An application is easy to build, but once you know it functions – the next milestone to achieve is that it performs well. Performance is not just about functioning, it is about functioning well. As in, does the website load within a few seconds. Can an application work with limited memory. Does it work even when used for extended periods of time?
Performance of applications can be measured manually but to scale, it is recommended to use tools. Here is a list of top 10 performance testing tools that you should know about, if you want to test the performance of your application.
Table Of Contents
What are Performance Testing Tools?
Performance testing tools are specialized tools to evaluate the stability, responsiveness, and other performance factors under a particular load. Performance testing is often referred to as Non-Function Testing (NFT) and the requirement is referred to as Non-Functional Requirement(NFR).
Factors to Consider While Selecting a Performance Testing Tool
There are many performance testing tools in the market, one can easily get confused while choosing the right performance testing. You need to evaluate the business requirements against each performance test to choose the right one. Some general guidelines need to be looked into before considering the performance testing tool. Let’s look at the factors
Ease of use
The performance testing tool should be easy to learn and anyone should be able to use it. The installation and setup should be well documented. The performance scripting should be available in popular programming languages. The correlation and parameterization should not take much time.
Flexibility
The performance testing tool should provide the flexibility to customize the script as per the need. Furthermore, the tool should be capable of generating the load dynamically using a few configurations. No. of users, time, and peak time all these should be easy to configure.
Scalability
The tool should allow you to scale your tests quickly and simulate the desired number of real users. The tool should be capable of generating thousands of user loads at any time. Also, it should be able to ramp down the users quickly without any hassle.
Reporting
The performance testing tool should provide granular-level reporting. Using the report one should be able to quickly analyze the performance bottlenecks. The report should be configurable and customizable as per our needs. The graphical representation, aggregated reports, and sharable reports are much required to communicate the target audience.
Integrations
Modern web development is moving towards the DevOps ecosystem, where every testing is done in line with the development pipeline. So the performance testing tool should support CI/CD integration out of the box. Similarly, it should provide the integration to other test management and life cycle management tools.
Open source vs Proprietary tools
Open-source tools will not cost, however, they lack the documentation and technical support. On the other hand, the proprietary tool provides technical support, a high level of customization with ease, etc. But it incurs the additional cost. Both types of tool are popular in the market. The tool should be chosen based on the requirements such as learning curve, existing skillset, no. of resources, etc.
Top 10 Performance Testing Tools
We have looked into factors that can impact performance testing tools, however, when there are hundreds of tools in the market it’s nearly impossible to evaluate everything before you choose. To address the problem we have curated the top 10 performance testing tools (not ordered by ranking) which will help you choose the best fit.
K6
K6 is a modern performance testing tool, it is an open-source and developer-friendly tool. K6 helps to catch performance regressions easily and fix them. It is a CLI tool, that supports Javascript scripting.
Features of K6
- Easy to set and use
- You can test API, web applications, microservices, etc.
- K6 is optimized for minimal resources at high load
- K6 also supports browser-based performance testing
- It can be used for synthetic monitoring
- Chaos and resilience testing can also be performed with K6
Cons
- The beginner may find scripting complicated
- K6 doesn’t have GUI
- distributed load generation may require additional plugins
JMeter
JMeter is a well-known performance testing tool, and organizations have beeing using it for more than a decade. Though it is an open-source performance testing platform it is actively developed and well-maintained. The rich GUI and drag-and-drop support attracted millions of users and motivated companies to adopt Jmeter. Jmeter is built with Java; it helps to generate the real user loads via threads.
Features of JMeter
- One-click installation and set up
- Rich user interface and drag-and-drop support
- Record and playback script
- Easy to parametrize and correlation scripting
- Can work with static content, dynamic content
- Userful for API testing, Performance testing, and load testing.
- A lot of community plugins
- Large community support
Cons
- Jmeter is heavy, especially when you generate a heavy load – it is laggy
- Lack of real-time monitoring support
- Advanced scenarios require complex scripting
- Limited feature for browser-based performance testing
- Limited features for non-HTTP protocols
Webload
Webload is enterprise-level performance testing tool built for scalability and advanced scripting with AI capabilities. It is owned by RadView Software Ltd. and provides different pricing packages. It comes with user user-friendly interface and comprehensive reporting analysis.
Features of Webload
- Easy to install and set up
- Advanced scripting with AI
- Multiple protocol support such as HTTP, HTTPS, SOAP, REST, HTML5, WebSocket, etc.
- Rich reporting and analysis
- Scalability and load distribution
- Rich user interface
Cons
- Not an open-source tool
- The learning curve is steep compared to other tools
- Expensive licensing fees
- Limited integration to non-web technologies
ReadyAPI
The ReadyAPI is a product from SmartBear formally known by different names such as SoapUI Pro, LoadUI Pro, and ServiceV Pro. It is an API functional testing tool. The ReadyAPI can be configured to perform tests to evaluate the behavior of API for a large number of visitors. It is capable of generating the load locally or distributed way.
Features of ReadyAPI
- Ready API is an API testing tool that does a lot more than functional testing. It can be used for performance testing.
- You can easily import the API from Swagger and continue with your use cases
- Local and distributed load generation is the key feature of this tool
- A comprehensive list of performance indicators helps to identify the performance bottlenecks
- Easy-to-use tool for beginners
- Provides technical support for licensed users
Cons
- It is a license-heavy tool that may not be suitable for everyone
- Most of the provided features can be achieved through open-source tools
- Lacks documentation
- A lot of features are restricted to only for enterprise users.
LoadView
LoadView is a proprietary software by dotcom-monitor. It is a cloud-based performance testing tool for websites and APIs. The real user load can be simulated using the browser and managed cloud. The customer does not need to bother about the infrastructure maintenance as it is taken care of by the LoadView.
Features of LoadView
- Loadview is a cloud-based testing tool so you just need a subscription to start with.
- It provides the capability to run the tests behind the firewall
- The video recording feature helps in swift debugging
- Reference servers, thorough waterfall charts, dynamic variables, and load injector controls are some of the notable features
- Supports Flash, Silverlight, Java, HTML5, PHP, and Ruby protocols
- Sharable performance reports come in handy to target the audience
- Helps to test the mobile devices and mobile browsers
Cons
- High license cost
- Documentation is limited hence difficult to evaluate the functionality
- Script recorder is buggy and lacks features
- Takes time to start the test
NeoLoad
NeoLoad is enterprise proprietary software by Tricentis. It is a performance testing tool built with continuous performance testing in mind. It provides features like cloud-ready, DevOps ready and all enterprise-level configuration can be done easily.
Features of NeoLoad
- NeoLoad serves different testing needs such as stress testing, performance testing, load testing, stability testing, capacity planning, etc.
- It can be used to test web applications, web APIs, and Microservices
- It comes with a rich user interface that allows anyone to start with ease
- Supports multiple protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS, SOAP, REST, JDBC, JMS, FTP, etc.
- NeoLoad is available on different platforms such as Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android
- NeoLoad report helps to analyze and tune the performance tests.
- The graphical representation of different performance metrics is helpful in the analysis of performance bottlenecks
Cons
- NeoLoad is a commercial tool, it requires a paid license and may not be the best fit for small teams.
- The learning curve is relatively high
- It requires customization and optimization as per their organization. Doesn’t provide the template-based approach
LoadRunner
LoadRunner is a performance testing tool owned by MicroFocus. It helps the user to measure the system behavior by simulating the thousands of user hits at a single point in time. It offers many reporting and analysis tools under a single suite.
Features of LoadRunner
- Less hardware cost as it predicts the system capacity
- It provides the granular level performance issues
- Comes with a tracking tool
- Provides the load testing resources globally
- Almost all the protocols are supported by LoadRunner
- Visual script editor comes with rich features
Cons
- Tool is expensive hence organization needs to think twice before investing
- In comparison with similar tools, the learning curve is high
- It supports only Windows operating systems
Silk Performer
Silf Performer is now part of the Microfocus software suite. It supports performance testing, load testing, and stress testing. Comes with a rich visual editor that helps to script rapidly and scale up the performance tests. It can also integrate with the cloud to achieve great benefits
Features of SilkPerformer
- It is an enterprise-level tool, that can generate thousands of user loads
- Supports cloud-based performance testing
- It supports integrated server monitoring
- Correlation and Parameterization are user-friendly
- Supports all major protocols
Cons
- It is a commercial tool, that requires a license to use
- The users reported that the tool is laggy at high loads
- The learning curve is comparatively high
- Lacks documentation
- The tool itself feels heavy if you are using the system with a lower configuration
AppLoader
AppLoader is a performance testing tool, generally used to test Citrix and healthcare applications. It is helpful to predict the behavior of IT systems with multiple application loads. You can generate the load from multiple locations.
Features of AppLoader
- Any Windows-based application can be tested
- Available as an add-on in Amazon AWS
- No scripting required
- It is protocol-independent
- Comprehensive report
Cons
- The architecture is different from the tools available in the market, so you may find the difficult to start with
- It can only test Windows-based client
- Very less documentation
- It is a commercial tool, you need to pay for the license
SmartMeter.io
The SmartMeter.io is a new-age performance testing tool. It is a commercial tool by Smartmeter. It supports scriptless testing with its recording feature.
Features of SmartMeter
- Supports distributed testing
- Supports CI/CD integration such as Jenkins, Bamboo, etc.
- Provides the graphs and charts helpful to monitor the performance
- Can be integrated with Selenium
- It can also be used for environmental monitoring
- SmartMeter can be integrated with Application Monitoring Tools (APM) such as Dynatrace.
- The comprehensive report helps identify the bottleneck.
- Comes with a record and playback feature to achieve scriptless testing
Cons
- The commercial tool with a paid license
- Requires learning
- Third-party application integration is complicated
- Not best suited for non-technical users
Which is the best open-source performance testing tool?
There are many open-source performance testing tools, but as we know every tool has pros and cons. Some of the most popular open-source tools are Jmeter, K6, Gattling, Taurus, etc. The Jmeter has been used by the organization for a long time, however, K6 is also gaining users due to its simplicity. Having said that it doesn’t mean that other tools are not good. The best tool needs to be evaluated with specific business requirements. There is no such tool that fits every organization globally.
The modern web application is complex and it is internally connected with a lot of libraries. Performance testing is no longer an option for modern applications, it is a must. The performance of an application is closely tied to the reputation of the organization hence before releasing the application to production you need to carry out performance testing.
As mentioned above there are many performance testing tool which includes both open source and commercial. Based on the requirement and use cases – one needs to adopt the performance testing tools for the organization.
Performance testing adoption is tied to a lot more cost than functional testing as it requires spending on tools, dedicated infrastructure, resources, and upskilling, so, choose the performance testing tool wisely