Comprehensive software testing involves assessing not only whether an application works but also how it performs. For this reason, QA teams consider not just the functional requirements of a software product, but also its non-functional aspects. Among these, performance characteristics are crucial. Slow, crashing, and lagging applications have little chance of success. Neglecting performance testing can lead to disaster. To mitigate this risk, QA engineers employ various types of performance testing tools.

Superbcompanies has consulted with leading software testing companies featured in our list of Top Performance Testing Companies and a list of the best Mobile App Testing Companies has compiled unbiased recommendations on the best performance testing tools for you. If you're just starting with performance testing, our list will be a valuable resource.

List Of The Best Load Testing Tools in 2023

1. Micro Focus LoadRunner
2. Akamai CloudTest
3. ReadyAPI by SmartBear
4. Radview WebLOAD
5. Apache JMeter by The Apache Software Foundation

In this article, we write about the top 5 Performance Testing Tools in more detail in our opinion. So, let's go!

Micro Focus LoadRunner

LoadRunner offers performance engineering solutions for handling complex performance scenarios. The tool allows emulation of real-world network conditions and identifying flaws and dependencies through realistic API simulations. LoadRunner supports over fifty technologies, various app environments, and fifty-two programming languages. Its efficiency is backed by numerous awards, including the Digital Execution 2022 Vendor Assessment and Silver PeerAward.

First release: 1993 / Last release: October 2022
Suitable for: LoadRunner supports more than 50 technologies, including web applications, databases, mobile applications, and numerous protocols, such as MQTT, HTML5, WebSockets, RDP, Citrix, Java, .NET, Oracle, SAP, and more.

Key features:

• Scripting and debugging engines optimize processes, saving time for QA teams.
• Autocorrelation engine identifies the most likely causes of performance issues.
• IDE integrated with development environments for early-stage performance testing.
• Emulation of thousands of concurrent users to measure app scalability accurately.
• Reproduction of real business scenarios.
• Support for continuous testing through integrations with CI/CD pipelines, test automation, monitoring, and source code management solutions.

Pricing: Yearly licensing model available; pricing depends on chosen parameters. Free trials are also available; contact the LoadRunner team for details.

Akamai CloudTest

Previously known as SOASTA CloudTest, Akamai CloudTest is a popular performance testing tool that supports the entire development cycle. It helps prepare for peak traffic by safely testing apps and websites at scale and identifying areas that need reinforcement. Akamai CloudTest can simulate millions of virtual users and run tests in both test and production environments. Equipped with complex big-data analytics engines, CloudTest processes vast amounts of data and provides actionable performance analytics.

First release: 2008 / Stable release: May 2023
Supported technologies: CloudTest validates the performance of websites, mobile apps, APIs, databases, and online services.

Key features:

• Easy and quick test creation without coding.
• Visual playback editor for drag-and-drop test case creation.
• Customizable dashboards for visualizing analytics.
• Globally Distributed Environment for realistic load generation.
• Private Cloud for creating private test environments.
• Dynamic Ramp for real-time load adjustments.
• mPulse Integration to monitor real user experiences during load testing.

Pricing: Pricing details not publicly available; contact Akamai for information.

ReadyAPI by SmartBear

ReadyAPI is a unique API testing platform that offers centralized creation, management, and execution of automated functional, security, and performance tests. The Performance Module can simulate a substantial load on a web server, and it can reuse functional API tests from the ReadyAPI Test tool for efficient testing of REST and SOAP web services. Load tests can be run locally or distributed across multiple computers and cloud machines. Utilizing the complete ReadyAPI platform suite streamlines comprehensive API load testing.

First release: data is unavailable / Last release: May 2023
Supported technologies: ReadyAPI is ideal for testing APIs.

Key features:

• Flexible load generation with options for local machines, Amazon Elastic Cloud, or worldwide distributed machines.
• Isolated Load Testing to prevent third-party APIs from affecting results.
• Parallel load testing to understand how different conditions impact API performance.
• Reusability of functional tests for various load test scenarios.
• Server monitoring to identify latency and bottlenecks.
• Pre-built templates for load testing strategies.

Pricing: API Performance Module starts at EUR 6490 per year, with a free 14-day trial available.

Radview WebLOAD

WebLOAD is an enterprise-scale tool capable of addressing any performance testing challenge. It efficiently handles complex systems and integrations with its IDE, and its functionality can be extended through JS libraries, Selenium, and other tools. WebLOAD supports the end-to-end performance testing process, including script writing, scenario building, user load simulation, test running, and on-the-fly performance issue identification. Well-known organizations such as Intel, NASA, and eBay rely on WebLOAD.

First release: 2010 / Stable release: May 2023
Supported technologies: WebLOAD supports web applications, mobile applications, databases, servers, APIs, packaged applications, and over 150 protocols, including HTTP/HTTPs, HTTP/2, HTML5, SOAP, XML, AJAX, and others.

Key features:

• Integration with APM tools for quick identification of root causes.
• Availability of SaaS or self-hosted deployment options with identical functionality.
• Comprehensive, customizable reports and robust analytics.
• Rich set of dashboards for performance observation.

Pricing: WebLOAD offers three packages: Starter, Professional, and Enterprise, with pricing available upon request.

Apache JMeter by The Apache Software Foundation

Apache JMeter is a leading open-source performance testing tool. It is Java-based and used for load testing, functional behavior assessment, and performance measurement. JMeter can simulate heavy loads on networks, servers, and Java objects. While it may look like a browser, it operates at a protocol level. QA engineers can create test plans, execute load tests, and analyze results using HTML reports. Apache JMeter is a preferred choice for companies worldwide aiming to deliver exceptional user experiences and minimize downtime.

First release: 1998 / Last release: June 2022
Supported technologies: Initially designed for testing web applications, JMeter now supports various services and diverse protocols, including HTTP, HTTPS, LDAP, SOAP, FTP, SMTP(S), POP3(S), IMAP(S), and TCP.

Key features:

• Full-fledged Test IDE for quick test plan creation and debugging.
• CLI mode for load testing from Java-compatible operating systems.
• Generation of dynamic HTML reports.
• Easy data extraction from response formats for correlation.
• Portability and multi-threading support.
• Extensibility through data analysis and visualization plugins.
• Integration with CI tools like Jenkins, Maven, and Gradle.

Pricing: Apache JMeter is open source
Read more: [https://superbcompanies.com/blog/top-10-performance-testing-tools-in-2023/]
What are your top 5 Performance Testing Tools? Please write about it in the comments.