---
title: 'Yorker vs Pingdom'
description: 'Yorker vs Pingdom (SolarWinds): move from a no-code point-and-click transaction recorder to code-first, version-controlled Playwright checks with OTel-native telemetry.'
canonical_url: 'https://yorkermonitoring.com/compare/pingdom'
---

# Off the point-and-click recorder

## Onto 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 2026-06-13.

Yorker is OTel-native synthetic monitoring for developers and SRE teams, built by Reverse Sweep Ltd.

## Scripting: recorder vs repo

Pingdom uses a no-code Web Transaction Recorder. Steps are recorded in-browser and 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
```

A Yorker browser check is native Playwright:

```javascript
// @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

**Recorder in a dashboard vs code in your repo.** 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.

**No OTel integration.** 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.

**Transaction checks gated to higher plans.** Pingdom's uptime monitoring is available on entry-level plans; transaction (browser) monitoring is a higher-tier feature with additional cost. Yorker includes browser checks in the base platform plan at $29.99/month.

**Private locations not available.** 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.

**No monitoring as code.** 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.

**SolarWinds platform overhead.** 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's public pricing page was not accessible at verification time, so specific tier prices are approximate, sourced from third-party aggregators. Transaction monitoring is available on Pingdom's higher plans; the Starter tier covers uptime checks only. Contact Pingdom/SolarWinds for definitive pricing.

| Capability | Yorker (Platform, $29.99/mo) | Pingdom Starter ($10-15/mo, uptime only) | Pingdom Advanced (Contact sales) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **HTTP / uptime checks** (verify URL availability and response time) | Included | Included | Included |
| **Browser / transaction checks** (end-to-end user journey testing) | Playwright (code-first) | Not included | Point-and-click recorder (Chrome) |
| **Check interval** (minimum frequency between runs) | 30s minimum | 1-minute minimum | 5-minute minimum |
| **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 | Not included | Error screenshots |
| **Hosted check locations** (global probe regions) | 14 regions | Multiple regions | Multiple regions |

Features verified June 13, 2026 from Pingdom product pages and public documentation. Specific tier prices for Pingdom are approximate ($10-15/mo Starter, uptime only); 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 questions

### 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's transaction monitoring is gated to higher-priced plans 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.

## 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. Start free at /sign-up or see full pricing at /pricing.