Apache JMeter vs SoapUI comparison

Apache and SmartBear are both solutions in the API Testing Tools category. Apache is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.2, while SmartBear is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.3. Apache holds a 6.7% mindshare in APIT, compared to SmartBear’s 1.8% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Apache users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SmartBear users who would recommend it.

Apache JMeter

Read 96 Apache JMeter reviews

6,120 Views
2,632 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

SoapUI

Read 3 SoapUI reviews

303 Views
303 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Apache JMeter

SoapUI

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

Apache JMeter and SoapUI are leading tools in performance and functional testing. Apache JMeter holds the upper hand in load testing capabilities, while SoapUI is preferred for functional testing due to its extensive feature set.

Features: Apache JMeter offers powerful load-testing capabilities, extensive plugin support, and great flexibility. SoapUI provides comprehensive functional testing, ease in creating complex test scenarios, and suitability for detailed API testing.

Room for Improvement: Apache JMeter could improve its scripting capabilities, documentation, and script management. SoapUI needs better performance with large datasets, more intuitive error handling, and improved performance overall.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Apache JMeter is easy to set up but lacks comprehensive customer support. SoapUI offers a more user-friendly deployment experience with professional support options.

Pricing and ROI: Apache JMeter is highly cost-effective with no setup costs. SoapUI involves higher upfront costs but is considered worth the investment for its robust features and support options.

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

Buyer's Guide

Apache JMeter vs. SoapUI

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 API Testing Tools

3rd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Performance Testing Tools (1st), Load Testing Tools (1st)

SoapUI

Ranking in API Testing Tools

11th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the API Testing Tools category, the mindshare of Apache JMeter is 6.7%, down from 10.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SoapUI is 1.8%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

API Testing Tools Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Apache JMeter	6.7%
SoapUI	1.8%
Other	91.5%

API 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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Mahendra Andhale

Test Manager at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Used for API testing and provides Groovy plugin

We use the solution mainly for API testing The solution's most valuable features are the designing of API, Property Transfer feature, and Groovy plugin. The solution should include some plug-ins to share the generated reports over email. Sometimes, Groovy can be a tricky language, and we need to…

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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

"The features that I appreciate are quite basic. It is easy to ramp up the threads and start calling the application. A lot of connectors can already be found within Apache JMeter, but we are not using the entire set because the integration between the customers and platform is based on HTTP. We are just going to produce lots of HTTP sequences."

"The biggest thing I liked about it is that there is a huge user base out there, and being shareware and being Apache, if I have any question on how to get something done, I get 18 different answers. Out of those, there would be at least a few good approaches for what I was trying to do. So, the support system out there is most valuable."

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

"This solution is easier to use than any other tool in the market; there is not even a requirement to learn a lot of scripting in order to use it."

"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."

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

"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."

"The most valuable feature for us is the available information on the forums and to be able to discuss and get answers from the people that are involved in using this tool."

More Apache JMeter pros

"The solution's most valuable features are the designing of API, Property Transfer feature, and Groovy plugin."

"SoapUI is a pretty simple tool."

"We need to test the APIs as we build them. I use the product for API testing. You can do AWS security in SoapUI. With SoapUI, we can even perform mutual SSL authentication by incorporating certificates into the SoapUI browser. This allows us to send transactions to the backend downstream."

Cons

"One area for improvement is the ability to decrease load suddenly during tests. Currently, we need to use multiple separate JMeter instances to simulate reductions in load, which isn't ideal."

"Scalability is somewhat of an issue, which I would rate around five or six. For runs involving a thousand or more users, JMeter presents a problem because of memory and related issues."

"We would like some reporting and analysis tools to be added to this solution."

"There could be improvements in terms of memory utilization. We are going to migrate away from JMeter in the near future."

"The UI could be better."

"The reporting section of the solution can be better."

"JMeter should be more stable. Every time there is a new release coming up, a lot of its older functionalities or the new functionalities that are brought in are not very well-documented. It should be documented properly, and there should be proper use cases."

"We're like the solution to be more user-friendly."

More Apache JMeter cons

"There are more advanced API testing tools than SoapUI, and SoapUI could be made better."

"The solution should include some plug-ins to share the generated reports over email."

"The product needs to be available as an extension for the Chrome browser."

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

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

"The solution is open source."

"It is free."

"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."

"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs associated with it."

"Since we are using an outsourced solution, it is not paid for by our company."

More Apache JMeter pricing and cost advice

"SoapUI is a cheap tool that does not have an expensive license."

"SoapUI is an open-source solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

11%

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...

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 do you like most about SoapUI?

We need to test the APIs as we build them. I use the product for API testing. You can do AWS security in SoapUI. With SoapUI, we can even perform mutual SSL authentication by incorporating certific...

See all answers

What needs improvement with SoapUI?

The solution should include some plug-ins to share the generated reports over email. Sometimes, Groovy can be a tricky language, and we need to focus more on that.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SoapUI?

We use the solution mainly for API testing.

See all answers

Comparisons

Tricentis NeoLoad vs Apache JMeter

Compared 13% of the time

BlazeMeter vs Apache JMeter

Compared 10% of the time

Postman Enterprise vs Apache JMeter

Compared 6% of the time

ReadyAPI vs Apache JMeter

Compared 5% of the time

OpenText Enterprise Performance Engineering (LoadRunner Enterprise) vs Apache JMeter

Compared 3% of the time

More Apache JMeter Competitors

ReadyAPI Test vs SoapUI

Compared 24% of the time

Parasoft SOAtest vs SoapUI

Compared 18% of the time

More SoapUI Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache JMeter

January 2026

Download Apache JMeter product report

Buyer's Guide

API Testing Tools

January 2026

Download SoapUI product report

Also Known As

JMeter

No data available

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

SoapUI is a leading tool for testing SOAP and REST web services, known for its robust functionality and user-friendly interface. It supports functional, automated, and load testing, and offers powerful scripting and automation. Organizations appreciate its efficiency, protocol flexibility, and integration capabilities.

SmartBear

Sample Customers

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

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Apache JMeter vs. SoapUI

December 2025

Free Report: Apache JMeter vs. SoapUI

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