Apache JMeter vs IBM Rational Performance Tester comparison

The compared Apache and IBM solutions aren't in the same category. Apache is ranked #1 in PTT , with an average rating of 8.2, and holds a 20.0% mindshare in the category. IBM is ranked #24 in TMT , and holds a 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of Apache users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Apache JMeter

Read 94 Apache JMeter reviews

7,856 Views
4,792 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

IBM Rational Performance Te...

Read 17 IBM Rational Performance Tester reviews

628 Views
119 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Apache JMeter

IBM Rational Performance Te...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Apache JMeter and IBM Rational Performance Tester based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Apache, Perforce, Tricentis and others in Performance Testing Tools.

To learn more, read our detailed Performance Testing Tools Report (Updated: July 2025).

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Performance Testing Tools

July 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Apache JMeter

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Performance Testing Tools (1st), Load Testing Tools (1st), API Testing Tools (1st)

IBM Rational Performance Te...

Average Rating

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Test Management Tools (24th)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Quality Assurance solutions, they serve different purposes. Apache JMeter is designed for Performance Testing Tools and holds a mindshare of 20.0%, down 25.6% compared to last year.
IBM Rational Performance Tester, on the other hand, focuses on Test Management Tools, holds 1.4% mindshare, up 1.1% since last year.

Performance Testing Tools

Test Management Tools

Featured Reviews

Shashidhara Allalappa

Manager at Capgemini

Extensive Protocol Support and Precise Reporting Elevate Testing, Though GUI Usability Needs Improvement

The GUI of Apache JMeter is not that user-friendly because we have many proxies, and we have to record through the proxy. With the limited SSL we have, we cannot use it for UI, which is a drawback. However, Apache JMeter is really good for REST APIs. I don't think there are any other areas other than the GUI that I would want improved about Apache JMeter; it is generally good and supports multiple protocols.

Read full review

KashifJamil

CEO at Xcelliti

Supports web and mobile applications, very scalable, very stable, and wonderful support

There are some features that Micro Focus LoadRunner provides, but they are not available in IBM Rational Performance Tester. They should include such features. It can also have more reports similar to what HP provides. It might also need some improvement in terms of the tools and support for other technology areas. Certain technologies are not supported by every tool. They need to support all sorts of technologies and platforms on which web applications and mobile applications are built. They need complete support for all sorts of technologies.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Apache JMeter helps my testing analysis by providing precise reports; the HTML format report gives me the exact transactions, response times, and graphs that show average response times, as well as throughput per second."

"The reports and analysis tools are very good. They are the solution's most valuable features."

"The scripting ability is most valuable. It is easy to use. There is a UI, and you can go in there and figure those things out. After you've got a good set of tests, you basically have a scripted document that you can grab and execute in a pipeline. It is pretty quick to set up, and you can scale it and version control it."

"The distributed load testing is very good with Apache JMeter."

"They can easily view the results and gain valuable insights."

"A lot of things are valuable. It is free. It has a lot of features, such as report generation and integration with CI/CD, which makes it very competitive with the other paid solutions available in the market. It is a good solution."

"The solution offers a lot of plug-ins and a huge continuously developing community that is regularly offering new features and plug-ins."

"We are using it just for load testing. We are using its free version, and it is scalable."

More Apache JMeter pros

"Technical support is very good. I'm very satisfied with the assistance we've received so far."

"It can support both web applications and mobile applications, and in certain cases, it can also support testing of desktop applications or software-based applications. You can write web applications, mobile applications, and software-based applications."

Cons

"The reports in Apache JMeter could improve."

"The UI needs some work. The first time I used JMeter, I couldn't record the full scenario to mimic the user experience. Since then, they have introduced some plugins and a third-party tool called BlazeMeter."

"The reporting section of the solution can be better."

"In terms of setup, it could be nicer, to be honest. Sometimes, I get a little bit lost."

"They can improve it a little bit in terms of distribution load testing. We struggled with it during the distribution. In terms of reporting, runtime monitoring is not currently included, and it should be included. They can also improve it on the reporting side in terms of the comparison of the reports. They can also focus more on integration with CI/CD. Currently, people are using their own customized tools. It would be nice if Apache can provide some standard tools and procedures for integration with CI/CD tools like DPR. There are some tools, but it would be nice if official standard tools and procedures are available."

"JMeter should be more stable. Every time there is a new release coming up, a lot of its older functionalities or the new functionalities that are brought in are not very well-documented. It should be documented properly, and there should be proper use cases."

"Because so much is being done these days with authentication processes, a better system for either getting bearer tokens or some kind of token-based authentication prior to executing APIs would benefit the product. It is there, and you can do things. It is just not real clean at this point. There should be a better authentication process for JMeter or some automation or better guidelines for gaining and utilizing tokens on the fly."

"The solution could use some sort of educational features to offer tips and hints to help users navigate it better. They should improve the manuals and help files."

More Apache JMeter cons

"There are some features that Micro Focus LoadRunner provides, but they are not available in IBM Rational Performance Tester. They should include such features. It can also have more reports similar to what HP provides. It might also need some improvement in terms of the tools and support for other technology areas. Certain technologies are not supported by every tool. They need to support all sorts of technologies and platforms on which web applications and mobile applications are built. They need complete support for all sorts of technologies."

"The solution is not easily scalable. If you want to extend the solution, you need to purchase a different kind of license. You also have to work with the IBM team to assist in scaling."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Everything is included, and there are no additional costs."

"JMeter is open source and available free of charge."

"It is open source. There are no licensing costs associated. If you need enterprise support, you'll probably end up paying for a license. You would also factor in the infrastructure cost, but that's not significant."

"It is free."

"The solution is open source with no user fees or licenses."

"The product has reasonable pricing."

"I haven't looked into it. Most of our projects are nonprofit or grant-based. Everything is public commons, so we don't really have to worry about that so much."

"I switched to Apache because it is free. Other tools are much too expensive and can cost up to $50,000 a year if you are looking at commercial options."

More Apache JMeter pricing and cost advice

"It is much cheaper than Micro Focus LoadRunner. We need perpetual licenses. Support is included in the first sale. After that, you need to renew support every year."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

20%

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

29%

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

14%

Real Estate/Law Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

How does Postman compare with Apache JMeter?

Postman lets you easily define variables, which then get updated automatically. This is a huge time-saver and makes processes very efficient. We can also export the test cases we create and share t...

See all answers

How does BlazeMeter compare with Apache JMeter?

Blazemeter is a continuous testing platform that provides scriptless test automation. It unifies functional and performance testing, enabling users to monitor and test public and private APIs. We ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Apache JMeter?

I appreciate JMeter's simplicity and power for performance testing.

See all answers

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Comparisons

BlazeMeter vs Apache JMeter

Compared 17% of the time

Tricentis NeoLoad vs Apache JMeter

Compared 17% of the time

Postman vs Apache JMeter

Compared 11% of the time

OpenText Professional Performance Engineering (LoadRunner Professional) vs Apache JMeter

Compared 8% of the time

StresStimulus vs Apache JMeter

Compared 3% of the time

More Apache JMeter Competitors

OpenText Professional Performance Engineering (LoadRunner Professional) vs IBM Rational Performance Tester

Compared 26% of the time

Tricentis NeoLoad vs IBM Rational Performance Tester

Compared 17% of the time

More IBM Rational Performance Tester Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache JMeter

April 2025

Download Apache JMeter product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Rational Performance Tester

June 2025

Download IBM Rational Performance Tester product report

Also Known As

JMeter

Rational Performance Tester

Overview

Apache JMeter is an open-source Java application that tests load and functional behavior and performance in applications. Created initially to test web applications, it has expanded its functionality to test other functions. For instance, you can test a server to see how efficiently it works and how many user requests can be handled simultaneously.

You can use JMeter to test functional performance and regression tests on different technologies. This Java desktop application has an easy-to-use graphical interface which uses the Swing graphical API. You can run JMeter on any environment that accepts a Java virtual machine, such as Windows, Linux, and Mac.

What protocols does JMeter support?

Web - HTTP, HTTPS
Web services - SOAP/XML-RPC
Email service - POP3, IMAP, SMTP
FTP service
Database via JDBC drivers
LDAP
Native commands or shell scripts
TCP
Java objects

How does JMeter work?

JMeter sends requests to a target server by simulating a group of user requests. Then it collects and calculates statistics on the performance of the target. This target can be a server or an application.

You can test the performance of static resources, such as JavaScript or HTML, and dynamic resources, such as JSP, Servlets, and AJAX. It is also helpful to determine how many concurrent users your website can handle.

There are two main tests you can carry out with JMeter: load test and stress test. The load test models expected usage of a server by simulating multiple users accessing the web server simultaneously. The stress testing aims to find the maximum load capacity of the server or application.

Apache JMeter Key Features

JMeter enables fast test plan recording, building, and debugging via a featured test IDE (integrated development environment).
Command-line mode allows carrying out load tests from any OS compatible with Java.
JMeter can extract data from most popular response formats, such as HTML, JSON, XML.
JMeter is entirely portable.
A multithreading framework allows you to simultaneously test multiple samplings and separate thread groups.
Thanks to the caching feature, you can conduct offline analysis or replay test results.

Apache JMeter Benefits

As open-source software, it is freely available and continuously improved.
The setup is user-friendly, and no installation is needed.
The GUI (graphic user interface) is intuitive and easy to use.
You can write your own tests and use the visualization plugins to extend the testing.
It is a platform-agnostic tool. For example, JMeter can work with Linux by clicking on the JMeter shell script. On Windows, you can call up JMeter by starting the jmeter.bat file.
Since the test plans are stored in XML format, you can generate a test plan using any text editor.
You can simulate a heavy load on a server, a group of servers, a network, or an object. Use JMeter to test an application or server's strength and performance under different load types.

The JMeter extensible core has numerous benefits:

Unlimited testing capabilities via pluggable samplers.
You can choose multiple load statistics with pluggable timers.
Visualization plugins and data analysis enable customization.
Continuous integration via third-party open-source libraries (Maven, Gradle, and Jenkins).

Reviews from Real Users

Stephen B., I.T. Architect, Analyst, and Developer at an educational organization, says, "The scripting ability is most valuable. It is easy to use. There is a UI, and you can go in there and figure those things out. After you've got a good set of tests, you basically have a scripted document that you can grab and execute in a pipeline. It is pretty quick to set up, and you can scale it and version control it."

"I like the fact that JMeter integrates well with other tools," adds the Founder and Principal Consultant at a tech services company.

A Quality Engineering Delivery Leader at a financial services firm says, “The performance of the solution is excellent. They have designed the product so that it is very easy to configure. You can basically do anything you like with the product. It's not very restrictive. We like the fact that the technology is open-source.”

Apache

IBM Rational Performance Tester is a performance testing solution that validates the scalability of web and server applications. Rational Performance Tester identifies the presence and cause of system performance bottlenecks and reduces load testing complexity.

IBM

Sample Customers

AOL, Orbitz, Innopath Software, PrepMe, Sapient, Corporate Express Australia, CSIRO, Ephibian, Talis, DATACOM, ALALOOP, eFusion, Panter, Sourcepole, University of Western Cape

andagon, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon

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July 2025

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