Apache JMeter vs OpenText Silk Performer comparison

Apache and OpenText are both solutions in the Load Testing Tools category. Apache is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.2, while OpenText is ranked #22. Apache holds a 12.2% mindshare in LTT, compared to OpenText’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Apache users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of OpenText users who would recommend it.

Apache JMeter

Read 96 Apache JMeter reviews

5,961 Views
3,636 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

OpenText Silk Performer

Read 1 OpenText Silk Performer review

261 Views
261 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Apache JMeter

OpenText Silk Performer

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Apache JMeter and OpenText Silk Performer based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Apache, Tricentis, Perforce and others in Load Testing Tools.

To learn more, read our detailed Load Testing Tools Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Load Testing Tools

January 2026

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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)

OpenText Silk Performer

Ranking in Load Testing Tools

22nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

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 OpenText Silk Performer is 1.5%, up from 0.8% 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%
OpenText Silk Performer	1.5%
Other	86.3%

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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Sunil Ramesh

Principal Software Architect at OpenText

Scripting and basic test executions are good features; configuring the workload for tests is easy

In terms of areas of improvement, I would say the Silk Performance Explorer tool, which is used for monitoring and analysis, can be improved because that's where we spend most of our time when we're analyzing the test data. Any enhancements that can be provided in the monitoring sphere would be useful. When you have a large amount of data the tool struggles with it and will sometimes crash, or there may be issues with too many metrics being collected when running a test. The interface for the scripting could be more feature-rich. Integration with tools like Prometheus or Grafana where we can visualize the data would be great. As things stand, we have to use one monitoring tool to visualize data and another for visualizing the test metrics. Integration would enable us to see the metrics from Silk and correlate that with the metrics from other servers or other processes we're monitoring. It would save having to look at Silk data and server metrics separately. It's the way things are going with newer tools. I think the solution is being phased out by Micro Focus and their emphasis is focused more on LoadRunner. We haven't seen much development in the last few years.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is scalable. It is cloud-based."

"Scripting with the solution is good."

"JMeter is basically the art of the entire performance testing process."

"Apache JMeter is mainly used for performance testing, and this is one of the prime features that we use in any of the performance testing aspects."

"JMeter is a free tool with a large user population, which comes in handy because we have a vast knowledge base to tap into when needed. It's also easier to hire consultants who know JMeter."

"Apache JMeter helps my testing analysis by providing precise reports; the HTML format report gives me the exact transactions, response times, and graphs that show average response times, as well as throughput per second."

"The performance of the solution is excellent."

"JMeter is user-friendly, and that's a notable advantage of JVTech. It's straightforward and easy to use, unlike some other load testing tools, making it very easy to understand."

More Apache JMeter pros

"A good monitoring tool, simple to script and easy to configure."

Cons

"There is some work to be done with the integration."

"It should be easier to combine multiple scripts. If you have multiple scripts, you need to write a new script to combine those scripts. The virtual user generator is slow."

"They can provide support for other protocols as well, and with AI becoming more prominent, they can implement features where it can generate code by itself based on the results or provide suggestions."

"The reporting is not very good."

"The interface could be made more user-friendly."

"Until now, JMeter is not supporting most of the protocols."

"The plug-ins make the reports heavy and they have to be run in non-GUI mode."

"What needs improvement in Apache JMeter is the very high load requirements when you want to scale it beyond certain thresholds. For example, small to mid-range testing is very easily done with Apache JMeter, but if you scale and increase the load, then it would be a problem because the tool consumes a lot of resources, probably because Apache JMeter provides an enriched UI experience, so it consumes a lot of memory and requires high CPU usage. This means you have to manage your infrastructure, or else you'll have high overhead expenses. As Apache JMeter is a heavyweight tool, that is an area for improvement, though I'm unsure if Apache can do something about it because it could be a result of the way it's architected. What I'd like to see from Apache JMeter in the future is for it to transition to the cloud, as a lot of cloud technologies emerge around the globe, and a lot of people prefer cloud-based solutions or cloud-native tools. Even if a company has a legacy system, it's still possible to transition to the cloud. I've worked with a company that was an on-premise company that moved to the cloud and became cloud-native. If Apache JMeter could transition to the cloud, similar to k6, then it could help lessen the intense resource consumption that's currently happening in Apache JMeter."

More Apache JMeter cons

"If you have a large amount of data, the solution can struggle."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is open-source."

"We use the open source version."

"JMeter is open source and available free of charge."

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

"Apache JMeter is a free tool."

"No licensing is required as it is a free, open-source tool."

"This is an open-source solution, and there are no fees."

"There are operational costs related to using Amazon Cloud, but the tool itself."

More Apache JMeter pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

No data available

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...

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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.

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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

OpenText Enterprise Performance Engineering (LoadRunner Enterprise) vs OpenText Silk Performer

Compared 45% of the time

OpenText Professional Performance Engineering (LoadRunner Professional) vs OpenText Silk Performer

Compared 29% of the time

More OpenText Silk Performer Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache JMeter

January 2026

Download Apache JMeter product report

Buyer's Guide

Load Testing Tools

January 2026

Download OpenText Silk Performer product report

Also Known As

JMeter

Micro Focus Silk Performer, Silk Performer

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

Test Asset reusability for performance monitoring
Silk Performer can considerably speed up testing cycles by allowing you to reuse your existing functional tests. Use Silk Test® or Selenium for performance testing and synthetic monitoring purposes as well.

Cloud in
Integrated scalability from the Cloud
Silk Performer load testing enables your applications for 'battle readiness' that can withstand massive, global usage. Easily simulate any size peak-load and avoid costly investments in stress testing hardware and setup.

Retina scan
Monitor user experience with advanced diagnostics
Detect, isolate, and resolve performance issues with effective end-to-end diagnostics. Design scripts to uncover errors from the user’s perspective and analyze results with easy to read visual reporting.

Monitor
A leading web support for load and stress testing
Validate performance of your most complex web applications and efficiently create comprehensive tests that reflect real world conditions and usage patterns.

Comprehensive mobile performance testing
Lower the cost and complexity of testing mobile web and mobile native applications at scale. Silk Performer provides a complete set of profiles for all popular mobile devices, application types, and connection speeds.

OpenText

Sample Customers

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

University of Colorado, Medidata, Monash University

Find out what your peers are saying about Apache, Tricentis, Perforce and others in Load Testing Tools. Updated: January 2026.

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