Apps are getting cheaper to build. Why uptime monitors are still $20/mo?

I just want to know if my API is down. I don't need "observability pipelines." I need a cron job that texts me if it returns a 500.

Why is the industry standard $20/mo just to get mobile alerts?

I do not like to pay that for a glorified loop script. BareUptime is our hobby project. It pings your site, checks your SSL, and alerts you when it breaks. There is no bloat, no "observability" tax.