hey alternatives: 8 open-source performance and load testing tools
Metrics as of , from the GitHub or GitLab API of each repository. Refreshed monthly.
About hey
hey is a listed performance and load testing tool: Command-line HTTP load generator that sends requests at a set concurrency and prints response statistics.
Order: Listed tools in the same category, with tools in the same primary language (GitHub API) first, then by GitHub stars. Each line gives one fact from the tool's own documentation where it differs from what hey's documentation states, with its source.
8 alternatives to hey
k6: Protocols: HTTP, WebSockets, gRPC, browser; more through extensions. source: README
Vegeta: Protocols: HTTP, with HTTP/2 to servers that support it and h2c. source: README
ali: Protocols: HTTP, including HTTP/2 where the server supports it. source: README
Fortio: Protocols: HTTP, gRPC, TCP, UDP. source: README
ghz: Protocols: gRPC. source: README
Lighthouse: Test authoring format: Config file via --config-path; custom audits and gatherers written as extensions. source: README
Locust: Protocols: HTTP; other protocols and systems through user-written clients. source: README
oha: Protocols: HTTP 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 2 and 3 (HTTP/3 behind an experimental build feature). source: README
Repository metrics
| k6 | 31,5481 | 2026-09-211v2.3.0 | 2026-09-221 | AGPL-3.0 | Go | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse | 30,7991 | 2026-09-181v13.5.0 | 2026-09-181 | Apache-2.0 | JavaScript | active |
| Locust | 28,1771 | 2026-09-1712.46.6 | 2026-09-211 | MIT | Python | active |
| Vegeta | 25,2001 | 2025-10-311v12.13.0 | 2026-02-161 | MIT | Go | slow |
| hey | 20,2761 | 2026-01-101v0.1.5 | 2026-01-101 | Apache-2.0 | Go | slow |
| oha | 10,5531 | 2026-08-231v1.16.0 | 2026-09-101 | MIT | Rust | active |
| ali | 3,9401 | 2026-01-191v0.8.0 | 2026-01-191 | MIT | Go | slow |
| Fortio | 3,7271 | 2026-08-291v1.75.3 | 2026-08-291 | Apache-2.0 | Go | active |
| ghz | 3,3541 | 2025-12-071v0.121.0 | 2026-09-011 | Apache-2.0 | Go | active |
1 Fetched from the GitHub or GitLab API on . Hover a value for its own date.