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Head-to-head · Performance Testing Software

Apache JMeter vs Artillery

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Apache JMeter #3 in Performance Testing Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Apache JMeter
Artillery #16 in Performance Testing Software 7.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Artillery

Apache JMeter leads on 0 checks, Artillery on 1, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreApache JMeter · 9.1/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresArtillery · 5 of 5

Apache JMeter scores higher on our rubric for performance testing software: 9.1 against 7.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #16.

Artillery offers browser-based testing; Apache JMeter doesn't.

Apache JMeter is the better fit for free, established protocol and web load testing. Artillery is the better fit for teams testing APIs, browsers, and WebSockets.

  • Apache JMeter fits best

    Free, established protocol and web load testing

  • Artillery fits best

    Teams testing APIs, browsers, and WebSockets

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Side by side

Feature Apache JMeter 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Artillery 7.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 7.8
Ranking #3 in Performance Testing Software #16 in Performance Testing Software
Best for Free, established protocol and web load testing Teams testing APIs, browsers, and WebSockets
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan $199/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Apache JMeter 4/5 · Artillery 5/5
Load testing ✓ ✓
Stress testing ✓ ✓
Browser-based testing — ✓ (best)
Distributed load ✓ ✓
API testing ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment model Not checked yet Hybrid
Max virtual users Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Free and open source across Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Supports HTTP, SOAP, REST, databases, messaging, mail, TCP, and Java
  • Includes headless execution, HTML reports, assertions, and distributed testing
  • Tests HTTP, WebSocket, Socket.IO, and Playwright browser workloads
  • Runs distributed tests through AWS Lambda, AWS Fargate, and Azure
  • Connects with CI/CD, observability tools, dashboards, and cloud reports
Cons
  • Does not render pages or execute browser JavaScript
  • Uses an on-premise deployment model
  • Distributed testing requires remote JMeter engines
  • Free plan limits teams to 30 reports and 30-minute tests monthly
  • Paid plans start at $199 per month
  • The broad feature set may exceed the needs of basic API testing
Our verdict

Apache JMeter is an open-source, Java-based performance testing application for teams that need protocol-level load, stress, API, and distributed testing. It supports web applications, web services, databases, messaging systems, mail…

Read the review →

Artillery is a performance testing platform for developers, QA engineers, and SRE teams. Its CLI supports load and stress testing for APIs, web applications, and network services across HTTP, WebSocket, and Socket.IO. Playwright-based…

Read the review →
  1. Apache JMeterPerformance Testing Software 9.1Free plan
  2. ArtilleryPerformance Testing Software 7.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Apache JMeter — where it wins

    • Free and open source across Windows, macOS, and Linux
    • Supports HTTP, SOAP, REST, databases, messaging, mail, TCP, and Java
    • Includes headless execution, HTML reports, assertions, and distributed testing

    Where it doesn't

    • Does not render pages or execute browser JavaScript
    • Uses an on-premise deployment model
    • Distributed testing requires remote JMeter engines

  • Artillery — where it wins

    • Tests HTTP, WebSocket, Socket.IO, and Playwright browser workloads
    • Runs distributed tests through AWS Lambda, AWS Fargate, and Azure
    • Connects with CI/CD, observability tools, dashboards, and cloud reports

    Where it doesn't

    • Free plan limits teams to 30 reports and 30-minute tests monthly
    • Paid plans start at $199 per month
    • The broad feature set may exceed the needs of basic API testing

More comparisons

All performance testing software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update