Off the point-and-click recorderOnto code-first Playwright
Pingdom records transactions with a no-code recorder replayed in Chrome: every journey lives in the dashboard, not your repo. Yorker checks are real Playwright, version-controlled in your repo and reviewable in pull requests, with OTel-native telemetry, filmstrip screenshots, and private locations included.
Last verified 2026-09-25
# Pingdom: no-code Web Transaction Recorder
# Steps recorded in-browser, replayed in Chrome
step 1: open /login
step 2: fill email = user@example.com
step 3: click Sign in
# lives in the dashboard, not version control
# Yorker browser check: native Playwright
// @step: Log in
await page.goto('/login');
await page.fill('#email', process.env.TEST_USER);
await page.click('button[type=submit]');
Why teams are leaving Pingdom
Pingdom builds transaction checks with a no-code point-and-click recorder, replayed in Chrome and stored in the Pingdom dashboard. There is no script to diff, review, or version. Yorker checks are real Playwright that live in your repo: editable, reviewable in pull requests, and deployed through your CI pipeline like any other code.
Pingdom check results are visible in the Pingdom dashboard or via their proprietary API. There is no OTLP export, so synthetic results never join your broader observability stack. Yorker emits OTLP from every run so synthetic spans show up alongside your application traces.
Every Pingdom Synthetic tier bundles far fewer transaction checks than uptime checks: 1 on the entry tier, 10 at the 50-uptime tier. More transactions means a higher tier. Yorker includes browser checks in the base platform plan at $29.99/month.
Pingdom runs checks from their managed probe locations only; there is no option to run a check against an internal endpoint behind your firewall. Yorker private location agents are included in the platform plan with outbound-only connectivity.
Pingdom checks are created and managed via the UI or a proprietary API. There is no YAML or Terraform workflow for check definitions. Yorker is built around Monitoring as Code from day one: checks live in your repo, deploy with your CI pipeline.
Pingdom is one product inside the SolarWinds platform, which means account management, billing, and support go through SolarWinds's enterprise process. Yorker is a focused product with transparent self-serve pricing and sign-up: no enterprise sales cycle required.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Pingdom Synthetic is one published pricing slider, shown in local currency. Every tier includes a small allotment of transaction ('advanced') checks alongside uptime checks: 1 on the entry tier (about $18/mo), rising with each tier. Check pingdom.com/pricing for current prices.
| Capability | Yorker Platform · $29.99/mo | Pingdom Synthetic (entry) From about $18/mo | Pingdom Synthetic (higher tiers) Published slider |
|---|---|---|---|
HTTP / uptime checks Verify URL availability and response time. | Included | Included | Included |
Browser / transaction checks End-to-end user journey testing. | Playwright (code-first) | 1 transaction check | Point-and-click recorder (Chrome) |
Check interval Minimum frequency between runs. | 30s minimum | 1 min uptime, 5 min transaction | 1 min uptime, 5 min transaction |
Private locations Run checks from behind your firewall. | Included | Not supported | Not supported |
OpenTelemetry export OTLP metrics to any backend. | Included, OTel-native | Not supported | Not supported |
W3C trace propagation traceparent injected into check requests. | Always on | Not supported | Not supported |
Monitoring as Code Check definitions in source control. | YAML (CLI) | Not supported | API only |
Screenshot filmstrip Per-step visual evidence on every run. | Included | Error screenshots | Error screenshots |
Hosted check locations Global probe regions. | 14 regions | Multiple regions | Multiple regions |
Features verified September 25, 2026 from Pingdom product pages and public documentation. Pingdom Synthetic starts at about $18/mo for 10 uptime + 1 transaction check (third-party figure); verify at pingdom.com/pricing. Yorker platform plan $29.99/mo with full pricing at /pricing. Spot something that's changed? Email hello@yorkermonitoring.com.
Frequently asked
Why switch from Pingdom to Yorker?
Three reasons come up most often: Pingdom records transactions with a no-code point-and-click recorder replayed in Chrome, so checks live in the dashboard instead of your repo; Pingdom has no OTel export, so synthetic results stay siloed; and Pingdom includes only a small allotment of transaction checks per tier while Yorker includes browser checks in the base plan. Yorker checks are real Playwright, version-controlled in your repo, reviewable in pull requests.
Can I reuse my Pingdom transactions in Yorker?
Pingdom transactions are captured by its Web Transaction Recorder as recorded steps replayed in Chrome, not as portable code, so there is no direct export to Playwright. You rewrite each transaction as a short Playwright script: the test intent (steps and assertions) carries over, but the format does not. Most recorded transactions are short enough that a Playwright rewrite takes 30–60 minutes each, and the result lives in your repo under version control.
Does Yorker replace Pingdom's status pages?
Yorker focuses on synthetic monitoring rather than public status pages. Because every check emits standard OTLP, the status and incident tooling you already run can consume Yorker's signals directly, no proprietary integration required.
What about uptime monitoring history and SLA reports?
Historical uptime data stays in Pingdom; there is no migration path for raw result history. For SLA continuity, plan a parallel-run period where both tools monitor the same endpoints, then cut over with documented baseline data from Yorker going forward.
Who is Yorker built for?
Engineering and SRE teams who want checks as code and OTel-native telemetry: monitoring defined in YAML, browser journeys written in Playwright, results emitted as OTLP into the backend you already run. Yorker has a web UI for managing checks, but the workflow is built for teams that version-control their monitoring and review it in pull requests like any other code.
Does Yorker support OpenTelemetry when Pingdom doesn't?
Correct. Yorker is OTel-native: every check emits OTLP metrics, traces, and logs to your chosen backend. Pingdom has no OTel integration: results are visible only in the Pingdom dashboard or via their proprietary API. If your team is standardizing on OTel, Yorker fits that stack and Pingdom doesn't.
Related Reading
Native Playwright checks with filmstrip screenshots: code-first journeys you version-control instead of recording in a dashboard.
How Yorker's OTel-native emission brings synthetic checks into your observability stack.
Full pricing: publicly visible, no sales call, no enterprise process.
Ready to move to native Playwright?
Start free, no credit card, and migrate your first Pingdom uptime check to Yorker in minutes. Browser checks with OTel telemetry and private locations included.