Locust alternatives: 8 open-source performance and load testing tools
Metrics as of , from the GitHub or GitLab API of each repository. Refreshed monthly.
About Locust
Locust is a listed performance and load testing tool: Load testing tool for HTTP and other protocols with scenarios written in Python and a web UI.
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 Locust's documentation states, with its source.
8 alternatives to Locust
k6: Protocols: HTTP, WebSockets, gRPC, browser; more through extensions. source: README
Lighthouse: Test authoring format: Config file via --config-path; custom audits and gatherers written as extensions. source: README
Vegeta: Protocols: HTTP, with HTTP/2 to servers that support it and h2c. source: README
hey: Protocols: HTTP, including HTTP/2 endpoints. source: README
oha: Protocols: HTTP 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 2 and 3 (HTTP/3 behind an experimental build feature). source: README
Apache JMeter: Protocols: HTTP(S), SOAP/REST, FTP, JDBC, LDAP, JMS, SMTP/POP3/IMAP, TCP, Java objects, native commands. source: README
Artillery: Protocols: HTTP, WebSocket, Socket.io, gRPC, Kinesis and more. source: README
Karate: Protocols: REST over HTTP, GraphQL, SOAP, WebSocket. source: Docs: Why Karate?
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 |
| Apache JMeter | 9,5421 | 2024-01-091rel/v5.6.3 | 2026-09-121 | Apache-2.0 | Java | active |
| Artillery | 9,0811 | 2026-08-141artillery-2.0.34 | 2026-09-201 | MPL-2.0 | TypeScript | active |
| Karate | 8,9651 | 2026-08-141v2.1.2 | 2026-09-191 | MIT | Java | active |
1 Fetched from the GitHub or GitLab API on . Hover a value for its own date.