Apache JMeter vs IBM Rational Performance Tester comparison

The compared Apache and IBM solutions aren't in the same category. Apache is ranked #1 in PTT , with an average rating of 8.2, and holds a 24.0% mindshare in the category. IBM is ranked #24 in TMT , and holds a 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of Apache users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Apache JMeter

Read 93 Apache JMeter reviews

5,632 Views
4,474 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

IBM Rational Performance Te...

Read 17 IBM Rational Performance Tester reviews

110 Views
84 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Apache JMeter

IBM Rational Performance Te...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Apache JMeter and IBM Rational Performance Tester based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Apache, Tricentis, Perforce and others in Performance Testing Tools.

To learn more, read our detailed Performance Testing Tools Report (Updated: March 2025).

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Performance Testing Tools

March 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Apache JMeter

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Performance Testing Tools (1st), Load Testing Tools (1st), API Testing Tools (3rd)

IBM Rational Performance Te...

Average Rating

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Test Management Tools (24th)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Quality Assurance solutions, they serve different purposes. Apache JMeter is designed for Performance Testing Tools and holds a mindshare of 24.0%, up 23.9% compared to last year.
IBM Rational Performance Tester, on the other hand, focuses on Test Management Tools, holds 1.4% mindshare, up 1.0% since last year.

Performance Testing Tools

Test Management Tools

Featured Reviews

Sreenivasula Mukkamalla

Sr.Engineer csit Quality Assurance at Verizon

Leveraging cost-effective customization with powerful plugins but complexity reduction needed

Apache JMeter offers plugins for reporting and preparing test scenarios. It allows recording to customization, letting you download plugins to connect with databases or external systems. Despite being open source, it offers features comparable to paid tools, and its ability to customize and expand is particularly useful. Additionally, its open-source nature makes it cost-effective.

Read full review

it_user323943

Netcool Engineer with 10,001+ employees

We can edit captured transactions and organize them by those for which we require performance metrics, but it lacks a set of manuals or guides that would take out some guess work.

It is used to capture and generate HTTP tests. The capture process is very easy. After this, we edited the captured transactions to organize them into the sections or transactions we require performance metrics for (i.e. splash page, user authentication, main pageload, logout, etc.). This editing process is easy to perform with the interface provided in Rational Performance Tester Finally, Rational Performance Tester has an import/export feature that has been extremely useful. We have used it to export our complete test library and import it into another Rational Performance Tester server with no loss or issues. This allows for platform test migrations and backup.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"JMeter is user-friendly, and that's a notable advantage of JVTech. It's straightforward and easy to use, unlike some other load testing tools, making it very easy to understand."

"We use Apache JMeter for load testing, where we provide the throughput time."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is being able to launch many requests and scheduling simulating human interactions with the application."

"What I like best about Apache JMeter is its user-friendly GUI because even if you don't have very good coding knowledge or understanding, or even if you don't come from a development background, you can still use the solution with just a few clicks. This is what's unique about Apache JMeter, in comparison with other tools in the market. As Apache JMeter is open source, when there's a missing feature, you can search in several community blogs for plugins that you can use to modify Apache JMeter to meet your requirements, and this is another advantage."

"One valuable feature of Apache JMeter is the ability to replicate scenarios where bulk files have to be uploaded via API."

"The solution offers a lot of plug-ins and a huge continuously developing community that is regularly offering new features and plug-ins."

"The most valuable features are the integration with Jenkins and the reporting."

"The product helps me get the expected performance from applications or servers and reduces costs. It also enhances the performance of the services and helped them reach their ultimate capacity."

More Apache JMeter pros

"Technical support is very good. I'm very satisfied with the assistance we've received so far."

"It can support both web applications and mobile applications, and in certain cases, it can also support testing of desktop applications or software-based applications. You can write web applications, mobile applications, and software-based applications."

Cons

"Automation is difficult in JMeter."

"What needs improvement in Apache JMeter is the very high load requirements when you want to scale it beyond certain thresholds. For example, small to mid-range testing is very easily done with Apache JMeter, but if you scale and increase the load, then it would be a problem because the tool consumes a lot of resources, probably because Apache JMeter provides an enriched UI experience, so it consumes a lot of memory and requires high CPU usage. This means you have to manage your infrastructure, or else you'll have high overhead expenses. As Apache JMeter is a heavyweight tool, that is an area for improvement, though I'm unsure if Apache can do something about it because it could be a result of the way it's architected. What I'd like to see from Apache JMeter in the future is for it to transition to the cloud, as a lot of cloud technologies emerge around the globe, and a lot of people prefer cloud-based solutions or cloud-native tools. Even if a company has a legacy system, it's still possible to transition to the cloud. I've worked with a company that was an on-premise company that moved to the cloud and became cloud-native. If Apache JMeter could transition to the cloud, similar to k6, then it could help lessen the intense resource consumption that's currently happening in Apache JMeter."

"JMeter output reports can be difficult to understand without training."

"Some features still require a certain knowledge level to use effectively, and making these features more user-friendly would be beneficial."

"If the solution was GUI based, I believe that it would be more versatile."

"They can improve it a little bit in terms of distribution load testing. We struggled with it during the distribution. In terms of reporting, runtime monitoring is not currently included, and it should be included. They can also improve it on the reporting side in terms of the comparison of the reports. They can also focus more on integration with CI/CD. Currently, people are using their own customized tools. It would be nice if Apache can provide some standard tools and procedures for integration with CI/CD tools like DPR. There are some tools, but it would be nice if official standard tools and procedures are available."

"One of the drawbacks of JMeter is that it can't handle a large amount of load, which forces us to switch to other tools when we need to load more than a 5,000 or 10,000 user load."

"The UI needs some work. The first time I used JMeter, I couldn't record the full scenario to mimic the user experience. Since then, they have introduced some plugins and a third-party tool called BlazeMeter."

More Apache JMeter cons

"There are some features that Micro Focus LoadRunner provides, but they are not available in IBM Rational Performance Tester. They should include such features. It can also have more reports similar to what HP provides. It might also need some improvement in terms of the tools and support for other technology areas. Certain technologies are not supported by every tool. They need to support all sorts of technologies and platforms on which web applications and mobile applications are built. They need complete support for all sorts of technologies."

"The solution is not easily scalable. If you want to extend the solution, you need to purchase a different kind of license. You also have to work with the IBM team to assist in scaling."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Since it is an open-source product, buying or paying for any license is unnecessary. One just needs to download it to be able to use it."

"The product has reasonable pricing."

"The solution is open source."

"The tool is open-source."

"There are operational costs related to using Amazon Cloud, but the tool itself."

"This is an open-source product."

"We didn't pay licensing fees for Apache JMeter because it's an open-source tool. We only paid for the machines where we installed Apache JMeter modules."

"We are using the free version."

More Apache JMeter pricing and cost advice

"It is much cheaper than Micro Focus LoadRunner. We need perpetual licenses. Support is included in the first sale. After that, you need to renew support every year."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

20%

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

30%

Computer Software Company

20%

Government

13%

Real Estate/Law Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

How does Postman compare with Apache JMeter?

Postman lets you easily define variables, which then get updated automatically. This is a huge time-saver and makes processes very efficient. We can also export the test cases we create and share t...

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How does BlazeMeter compare with Apache JMeter?

Blazemeter is a continuous testing platform that provides scriptless test automation. It unifies functional and performance testing, enabling users to monitor and test public and private APIs. We ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Apache JMeter?

I appreciate JMeter's simplicity and power for performance testing.

See all answers

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Comparisons

BlazeMeter vs Apache JMeter

Compared 23% of the time

Tricentis NeoLoad vs Apache JMeter

Compared 18% of the time

Postman vs Apache JMeter

Compared 9% of the time

Katalon Studio vs Apache JMeter

Compared 7% of the time

Akamai CloudTest vs Apache JMeter

Compared 3% of the time

More Apache JMeter Competitors

OpenText LoadRunner Professional vs IBM Rational Performance Tester

Compared 24% of the time

Tricentis NeoLoad vs IBM Rational Performance Tester

Compared 14% of the time

More IBM Rational Performance Tester Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache JMeter

March 2025

Download Apache JMeter product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Rational Performance Tester

March 2025

Download IBM Rational Performance Tester product report

Also Known As

JMeter

Rational Performance Tester

Overview

Apache JMeter is an open-source Java application that tests load and functional behavior and performance in applications. Created initially to test web applications, it has expanded its functionality to test other functions. For instance, you can test a server to see how efficiently it works and how many user requests can be handled simultaneously.

You can use JMeter to test functional performance and regression tests on different technologies. This Java desktop application has an easy-to-use graphical interface which uses the Swing graphical API. You can run JMeter on any environment that accepts a Java virtual machine, such as Windows, Linux, and Mac.

What protocols does JMeter support?

Web - HTTP, HTTPS
Web services - SOAP/XML-RPC
Email service - POP3, IMAP, SMTP
FTP service
Database via JDBC drivers
LDAP
Native commands or shell scripts
TCP
Java objects

How does JMeter work?

JMeter sends requests to a target server by simulating a group of user requests. Then it collects and calculates statistics on the performance of the target. This target can be a server or an application.

You can test the performance of static resources, such as JavaScript or HTML, and dynamic resources, such as JSP, Servlets, and AJAX. It is also helpful to determine how many concurrent users your website can handle.

There are two main tests you can carry out with JMeter: load test and stress test. The load test models expected usage of a server by simulating multiple users accessing the web server simultaneously. The stress testing aims to find the maximum load capacity of the server or application.

Apache JMeter Key Features

JMeter enables fast test plan recording, building, and debugging via a featured test IDE (integrated development environment).
Command-line mode allows carrying out load tests from any OS compatible with Java.
JMeter can extract data from most popular response formats, such as HTML, JSON, XML.
JMeter is entirely portable.
A multithreading framework allows you to simultaneously test multiple samplings and separate thread groups.
Thanks to the caching feature, you can conduct offline analysis or replay test results.

Apache JMeter Benefits

As open-source software, it is freely available and continuously improved.
The setup is user-friendly, and no installation is needed.
The GUI (graphic user interface) is intuitive and easy to use.
You can write your own tests and use the visualization plugins to extend the testing.
It is a platform-agnostic tool. For example, JMeter can work with Linux by clicking on the JMeter shell script. On Windows, you can call up JMeter by starting the jmeter.bat file.
Since the test plans are stored in XML format, you can generate a test plan using any text editor.
You can simulate a heavy load on a server, a group of servers, a network, or an object. Use JMeter to test an application or server's strength and performance under different load types.

The JMeter extensible core has numerous benefits:

Unlimited testing capabilities via pluggable samplers.
You can choose multiple load statistics with pluggable timers.
Visualization plugins and data analysis enable customization.
Continuous integration via third-party open-source libraries (Maven, Gradle, and Jenkins).

Reviews from Real Users

Stephen B., I.T. Architect, Analyst, and Developer at an educational organization, says, "The scripting ability is most valuable. It is easy to use. There is a UI, and you can go in there and figure those things out. After you've got a good set of tests, you basically have a scripted document that you can grab and execute in a pipeline. It is pretty quick to set up, and you can scale it and version control it."

"I like the fact that JMeter integrates well with other tools," adds the Founder and Principal Consultant at a tech services company.

A Quality Engineering Delivery Leader at a financial services firm says, “The performance of the solution is excellent. They have designed the product so that it is very easy to configure. You can basically do anything you like with the product. It's not very restrictive. We like the fact that the technology is open-source.”

Apache

IBM Rational Performance Tester is a performance testing solution that validates the scalability of web and server applications. Rational Performance Tester identifies the presence and cause of system performance bottlenecks and reduces load testing complexity.

IBM

Sample Customers

AOL, Orbitz, Innopath Software, PrepMe, Sapient, Corporate Express Australia, CSIRO, Ephibian, Talis, DATACOM, ALALOOP, eFusion, Panter, Sourcepole, University of Western Cape

andagon, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon

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March 2025

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