PagerDuty has long been a well-known tool for on-call management and alerting. However, many modern engineering teams are now looking for PagerDuty alternatives. Common drivers for this shift include high costs, platform complexity, and the need for more comprehensive features that go beyond basic alerting [2]. The needs of today's Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) and DevOps teams have evolved; they require integrated incident management software that supports the entire incident lifecycle. This is where Rootly emerges as a leading contender, offering a complete, end-to-end incident management platform designed for the modern SRE tooling stack.
What to Look for in the Best PagerDuty Alternatives
When you compare oncall platforms, it's important to establish clear criteria. The best tools for on-call engineers offer more than just a notification system. They are comprehensive platforms that help teams manage incidents from start to finish.
Here are the essential features that modern on-call engineers and SRE teams need:
- Comprehensive Incident Management: The tool should cover the entire incident lifecycle, from initial detection and response to detailed retrospectives and organizational learning.
- Flexible On-Call Scheduling and Escalations: A top tool must support complex rotations, scheduling overrides, and multi-level escalation policies to ensure the right person is always notified without causing unnecessary alert fatigue [4].
- Powerful Automation: Look for robust workflow automation to eliminate manual, repetitive tasks. This includes creating communication channels, updating status pages, and paging responders automatically.
- Seamless Integrations: The platform must integrate cleanly with your existing SRE observability stack for Kubernetes, monitoring tools like Datadog and Grafana, and communication hubs like Slack.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Pricing should be transparent and deliver clear value. Avoid models that lock critical features behind expensive enterprise tiers.
- Built-in Retrospectives: The ability to conduct post-incident reviews, document learnings, and track action items is crucial for continuous improvement and building a more reliable system.
An Overview of PagerDuty and Its Top Competitors
The market for SRE tools for incident tracking has several players, but they are not all created equal. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses is key to making the right choice.
PagerDuty: The Legacy Incumbent
PagerDuty is one of the original players in the on-call space, and its name is almost synonymous with alert management. Its core strengths have always been reliable alerting and on-call scheduling. However, many users report drawbacks, including a pricing model that can become prohibitively expensive for growing teams and a platform that has not seen significant innovation in recent years [1]. This has led many to seek out more modern and comprehensive solutions.
Opsgenie: The Atlassian Player Facing a Shutdown
Opsgenie, part of the Atlassian ecosystem, was a popular choice for teams invested in tools like Jira. However, it is no longer a viable long-term solution. Atlassian is discontinuing the product, with sales having stopped in 2025 and a full shutdown scheduled for 2027 [6]. Teams currently using it or considering it as an option are now forced to migrate, making it a risky and impractical choice for anyone seeking a stable platform for DevOps incident management [7]. This makes the search for Opsgenie alternatives more urgent than ever.
Other On-Call Software Alternatives
The market includes other platforms that serve as capable alert management software. Tools like Squadcast, Zenduty, and Site24x7 are often considered by teams looking for alternatives [3]. While many of these are effective for on-call alerting, they often lack the complete, end-to-end incident management capabilities of a dedicated platform like Rootly. Some alternatives focus heavily on competing with PagerDuty on cost, which can be an attractive proposition for smaller teams [5].
Why Rootly Is the Top Choice for Modern Incident Management
Rootly stands out as one of the top incident management tools because it was built from the ground up to address the shortcomings of legacy tools and provide a complete solution for today's complex engineering challenges.
A Unified Platform for the Entire Incident Lifecycle
Unlike tools that focus only on alerting, Rootly manages the full incident lifecycle. It provides a cohesive workflow that guides teams from initial detection and triage through coordination, resolution, and post-incident learning. You can learn more from this detailed Overview of the Rootly incident lifecycle. This comprehensive approach helps standardize processes, reduce resolution times, and improve overall system reliability.
Powerful, Flexible On-Call Management and Escalations
Rootly provides robust on-call capabilities that are essential for any team. It includes multi-channel notifications (SMS, voice, push, Slack), highly customizable schedules with overrides, and intelligent escalation policies that ensure critical alerts always reach the right person at the right time. This level of control is crucial for effective response without contributing to alert fatigue. It's easy to get started with Rootly On-Call and configure schedules that fit your team's unique needs.
Deep Automation That Eliminates Manual Toil
One of Rootly's most powerful differentiators is its workflow automation engine. This feature eliminates the manual, error-prone tasks that slow down incident response. For example, Rootly can:
- Automatically create an incident from a monitoring alert.
- Spin up a dedicated Slack channel and invite the correct responders.
- Update an external status page to keep stakeholders informed.
- Assign an incident commander and other key roles.
- Trigger a retrospective template as soon as an incident is resolved.
This automation reduces the cognitive load on responders, allowing them to focus their energy on what matters most: resolving the issue.
Feature Comparison: Rootly vs. PagerDuty vs. Opsgenie
This table provides a quick reference to help you compare oncall platforms and see how the best oncall software for teams stacks up.
Feature
Rootly
PagerDuty
Opsgenie
End-to-End Incident Mgmt
Yes (Native)
Limited (Add-ons)
Limited (Add-ons)
On-Call & Escalations
Yes
Yes
Yes
Workflow Automation
Advanced & Codeless
Basic
Basic
Integrated Retrospectives
Yes (with action tracking)
Add-on
Add-on
Native Slack Integration
Deep & Bi-Directional
Limited
Limited
Pricing Model
Transparent, Value-based
Complex, High Cost
Discontinued
Long-Term Viability
Excellent
Good
Being Sunset
Conclusion: Upgrade Your SRE Tooling Stack with Rootly
While PagerDuty pioneered the on-call alerting space, the landscape of incident management has changed. Modern DevOps and SRE teams need more than just a glorified pager; they need a comprehensive platform that supports the entire incident response process. With Opsgenie's impending shutdown, it is no longer a viable option for any team building a reliable tech stack.
Rootly stands out as the best PagerDuty alternative because it provides a single, integrated platform for the entire incident management process. Combined with powerful automation, flexible on-call management, and a focus on continuous learning, Rootly empowers teams to detect, respond to, and resolve outages faster than ever.
Ready to see how Rootly can transform your incident management? Explore our platform to learn how you can improve your team's response and build more reliable services.