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Head-to-head · Load Balancing Software

Progress Kemp LoadMaster vs HAProxy Community Edition

Updated Oct 2026
Both researched from official sources
6 checks side by side

Higher score Progress Kemp LoadMaster #5 in Load Balancing Software 8.9/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Progress Kemp

HAProxy Community Edition #7 in Load Balancing Software 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 5 features Visit HAProxy

Progress Kemp LoadMaster leads on 0 checks, HAProxy Community Edition on 0, and 6 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 scoreProgress Kemp LoadMaster · 8.9/10
Free planboth
Free trialonly Progress Kemp LoadMaster
Most featuresProgress Kemp LoadMaster · 4 of 5

Progress Kemp LoadMaster scores higher on our rubric for load balancing software: 8.9 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #7.

Progress Kemp LoadMaster is the better fit for enterprise teams wanting a free starting option. HAProxy Community Edition is the better fit for free, capable Linux self-hosting.

Progress Kemp LoadMaster fits best
Enterprise teams wanting a free starting option
HAProxy Community Edition fits best
Free, capable Linux self-hosting

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Side by side

Show only differences

Feature	Progress Kemp LoadMaster 8.9/10 Visit ↗	HAProxy Community Edition 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.7
Ranking	#5 in Load Balancing Software	#7 in Load Balancing Software
Best for	Enterprise teams wanting a free starting option	Free, capable Linux self-hosting
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	30 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Linux, Windows	Linux
Support	Community, Docs, Phone	Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Progress Kemp LoadMaster 4/5 · HAProxy Community Edition 3/5
Managed service	—	—
Layer 7 routing	✓	✓
Layer 4 routing	✓	✓
Global traffic management	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
TLS termination	✓	✓
Specs
Backend limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Layer 4 and Layer 7 routing with SSL/TLS termination Global traffic management, security, authentication, and Kubernetes support Web, Linux, Windows, API, and self-hosted deployment options	Free and open source for self-managed deployments Combines Layer 4, Layer 7, TLS, health checks, and persistence Includes rate limiting, monitoring, rewriting, and high availability
Cons	Free LoadMaster is capacity-limited for low-volume environments Paid tiers use quote-based pricing rather than public numeric prices Advanced capabilities require higher Enterprise tiers	Requires a Linux or self-hosted deployment model Global traffic management is outside the community edition's scope No AI features are provided
Our verdict	Progress Kemp LoadMaster is an application delivery controller for distributing traffic across web and application servers. It supports Layer 4 TCP/UDP balancing, Layer 7 content switching, application-aware routing, health checks, traffic… Read the review →	HAProxy Community Edition is a free, open-source reverse proxy and software load balancer for TCP and HTTP applications. It is designed for teams managing their own infrastructure on Linux, including deployments across containers, virtual… Read the review →

Progress Kemp LoadMasterLoad Balancing Software 8.9Free plan · 30-day trial
H HAProxy Community EditionLoad Balancing Software 8.7Free plan

Compare the top tools in

Strengths and trade-offs

Progress Kemp LoadMaster — where it wins
- Layer 4 and Layer 7 routing with SSL/TLS termination
- Global traffic management, security, authentication, and Kubernetes support
- Web, Linux, Windows, API, and self-hosted deployment options
Where it doesn't
- Free LoadMaster is capacity-limited for low-volume environments
- Paid tiers use quote-based pricing rather than public numeric prices
- Advanced capabilities require higher Enterprise tiers
HAProxy Community Edition — where it wins
- Free and open source for self-managed deployments
- Combines Layer 4, Layer 7, TLS, health checks, and persistence
- Includes rate limiting, monitoring, rewriting, and high availability
Where it doesn't
- Requires a Linux or self-hosted deployment model
- Global traffic management is outside the community edition's scope
- No AI features are provided

Progress Kemp LoadMaster8.9/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial
A broad Layer 4/7 load balancer with a free, capacity-limited starting option.
Visit Progress Kemp Full verdict →
HAProxy Community Edition8.7/10 · Free plan
A capable free choice for self-managed Layer 4 and Layer 7 traffic distribution.
Visit HAProxy Full verdict →

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update