Free Performance Testing Tools for Web Applications

Whether you are doing performance testing on your web application, site or mobile app, you need to make sure if works smoothly under load. There are many different tools available to do the performance testing through online as well as paid performance testers tools for website owners. You can choose any one of them that suits best for your business.

Here is list of various load testers that are freely avaialble across internet.

Appvance

  • The first consolidated software test automation tool which reduces the redundancies built by old siloed QA tools that hinder DevOps teams.
  • Detects bugs the user would notice on their browsers and mobile applications.
  • Incorporates a different level of regularity in their record and perform script production.
  • Data-driven is possible for whatever language you use.

Cloud Test

  • A cloud-based load testing tool which fast-tracks load testing scenario and works with speed that is affordable and scalable.
  • Analyze and control the performance of mobile apps, web applications, and APIs.
  • Extricate the report in your preferred format to locate the system’s performance loopholes.

Load Impact

  • An on-demand and automatic performance testing tool for DevOps.
  • Fairly efficient for testing any protocol- a web app or API or mobile app or website.
  • Offers a powerful Lua scripting setting permitting you to generate complex or simple API scenarios.
  • Correlates you with performance trending analytics and reports via webhook
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Grinder

  • A load testing system accessible under the BSD-style open-source license that too for free, operating on Java platform.
  • Simple to operate a distributed test which can be done by utilizing multiple load injector machines.
  • Pre-built Java libraries with a wide range of protocols and frameworks are possible.
  • Test scripts can be written in Jython and Clojure.

Load UI Pro

  • LoadUI Pro by Smartbear lets you instantly generate script-less complicated load tests, publish them on the cloud utilizing load agents and control server’s performance on increasing the load on them.
  • Enables reuse of subsisting SoapUI Pro functional tests.
  • Preconfigured test templates such as baseline, spike, stress, and smoke.

Httperf

  • An open Source HTTP load generator for regulating web server performance promoting the construction of both micro and macro- level benchmarks.
  • Creates and maintains server overloads.
  • Tests standard HTTP payload of the application.

 LoadNinja – Best for load testing with real browsers at scale

Screenshot of LoadNinja Load Testing Software
LoadNinja makes it easy to keep track of load test runs, projects, and tests.

LoadNinja helps users diagnose web and API performance issues. It is simpler to use than conventional load testing tools and uses real browsers, which delivers a more accurate representation of load.

Creating performance tests via record and playback enhanced with AI can save around 60% of time vs traditional tools, and also reduces time maintaining tests as the application changes. Using real browsers at scale to generate load gives you the most accurate representation of load. Test results reflect true end-user experience and allow you to quickly diagnose bottlenecks and performance issues. The tool was designed with ease of use in mind, and is accessible to users of all skill levels.  

Tool costs starting from $239/month for 100 virtual users. They also offer a free 14-day trial.Visit Website

WAPT – Employs a universal performance test design approach by recording real-life web sessions from a browser or a mobile application

WAPT screenshot
Design a test sample with load agents. 

WAPT lets users design or run tests locally or in the cloud. Users are enabled to create tests using a browser or a mobile application; employ remote, distributed and cloud-based testing; launch server and database performance monitoring; and more.

Some of the most exemplary elements of the software are the usefulness of auto-parameterization of most dynamic values, the extensibility via Javascript, and point-and-click recording capabilities. 

The WAPT interface, as seen from the associated screenshot, comes across quite dated in the color, look, feel, and even text orientation. For those used to modern tech UI, it may be a bit of an eyesore; thus, they lost a few points per the UX review criteria.

WAPT starts at $700 and has a free trial.Visit Website

WebLOAD – Test with powerful recording and scripting, correlation, drag-and-drop building blocks, parameterization, and response validation

WebLoad screenshot
Monitor load size per second with the dashboard. 

WebLOAD generates a test script in JavaScript, with the flexibility to add a wide range of protocols and easily extend to additional protocols as needed. The recording is transparent and automatic with any web technology, including HTTP/HTTPS (SSL, TLS) and more.

This tool does particularly well with building any simulated load for load and performance testing in an intuitive and easy way. Additionally, the play and record features are useful for tracking results. 

As the only tool with no pricing information available, WebLOAD lost some points in cost transparency, meaning their review results for Value for Cost dropped a bit. 

WebLOAD offers pricing upon request and has a free trial.Visit Website

Neotys Neoload – Design code-less load performance test scripts for large, complex applications using a graphical user interface

neotys neoload screenshot
Track performance trends and release health. 

Neotys Neoload helps to design, maintain and run performance tests as code and analyze results within continuous integration pipelines using pre-packaged plugins for CI/CD tools and the NeoLoad API. Easily set up testing resources as needed.

This tool has a clean, colorful, and strategically organized user interface that makes returning to the software for each task a pleasure. Thus, they scored well in the UX segment of the evaluation process. 

One critique of this software to be wary of is that the charging mechanism on the cloud is not atomic in nature and has a dependency on a local machine. Additionally, the project gets harder to manage as the script grows.

Neotys Neoload starts at $6024/month and has a free 30-day trial.Visit Website

BlazeMeter – A shift-left testing platform for enterprises that need API, GUI functional & performance testing, mock services, and API monitoring

blazemeter screenshot
Compare max users to latency with visualizations. 

BlazeMeter allows for Selenium functional testing with no coding necessary. Simulate thousands or millions of virtual users from over 55 geo-locations, leveraging your favorite open source tools: Apache JMeter, Selenium, Gatling, Grinder, Locust and more.

This tool scores well in the Features – Reporting and Analytics segment of the evaluation criteria, as status report types and assertion types are very useful when creating test scripts. Reporting and graph features are very accurate, making them a key component of the software. 

A downside of this tool is that Blazemeter does not integrate well or easily with Jmeter if you started with or intend to incorporate that tool at all. 

BlazeMeter starts at $99/month and has a freemium version of the software.Visit Website

Load Impact – LoadImpact, soon to rebrand as k6 Cloud, is a cloud service used to load test the performance of websites, apps, and APIs

load impact load testing tool screenshot
Thresholds, checks, and requests in one dashboard. 

LoadImpact is a cloud service to load test the performance of websites, apps, and APIs that has specifically focused on API load testing in the new k6.io app, with a completely revamped Test Builder. Plus, they have an improved browser session recorder and an improved results page.

A standout component of this software is it’s easy to support of various ‘cl technologies’. Additionally, the reporting, graphs, and pictures are aesthetically pleasing and very readable. 

This tool would benefit in some better help sections/training documents in order to outline the different components of the software and website. They lost a few marks in the evaluation for Usability but this certainly isn’t a deal-breaker, as many aspects of the tool are intuitive anyways.

Load Impact starts at $99/month and has a free trial.Visit Website

LoadFocus – No-code testing to find out how many users your website or API can handle; easily run tests within the browser from multiple locations

load focus screenshot
Check response time, performance score, and resources. 

An easy and cost-effective way to test your websites, mobile and web applications, web services and APIs with features like load testing, website speed testing, mobile emulation, automated website testing, SEO/PWA/speed monitoring, and software consultancy services. 

LoadFocus has a very reasonable price-per-month, scoring them favorably in the Value for Cost section of the evaluation review as far as paid load testing tools are concerned. 

One weakness of the tool is that communication between the user and the LF team could be clearer and better implemented. For example, there have been some complaints about not receiving confirmation emails and other expected communication items. 

LoadFocus starts at $22.60/month and has a free 14-day trial.Visit Website

Parasoft Load Test – Load testing module that enables users to take SOAtest functional test projects and leverage them for performance testing

parasoft load testing tool screenshot
Use the navigator and test case explorer for any CPU load test.

Parasoft Load Test enables users to take SOAtest functional test projects and leverage them for performance testing. The Load Test Continuum (LTC) web-based reporting app makes performance testing a part of the CI/CD process and implements performance test automation.

One of the best parts of the software is that minimal experience/training is needed to get started. Users can easily pull from Excel or XML files, as well, and automating the APIs is intuitive. 

With a rather hefty up-front cost, Parasoft Load Test lost a few marks in the Value for Cost section of the evaluation criteria, as the price tag may deter some. It is important to note that the cost listed below includes the enterprise edition, desktop licenses, and training for a team of 5.

Parasoft Load Test starts at $50,000 and has a free trial.Visit Website

Akamai CloudTest – Stress test the environment for your site or app and design your test at any scale or stage of production and interpret the results

akamai cloud test screenshot
Monitor peak traffic spikes and slowdowns.

CloudTest from Akamai allows you to safely simulate your largest events in production with precise control while producing a live analysis of what your site or app is capable of on your big day and helping you drill down to the source of any performance bottlenecks.

A highpoint of the software is that the software requires low resource allocation for high-performance results, which can be vital if you are working on sub-optimal systems or hardware. 

Akamai CloudTest definitely has a formidable learning curve and is not necessarily ideal for users who are new to load testing ecosystems. The tool lost a few points in the Usability segment of the evaluation criteria. 

Akamai CloudTest starts at $1300/user/year and has a free 30-day trial. Visit Website

Conclusion

Ever since the early days of testing software, tools have been released to help developers run tests to ensure that their application is working as it should. One of the main focuses of these tools has been load testing or how well your application can handle heavy usage.

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