JProfiler vs async-profiler

JProfiler8.9Visit APasync-profiler8.3Visit

Higher score JProfiler #5 in Profiling Software 8.9/10 Paid ✓ 3 of 3 features Visit JProfiler

vs

AP async-profiler #10 in Profiling Software 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit async-profiler

• JProfiler fits best

  Deep Java and Kotlin application profiling

• async-profiler fits best

  Free, deep Java and native profiling

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Side by side

Feature	JProfiler 8.9/10 Visit ↗	APasync-profiler 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.3
Ranking	#5 in Profiling Software	#10 in Profiling Software
Best for	Deep Java and Kotlin application profiling	Free, deep Java and native profiling
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Self-hosted	Self-hosted, Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux, macOS
Support	Email, Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features JProfiler 3/3 · async-profiler 3/3
CPU profiling	✓	✓
Memory profiling	✓	✓
Thread profiling	✓	✓
Specs
Profiling modes	Both	Both
Supported languages	Java, Kotlin	Java, C, C++
Deployment model	Desktop	Self-hosted
Our review
Pros	Covers CPU, memory, threads, locks, databases, web, messaging, and more Supports live, offline, remote, snapshot, and automated profiling workflows Integrates with IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, NetBeans, and Visual Studio Code	Profiles CPU, heap, native memory, locks, wall time and counters Outputs Flame Graphs and JFR, with Java and C APIs Open-source, self-hosted tooling for Java, C and C++
Cons	No free plan is listed Desktop deployment may not suit browser-first profiling workflows Its primary language focus is Java and Kotlin	Primarily targets Java applications on HotSpot-based JVMs Officially maintained builds focus on Linux and macOS Requires local binaries, libraries or agent integration
Our verdict	JProfiler is a desktop profiler for Java Virtual Machines, designed for developers, QA teams, and production engineers investigating application performance and memory behavior. It covers CPU hotspots, allocations, leaks, threads, locks,… Read the review →	async-profiler is an open-source, self-hosted profiling tool primarily for Java applications running on HotSpot-based JVMs. It also supports native application profiling and integration with C and C++ through a native API. The project is… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• JProfiler — where it wins

  • Covers CPU, memory, threads, locks, databases, web, messaging, and more
  • Supports live, offline, remote, snapshot, and automated profiling workflows
  • Integrates with IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, NetBeans, and Visual Studio Code

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan is listed
  • Desktop deployment may not suit browser-first profiling workflows
  • Its primary language focus is Java and Kotlin

• async-profiler — where it wins

  • Profiles CPU, heap, native memory, locks, wall time and counters
  • Outputs Flame Graphs and JFR, with Java and C APIs
  • Open-source, self-hosted tooling for Java, C and C++

  Where it doesn't

  • Primarily targets Java applications on HotSpot-based JVMs
  • Officially maintained builds focus on Linux and macOS
  • Requires local binaries, libraries or agent integration

• JProfiler8.9/10 · Paid

  A broad Java and Kotlin profiler for deep JVM performance investigations.

  Visit JProfilerFull verdict →
• APasync-profiler8.3/10 · Free plan

  A deep, self-hosted profiler for Java and native workloads, with narrower platform coverage.

  Visit async-profilerFull verdict →