Apache JMeter vs k6 Open Source comparison

Apache and k6 are both solutions in the Load Testing Tools category. Apache is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.2, while k6 is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.0. Apache holds a 12.2% mindshare in LTT, compared to k6’s 4.5% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Apache users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of k6 users who would recommend it.

Apache JMeter

Read 96 Apache JMeter reviews

5,961 Views
3,636 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

k6 Open Source

Read 2 k6 Open Source reviews

914 Views
695 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Apache JMeter

k6 Open Source

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 6, 2025

Apache JMeter and k6 Open Source are leading players in load testing tools. JMeter is favored for its comprehensive testing capabilities, while k6 appeals with its modern scripting environment and developer-centric approach.

Features: Apache JMeter provides extensive protocol support such as HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, JDBC, and JMS. It includes a robust set of plugins and integrations for complex testing scenarios. Meanwhile, k6 Open Source offers a JavaScript-based scripting environment, easy CI/CD pipeline integration, and cloud execution capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: JMeter, a Java-based tool, is easily deployed across platforms but may need extra configuration for advanced setups. k6 Open Source is simple to deploy with a standalone binary and benefits from comprehensive documentation, making the initial setup straightforward.

Pricing and ROI: Apache JMeter, being free and open-source, offers significant cost savings and high ROI if existing infrastructure meets its requirements. k6 Open Source also has a free tier, with premium features requiring investment. Its ROI is often seen in quicker test cycles and integration efficiencies.

To learn more, read our detailed Apache JMeter vs. k6 Open Source Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Apache JMeter vs. k6 Open Source

December 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Apache JMeter

Ranking in Load Testing Tools

1st

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Performance Testing Tools (1st), API Testing Tools (2nd)

k6 Open Source

Ranking in Load Testing Tools

7th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Regression Testing Tools (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Load Testing Tools category, the mindshare of Apache JMeter is 12.2%, down from 23.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of k6 Open Source is 4.5%, up from 3.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Load Testing Tools Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Apache JMeter	12.2%
k6 Open Source	4.5%
Other	83.3%

Load Testing Tools

Featured Reviews

Raja Rao Malkari

Principal Performance Architect at Tecnotree Corporation

Have built custom performance test scripts and integrated them into automated pipelines seamlessly

Apache JMeter has its own pros and cons when compared to other tools. It is easy to use the tool and it has open-source capability so we can build our custom scripts and execute them. It provides other capabilities, such as integrating a database and connecting to other application servers for monitoring and related functions. We use dynamic HTML reporting, which helps us in testing analysis by pinpointing the bottlenecks based on the reports. We can identify the specific areas that need attention, troubleshoot them, and report to the development team. The user-friendly GUI for creating and managing tests makes it very easy to drag and drop samplers. For example, if you want the HTTP sampler, you can drag and drop it and use it. For configurations, we have other samplers. For results, we have the view results samplers that we can also drag and drop. The UI is good in comparison with other tools. Regarding integration with CI/CD pipelines, we can create Apache JMeter scripts and use the Docker image. From the image, whatever scripting we have done can be connected. We can use the CI/CD pipelines and connect them with Jenkins tools and GitHub. Then we can create the pipelines and automate the end-to-end flow. For connecting Jenkins to Apache JMeter, JMeter plugins are available, and we have used them. Apache JMeter also has some third-party plugins, which are not native samplers. If we want to use custom test executions, we definitely use all the different plugins available in Apache JMeter. The capability to simulate users has impacted testing resources and outcomes as Apache JMeter is based on Java, which has a limit to the users in a particular load generator. Apache JMeter provides distributed load testing where you can connect multiple PCs in a master and slave concept, allowing you to pump the load with any number of users. In the past, I have done load testing with 10,000 users by connecting the Apache JMeter distributed network in BlazeMeter. There is a cloud version available, the updated BlazeMeter, and I used that. It is very easy to launch load generators in BlazeMeter, and then we can run the test, scaling up beyond 10,000 users.

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ArtemCheremisin

Performance Test Engineer at BETBY

Lighter on the RAM and has native Grafana support

The tool's big advantage is that it is more performance-test oriented for experienced testers who know what they are doing. In a normal working setup, performance engineers frequently work with DevOps and development teams. For these teams, k6 Open Source's syntax is much simpler and easier to understand and apply in the working process. Recently, I had a case where I was using another tool, and there wasn't enough memory for it because it required more RAM. k6 Open Source, on the other hand, is lighter and doesn't have a UI, which is beneficial. An engineer I was training could use k6 Open Source scripts even without my help. The tool is more efficient and has native support with Grafana, as both are developed by the same company. This integration enhances monitoring and loss ratio tracking. Thanks to its intelligent GUI, k6 Open Source's design is simpler, particularly for complex scenarios. When we need to manage hundreds of thousands or millions of transactions per minute, the solution becomes a game-changer compared to JMeter.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Monetary benefits with Apache JMeter are notable since it doesn’t require a licensed version."

"It's open source, so I like that about the product. And there's a lot of community support for it."

"The metrics part of it and the ability to write your custom code to do some specific tests in the performance testing space are the most valuable features."

"The product helps me get the expected performance from applications or servers and reduces costs. It also enhances the performance of the services and helped them reach their ultimate capacity."

"I use all the tools, but one feature that stands out is JMeter's ability to test when services are sending a particular kind of request. We are using specific ports to send queries, and assess the performance based on the time it takes these queries to respond. You can use it with stuff other than the web performance."

"The most valuable features are the ability to capture the entire traffic of particular pages and the proper readability of entire pages and entire APIs."

"What I like best about Apache JMeter is its user-friendly GUI because even if you don't have very good coding knowledge or understanding, or even if you don't come from a development background, you can still use the solution with just a few clicks. This is what's unique about Apache JMeter, in comparison with other tools in the market. As Apache JMeter is open source, when there's a missing feature, you can search in several community blogs for plugins that you can use to modify Apache JMeter to meet your requirements, and this is another advantage."

"JMeter can be integrated with most open-source platforms like Grafana, Prometheus, or even with custom-made tools by extending it and integrating from GitHub."

More Apache JMeter pros

"The standout feature of k6 is its strong focus on API performance testing."

"The tool's big advantage is that it is more performance-test oriented for experienced testers who know what they are doing. In a normal working setup, performance engineers frequently work with DevOps and development teams. For these teams, k6 Open Source's syntax is much simpler and easier to understand and apply in the working process."

Cons

"It should start supporting the presentation layer. It currently provides performance testing specifically at the application and API level. It can be extended to the presentation layer, which includes mainly Angular and React frameworks. It should also be easy to use and easy to train people."

"The initial setup is complex and needs to be upgraded."

"Given that Apache JMeter is a free and open-source tool, documentation improvement may not be a major concern, as it is mostly contributed on a voluntary basis. The essential information is already available. However, in terms of the interface, there are occasional bugs, and the tool may not address them as quickly as some users would like. Fixing defects and bugs might take a considerable amount of time, with users sometimes having to wait for several months or even a year for the next release to address specific issues."

"One of the drawbacks of JMeter is that it can't handle a large amount of load, which forces us to switch to other tools when we need to load more than a 5,000 or 10,000 user load."

"In this tool, automation in general is almost non-existent. Everything is done manually."

"JMeter is lagging when it comes to GUI performance testing because we need to install some third-party plugins for recording the GUI script, and the performance isn't very reliable."

"There are certain things like we can't merge custom metrics into the JMeter reports. We're limited to JMeter metrics, and other server metrics can't be integrated with JMeter dashboard. This forces us to rely on another tool."

"They can improve it a little bit in terms of distribution load testing. We struggled with it during the distribution. In terms of reporting, runtime monitoring is not currently included, and it should be included. They can also improve it on the reporting side in terms of the comparison of the reports. They can also focus more on integration with CI/CD. Currently, people are using their own customized tools. It would be nice if Apache can provide some standard tools and procedures for integration with CI/CD tools like DPR. There are some tools, but it would be nice if official standard tools and procedures are available."

More Apache JMeter cons

"One area where k6 could improve is by introducing a GUI similar to JMeter."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We didn't pay licensing fees for Apache JMeter because it's an open-source tool. We only paid for the machines where we installed Apache JMeter modules."

"Since it's free, there's no need for extensive support or improvements in pricing."

"JMeter is open source, so there are no licensing costs associated with it."

"We are using the free version."

"It is free."

"The solution is open source with no user fees or licenses."

"Everything is included, and there are no additional costs."

"Apache JMeter is far less expensive than HP Performance Center."

More Apache JMeter pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Media Company

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	27
Midsize Enterprise	24
Large Enterprise	56

No data available

Questions from the Community

How does Postman compare with Apache JMeter?

Postman lets you easily define variables, which then get updated automatically. This is a huge time-saver and makes processes very efficient. We can also export the test cases we create and share t...

See all answers

How does BlazeMeter compare with Apache JMeter?

Blazemeter is a continuous testing platform that provides scriptless test automation. It unifies functional and performance testing, enabling users to monitor and test public and private APIs. We ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Apache JMeter?

I appreciate JMeter's simplicity and power for performance testing.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering k6 Open Source?

I rate the overall solution an eight out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

Tricentis NeoLoad vs Apache JMeter

Compared 13% of the time

BlazeMeter vs Apache JMeter

Compared 13% of the time

Postman Enterprise vs Apache JMeter

Compared 7% of the time

OpenText Professional Performance Engineering (LoadRunner Professional) vs Apache JMeter

Compared 5% of the time

ReadyAPI vs Apache JMeter

Compared 5% of the time

More Apache JMeter Competitors

BlazeMeter vs k6 Open Source

Compared 15% of the time

Tricentis NeoLoad vs k6 Open Source

Compared 14% of the time

Selenium HQ vs k6 Open Source

Compared 9% of the time

OpenText Enterprise Performance Engineering (LoadRunner Enterprise) vs k6 Open Source

Compared 8% of the time

Akamai CloudTest vs k6 Open Source

Compared 7% of the time

More k6 Open Source Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache JMeter

January 2026

Download Apache JMeter product report

Buyer's Guide

Load Testing Tools

January 2026

Download k6 Open Source product report

Also Known As

JMeter

Load Impact

Overview

Apache JMeter is an open-source Java application that tests load and functional behavior and performance in applications. Created initially to test web applications, it has expanded its functionality to test other functions. For instance, you can test a server to see how efficiently it works and how many user requests can be handled simultaneously.

You can use JMeter to test functional performance and regression tests on different technologies. This Java desktop application has an easy-to-use graphical interface which uses the Swing graphical API. You can run JMeter on any environment that accepts a Java virtual machine, such as Windows, Linux, and Mac.

What protocols does JMeter support?

Web - HTTP, HTTPS
Web services - SOAP/XML-RPC
Email service - POP3, IMAP, SMTP
FTP service
Database via JDBC drivers
LDAP
Native commands or shell scripts
TCP
Java objects

How does JMeter work?

JMeter sends requests to a target server by simulating a group of user requests. Then it collects and calculates statistics on the performance of the target. This target can be a server or an application.

You can test the performance of static resources, such as JavaScript or HTML, and dynamic resources, such as JSP, Servlets, and AJAX. It is also helpful to determine how many concurrent users your website can handle.

There are two main tests you can carry out with JMeter: load test and stress test. The load test models expected usage of a server by simulating multiple users accessing the web server simultaneously. The stress testing aims to find the maximum load capacity of the server or application.

Apache JMeter Key Features

JMeter enables fast test plan recording, building, and debugging via a featured test IDE (integrated development environment).
Command-line mode allows carrying out load tests from any OS compatible with Java.
JMeter can extract data from most popular response formats, such as HTML, JSON, XML.
JMeter is entirely portable.
A multithreading framework allows you to simultaneously test multiple samplings and separate thread groups.
Thanks to the caching feature, you can conduct offline analysis or replay test results.

Apache JMeter Benefits

As open-source software, it is freely available and continuously improved.
The setup is user-friendly, and no installation is needed.
The GUI (graphic user interface) is intuitive and easy to use.
You can write your own tests and use the visualization plugins to extend the testing.
It is a platform-agnostic tool. For example, JMeter can work with Linux by clicking on the JMeter shell script. On Windows, you can call up JMeter by starting the jmeter.bat file.
Since the test plans are stored in XML format, you can generate a test plan using any text editor.
You can simulate a heavy load on a server, a group of servers, a network, or an object. Use JMeter to test an application or server's strength and performance under different load types.

The JMeter extensible core has numerous benefits:

Unlimited testing capabilities via pluggable samplers.
You can choose multiple load statistics with pluggable timers.
Visualization plugins and data analysis enable customization.
Continuous integration via third-party open-source libraries (Maven, Gradle, and Jenkins).

Reviews from Real Users

Stephen B., I.T. Architect, Analyst, and Developer at an educational organization, says, "The scripting ability is most valuable. It is easy to use. There is a UI, and you can go in there and figure those things out. After you've got a good set of tests, you basically have a scripted document that you can grab and execute in a pipeline. It is pretty quick to set up, and you can scale it and version control it."

"I like the fact that JMeter integrates well with other tools," adds the Founder and Principal Consultant at a tech services company.

A Quality Engineering Delivery Leader at a financial services firm says, “The performance of the solution is excellent. They have designed the product so that it is very easy to configure. You can basically do anything you like with the product. It's not very restrictive. We like the fact that the technology is open-source.”

Apache

Load Impact offers three main features:

Automated testing - Integrates into your CD pipeline with CI plug-ins or opt for full control with API/SDKs.
API testing - a powerful scripting environment where you can create as simple or complex API scenarios as you need.
Web & web app testing - easily load test your website or web app. Record user scenarios using our Chrome extension or proxy recorder and configure a test with just a few clicks - no programming required.

Sample Customers

AOL, Orbitz, Innopath Software, PrepMe, Sapient, Corporate Express Australia, CSIRO, Ephibian, Talis, DATACOM, ALALOOP, eFusion, Panter, Sourcepole, University of Western Cape

rackspace, salesforce.com, IBM, servicenow, Nasdaq, JWT

Buyer's Guide

Apache JMeter vs. k6 Open Source

December 2025

Free Report: Apache JMeter vs. k6 Open Source

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