Loadster Synthetic Monitoring
loadster.com
What it is
Loadster Synthetic Monitoring runs scheduled scripted checks against websites, web apps, and APIs from outside a user’s infrastructure. A monitor can check one page or endpoint, or follow a multi-step journey such as logging in, navigating pages, and submitting a form. Scripts can use Browser Bots, Protocol Bots, or Playwright Test in JavaScript or TypeScript. Check schedules range from every minute to every day.
The product page lists eight dedicated monitoring locations across five continents, and one monitor can use several locations. Browser Bot and Playwright checks automatically collect TTFB, FCP, LCP, and CLS timing metrics. Monitoring cycles retain logs and detailed traces; browser checks include screenshots, while Protocol Bot checks capture request and response details. Alerts can go through email, SMS, phone calls, webhooks, Slack, PagerDuty, Opsgenie, and VictorOps. By default, one failed cycle opens an incident and one passing cycle resolves it, though the failure threshold can be raised. Hosted status pages can share selected status and uptime history privately or publicly, with custom domains when the customer controls DNS. Monitors can also run from a self-hosted Loadster Engine.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- Loadster provides cloud load testing and synthetic monitoring for websites, web applications and APIs, using scripted bots to test performance, uptime and user journeys.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Integrations
- Documented integrations include Slack, PagerDuty, Opsgenie and VictorOps (Splunk On-Call).Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Security
- Loadster states that production data is stored in a virtual private cloud, the production database is encrypted at rest, and data is transmitted using TLS.Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Support
- Loadster's support page directs users with unanswered questions to [email protected].Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Headquarters
- Phoenix, Arizona, USARead 28 Sep 2026 · loadster.com
- Alerts and integrations
- Alert channels include email, SMS, phone calls, webhooks, Slack, PagerDuty, Opsgenie, and VictorOps.Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Changelog news
- The changelog says Monitoring Plans launched in October 2024 and later added richer monitoring summary emails and Fuel usage visibility.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Chrome extension capability
- The Loadster Recorder extension records browser activity for reusable scripts and is listed with 4,000 users.Read 15 Oct 2026 · chromewebstore.google.com
- Chrome extension data disclosure
- The extension declares handling personally identifiable information, authentication information, web history, user activity and website content.Read 15 Oct 2026 · chromewebstore.google.com
- Company size and headquarters
- LinkedIn lists Loadster as a privately held software-development company with 2–10 employees headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
- Diagnostics
- Monitoring cycles retain logs and detailed traces, with screenshots for browser-based checks and request-response details for Protocol Bot checks.Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Documentation
- The manual includes getting-started material, scripting references, monitoring guidance, REST API documentation, MCP setup and CI examples.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Flow monitoring
- Scripts can perform multi-step journeys such as logging in, navigating pages, submitting forms and checking out, rather than only requesting a URL.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Founded year
- Capterra lists Loadster as founded in 2013 and located in Phoenix, United States.Read 15 Oct 2026 · capterra.com.sg
- Free starter allowance
- Each new account receives 50 Fuel units without a credit card; the allowance is a starter amount rather than a recurring refill.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Geographic locations
- The product page lists eight dedicated monitoring locations across five continents, and one monitor can use multiple locations.Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Global monitoring locations
- Monitors can run from eight dedicated locations across five continents, with one monitor able to use multiple locations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Hosted status pages
- Hosted status pages can share selected monitor status and uptime history privately or publicly, and support custom domains when the customer controls DNS.Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Incident behavior
- By default, one failing cycle opens an incident and one passing cycle resolves it; the failure threshold can be increased.Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Incident handling
- A monitor failure opens an incident and a later passing cycle resolves it; escalation can require multiple consecutive failures.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Legal entity
- Loadster, Inc. identifies itself as a Delaware corporation with an operating address in Phoenix, Arizona.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Licence
- Loadster software is proprietary and licensed for subscription use under its Terms of Use; the company states the product is not open source.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Limit: GetApp comparison reporting
- One reviewer wanted an easier way to compare separate test runs after changing an application.Read 15 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- Limit: GetApp pricing
- One GetApp reviewer considered the minimum fuel top-up expensive and asked for a smaller package.Read 15 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- Limit: Software Advice uptime reports
- A reviewer said monthly overall uptime reporting was unavailable, requiring the API to build it independently.Read 15 Oct 2026 · softwareadvice.com
- MCP extensibility
- Loadster exposes scripts, scenarios, monitors and results through a remote MCP server at https://api.loadster.com/mcp for assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Monitoring flows
- Scripts can check a single page or endpoint, or execute multi-step journeys such as logging in, navigating pages, and submitting a form.Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Monitoring fuel rules
- Without a monitoring subscription, cycles consume Fuel; Protocol Bots use one unit per bot-hour and Browser Bots use four units per bot-hour.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Monitoring script types
- Synthetic monitors can use Protocol Bots, real headless Chrome Browser Bots or Playwright Test JavaScript and TypeScript scripts.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Notifications
- Incident notifications support email, SMS, robocalls and integrations, and weekly summary emails report pass rates, failures and trends.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Performance metrics
- Browser Bot and Playwright monitors collect TTFB, FCP, LCP, and CLS page timing metrics automatically.Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Praise: G2 reviewers
- G2 reviewers repeatedly describe Loadster as easy to apply, smooth to use, reliable for performance testing and clear in its reports.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Praise: GetApp reviewers
- GetApp reviewers praise intuitive script creation, fast setup, clear reporting, alerting, screenshots and a straightforward dashboard.Read 15 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- Privacy and GDPR
- Loadster says its AWS-hosted databases use AWS GDPR safeguards, it does not sell or rent personal information, and users can request access, correction or deletion.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Protocol timing limitation
- Protocol Bot monitors do not collect page timings because they do not render pages in a browser.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Rating on Chrome Web Store
- 4.9 out of 5 from 7 ratingsRead 15 Oct 2026 · chromewebstore.google.com
- Rating on G2
- 4.4 out of 5 from 6 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Rating on GetApp
- 5.0 out of 5 from 5 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- Rating on Software Advice
- 5.0 out of 5 from 5 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · softwareadvice.com
- REST API
- The public REST API covers projects, scripts, scenarios, datasets, monitors and results, with an OpenAPI specification available for client generation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Schedules
- Monitor frequency can range from every minute to every day.Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Script types
- Monitors can use Browser Bots, Protocol Bots, or Playwright Test scripts written in JavaScript or TypeScript.Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Security controls
- Loadster states that production data uses encrypted storage, TLS for transmission, private-cloud networking, hot-standby replication and daily backups.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Security disclosure limit
- Loadster says it has no formal bug-bounty program and evaluates any researcher payments case by case.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Self-hosted monitoring
- Monitors can run from a self-hosted Loadster Engine for sites that are not publicly accessible or need checking from a specific location.Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Self-hosting
- Loadster Engine is a containerized process that can run on any Docker-capable recent Windows, macOS or Linux system for private-network testing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Status pages
- Hosted status pages can expose selected monitor status and uptime history privately or publicly, including custom domains when DNS is controlled.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Target users
- Loadster positions its self-service cloud platform as a starting point for most teams and offers professional services for organizations seeking expert hands-on performance engineering.Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
- Unsupported scope
- Loadster states that it does not cover non-web protocols such as SAP or Citrix and does not provide application-performance profiling.Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
Plans and prices
Free account starter fuel Free 50 free units 50 starter units per new account · no credit card required · not a monthly refill Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
Monitoring Plans $29 a month monthly starting price · thousands of fuel-free monitoring cycles · SMS and robocall notifications Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
1K Monthly Fuel Plan $77 a month $77 /month 1,000 monthly units · unused fuel rolls over while subscribed Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
Monthly Fuel 1K $77 a month monthly 1,000 Fuel units · unused units roll over while subscribed Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
Pay-As-You-Go Fuel — 1,000 units $97, paid once $97 1,000 units · purchased fuel does not expire Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
Pay-As-You-Go Fuel 1K $97, paid once one-time purchase 1,000 Fuel units · units do not expire Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
5K Monthly Fuel Plan $317 a month $317 /month 5,000 monthly units · unused fuel rolls over while subscribed Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
Monthly Fuel 5K $317 a month monthly 5,000 Fuel units · unused units roll over while subscribed Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
Pay-As-You-Go Fuel — 5,000 units $397, paid once $397 5,000 units · purchased fuel does not expire Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
Pay-As-You-Go Fuel 5K $397, paid once one-time purchase 5,000 Fuel units · units do not expire Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
10K Monthly Fuel Plan $557 a month $557 /month 10,000 monthly units · unused fuel rolls over while subscribed Read 8 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
Monthly Fuel 10K $557 a month monthly 10,000 Fuel units · unused units roll over while subscribed Read 15 Oct 2026 · loadster.com
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Checks can run as often as every minute.
- Supports multi-location monitoring.
- Retains logs and detailed traces for each cycle.
- Offers several alert channels.
- Supports self-hosted monitoring.
Limits
- Paid plans start at $29/mo.
- Free starter units are not a monthly refill.
- Browser timing metrics are listed for Browser Bot and Playwright monitors.
Who it suits
Loadster suits teams that need scheduled checks for public websites, web apps, or APIs, including multi-step journeys and checks from multiple locations. Its self-hosted engine is an option for sites that are not publicly accessible or need checks from a specific location.
Verdict
Loadster offers scripted synthetic checks with multiple script types, locations, diagnostics, and alert channels. Its self-hosted engine covers private or location-specific monitoring, while the listed free starter units are a one-time allotment rather than a monthly refill.
Where Specifiction places it
- Performance Testing Software#2 of 389.0
- API Monitoring Tools#2 of 279.2
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