httpstatus.io alternative
httpstatus.io answers one question and answers it well: paste a list of URLs, get back the status code and the redirect path for each. If that is the entire job, it is a good tool and this page is not going to pretend otherwise.
Sitewell runs the same check from a different starting point. The bulk status checker takes up to 1,000 URLs in one run and exports the result as CSV. The redirect checker traces every hop with the time that hop took. And the same checks can be handed to a monitor, so a URL that breaks next month reaches you as an email rather than as a ranking drop you notice in a quarterly review.
Side by side
| Aspect | httpstatus.io | Sitewell |
|---|---|---|
| What it is built around | Bulk status codes and redirect chains | The same checks, plus SSL, links, headers, meta and crawl files |
| URLs per bulk run | Free use is capped, with paid tiers above it | 1,000 per run, free, no account |
| Redirect chain detail | Every hop with its status code | Every hop with status code, target and response time |
| Repeat checks over time | Built around on-demand checks you run yourself | Monitors re-run the check and alert when the answer changes |
| Export | Results can be exported | Copy or download CSV from any result view |
| Custom request headers or user agent | Request options are part of what a dedicated checker offers | Not exposed; every request identifies as SitewellBot |
When httpstatus.io is the better choice
If a status-and-redirect sweep of a URL list is all you ever need, a tool that does one thing is easier to use and easier to hand to someone else than a toolkit with a dozen entry points. There is no menu to learn and no account anywhere in the path.
Control over the request is the second reason. Sitewell sends a fixed user agent and no custom headers, so it cannot reach a URL gated behind an authorization header, and it cannot show you a page that behaves differently for a named crawler. A checker that exposes those request options can. That is a real gap on our side, not a wording problem.
Volume is the third. Sitewell's free tools are rate limited per IP, and heavy repeated runs will hit that limit. If you sweep large lists several times a day, paying a tool built for that volume will be less irritating than working around a shared cap.
What Sitewell does differently
The bulk check itself is the same shape. Paste up to 1,000 URLs, get the final status, the redirect count and the destination for each, then copy or download the table as CSV. What surrounds it is the difference: the same URL can go straight to the redirect checker for a hop-by-hop trace, or the speed test to see what that chain costs in milliseconds before the destination even starts loading.
The larger difference is time. A one-off check describes a list this afternoon. A monitor re-runs the check on a schedule and emails you when a URL that returned 200 last week starts returning 404, or picks up a redirect hop that was not there before. The free plan covers one monitor on an hourly interval; the paid plans raise the count and tighten the interval to five minutes.
The rest of the toolkit is the other half of the argument. The same site that needs a status sweep usually also needs someone to look at its certificate, its robots.txt, its meta tags and its broken links. Those are separate tools here, all free, all in the same place.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Sitewell a free alternative to httpstatus.io?
- The one-off tools are free and need no account: bulk status for up to 1,000 URLs, redirect tracing, SSL and domain expiry, broken links, robots.txt, meta tags, headers, DNS and Core Web Vitals. Payment starts only at scheduled monitoring, and the free plan includes one monitor.
- How many URLs can I check at once?
- One thousand per run. They are sent in batches of fifty so the progress indicator moves while the check works, and the finished table copies or downloads as CSV.
- Does Sitewell show the full redirect chain?
- Yes. Every hop, its status code, its target, and how long that hop took to answer. The redirect speed test adds the total delay a visitor waits through before the destination page is allowed to begin loading.
- Can I set a custom user agent or request header?
- No. Every request identifies as SitewellBot and carries no custom headers, which puts URLs behind an authorization header, and rules keyed to a specific crawler, out of reach. If that is the check you need, use a tool that exposes request options.
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Run the check before you decide
Paste up to 1,000 URLs and get the status code, redirect count and destination for each. Free, no signup, results in seconds.