Apache JMeter vs OpenText LoadRunner Professional comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Apache JMeter and OpenText LoadRunner Professional based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Load Testing Tools solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Apache JMeter vs. OpenText LoadRunner Professional Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"I like the fact that JMeter integrates well with other tools.""The biggest thing I liked about it is that there is a huge user base out there, and being shareware and being Apache, if I have any question on how to get something done, I get 18 different answers. Out of those, there would be at least a few good approaches for what I was trying to do. So, the support system out there is most valuable.""JMeter's most valuable feature is the RegEx Extractor.""It's open source, so I like that about the product. And there's a lot of community support for it.""The ease of use is the solution's most valuable feature. Also, the ability to easily create test cases is also very good. It's easy to just ramp up on the solution.""The product helps me get the expected performance from applications or servers and reduces costs. It also enhances the performance of the services and helped them reach their ultimate capacity.""The solution is scalable.""We like that Apache JMeter has different features and different plugins and that they are free of charge."

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"LoadRunner is a very systematic tool for anyone to use. Even someone who is actually a first time user of LoadRunner can actually get a lot of benefit out of the tool.""The most useful aspect of the solution is that it provides agents in different geographic locations.""The front loader and the reporting features are the most valuable aspects of OpenText LoadRunner Professional.""The stability of Micro Focus LoadRunner Professional is very high. It is the leading tool for stability.""My favorite feature in LoadRunner Professional is its ability to group scripts under separate IDs.""I appreciate its ability to handle various internal calls and its user-friendly interface.""The capabilities and flexibility of the Controller, the ability to monitor the systems under test, and the comprehensive results Analysis which saves a great deal of time.""It provides clients with an understanding of application and system performance."

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Cons
"Currently, the integration pipeline is implemented by using Jenkins or a similar tool platform. These are continuous integration tools. As far as I know, integration is done by using custom scripts. It would be good if the integration with a continuous integration pipeline, like Jenkins or Hudson, can be done out of the box without using a script.""I sometimes found the documentation to be not as explanatory as I would've liked it. In the cases that I can think of, I was looking for a rather hand-holding approach with Step A, B, and C, but then I realized that with a product that is open source like this, you can't do handholding. That is because there are so many different uses and different unique environments and setups for it, but I remember thinking a few times that if they only just said this.""In terms of platform support, they need to extend the support for backend platforms and more of the legacy types of platforms.""Apache JMeter's UI can be made more colorful.""The reporting is not very good.""The initial setup is complex and needs to be upgraded.""Apache JMeter could be a more user-friendly product from the end user's perspective.""If JMeter could provide a web version of editing, that would be good."

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"If they can make LoadRunner more comprehensive, it would really help.""The product is not stable and reliable in the version we are currently using.""The solution needs to reduce its pricing. Right now, it's quite expensive.""The reporting and GUI have room for improvement.""Support for Microsoft Dynamics needs improvement.""The tool needs to work on capture script feature.""There is room for improvement of the pilot processing, the dump analysis, and forwarding results based on the dump analysis. We have a generator, root controller, different agents, and an analyzer, so all of these are very important when it comes to LoadRunner.""The initial start-up of Micro Focus LoadRunner could be improved. When we add 20 or 30 scripts, the refresh is completed one by one. I would like to be able to select all the script at one time, so it can be completed in a single click, reducing the time required."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Free"
  • "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."
  • "This is an open-source solution, and there are no fees."
  • "This is an open-source product."
  • "I was using the free version of the software."
  • "In terms of open-source adoption, it is completely free."
  • "We are using the free version, and if required, we can easily switch to the other version."
  • "When comparing the price with Load Runner, and if the cost is an issue then JMeter is a better choice"
  • More Apache JMeter Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The cost depends greatly on the needs of the testing engagement."
  • "I would still consider LoadRunner as an expensive tool and you get a LoadRunner and the Performance Center."
  • "I don't know the licensing cost, but I think that you would get a discount for normal usage. I think there are different yearly options for different types of usage. It is not only how many users, but also whether it is shareable or not and other criteria involved in each feature. There are additional fees for the users and hardware linked to the processing."
  • "The licensing fees are based on the number of users."
  • "It is competing with other products that may cost significantly less or may be available as open-source. Because of that it is relatively expensive."
  • "LoadRunner Professional is an expensive product."
  • "This is not a cheap product."
  • "There is a licensing cost that is expensive."
  • More OpenText LoadRunner Professional Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Comparison Review
    Anonymous User
    The six phases of an IT project Enthusiasm Disillusionment Panic Search for the guilty Punishment of the innocent (the performance tester) Praise and rewards for the incompetent non-participants This article has been put together as part of an evaluation of the performance test tools NeoLoad and LoadRunner. I consulted a variety of sources, including user groups, discussions with colleagues, telephone chats with HP (the vendors of LoadRunner) and Neotys (the vendors of NeoLoad), and of course the Oracle – Google. The opinions in this article are my own and do not represent the views of any particular company, the software vendors or any organisation (and I’ve assumed that readers have some knowledge of web application performance testing). The versions discussed in this article as of April 2014 are: LoadRunner 11.52 NeoLoad 4.2.2 I hope this evaluation and comparison will assist you with your own evaluation of LoadRunner and NeoLoad. Introduction LoadRunner and NeoLoad are considered the top two best performance testing tools on the market. Comparing the two tools is just like comparing a Mercedes Benz and a BMW: both are high performance, perfectly engineered machines that also have an associated prestige. Performance testing is a critical component of the software testing process. It determines the actual operational boundaries that will simulate the real world use of an application. Performance testing is load testing, stress testing and scalability testing. Why… Read more →
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: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 them… more »
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Top Answer:JMeter is basically the art of the entire performance testing process.
    Top Answer:My favorite feature in LoadRunner Professional is its ability to group scripts under separate IDs.
    Top Answer:The pricing model, especially when involving partners, could use some improvement.
    Top Answer:In terms of improvement, it lacks mobile testing features present in some competitors, like GitMatters, which I find valuable. Adding this capability would enhance the tool's versatility, making it… more »
    Ranking
    1st
    out of 25 in Load Testing Tools
    Views
    8,089
    Comparisons
    6,527
    Reviews
    47
    Average Words per Review
    475
    Rating
    7.6
    2nd
    out of 25 in Load Testing Tools
    Views
    7,276
    Comparisons
    4,844
    Reviews
    26
    Average Words per Review
    577
    Rating
    8.6
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    JMeter
    Micro Focus LoadRunner Professional, Micro Focus LoadRunner, HPE LoadRunner, LoadRunner
    Learn More
    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.”

    OpenText LoadRunner Professional is a performance testing tool used for various software applications, including web-related use cases, API testing, and enterprise performance modeling. Its valuable features include quick test case creation and execution, graph monitoring, multiple protocols, scripting and executing tests, scalability, easy setup, auto-correlation, analysis and reporting capabilities, stability, reliability, and compatibility with various programming languages. 

    LoadRunner has helped organizations load test potential new payroll solutions and choose the best option, record network traffic of mobile applications, and handle different protocols. It is the ultimate tool for performance testing.

    OpenText LoadRunner Professional Will Enable You To:

    • Drive quality across your enterprise.
    • Alleviate the challenges of managing many application types, testing tools, licenses, repositories, and systems while working toward unified results.

    With OpenText LoadRunner Professional You Can:

    • Increase organizational efficiency through standardization of tools and resources.
    • Balance your priorities and improve the results delivered by your testing team.
    • Increase testing productivity.
    • Improve collaboration across application teams.
    • Gain the ability to outsource some or all the tactical work of load testing.

    OpenText LoadRunner Professional Features:

    • Intuitive and Easy to Use: OpenText LoadRunner Professional is intuitive, versatile, and easy to use, which makes it easy for testers to quickly learn the basics and apply them to their testing tasks, while engineers who are more experienced can utilize all the features for the most complex of scenarios.
    • Comprehensive Enterprise Coverage: OpenText LoadRunner Professional provides support for multiple protocols such as HTML, WebSocket, AJAX, RDP, Database, Remote Terminal Emulators, Citrix, Java, .NET, Oracle and SAP.
    • Scripting Technologies: Reduce scripting time by 50% or more via OpenText LoadRunner Professional’s TruClient protocol, and automatic correlation, and correlate both front end (user experience) and back end (load) issues.
    • Extensive and Flexible Test Scenarios: The LoadRunner solution provides several valuable features that let you validate, enhance, and modify your tests. It gives you the ability to integrate external measurements to assess the impact on every application component, extend tests with success-failure checks, and emulate peak loads. You can also apply load on the go and change parameters for better flexibility in order to yield the most representative testing possible.
    • Realistic Network Conditions: Network virtualization capabilities help accurately simulate realistic conditions for an accurate analysis of both throughput and user response time. Realistic network conditions are predicted using location-aware analytics, transaction analysis and optimization.
    • Accurate Workloads with Low Overhead: OpenText LoadRunner Professional allows you to run high-scale tests with minimal hardware so that you can apply accurate workloads to any application.
    • Ongoing Testing Support: The OpenText LoadRunner Professional solution provides continuous testing support via built-in integrations across IDE, CI/CD, open source test automation, monitoring, and source code management tools.

    OpenText LoadRunner Professional Benefits:

    • Quickly deliver enterprise engineering capabilities and facilitate sharing of assets and collaboration.
    • Reduce complexity and increase utilization of infrastructure and human resources.
    • Get the big picture with cross-project reporting and individual project drill downs.
    • Increase collaboration and consistency with unified storage and access to all relevant assets.
    • Reduce costs with centralized management and built-in support of cloud-based load generation.
    • Analyze end-to-end performance, including topology, infrastructure-level, and advanced insights.
    • Incorporate application monitoring and user sentiment data to take a centralized approach to data collection and connect the dots.
    • Using powerful analytics and insights, gain visibility into the test status across the entire enterprise and performance trending information across multiple tests.

    Reviews from Real Users:

    "The most useful aspect of the solution is that it provides agents in different geographic locations.” - Head, Testing Centre of Excellence at NIIT Technologies Limited

    "The most important feature for us is that it supports a lot of protocols because we support all of them, including HTTP, FTP, mainframe, and others.” - Test Automation, DevOps & Performance Engineering at a financial services firm

    "The solution can handle a huge amount of workloads, it's quite scalable.” - Regional Head Customer Experience at a financial services firm

    "The reporting mechanism is a valuable feature that generates good reports.” - Senior Architect at a computer software company

    Sample Customers
    AOL, Orbitz, Innopath Software, PrepMe, Sapient, Corporate Express Australia, CSIRO, Ephibian, Talis, DATACOM, ALALOOP, eFusion, Panter, Sourcepole, University of Western Cape
    JetBlue, GOME, Australian Red Cross Blood Service, RMIT University, Virgin Media
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company38%
    Financial Services Firm30%
    Energy/Utilities Company4%
    Renewables & Environment Company4%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Computer Software Company17%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Government6%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company30%
    Financial Services Firm20%
    Comms Service Provider9%
    Government7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm16%
    Computer Software Company15%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Government7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise24%
    Large Enterprise51%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise70%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise68%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise73%
    Buyer's Guide
    Apache JMeter vs. OpenText LoadRunner Professional
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Apache JMeter vs. OpenText LoadRunner Professional and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Apache JMeter is ranked 1st in Load Testing Tools with 81 reviews while OpenText LoadRunner Professional is ranked 2nd in Load Testing Tools with 76 reviews. Apache JMeter is rated 7.8, while OpenText LoadRunner Professional is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Apache JMeter writes "It's a free tool with a vast knowledge base, but the reporting is lackluster, and it has a steep learning curve". On the other hand, the top reviewer of OpenText LoadRunner Professional writes "A sophisticated tool that supports many languages and works with all kinds of applications". Apache JMeter is most compared with Postman, BlazeMeter, Tricentis NeoLoad, Katalon Studio and ReadyAPI, whereas OpenText LoadRunner Professional is most compared with Tricentis NeoLoad, OpenText LoadRunner Enterprise, OpenText LoadRunner Cloud, IBM Rational Performance Tester and BlazeMeter. See our Apache JMeter vs. OpenText LoadRunner Professional report.

    See our list of best Load Testing Tools vendors and best Performance Testing Tools vendors.

    We monitor all Load Testing Tools reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.