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Head-to-head · Performance Testing Software

Locust vs Speedscale

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Locust #7 in Performance Testing Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Locust
Speedscale #15 in Performance Testing Software 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Speedscale

Locust leads on 1 check, Speedscale on 0, 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 scoreLocust · 8.8/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresLocust · 5 of 5

Locust scores higher on our rubric for performance testing software: 8.8 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #7 and #15.

Locust offers browser-based testing; Speedscale doesn't.

Locust is the better fit for python teams building flexible open-source tests. Speedscale is the better fit for teams replaying production traffic safely.

  • Locust fits best

    Python teams building flexible open-source tests

  • Speedscale fits best

    Teams replaying production traffic safely

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Side by side

Feature Locust 8.8/10 Visit ↗ Speedscale 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.8 7.9
Ranking #7 in Performance Testing Software #15 in Performance Testing Software
Best for Python teams building flexible open-source tests Teams replaying production traffic safely
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Web, Windows, macOS
Support Docs Email, Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Locust 5/5 · Speedscale 4/5
Load testing ✓ ✓
Stress testing ✓ ✓
Browser-based testing ✓ (best) —
Distributed load ✓ ✓
API testing ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment model Hybrid Hybrid
Max virtual users Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Define test scenarios in regular Python code
  • Run real-time, headless, or distributed tests
  • Extend workloads with protocols, clients, and integrations
  • Captures and replays production traffic against code or services under test
  • Supports stress, spike, peak, soak, and ramp-up workload patterns
  • Integrates with major CI/CD, Kubernetes, observability, and container tools
Cons
  • Self-hosted deployment places operations on your team
  • Browser testing uses documented Playwright or Selenium extensions
  • Core HTTP/HTTPS coverage may require extensions for other protocols
  • Advanced replay and team dashboards start on the Pro plan
  • Paid plans use usage-based billing by monthly data ingestion
  • SSO, enterprise controls, and BYOC are reserved for Enterprise
Our verdict

Locust is an open-source performance and load testing tool for developers and test engineers who want to define simulated behavior in Python. It supports load, stress, browser, distributed-load, and API testing across web, Windows, macOS,…

Read the review →

Speedscale captures application traffic and replays it against code changes or services under test. It is designed for teams that need production-informed API, regression, and load testing across local development environments, Kubernetes…

Read the review →
  1. LocustPerformance Testing Software 8.8Free plan
  2. SpeedscalePerformance Testing Software 7.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Locust — where it wins

    • Define test scenarios in regular Python code
    • Run real-time, headless, or distributed tests
    • Extend workloads with protocols, clients, and integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted deployment places operations on your team
    • Browser testing uses documented Playwright or Selenium extensions
    • Core HTTP/HTTPS coverage may require extensions for other protocols

  • Speedscale — where it wins

    • Captures and replays production traffic against code or services under test
    • Supports stress, spike, peak, soak, and ramp-up workload patterns
    • Integrates with major CI/CD, Kubernetes, observability, and container tools

    Where it doesn't

    • Advanced replay and team dashboards start on the Pro plan
    • Paid plans use usage-based billing by monthly data ingestion
    • SSO, enterprise controls, and BYOC are reserved for Enterprise

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