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    Application Real-Time Monitoring Service:RUM vs. Browser Monitoring

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    Application Real-Time Monitoring Service:RUM vs. Browser Monitoring

    Last Updated:Mar 11, 2026

    Application Real-Time Monitoring Service (ARMS) provides two frontend monitoring sub-services: Real User Monitoring (RUM) and Browser Monitoring. Both track page load times, network requests, and user interactions. RUM is the fully upgraded replacement with broader platform coverage, Web Vitals metrics, and Grafana-based data visualization.

    This page compares the two services to help you decide whether to migrate from Browser Monitoring to RUM.

    When to use each service

    ScenarioBrowser MonitoringRUM
    Track web page performanceCore metrics: page views (PVs), load time, First Paint, and DOM Ready TimeCore metrics plus Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS)
    Monitor mobile and desktop appsNot supportediOS, Android, Windows, and macOS, including Flutter and React Native hybrid apps
    Trace requests end-to-endSelf-developed Eagle-eye Trace protocolOpen-source OpenTelemetry and SkyWalking protocols
    Detect white-screen errorsNot supportedWhite-screen ratio tracking with automatic screenshots
    Visualize data in GrafanaNot supportedPreset and custom Grafana dashboards

    Choose RUM if you need mobile or desktop app monitoring, Web Vitals, or Grafana dashboards. Browser Monitoring remains functional for web-only setups, but RUM covers all the same scenarios and more.

    Supported application types

    Application typeBrowser MonitoringRUM
    Web or HTML5SupportedSupported
    Mini programSupportedSupported
    iOS (including Flutter and React Native hybrid apps)Not supportedSupported
    Android (including Flutter and React Native hybrid apps)Not supportedSupported
    WindowsNot supportedSupported
    macOSNot supportedSupported

    RUM extends monitoring to every major platform. Browser Monitoring covers only web and mini program environments.

    Feature comparison

    User statistics

    Both Browser Monitoring and RUM support user statistics.

    Session traces

    CapabilityBrowser MonitoringRUM
    Page-level session tracesSupportedSupported
    Resource request tracesNot supportedSupported
    User behavior event tracesNot supportedSupported
    Custom event tracesNot supportedSupported

    Page statistics

    • Browser Monitoring: Core page-specific metrics such as PVs, load time, First Paint, and DOM Ready Time.

    • RUM: All core metrics plus Web Vitals.

    Web Vitals metrics

    RUM reports the following Web Vitals in addition to standard page metrics:

    MetricWhat it measures
    Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)Loading performance -- how quickly the largest visible element renders
    Interaction to Next Paint (INP)Responsiveness -- delay between user input and the next visual update
    Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)Visual stability -- how much the page layout shifts unexpectedly

    Tracking these metrics helps you identify slow pages and prioritize optimizations.

    Resource and API statistics

    CapabilityBrowser MonitoringRUM
    API request metrics (duration, count, status, resource errors)SupportedSupported
    Resource-level data (JS, CSS, images, Fetch, XHR)Resource error counts onlyDuration, load count, and status per resource type
    Custom request headers, parameters, and response headersNot supportedSupported
    End-to-end tracing protocolEagle-eye Trace (self-developed)OpenTelemetry and SkyWalking (open-source)

    Exception statistics

    CapabilityBrowser MonitoringRUM
    JS errors (count, rate, stacks)SupportedSupported
    White-screen detection (ratio and screenshots)Not supportedSupported

    Custom statistics

    CapabilityBrowser MonitoringRUM
    Custom eventsSupportedSupported
    Custom exceptionsNot supportedSupported
    Custom dataNot supportedSupported

    Data flexibility

    CapabilityBrowser MonitoringRUM
    Data storage in Simple Log Service (SLS)SupportedSupported
    Flexible query and analysisSupportedSupported
    Data exploration with preset metric dimensionsNot supportedSupported

    Visualization

    CapabilityBrowser MonitoringRUM
    Custom-dimension dashboards in the ARMS consoleSupportedSupported
    Preset Grafana dashboardsNot supportedSupported
    Custom Grafana dashboardsNot supportedSupported

    Billing comparison

    Browser Monitoring

    Billed by reported data volume. Example formula for the Chinese mainland:

    For example, the billing formula is: [PV + API × 0.1] / 1000 × 0.04140 USD

    [PVs + (reported API calls x 0.1)] / 1000 x USD 0.04140

    For details, see Browser Monitoring billing.

    RUM

    Billed by observability capacity units (OCUs) on a daily basis. Example unit price for the China (Hangzhou) region: 0.023 USD/OCU.

    OCU conversion rates:

    Application typeSessions per OCU
    Web and HTML5200
    Mini program100
    Mobile app200

    For details, see RUM billing.

    What to do next

    • Get started with RUM: See the RUM documentation for setup instructions for your platform (web, iOS, Android, mini program, or desktop).

    • Review RUM billing: See RUM billing for pricing details.

    • Continue with Browser Monitoring: See Browser Monitoring billing if you plan to keep using Browser Monitoring.