What is Rigor?
Rigor was an Atlanta-based digital experience monitoring platform, acquired by Splunk in 2020 and now part of the Splunk Observability Cloud. Strong reputation for synthetic monitoring with Selenium-based browser flow scripting and a dedicated focus on performance budgets / Core Web Vitals before they were standard. Where it falls short for many modern teams: post-Splunk-acquisition the product is now bundled into Splunk Observability Cloud with enterprise pricing, the standalone Rigor brand is fading, and ongoing investment in the synthetic-only product slice is unclear — you're effectively buying Splunk's full observability platform.
When Rigor / Splunk Observability is the right pick
- You're already on Splunk for log management or SIEM and want consolidated billing + unified workflow.
- You need synthetic monitoring tied tightly to Splunk's tracing, RUM, and incident-management stack.
- You're a large enterprise with the budget for Splunk Observability Cloud contracts.
Where Rigor leaves gaps
- Now bundled into Splunk. Standalone Rigor purchasing is no longer the path — you buy Splunk Observability Cloud, which is a much bigger contract.
- Enterprise pricing. Splunk contracts typically start at 5 figures annually + scale with ingest volume.
- No native JMeter/k6 cloud load testing. Synthetic monitoring is the product; load testing isn't.
- Brand uncertainty. Post-Cisco-acquisition of Splunk (2024), product direction for legacy Rigor-flavored synthetic monitoring is unclear.
- UI complexity. Splunk Observability Cloud is built for SRE teams, not API/web developers who just want endpoint checks.
LoadFocus vs. Rigor — comparison
| Feature | LoadFocus | Rigor / Splunk Observability |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone synthetic monitoring | Yes — focused product | No longer standalone — bundled into Splunk |
| Selenium-based browser flows | Headless Chrome + Lighthouse | Yes (Rigor's legacy strength) |
| JMeter cloud load testing | Yes — .jmx unchanged | No |
| k6 cloud load testing | Yes — .js scripts | No |
| Core Web Vitals depth | Full Lighthouse | Yes (Rigor was early adopter) |
| Performance budgets | Yes | Yes (Rigor's specialty) |
| Pricing model | SaaS subscription, self-serve | Splunk Observability Cloud contract |
| Entry price | ~$19/mo | 5+ figures annual |
| Setup time | Minutes | Weeks (Splunk onboarding) |
When LoadFocus is the right pick
- You want standalone synthetic monitoring + load testing — not a multi-product Splunk contract.
- You need JMeter/k6 cloud load testing in addition to synthetic monitoring (Rigor doesn't cover load testing at all).
- You want self-serve SaaS pricing — not a Splunk enterprise contract.
- You're a small-to-mid market team where Splunk pricing doesn't fit.
- You want Core Web Vitals depth + performance budgets as first-class features.
Migrating from Rigor
- Export existing Rigor synthetic monitor configurations — they likely live in Splunk Observability Cloud now if you've been migrated.
- Recreate HTTP/multi-step checks in LoadFocus — most settings (URL, headers, body, assertions) map cleanly.
- Convert Selenium browser flows to LoadFocus Lighthouse runs or k6 browser tests. For complex transaction flows, k6 browser is the closest equivalent.
- Set up performance budgets in LoadFocus — define LCP/CLS/INP thresholds + alert on regressions, equivalent to Rigor's budget feature.
- Run in parallel for one release cycle to validate equivalence, then cancel/migrate-off Rigor.
FAQ: LoadFocus vs Rigor
Is Rigor still a standalone product?
No — Rigor was acquired by Splunk in 2020 and is now part of Splunk Observability Cloud. New customers buy the broader Splunk product, not Rigor standalone.
Can LoadFocus replace Rigor's synthetic monitoring?
For HTTP/API/web synthetic checks, yes. For complex Selenium WebDriver browser flows that Rigor specialized in, LoadFocus covers most use cases via Headless Chrome + Lighthouse + k6 browser. The 5% edge cases (very stateful multi-step transactions) may need k6 browser-mode work.
Is LoadFocus cheaper than Splunk Observability Cloud?
Dramatically. LoadFocus Pro plans start ~$19/mo flat; Splunk Observability Cloud contracts typically run 5-figures annually with ingest-volume scaling. For teams that just need synthetic + load testing, savings are 10-50×.
Does LoadFocus support performance budgets like Rigor did?
Yes — set thresholds on LCP/CLS/INP/performance-score and alert on regressions. Same workflow Rigor pioneered.
What about Splunk integration?
LoadFocus alerts can fire via webhook to Splunk Observability Cloud's incident channels if you keep Splunk for logs/SIEM. Common pattern: keep Splunk for ingest/SIEM, drop the Observability Cloud Synthetics SKU, add LoadFocus.
Should I trust LoadFocus given Rigor's brand history?
LoadFocus has been independently operated since founding, focused exclusively on perf + load testing. No acquisition uncertainty — what you sign up for is what you get.
Get started with LoadFocus
Sign up free and create your first scheduled speed test with performance budgets, or run a JMeter load test — no Splunk contract required.
