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k6 vs Apache JMeter: open-source performance and load testing tools compared

Metrics as of , from the GitHub or GitLab API of each repository. Refreshed monthly.

Summary

k6: Load-testing tool that runs JavaScript test scripts from the CLI, in CI or on Kubernetes.

Apache JMeter: Java application for load and performance testing of web applications, services and many network protocols.

Both are listed under Performance and load testing. The table gives repository metrics from the GitHub API with their fetch date, then the documented facts used for every comparison in this category, each linked to the README or docs page it comes from. A cell reads "not documented" when the fact was not found in the project's documentation; that does not mean the feature is absent.

Side by side

k6 and Apache JMeter: metrics and documented facts, in the fixed row order used for performance and load testing comparisons.
Factk6Apache JMeter
Stars31,54819,5421
Forks1,63512,2921
Contributors28911301
Last release2026-09-2112024-01-091
Last commit2026-09-2212026-09-121
Commits in 90 days1771121
LicenseAGPL-3.01Apache-2.01
Primary languageGo1Java1
Statusactive1active1
ProtocolsHTTP, WebSockets, gRPC, browser; more through extensions source: READMEHTTP(S), SOAP/REST, FTP, JDBC, LDAP, JMS, SMTP/POP3/IMAP, TCP, Java objects, native commands source: README
Test authoring formatCode (JavaScript test scripts run by an embedded engine) source: READMEGUI test IDE with test plan recording from browsers or native applications source: README
Distributed or parallel loadDistributed tests on Kubernetes with the k6-operator (TestRun parallelism) source: Docs: Running distributed testsRemote testing: one JMeter client controls multiple remote JMeter engines source: Docs: Remote Testing
CI integrationIntegration guides for GitHub Actions, GitLab, Jenkins, CircleCI, Azure Pipelines, TeamCity and others source: Docs: Integrations and toolsMaven, Gradle and Jenkins through third-party open source libraries source: README
Report formatsEnd-of-test summary; CSV and JSON files; streaming to InfluxDB, Prometheus remote write, Datadog, OpenTelemetry and others source: Docs: Real timeCSV result files; HTML dashboard report generated from them source: Docs: Generating Report Dashboard
Install methodPackages for Linux, macOS and Windows (apt, dnf, brew, winget); Docker image grafana/k6; standalone binary source: Docs: Install k6Binary release archive, unpacked into a directory source: README

1 Fetched from the GitHub or GitLab API on . Hover a value for its own date.

When each fits

Written from each project's documented scope, not from preference. Neither tool is ranked.

k6

Fits projects that load test services with test scripts kept as code; its README describes scripts that run on the CLI, in CI or across a Kubernetes cluster. source: README

Apache JMeter

Fits projects that load test static and dynamic web applications; its README describes simulating heavy load on servers, networks or objects under different load types. source: README

More on these tools

Sources

  1. GitHub REST API: repository, read
  2. GitHub REST API: repository, read
  3. GitHub REST API: contributors, read
  4. GitHub REST API: contributors, read
  5. GitHub REST API: latest release, read
  6. GitHub REST API: latest release, read
  7. GitHub REST API: commits, read
  8. GitHub REST API: commits, read
  9. README, read
  10. README, read
  11. Docs: Running distributed tests, read
  12. Docs: Remote Testing, read
  13. Docs: Integrations and tools, read
  14. Docs: Real time, read
  15. Docs: Generating Report Dashboard, read
  16. Docs: Install k6, read

Documented facts collected 2026-09-22. See the methodology for how metrics and facts are gathered.