Spanlens vs UptimeRobot
A side-by-side look at the Spanlens and UptimeRobot MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Spanlens for monitoring work as a local process; choose UptimeRobot for monitoring over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Spanlens when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
SPANLENS_API_KEY.
Choose UptimeRobot when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring | Monitoring |
| Quality signal | 59/100 · Good | 37/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Remote HTTP/SSE |
| Auth | API key required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | SPANLENS_API_KEY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 13 | 24 |
| Directory activity | 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Spanlens | View UptimeRobot |
Tools & capabilities
Spanlens tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
UptimeRobot tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Spanlens
{
"mcpServers": {
"spanlens-spanlens-2": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@spanlens/cli"
],
"env": {
"SPANLENS_API_KEY": "YOUR_SPANLENS_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
UptimeRobot
{
"mcpServers": {
"uptimerobot": {
"url": "https://mcp.uptimerobot.com/mcp"
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Spanlens is categorized under Monitoring and uses a local stdio subprocess. UptimeRobot belongs to Monitoring and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Pick Spanlens for monitoring work and UptimeRobot for monitoring.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Spanlens is listed as free. Auth: api key required. UptimeRobot has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add spanlens-spanlens-2 and uptimerobot as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Spanlens has a quality signal of 59/100 (Good) with 4 views, 0 installs and 13 GitHub stars. UptimeRobot has 37/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 24 GitHub stars.
