9 BEST Performance Testing Tools (Load Testing Tool) 2024

Performance Testing Tools help determine the speed, effectiveness, reliability, scalability, and interoperability of the system, computer, network, program, or application. Below is a hand-picked list of the Best Performance Testing Tools. The list contains both open-source (free) and paid software with the latest features, protocol details, and download links.

Best Performance Testing Tools: Top Picks!

Name Features Free Trial Link
Apache Jmeter
Apache Jmeter
• Highly portable and supports 100% all the Java based apps.
• Supports Integrated real-time, Tomcat collectors for Monitoring
• Less scripting efforts as compared to other API performance testing
Free Software Learn More
Kobiton
Kobiton
• Create automated test scripts from manual tests that are executable on multiple devices simultaneously.
• Users can test crucial app and website-specific performance with Kobiton’s Payload capture
• Automatic test case generation from the manual session
14-Days Free Trial Learn More
Tricentis NeoLoad
Tricentis NeoLoad
• Continuous performance testing
• Browser-based testing
• Automatic script update
14-Days Free Trial Learn More
HeadSpin
HeadSpin
• Monitor and optimize performance across the entire user journey
• Performance data from real-world conditions
• Test on thousands of real devices in hundred-plus locations with SIM card-enabled devices.
30-Days Free Trial Learn More
BlazeMeter
BlazeMeter
• Seamless Apache JMeter integration
• Load testing requires no expertise and Tests are easily run
• Advanced test data functionality
Lifetime Free Basic Plan Learn More
PFLB
PFLB
• Geo-distributed load testing, surpassing 300,000 RPS
• JMeter integration
• Performance trend reports
Free Personal Plan Learn More
StresStimulus
StresStimulus
• On-prem and cloud performance/continuous testing.
• Load testing D365 and other elaborate Enterprise applications.
• Scripting service is included for Premium Support users.
28-Days Free Trial Learn More

1) Apache Jmeter

JMeter is an open-source tool that can be used for performance testing for analyzing and measuring the performance of a variety of services. It is one of the best performance testing tools that is mainly used as website load testing tools for web service applications.

Apache Jmeter

Features:

  • This open source performance testing tools doesn’t demand state-of-the-art infrastructure for load testing and supports multiple load injectors managed by a single controller.
  • It is one of the performance test tools which is highly portable and supports 100% all the Java based apps.
  • Less scripting efforts as compared to other API performance testing tools because of its user-friendly GUI
  • Simple charts and graphs are sufficient for analyzing key load-related statistics and resource usage monitors.
  • Supports Integrated real-time, Tomcat collectors for Monitoring

Protocols:

  • Web: HTTP, HTTPS, WebServices : XML, SOAP, etc., Java based protocols, FTP

Pros

  • It is completely free and open source
  • JMeter is highly customizable

Cons

  • Limited reporting options

Visit Jmeter >>


2) Kobiton

Kobiton offers flexible real device access options, including a public cloud, private cloud, and on-premises. With Kobiton’s Performance Testing capabilities, users can integrate real device testing with Load and Stress testing solutions. This can be done manually, with automation via script-based solutions like Appium, and using Kobiton’s AI-driven scriptless engine. With Kobiton, you have a platform solution that allows for insight into app and device-specific performance metrics that easily integrates with solutions like NeoLoad or JMeter.

#2
Kobiton
4.9

Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS

Free Trial: 14-Days Free Trial

Visit Kobiton

Features:

  • Kobiton’s device lab management will let you connect with devices in the cloud, your local on-premises devices as well as on-desk devices.
  • Create automated test scripts from manual tests and are executable on multiple devices simultaneously.
  • Users can test crucial app and website-specific performance with Kobiton’s Payload capture
  • Automatic test case generation from the manual session

Pros

  • Easy-to-use & User-friendly interface
  • Provides Integrates with other testing tools
  • 350+ real iOS and Android devices library

Cons

  • Expensive compared to other testing tools

Visit Kobiton >>

14-Days Free Trial


3) Tricentis NeoLoad

NeoLoad is a performance and load testing solution to help deliver responsive, scalable and reliable applications in production to avoid loss of customers and revenue. It works by testing for performance issues early into the development process at the API level to find issues when they are easy to fix. It also works by hitting the full application with high load in an end-to-end testing environment that simulates what the end user will experience.

#3
Tricentis NeoLoad
4.8

Protocols: Web, mobile, APIs, SAP, Citrix, and more

Free Trial: 14-Days Free Trial

Visit Tricentis

Features:

  • RealBrowser simplifies browser-based testing for complex web applications and captures the true end-user experience
  • DevOps and Agile integration, code-level diagnostics using APM tools, and functional testing tools for end-user experience metrics
  • Codeless test design for faster design of complex tests
  • Low Script maintenance and Actionable insights with high-level dashboards and detailed metrics

Protocols:

  • Web, mobile, APIs, SAP, Citrix, and more

Pros

  • Provides an end-to-end load testing solution
  • Offers a range of integrations

Cons

  • Limited scripting language support

Visit Tricentis >>

14-Days Free Trial


4) HeadSpin

HeadSpin allows you to optimize digital experiences with it’s performance testing capabilities. It can help users continuously monitor, identify, resolve and optimize performance issues across applications, devices, networks, and 3rd-party interfaces. The HeadSpin Global Device Infrastructure provides actual, real-world data removing ambiguity from all the various devices, networks, and locations.

Accelerate development and innovation. Ensure digital business success with HeadSpin’s AI testing and dev-ops collaboration platform.

#4
HeadSpin
4.8

Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS

Free Trial: 30-Days Free Trial

Visit HeadSpin

Features:

  • Monitor and optimize performance across the entire user journey
  • Performance data from real-world conditions
  • Leverage advanced AI capabilities to automatically identify performance issues in testing before they impact users.
  • Test on thousands of real devices in hundred-plus locations with SIM card-enabled devices.

Visit HeadSpin >>

30-Days Free Trial


5) BlazeMeter

BlazeMeter is the only complete, continuous testing platform on the market. This powerful performance testing tool powers reliable apps. Testers can leverage advanced features like mock services, synthetic test data, and API testing and monitoring. Scalable up to 2 million users. Teams can be ready for whatever the world throws at their app. Global players rely on BlazeMeter to prepare to stream the world’s most-watched sporting events and entertainment programs to millions of people around the world. BlazeMeter means reliable app continuity.

#5
BlazeMeter
4.7

Protocols: HTTP/HTTPS, HTTP2, .NET, WebDev, GWT, Respect and 50+ more.

Free Trial: Lifetime Free Basic Plan

Visit BlazeMeter

Features:

  • Mock Services: Easily create Lightweight Virtual Services for Any Test
  • Synthetic Test Data: BlazeMeter allows you to source your load test data from spreadsheets, generate synthetic test data, extract data from TDM Database Models, or utilize a mix of these options.
  • API Testing & Monitoring: You can easily validate test data and complex API workflows
  • Selenium: You can use your existing Selenium scripts with Blazemeter.

Protocols:

  • HTTP/HTTPS, HTTP2, .NET, WebDev, GWT, Respect and 50+ more.

Pros

  • Seamless Apache JMeter integration
  • Load testing requires no expertise and Tests are easily run
  • Cloud services; no on-premise setup
  • Freemium option
  • UX Testing for Mobile
  • Scalability for more than 2 million users

Cons

  • Change comparison is not great
  • Test data download takes 3-4 minutes

Visit BlazeMeter >>

Lifetime Free Basic Plan


6) PFLB

PFLB is a load testing platform where you can test your web and mobile apps, gRPC, and APIs. It’s super helpful for teams who want to ensure their product can handle heavy loads before launching or scaling. With PFLB, you’ll be totally in control of your app’s performance, so no more dealing with crashes or performance declinings after release. This platform also lets you save some serious cash on cloud computing and see how your software stacks up against the competition.

#6
PFLB
4.7

Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, gRPC, JDBC, JMS, AMQP, MQTT

Free Trial: Free Personal Plan

Visit PFLB

Features:

  • Simulate realistic loads from 18 different locations with ease, surpassing 300,000 RPS.
  • Generate accurate load profiles based on real user data from your website by linking your Google Analytics account.
  • Script as you want with a low-code editor or import JMeter scenarios, HAR files, Postman, or Insomnia.
  • Utilize the advanced Trend Report to compare test results across different executions.
  • Integrate performance testing into your CI/CD pipeline effortlessly using API.

Protocols:

  • HTTP, HTTPS, gRPC, JDBC, JMS, AMQP, MQTT

Pros

  • Cloud-based, On-Prem, and Hybrid options
  • Advanced Trend Reports and SLA tracking
  • JMeter integration

Cons

  • No script recorder

Visit PFLB >>

Free Personal Plan


7) StresStimulus

StresStimulus targets application scenarios that are difficult to test with other tools. It automatically fixes playback errors thanks to its proprietary autocorrelation. StresStimulus records user actions and replays them to emulate variable usage patterns. It also monitors load impact on application responsiveness and server infrastructure. The result analyzer finds hidden concurrency errors left unexposed by functional testing and includes detailed application performance metrics.

#7
StresStimulus
4.7

Protocols: Most web application protocols, Mobile, API

Free Trial: 28-day Free Trial includes POC of any two scenarios with complete scripting.

Visit StresStimulus

Features:

  • On-prem and cloud performance/continuous testing.
  • Supports, with a warranty, the most elaborate ERP, CRM, and other
    Enterprise web applications
  • Out-of-the-box can load test Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE and D365 FO
    scenarios.
  • Scripting service at no additional cost for Premium Support users
  • Free Trials come with optional scripting provided for any two test

Protocols:

  • Most web application protocols, Mobile, API

Pros

  • Supports most Enterprise web platforms out of the box.
  • Does not require performance testing experience because the Premium Support plan includes training on-demand and complete scripting service at no additional cost.
  • Optimized for high-complexity projects

Cons

  • Does not support Citrix protocols
  • Not favorably priced for testing applications of low-to-medium complexity

Visit StresStimulus >>

28-Days Free Trial


8) Micro Focus LoadRunner

MicroFocus Loadrunner is an enterprise-grade performance testing tool. The test results generated by LoadRunner are considered the gold standard in performance and load testing.

Micro Focus LoadRunner

Features:

  • Lower the cost of distributed load testing
  • Scale from single projects to a full-scale testing Center of Excellence (CoEs) that consolidates hardware, standardizes best practices and leverages global testing resources.
  • Reduce the risk of deploying systems that do not meet performance requirements through the use of an effective enterprise load tester tool
  • It is one of the best performance testing tools that lower hardware and software costs by accurately predicting system capacity.
  • Pinpoint the root cause of application performance problems quickly and accurately
  • It is one of the Effective web performance testing tools for utilization tracking
  • Browser-based access to global test resources and optimal usage of load generator farm.

Protocols:

  • All protocols are supported by the Load Runner load test tool

Pros

  • It’s highly scalable performance testing tool
  • Support for various protocols

Cons

  • Expensive compared to other automated testing solutions in the market

Visit LoadRunner >>


9) Micro Focus Silk Performer

Silk Performer tool is an enterprise class load and stress testing tool and has the ability to test multiple application environments with thousands of concurrent users. It is one of the best performance testing tools which supports the widest range of protocols.

Micro Focus LoadRunner

Features:

There are many good load and stress test features in Silk Performer and those are listed as follows:

  • Components -> Workbench, True Log Explorer and Performance Explorer
  • Requires minimum hardware resources for virtual user simulation
  • Simulates modifiable virtual users
  • This load test tool Supports integrated server monitoring
  • Customer friendly licensing
  • Correlation and Parameterization is user friendly
  • No License requirement for Controllers or Individual Protocols
  • Handles Load Test in Project approach
  • Generates reports with tables and graphs and allows customization.
  • This stress testing tool supports six models of workloads.
  • This load tester tool provides Agent Health Control
  • Stress test website with server-side diagnostics
  • Resource Management
  • It is one of the best website performance testing tools that provide Version Control Management

Protocols:

  • HTTP/HTML, HTTPS/HTML, HTTP/HTTPS, Flash, Email (SMTP/ POP), FTP, TCP/IP, LDAP, XML/SOAP, .NET and many more

Pros

  • User-friendly interface
  • Offers support for various applications and protocols

Cons

  • Issues with compatibility

Visit Silk Performer


10) Rational Performance Tester

Rational Performance Tester(RPT) is a performance testing tool developed by IBM Corporation. It is a performance test creation, execution, and analysis tool that helps the development team validate web-based applications’ scalability and reliability before deployment into production.

Rational Performance Tester

Features:

There are good features that gives confidence to the users that all performance-related bottlenecks are resolved. Following are some of the features of this tool:

  • No coding involved
  • It is one of the best performance testing tools that provide scheduled and event-based testing
  • Real time reporting for immediate performance problem identification
  • It is one of the best website performance testing tools that can run with large multi-users tests
  • Accurate user profile workloads
  • This load testing tools has automated test data variation
  • Automatic identification of dynamic server responses
  • Performs the website load test with rendered HTML view of web pages visited during test recordings
  • Environment and Platform support
  • Entrust security protocol support
  • Java code insertion for customization

Protocols:

  • Citrix, Socket Recording, Web HTTP, SOA, SAP, XML, Websphere, Weblogic

Pros

  • Provides end-to-end testing capabilities
  • Offers in-depth analysis into performance testing results

Cons

  • Limited integration with third-party tools

Visit RPT >>


11) SmartMeter.io

SmartMeter.io is an alternative to JMeter and aims to fix its drawbacks. It is one of the best performance testing tool that allow for easy scriptless test scenario creation using the so-called Recorder yet still lets you make advanced edits of the test. It also excels in test reporting and makes use of functions such as automatic test criteria evaluation, test runs comparison, and trend analysis. It fully supports CI/CD integration. This automated performance testing tool available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.

SmartMeter.io

Features:

  • This load test software provides scriptless test scenario creation
  • Comprehensive reporting with automatic evaluation and test runs comparison
  • GUI test run with real time results
  • State-of-the-art response body extractor (Boundary body extractor)
  • CI/CD ready

Protocols:

  • HTTP, JDBC, LDAP, SOAP, JMS, and FTP

Pros

  • Performance and load testing
  • User-friendly interface
  • Real-time monitoring

Cons

  • Steeper learning curve

Visit SmartMeter.io

FAQ

Performance Testing checks the speed, response time, reliability, resource usage, and scalability of a software program under its expected workload. The purpose of Performance Testing is not to find functional defects but to eliminate performance bottlenecks in the software or device.

Here are some of the Best Performance Testing Tools:

The global Performance Testing Tools market size was valued at USD 1028.29 million in 2022 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 23.33% during the forecast period, reaching USD 3618.29 million by 2028 as per Absolute Reports.

Performance testing provides stakeholders with information about their applications regarding speed, stability, and scalability. More importantly, Performance Testing uncovers what needs to be improved before the product goes to market. Without Performance Testing, the software is likely to suffer from issues such as: running slow while several users use it simultaneously, inconsistencies across different operating systems, and poor usability. Therefore why, load and performance testing is a very important part of software testing.

  • Load testing
  • Stress testing
  • Endurance testing
  • Spike testing
  • Volume testing
  • Scalability testing

You should consider the following factors before selecting a performance testing software

  • Desired Protocol Support: Web, Desktop, Citrix, SAP, etc
  • License Cost, if applicable
  • In the case of an outsourcing project, you need to factor in customer/Client preference for the automation tool.
  • The cost involved in training employees on the tool
  • Hardware/Software requirements of the automation tool
  • Support and Update policy of the automation tool vendor.

Best Performance Testing Tools (Load Testing Tool)

Name Features Free Trial Link
Apache Jmeter
Apache Jmeter
• Highly portable and supports 100% all the Java based apps.
• Supports Integrated real-time, Tomcat collectors for Monitoring
• Less scripting efforts as compared to other API performance testing
Free Software Learn More
Kobiton
Kobiton
• Create automated test scripts from manual tests that are executable on multiple devices simultaneously.
• Users can test crucial app and website-specific performance with Kobiton’s Payload capture
• Automatic test case generation from the manual session
14-Days Free Trial Learn More
Tricentis NeoLoad
Tricentis NeoLoad
• Continuous performance testing
• Browser-based testing
• Automatic script update
14-Days Free Trial Learn More
HeadSpin
HeadSpin
• Monitor and optimize performance across the entire user journey
• Performance data from real-world conditions
• Test on thousands of real devices in hundred-plus locations with SIM card-enabled devices.
30-Days Free Trial Learn More
BlazeMeter
BlazeMeter
• Seamless Apache JMeter integration
• Load testing requires no expertise and Tests are easily run
• Advanced test data functionality
Lifetime Free Basic Plan Learn More
PFLB
PFLB
• Geo-distributed load testing, surpassing 300,000 RPS
• JMeter integration
• Performance trend reports
Free Personal Plan Learn More
StresStimulus
StresStimulus
• On-prem and cloud performance/continuous testing.
• Load testing D365 and other elaborate Enterprise applications.
• Scripting service is included for Premium Support users.
28-Days Free Trial Learn More