Back to blog
MonitoringMarch 31, 2026· 7 min read

Synthetic Monitoring vs Real-User Monitoring: Which Do You Need?

Synthetic checks simulate user behavior 24/7; RUM captures actual user sessions. Neither is complete alone. Learn how to layer both strategies, reduce alert noise by 68%, and surface the performance regressions that matter.

A Layered Approach

Synthetic monitoring provides a consistent baseline, while RUM provides ground truth. Using both allows you to correlate baseline performance changes with real user impact.

About the Author

L
Lena HoffmannEnterprise Security Lead

Start monitoring your stack

Aggregate real-time operational data from every service your stack depends on into a single dashboard. Free for up to 10 services.

Create Free Dashboard
Synthetic Monitoring vs Real-User Monitoring: Which Do You Need?