The Top 10 Transaction Monitoring Tools 2024

Cha-ching! That’s the sound that usually goes off in our heads when we think of transactions.

Although the kind of transaction monitoring we’re talking about today can save you money if monitored, there isn’t a cash register involved.

This kind of transaction monitoring focuses on observing critical transactions like signup, sign-in, checkout, and so on. It ensures that various components are functioning correctly and that performance meets certain standards. In other words, front-end monitoring.

On average, a user contributes to 3343.80227 web transactions per day. That’s a lot of room for unwanted errors to occur, which is exactly why simulating these transactions is so important. You can identify and resolve issues before they affect the end user.

But, we’re going to assume that, since you’re here, you already know how important it is to have a transaction monitoring tool in your arsenal. So, without further ado, here are the 10 best transaction monitoring tools on the market in 2024.

The Top 10 Transaction Monitoring Tools 2024

1. Better Stack

Better Stack is most well-known for Uptime Monitoring and Incident Management, but it now offers you the ability to monitor transactions through Playwright. With a simple copy and paste, you can run Playwright script within Better Stack.

With cross-platform compatibility, Playwright empowers users to conduct tests seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux environments, whether in headless or headed mode, both locally and within Continuous Integration (CI) workflows. Furthermore, it offers cross-language support, enabling developers to harness the Playwright API using TypeScript, Python, .NET, JavaScript, and Java.

Playwright implements what they call “Flake-resistant” tests. This feature ensures that actions are performed only when elements are fully actionable, mitigating flaky tests. If you combine that with comprehensive introspection events, Playwright effectively eliminates the reliance on artificial timeouts, a common culprit behind test instability.

A lot of people write off Playwright because of the need for self-hosting. Normally, users are tasked with managing all aspects of maintenance and overhead. Unless you have Better Stack.

Better Stack is a monitoring tool designed for overseeing critical infrastructure components, facilitating on-call scheduling, and preemptively resolving incidents before they escalate. Notably, Better Stack extends its utility by offering a platform for executing and hosting Playwright scripts, enabling seamless transaction monitoring. By simply copying and pasting your code, Better Stack assumes the responsibility, allowing users to focus on their core objectives with assurance.

Psst… Want to learn more about Playwright? Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Playwright testing essentials.

🌟Key features

• End-to-end browser testing
• API monitoring
• Incident management
• Uptime monitoring
• Log management

➕Pros

• 30-second check frequency
• Can run/host Playwright
• Built-in Status Pages
• On-call scheduling
• Dozens of integrations with popular tools (e.g. Slack)

➖Cons

• Not a full-stack observability solution

💲Pricing

Better Stack Uptime offers a free basic monitoring and incident management package.

For premium features, the Logs package starts at only $25 per month, providing a 30GB allowance and 15 days of retention.

Similarly, the Uptime premium packages begin at just $25 per month and include 50 monitors, 5 status pages, and built-in incident management.

2. Keploy

Keploy is an open-source testing automation tool engineered to transform genuine user traffic into actionable test cases. Simplifying API testing, Keploy prioritizes automating test generation while streamlining the maintenance of test suites.

A standout feature of Keploy is its automated test and stub generation capability. This functionality seamlessly translates real user interactions into comprehensive test cases, diminishing the necessity for manual test script creation. This not only saves time and effort but potentially economizes resources as well.

Furthermore, Keploy boasts native integration with a myriad of popular tools and workflows. This innate compatibility ensures smooth integration into existing development processes for most teams, allowing for uninterrupted workflow continuity.

🌟Key features

• Automated API testing

➕Pros

• Open-source
• AI-driven
• Native integrations
• Automated test and stub generation

➖Cons

• The cost of self-hosting can be expensive
• Very few reviews online

3. Selenium

Selenium is widely recognized for its role in automating applications, primarily for testing purposes, but it offers more than just that. It’s a powerful browser automation tool. With Selenium, the possibilities are virtually endless, limited only by one's creativity.

Within Selenium, there are three main solutions: WebDriver, IDE, and Grid. WebDriver provides language-specific web-driving bindings, IDE allows for the recording and playback of browser interactions using add-ons for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, and Grid enables running tests across various browsers and operating systems simultaneously.

🌟Key features

• Automated web browser and mobile testing

➕Pros

• Open-source
• Language independent
• Cross-platform
• Full browser automation
• Parallel testing

➖Cons

• The cost of self-hosting can be expensive
• Script-based approach results in slow testing development
• Requires some 3rd-party tool bindings
• User reviews report struggles with generating test reports

4. Rainforest QA

Rainforest QA is an innovative software testing solution that doesn't require extensive coding skills. It aims to simplify testing for teams and make collaborating more efficient.

What's great about Rainforest QA is that you don't need advanced coding knowledge to use it. While it's beginner-friendly, it's not limited to beginners. The standardized testing approach of Rainforest QA saves time and resources for users of all skill levels.

Rainforest QA goes beyond traditional transaction monitoring, broadening your testing capabilities. It seamlessly integrates with existing CI/CD processes, supporting continuous deployment pipelines and improving workflow efficiency.

🌟Key features

• Automated web browser testing

➕Pros

• Open-source
• AI-driven
• No coding skills required
• Easy to integrate with CI/CD processes

➖Cons

• The cost of self-hosting can be expensive
• No mobile app testing
• User reviews report occasional inaccurate tests
• User reviews report limited testing customization options
• User reviews report that RainforestQA is unable to test on local environments

5. Katalon

Katalon Studio combines Selenium and Appium, creating a comprehensive testing solution suitable for various needs, including transaction monitoring. It’s very versatile, enabling testing across web, mobile, API, and desktop applications.

With its user-friendly interface, Katalon simplifies complex testing procedures. It caters to both technical and non-technical users. Coupled with its extensive feature set, Katalon proves to be a valuable choice for diverse testing teams.

🌟Key features

• Automated web browser and mobile testing

➕Pros

• Open-source and cloud options
• No technical skills required
• AI-driven
• Paid and open-source options
• Fast scripting with keyword-driven testing

➖Cons

• User reviews report needing to pay for licensing to utilize CI/CD integration
• User reviews complain about an inactive open-source community
• User reviews report extensive hardware requirements

💲Pricing

Some tools on this list are open-source, but Katalon offers both open-source and paid options.

The base package of Katalon is open-source, meaning it's free for unlimited use. However, some advanced features like CI/CD integration require a paid subscription.

Katalon's pricing starts at $208 per month for Katalon Studio Enterprise. If you need Katalon TestCloud, it's an additional $192 per month, and Katalon Runtime Engine costs an extra $166 per month. There are also additional charges for Katalon TestOps: $41 per month for 3,500 test results and $135 per month for 10,000 test results.

Furthermore, Katalon offers a custom Enterprise solution with a tailored price. Despite its flexibility, Katalon can become costly if you require the full suite of features.

6. Puppeteer

Maintained by Google, Puppeteer is one of the most popular automation tools for transaction monitoring available today. It offers reliability, simplicity, and stability, making browser automation straightforward.

However, it's important to recognize that Puppeteer is primarily an automation tool rather than solely a testing tool. This versatility makes it a popular choice for various tasks, including web scraping and PDF generation.

Puppeteer utilizes the same debugger protocol as Selenium for executing clicks. In practice, both Puppeteer (as well as Playwright) and Selenium utilize similar code for this purpose.

One notable advantage of Puppeteer is its capability to automatically download Chrome, streamlining setup compared to Selenium, and its seamless integration with development workflows.

Not a big fan of Puppeteer? Check out some similar tools to Puppeteer.

🌟Key features

• Test automation

➕Pros

• Open-source
• Easy to set up
• JavaScript-focused

➖Cons

• The cost of self-hosting can be expensive
• Only supports Chrome and Firefox

7. Jest

Jest is a JavaScript testing framework dedicated to improving JavaScript codebases. Managed by Meta, Jest finds its primary use in projects utilizing technologies like TypeScript, Node.js, Babel, React, Angular, Svelte, and Vue.js, among others.

One intriguing aspect of Jest is its built-in mocking capabilities. This feature simplifies the testing of specific functions and modules, particularly aiding in isolating components and functions for individual testing.

Equally advantageous, Jest eliminates the need for setup or configuration. Its quick start-up and sensible defaults streamline the adoption and utilization process for developers.

🌟Key features

• Automated web browser and mobile testing

➕Pros

• Open-source
• Unit testing
• Mock testing
• Cross-platform testing capabilities

➖Cons

• The cost of self-hosting can be expensive
• User reviews report slow speeds with large amounts of code

8. TestCafe

TestCafe is a JavaScript testing automation framework, entirely open-source and built on Node.js. It harnesses the power of the Node.js platform and leverages browsers already installed on the tester's system. While TestCafe is versatile enough for API testing, its primary focus lies in end-to-end testing.

As TestCafe is Node.js-based, installing Node.js runtime executables is necessary for running scripts. TestCafe skips the window opening for debugging, opting instead for the Live Mode feature, which serves as a handy debugging alternative.

JavaScript serves as the primary language for creating tests in TestCafe, supplemented by a dedicated array of assertions readily available for scripting. However, it's essential to note that TestCafe lacks built-in support for third-party assertion libraries.

🌟Key features

• Automated web browser testing

➕Pros

• Open-source
• CI/CD integration
• Codeless automation
• Cross-platform testing capabilities

➖Cons

• The cost of self-hosting can be expensive
• No recent reviews online

9. Cypress

Similar to Playwright, Cypress provides extensive flexibility in testing scenarios. Its primary function revolves around testing modern web applications directly in the browser. This unique approach allows developers to observe components and end-to-end tests in real time, providing valuable insights during the app development process.

One notable feature of Cypress is its seamless debugging capability. Being an in-browser tool, debugging becomes straightforward using familiar developer tools.

Cypress eliminates the need for servers, drivers, or complex dependencies, simplifying installation and configuration processes significantly. Cypress promotes the ability for users to write passing tests within minutes, underscoring its user-friendly design and efficiency.

Not a big fan of Cypress? Check out some similar tools to Cypress.

🌟Key features

• Frontend testing
• API testing

➕Pros

• Easy setup and fast execution
• Real-time browser testing
• Cross-browser
• Cross-platform

➖Cons

• User reviews report issues with testing Chromium-based browsers
• Tests can not execute in multiple browser sessions
• Some third-party plugins are required for important features like reports, XPath, and more

💲Pricing

Cypress has both an open-source and paid option. The only difference between the two is that with open-source, you’re hosting the service yourself, and with the paid version, it’s hosted in their cloud.

The first paid plan is the Team plan. It starts at $75/month and includes 50 users and up to 10,000 tests.

The Business plan starts at $300/month, but it also includes just 50 users and 10,000 tests. However, with this tier, you gain access to features like Spec Prioritization, SSO, and Auto Cancellation.

They also offer an Enterprise plan, but you have to reach out to sales to get any prices. All the specifications of this plan are custom and can scale to meet your needs.

10. LambdaTest

Headquartered in San Francisco, LambdaTest emerges as a robust test orchestration platform, brimming with features. Designed for scalability, it stands out as a secure, reliable, and performance-oriented test execution cloud.

LambdaTest encompasses a comprehensive range of testing capabilities, covering all essential aspects. It offers live and automated testing for both mobile and desktop applications, complemented by AI-powered test analytics. Utilizing AI for visual cloud regression testing, LambdaTest efficiently identifies visual bugs, thereby saving costs associated with addressing such issues.

What distinguishes LambdaTest among Playwright alternatives is its capability to test smart TV applications. Through LambdaTest, users can seamlessly execute automated testing for over-the-top (OTT) solutions on various smart TV platforms like Apple TV, Roku, and more.

🌟Key features

• Mobile apps and cross-browser testing

➕Pros

• Cross-platform
• AI-powered test execution
• Smart TV app testing
• Visual regression cloud

➖Cons

• Not open-source (could be a pro in some eyes)
• User reviews report an overwhelming integration experience
• User reviews report occasional performance issues

💲Pricing

LambdaTest, being a non-open-source tool, does come with a price tag, but its offerings are quite robust.

They provide a free version of their tool, albeit with just 1 parallel test. It's basic but real-time, supporting over 200 browser combinations.

The "Live" plan starts at $19 per month, offering 1 parallel test with the option to customize the number of tests at an additional cost. This plan includes unlimited live real-time testing and supports over 3,000 browser combinations.

Moving on, there's the "Real Device" plan, starting at $35, which also offers 1 parallel test. What sets this plan apart is the ability to test on real, live mobile devices.

Lastly, there's the Enterprise option, a tailored package customized to specific needs. For detailed information on this plan, one would need to reach out to their sales team directly.

The Top 10 Transaction Monitoring Tools 2024 Comparison

Conclusion

A large portion of transaction monitoring tools are open-source, but there are a few on this list that offer a cloud solution, too. If you’re unsure of which to go with, then I highly advise you to test these tools out for yourself.

When it comes to open-source tools, you have to keep in mind that they will require extra attention, as they are entirely managed and maintained in-house. This could be very advantageous for those who want the extra freedom, but it can also cause some unwanted overhead.