Apache JMeter vs Gatling

Apache JMeter is a free, open-source Java application for testing functional behavior under load and measuring performance. It can simulate heavy workloads on servers, networks and other systems. Supported test types include HTTP and HTTPS, SOAP and REST, FTP, JDBC, LDAP, JMS, email protocols, TCP, Java objects, and native commands or shell scripts. Its test IDE can record plans from browsers or native applications, then help users build and debug them. JMeter provides command-line operation on Java-compatible systems and can generate dynamic HTML reports. It also supports remote testing, pluggable samplers and timers, scripting such as Groovy and BeanShell, and plugins for analysis and visualization. Third-party open-source libraries connect it to Maven, Gradle and Jenkins for continuous integration. JMeter works at the protocol level: it does not execute JavaScript in pages or render them as a browser does. It requires Java 8 or later. The project recommends command-line rather than GUI operation for load testing and advises caution with untrusted JMX files, which may execute code when opened.

Gatling is a load-testing and performance engineering platform for simulating traffic and finding performance bottlenecks. Tests can be written in code, generated with a no-code tool or imported from Postman. Scenarios support Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, Scala and Kotlin. The load engine supports HTTP out of the box and JMS, and can be extended for other protocols. The listing includes API and stress testing, distributed load and hybrid deployment; browser-based testing is marked unsupported. Gatling Studio is a native application that runs locally on macOS, Windows and Linux. Enterprise Edition adds a web interface for managing and monitoring tests, live dashboards, CI/CD integration, advanced permissions and hybrid or cloud deployment. Listed integrations include GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps, Datadog, Dynatrace, New Relic, Slack and Microsoft Teams. Gatling says it is SOC 2 Type II certified and encrypts traffic in transit and stored data at rest. A free plan is available. Basic (annual) is €89 a year, billed annually; Enterprise has a free 14-day trial without a credit card.