricing for the Starter, Pro and Expert plans is custom-quoted, so the term length and billing arrangement are set in the quote. The points-based system lets you adjust monitoring priorities, but confirm the commitment period with Catchpoint sales before signing.

Catchpoint's data retention varies by plan: Starter retains 60 days, Pro retains 13 months, and Expert retains 3 years standard with optional extension to 7 years for long-term compliance and trend analysis. Extended retention beyond plan defaults costs extra. Unlike competitors that charge per-GB for storage, Catchpoint includes data storage in your points allocation for your contracted retention period.

Catchpoint states there are no overage penalties - if you exceed your contracted point allocation, you're simply charged at your same contracted per-point rate. This provides predictability compared to competitors with penalty pricing for overages. However, sustained overages may trigger mid-contract discussions about increasing your point allocation for the remainder of the contract term.

Yes, Catchpoint pricing is fully negotiable as all pricing is custom. Volume discounts are available for large monitoring deployments or multi-year commitments, typically 15-30% off list pricing. Best time to negotiate is end of quarter (March, June, September, December) when sales teams have quotas. Leverage competing quotes from ThousandEyes, Kentik, or other monitoring vendors. Multi-year contracts offer better per-point pricing than single-year deals.

Point consumption depends on: test type (HTTP, DNS, traceroute consume different points), test frequency (testing every 5 minutes uses more points than every 60 minutes), monitoring node location (premium nodes may cost more points), and test complexity (multi-step transactions use more points than simple checks). Optimizing test frequency and node selection is essential to maximize value from your point allocation.

Yes, Real User Monitoring (RUM) is available on the Expert plan, providing visibility into actual end-user experience beyond synthetic monitoring. RUM features may have additional per-pageview or per-session costs beyond base points allocation, or consume significantly more points than synthetic tests. Contact sales to understand how RUM affects pricing and point consumption for your expected traffic volume.

Yes, Catchpoint's points-based system is designed for flexibility - you can shift points between different monitoring tests, adjust test frequency, or change node locations without contract modifications. This allows you to respond to changing business priorities within your contracted point allocation. However, adding more points mid-contract requires contract amendment and typically carries less favorable pricing than initial negotiations.

Catchpoint is positioned as an enterprise-grade solution and is considered more expensive than basic alternatives like Pingdom. It's often compared to ThousandEyes in terms of capabilities and pricing tier.

Based on available data, Catchpoint does not offer a public free tier. All plans (Starter, Pro, Expert) require a custom contract. Contact Catchpoint to inquire about any trial or proof-of-concept access.

Catchpoint covers a broad range of protocols: HTTP, Browser, API, Streaming, DNS, FTP, TCP, SMTP, Ping, Traceroute, and SSH, with content validation and custom widgets/dashboards, making it suited for SRE teams needing both page flow and network-layer visibility.

Users note Catchpoint excels at edge-distributed synthetic tests across a broad protocol set, but its configuration is more complex than Datadog's synthetic monitoring and RUM. Catchpoint is also noted as weaker on historical trend analysis and anomaly detection. Both products are custom-priced at enterprise scale.

Reviewers flag several areas that add hidden cost: complex initial configuration requiring engineering investment, non-intuitive UI with a steep learning curve, limited cloud/Kubernetes integration requiring supplementary tooling, weak automation documentation driving training overhead, and unstable transaction and Playwright scripts requiring ongoing maintenance.