Best Performance Testing Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Gatling is ranked #1 of 29 as of 2 October 2026, ahead of Artillery and LoadFocus. The best-ranked option with a free plan is LoadFocus. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Gatling at €7.42/mo.
Before a release or during capacity planning, performance testing software can help teams examine how systems respond to different demands. Compare load and stress testing with distributed load and maximum virtual users to understand the testing scope shown for each tool. API and browser-based testing indicate the targets covered, while deployment model can inform how a product fits your environment. Gatling, Artillery, and LoadFocus lead the ranking, with Locust and Apache JMeter also among the first entries. Consider free-plan availability and paid-from pricing alongside the testing capabilities and the scenarios your team needs to assess.
29 performance testing software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Load testing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gatling | 8.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | €7.42/mo | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 2 | Artillery | 8.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $199/mo | Yes | 199 /mo | Yes | View |
| 3 |  LoadFocus | 8.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $15.80/mo | Yes | 19 /mo | Yes | View |
| 4 |  Locust | 8.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 5 | Apache JMeter | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 6 |  Taurus | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 7 | BlazeMeter | 7.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | 99 /mo | Yes | View |
| 8 | Speedscale | 6.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 9 | Xceptance LoadTest | 6.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 10 | OctoPerf | 6.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | €649/mo | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 11 |  Loader.io | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | 99.95 /mo | Yes | View |
| 12 | HammerDB | 6.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 13 |  Tsung | 6.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 14 | LoadStrike | 6.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | 399 /mo | Yes | View |
| 15 |  OpenText Core Performance Engineering | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | Yes | View |
| 16 |  Avidemux | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 17 |  LoadView | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | 129 /mo | Yes | View |
| 18 | LoadForge | 5.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | 67 /mo | Yes | View |
| 19 | Cavisson NetStorm | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | Yes | View |
| 20 | Apica LoadTest | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | Yes | View |
| 21 |  WebLOAD | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | 499 /mo | Yes | View |
| 22 |  StresStimulus | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | 180 /mo | Yes | View |
| 23 | LoadNinja | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | Yes | View |
| 24 |  Goose | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | Yes | View |
| 25 | WAPT Pro | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | Yes | View |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which performance testing software is ranked first on Inferse?
Gatling is ranked #1 of 29 with a score of 8.9. Artillery is second and LoadFocus third.
How many of these have a free plan?
6 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Gatling has the lowest first paid tier we found: €7.42/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.