Best 10 On-Call Management Tools for 2024

Missing critical alerts or delaying incident resolutions can cause chaos for your systems, leaving you scrambling to catch up. On-call management isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a critical component of maintaining system reliability and keeping users satisfied.

The right on-call management tools can help you work more effectively, resolve issues faster, and maintain operational stability. But with so many options out there, finding the best fit for your needs can feel like a daunting task.

In this guide, we’ll explore the best 10 on-call management tools to help you choose the one that keeps your systems running smoothly.

What is an on-call management tool?

Before we dive into the top tools, let’s take a moment to understand what on-call management tools do. These solutions simplify incident response by ensuring the right person is alerted at the right time when something goes wrong. They make managing escalations easier, automating notifications and providing insights into incident timelines and resolutions.

Factors to consider when choosing an on-call management tool

Choosing the right on-call management tool means finding a solution that fits your needs. The tool should ensure that every alert reaches the right person, with smart scheduling and customizable escalation rules to keep incidents under control. It’s equally important for the tool to integrate with platforms you already use, like Slack or Jira, so collaboration during incidents feels natural and efficient.

A good tool should also be intuitive to set up and easy to use, offering clear analytics to help you refine processes over time. As your team grows, it’s important that the tool scales with you, fits within your budget, and provides reliable support when you need it most.

1. Better Stack

Better Stack is a versatile on-call management tool that combines monitoring, incident management, and collaboration into a single streamlined platform. Features like AI-powered incident silencing, smart alerting, and detailed audit timelines ensure you stay ahead of incidents and maintain operational stability.

Furthermore, Better Stack isn’t just about on-call management—it offers a wider range of capabilities. It can monitor your APIs, track cron jobs, centralize logs and metrics, and provide a unified view of your infrastructure.

🌟 Key features

• On-call scheduling and incident escalation
  
• AI-powered incident silencing for more intelligent notifications
  
• Smart incident merging to group-related alerts
  
• Slack-based incident management for efficient collaboration
  
• Website and uptime monitoring with transaction checks
  
• Log and metrics management
  
• Comprehensive infrastructure monitoring
  

➕ Pros

• AI-driven noise reduction ensures focus on critical issues without being overwhelmed
  
• Smart incident merging helps avoid alert fatigue and creates more streamlined workflows
  
• Integration with Slack enables faster collaboration and smoother resolutions during incidents
  
• Transparent and straightforward pricing with no hidden fees
  
• Combines monitoring, dashboards, and alerting for simplicity
  
• Scalable for growing teams that need to handle large volumes of alerts
  

➖ Cons

• On-call scheduling lacks some advanced customization options that could improve flexibility
  

💲 Pricing

Better Stack offers a free plan with basic monitoring, email alerts, and a simple status page. The pay-as-you-go plan starts at $29 monthly, including private status pages, AI-powered incident silencing, and Slack workflows. Enterprise plans include additional features like SLAs, role-based access control, and dedicated support.

Check out the full pricing details on the Better Stack pricing page.

2. PagerDuty

PagerDuty is a popular on-call management service that helps resolve incidents faster, automate tedious tasks, and streamline operational workflows. It uses advanced AI and automation to cut through the noise, speed up response times, and strengthen overall system reliability. PagerDuty brings together incident management, automation, and AIOps to give you the tools you need to thrive.

🌟 Key features

• End-to-end incident management
  
• AI-powered noise reduction and signal filtering
  
• Automation tools for incident remediation and scaling jobs
  
• Customizable incident workflows
  
• Status pages for transparency
  
• Flexible escalation policies
  

➕ Pros

• Features like auto-remediation and noise suppression help reduce alert fatigue and speed up resolution times
  
• Over 700 integrations ensure compatibility with your existing tools and workflows
  
• Advanced automation simplifies repetitive tasks and scales processes effortlessly
  
• Can send notifications via text, call, email, and push notifications

➖ Cons

• Configuring complex incident routing can take some time to understand
• It can be costly to use

💲 Pricing

PagerDuty has a free plan for small teams with basic features. Paid plans start at $21 per user/month, adding advanced tools like workflows and ITSM integrations. Enterprise plans provide tailored pricing with premium features and add-ons like AIOps and Status Pages.

3. Opsgenie

Opsgenie is an on-call management tool that keeps services running smoothly by ensuring critical alerts reach you at the right time. It has flexible on-call scheduling, advanced analytics, and integrations to help you minimize downtime and optimize your operations. Its service-aware approach ensures incidents are handled efficiently and aligned with business priorities.

🌟 Key Features

• Alert lifecycle tracking
• Alert & notification policies
• Heartbeats
• On-call overrides
• Post-incident analysis reporting
• Alert clustering
• Integration with monitoring, ticketing, and chat tools
• Mass notification capabilities
• Virtual war rooms for multi-team collaboration

➕ Pros

• Provides audit trails to track incidents, actions, and conversations during resolution
  
• Groups alerts and filters noise to focus on critical issues
  
• Multi-channel notifications via email, SMS, phone, and push notifications
  
• Flexible on-call scheduling and routing rules fit diverse workflows
  
• Advanced analytics offer insights into team performance and alert origins
  
• Integrates deeply with tools like Jira, Slack, and Microsoft Teams
  
• Service-aware management aligns incidents with business needs
  

➖ Cons

• Analytics and team management features can be less intuitive
  
• Reporting is limited, often requiring manual data exports for detailed analysis
  

💲 Pricing

Opsgenie has pricing options to fit teams of all sizes. There's a free plan for small teams with basic features, while paid plans start at $9.45 per user per month for essentials like on-call scheduling. For more advanced needs, the standard plan is $19.95 per user, and the enterprise plan at $31.90 includes powerful tools for incident management and analytics.

4. xMatters

xMatters makes managing on-call shifts and responding to incidents more accessible and reliable. It integrates into tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, and Zendesk and fits right into your existing workflows. And here’s the best part—you can handle it all from your phone. Whether managing shifts, jumping on alerts, or checking reports.

🌟 Key features

• Workflow automation
  
• On-call scheduling and escalation
  
• Advanced signal intelligence with filtering and suppression
  
• Adaptive incident management
  
• Smart scheduling

➕ Pros

• Mobile-ready tools connect you to alerts, workflows, and reports from anywhere
• Reduces noise with advanced alert correlation and suppression
  
• Flexible workflows through no-code and low-code automation
  
• Provides context-rich notifications for faster, targeted responses
  
• Real-time analytics improve collaboration and productivity
  

➖ Cons

• Reporting capabilities may require exporting data for advanced analysis
  
• The setup and customization options can be complex

💲 Pricing

xMatters has a free plan that is perfect for your small team (up to 10 users) and has basic on-call tools. For $9 per user each month, you can upgrade to the essentials plan for better workflows and incident management. Need more? The $39 base plan gives you unlimited features like advanced templates and extra notifications. If your team is large, their advanced plan offers tailored pricing and scalability just for you.

5. Grafana OnCall

Grafana OnCall is an open-source on-call management solution built into the Grafana ecosystem. It helps you respond to incidents quickly with smart notifications, flexible scheduling, and workflows that make life easier. If you’re already using tools like Prometheus, AWS, or Grafana, Grafana OnCall will integrate nicely.

🌟 Key features

• Incident response workflows
• Intelligent notification workflows and escalation chains.
• On-call scheduling with rotation layers and Google Calendar support
  
• Mobile app for tackling incidents from anywhere
  
• Pre-built templates and Terraform support for quick setup
  

➕ Pros

• Integrates well with tools like Prometheus, Loki, and Tempo
• Flexible notification options—SMS, email, or collaboration tools—ensure alerts always reach the right person
  
• The mobile app keeps you connected, letting you manage incidents remotely
  
• Tailored escalation workflows helps in faster resolutions and less downtime
  
• Self-hosting is available if you want complete control
  

➖ Cons

• Tracking the entire incident resolution process feels lacking
• The mobile app could benefit from additional features for deeper analytics and reporting

💲 Pricing

You can self-host Grafana OnCall for free or opt for a managed plan. The free forever managed plan supports up to three active users per month at no cost. The cloud pro pay-as-you-go plan starts at $20 per active user/month for growing teams, offering scalable usage and 8x5 support. The cloud advanced plan starts at $299/month for enterprises, with 24x7 support and features built for large-scale operations.

6. Squadcast

Squadcast is your all-in-one platform for simplifying on-call management and incident response. With its clean, unified interface, you can handle everything—on-call scheduling, alerts, and incident workflows—all in one place. Squadcast helps you respond faster, stay transparent, and cut through the noise.

🌟 Key features

• On-Call Management
• Schedules & escalations
• Live call routing
• SLO & error budgets
• Incident analytics
• Intelligent noise reduction
• Reliability workflows

➕ Pros

• Everything you need for incident response is in one place—no jumping between tools
  
• Smart automation filters out unnecessary alerts
• Works with over 200 tools like Slack, Datadog, and Jira
  
• Proactive reliability features like SLO tracking and service graphs give you real-time health updates
  
• Easy-to-use scheduling and escalation management, plus customizable status pages for keeping everyone informed
  
• Supports alerts through SMS, voice, email, and push notifications, so you’re always in the loop
  

➖ Cons

• Pricing might feel steep
  
• The sheer number of features could be overwhelming if you don’t need them all
  

💲 Pricing

Squadcast has a free plan for up to 5 users to get you started, while paid plans begin at $9 per user/month with essentials like role-based access and incident merging.

7. Splunk On-Call

Splunk On-Call is an observability platform that makes on-call management easier, faster, and less stressful. With mobile-first features, smart automation, and machine-learning insights, you can resolve incidents quickly, cut down on alert fatigue, and keep your services running smoothly.

Splunk On-Call simplifies your workflow by automating the essentials, including scheduling and escalation policies. It handles everything from rotations to overrides, so you can focus on resolving incidents instead of managing logistics.

🌟 Key features

• Mobile-first incident response
  
• Automated escalations, war room creation, and post-incident reviews
  
• Intelligent noise reduction and machine-learning responder recommendations
  
• Real-time incident tracking
  
• On-call scheduling
  
• Integrations with ITSM, messaging, and monitoring tools
  

➕ Pros

• Mobile apps let you respond from anywhere, speeding up resolution times
  
• Machine learning reduces noise and identifies the best responders for incidents
  
• Automated workflows simplify processes like escalations and post-incident reviews
  
• Historical data and audit trails help you resolve future incidents faster
  
• Works with popular tools like Slack, Jira, and ServiceNow for smooth collaboration
  

➖ Cons

• Pricing can be confusing and hard to understand
  

💲 Pricing

Splunk On-Call's cheapest plan starts at just $5 per user/month (billed annually) for up to 10 seats, including mobile-first response, integrations, and IT service management capabilities. If you outgrew that and need advanced features like intelligence, alert grouping, and unlimited data retention, you can opt for enterprise plans with customized pricing.

8. AlertOps

AlertOps is a highly customizable incident management tool built to make on-call processes smoother and ensure you never miss a critical alert. It integrates into over 200 tools and uses advanced automation to help your team manage incidents efficiently, reduce noise, and meet SLAs effortlessly.

🌟 Key features

• AI-powered noise reduction
  
• On-call scheduling
  
• Live call routing
  
• No-code workflow engine
  
• Comprehensive dashboards
  
• SLA management
  

➕ Pros

• Customizable workflows to fit your team’s needs
  
• Supports multiple channels like SMS, email, push notifications, and phone calls
  
• Intuitive design makes it easy to get started
  
• Integrates with over 200 popular tools like Slack, and Jira, plus options for custom in-house apps
  

➖ Cons

• The user interface can feel a bit tricky at first
  
• Custom integration setup might be challenging
  

💲 Pricing

AlertOps lets you get started for free with its starter plan, which is perfect for basic scheduling and unlimited API calls. The standard plan at $8 per user/month adds advanced alerting, while the premium plan at $18 includes automated escalations and workflows. For $28 per user/month, the enterprise plan unlocks unlimited notifications, custom roles, and detailed reporting. All plans cover unlimited app, email, and push alerts, with SMS and voice notifications included in higher tiers.

9. Incident.io

Incident.io simplifies handling incidents by combining on-call management, incident response, and status pages into one intuitive platform.

Incident.io lets you set up on-call schedules that ensure the right people are always notified. You can respond consistently using automated workflows and customizable roles directly in Slack or Teams. In addition to that, you can keep everyone informed with integrated status pages—public, private, or internal—so your customers and stakeholders always stay in the loop.

🌟 Key features

• Incident response
• Status pages
  
• Post-incident learning
  
• Alert and notification management
  

➕ Pros

• Combines everything you need—on-call management, incident response, and status pages—in one tool
  
• User-friendly design that’s easy to navigate, even during stressful late-night calls
  
• AI-driven workflows handle summaries and follow-ups, reducing manual work and improving consistency
  
• Scheduling supports complex needs like global rotations and shadow shifts
  

➖ Cons

• Public API currently doesn’t support the entire incident lifecycle
  
• Limited pre-built integrations for HR tools like Workday
  

💲 Pricing

Curious about Incident.io? You can start for free with the basic plan for up to five users—perfect for small teams. At $15 per user/month, the team plan gives you essentials like on-call schedules, a status page, and AI-powered workflows. For $25 per user/month, the pro plan adds advanced insights, post-incident processes, and support for multiple schedules, making it ideal for growing teams.

10. Rootly  

Rootly simplifies incident management with powerful, easy-to-use features. Collaboration in Slack is effortless, offering full alert context so you can handle everything in one place. Rapid onboarding with best-practice templates and shadow rotations gets your team operational quickly. The sleek mobile app ensures smooth incident response, letting you ACK, escalate, and even bypass "Do Not Disturb" on both iOS and Android. Rootly makes managing incidents intuitive and stress-free.

🌟 Key features  

• On-call schedules, incident response, and status pages  
• Post-incident learning
• Distribute ownership through roles
• Automatic task tracking
• Native shadow rotations -Schedule gap detection

➕ Pros  

• Combines multiple tools into one, cutting costs and simplifying workflows  
• Enterprise-ready with role-based access control, advanced security, and customization options  
• Easy-to-use interface means you and your team can get started fast  
• Covers the full incident lifecycle, from initiation to post-incident retrospectives.

➖ Cons  

• Current dashboards lack interactive elements for deeper data exploration
• Adapting Rootly to pre-existing workflows can be time-consuming

💲 Pricing  

Rootly’s pricing is simple to understand. The essentials plan is $20/user/month, while the scale plan offers custom pricing for larger organizations with advanced security and customization needs.

Final thoughts

This article explores on-call management tools that can help you respond quickly and minimize downtime.

Choosing the right tool means finding one that works seamlessly with your existing tech stack, is easy to use, and is flexible enough to handle your team’s needs. If you haven’t picked one yet, why not try a few and see which fits your workflow best?

Thanks for reading, and happy monitoring!

Article by

Stanley Ulili

Stanley Ulili is a technical educator at Better Stack based in Malawi. He specializes in backend development and has freelanced for platforms like DigitalOcean, LogRocket, and AppSignal. Stanley is passionate about making complex topics accessible to developers.

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