Pingdom alternative
Calibre vs Pingdom
Built for page speed, not uptime. Calibre tracks Core Web Vitals from real visitors, Google’s CrUX data and Lighthouse tests.
Free for 15 days. No credit card required.
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How Calibre and Pingdom differ
Updated
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Real User Monitoring | ||
| LCP, CLS and INP | Not collected by Pingdom’s RUM script | Measured from real visitors |
| LCP and INP subparts | Not collected | See which part of each metric is slow |
| Element attribution | Not collected | The element behind each slow LCP, CLS and INP |
| Session ID storage | localStorage, or a cookie as a fallback | sessionStorage, no cookies |
| Chrome UX Report (CrUX) | ||
| Google CrUX data | Not in Pingdom’s docs | Every plan, no setup |
| Synthetic Monitoring | ||
| Page speed tests | Load time, page size and a YSlow grade | Full Lighthouse audits with Core Web Vitals |
| Pages on the entry plan | 1 page speed check | Unlimited Sites, 5,000 synthetic tests |
| Performance budgets | Not in Pingdom’s docs | On any synthetic metric |
| Pull request reviews | Not in Pingdom’s docs | A synthetic speed report in each pull request |
| Alerts and workflow | ||
| Deploy tracking | Not in Pingdom’s docs | Automatic from GitHub, or by API |
| Access and automation | ||
| MCP server | Not in Pingdom’s docs | Every plan |
| Command line tool | Not in Pingdom’s docs | Every plan |
Calibre and Pingdom both include
- Real User Monitoring
- Scheduled synthetic page checks
What’s in Calibre
Real User Monitoring
- LCP, INP, CLS and TTFB from your visitors, plus a UX Rating
- Subparts for LCP, INP and TTFB, so you can see which part is slow
- The element behind each slow LCP, CLS and INP
- Split by page, page group, device, browser, OS, country and city
- Every navigation type, including back/forward cache, prerender and soft navigations
- P50, P75, P95 and P98 for every metric
- Compare each deployment with the one before
- No cookies or localStorage, with optional EU and EEA exclusion
Chrome UX Report (CrUX)
- Google’s Core Web Vitals for your origin and each key page
- Pages found automatically by scanning your site
- History from the day you add a Site, charted up to 24 months
- Pass or fail against Google’s Core Web Vitals assessment
- The share of good, needs improvement and poor visits
- LCP subparts from real Chrome users
- UX Rating by country, device and navigation type
- Rank your site against competitors, with nothing to install
Synthetic Monitoring
- A full Lighthouse audit on every test: Performance, Accessibility, Best Practices and SEO
- 17 test locations, 12 device presets and 14 network speeds
- Hourly, daily or custom schedules, plus tests on demand
- Logged-in pages, with login forms, basic auth, cookies or headers
- Performance budgets on any metric, with email, Slack and webhook alerts
- A speed report in every pull request
- Filmstrip, long tasks and third-party impact for every test
- Results kept for the life of your account
Teams and automation
- SAML single sign-on with SCIM, self-serve on the Team plan
- Enforced SSO, verified domains and passkeys
- Audit log streaming to your SIEM, on the Company plan
- Admin, User and Viewer roles
- CLI, Node.js API and GraphQL API on every plan
- An MCP server for Claude Code, Cursor and other coding agents
- Webhooks, plus Slack, GitHub, Netlify and Zapier integrations
- Export metric history as CSV
Switching from Pingdom
We’ll help you move
Set it up on a call with our founder, or script it yourself. Either way, your Core Web Vitals history is there from day one.
Set up on a call
Book a call with Ben, Calibre’s founder. We’ll add your Sites, recreate your budgets, install the RUM snippet and connect GitHub and Slack with you.
Book a setup call →Script the setup
Create Sites, pages and Test Profiles from code with the Calibre CLI, Node.js API or GraphQL API. This is useful when you have many Sites to move.
Read the CLI docs →Start with your history
Calibre pulls Google CrUX history as soon as you add a Site. Your Core Web Vitals trends are there from the first day, with no wait to build history.
Learn about CrUX Monitoring →“Thanks to Calibre’s reporting, we were able to detect a massive downgrade in performance.”
Core Web Vitals
Measure what Google measures
Track Core Web Vitals from real visitors, Google’s CrUX data and Lighthouse tests, in one place.
Google CrUX data, ready on day one
Add a Site and Calibre finds its key pages and pulls their Chrome UX Report data straight away, then charts up to 24 months of history. No BigQuery, no script to install.
Learn about CrUX Monitoring →Find the element that slowed the page
Calibre RUM attributes LCP, CLS and INP to the element that caused them, and breaks INP into input delay, processing and presentation delay.
Learn about Real User Monitoring →Performance budgets on any metric
Set a budget for any synthetic metric, per page and Test Profile. Get an alert by email, Slack or webhook when it’s at risk or exceeded.
Learn about budgets →Questions about switching from Pingdom
Is Calibre a good Pingdom alternative?
Yes, if page speed and Core Web Vitals matter to you. Calibre measures LCP, CLS and INP from real visitors, adds Google CrUX data for every Site, and runs a full Lighthouse audit on every synthetic test.
Does Calibre measure Core Web Vitals?
Yes. Real User Monitoring measures LCP, INP, CLS and TTFB from your visitors, and shows the element behind each slow result. Synthetic tests report LCP, CLS and Total Blocking Time from Lighthouse.
How is Calibre priced?
From $75 a month for unlimited Sites and URLs, 5,000 Real User Monitoring sessions, CrUX data and 5,000 synthetic tests. Team is $150 a month with 15,000 synthetic tests and 10 seats.
Does Calibre RUM use cookies?
No. Calibre RUM uses no cookies or localStorage and stores no personal data. A random session ID lives in sessionStorage and is removed when the tab closes.
Can I automate Calibre?
Yes. Every plan includes the CLI, the Node.js API and the GraphQL API, so you can run tests from CI, manage Sites and pull data into your own reports. The Calibre MCP server lets Claude Code, Cursor and other coding agents read your monitoring data.
Can I try Calibre before switching?
Yes. Start a free 15-day trial, no credit card required, and run Calibre alongside Pingdom while you decide. Synthetic results will differ a little, since each tool tests from its own locations and devices.
Need help to dial in your new speed system?
Our friendly, knowledgeable team will help you establish a system that works efficiently or answer any questions. We’re here to support you in your web performance journey. Contact support.
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Fast website, happy customers
Start a free 15-day trial, or book a setup call and we’ll move you across.
