Apache JMeter vs Apica comparison

Cancel
You must select at least 2 products to compare!
Apache Logo
7,770 views|6,334 comparisons
87% willing to recommend
Apica  Logo
904 views|550 comparisons
86% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Apache JMeter and Apica based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Apache, OpenText, Tricentis and others in Performance Testing Tools.
To learn more, read our detailed Performance Testing Tools Report (Updated: April 2024).
769,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"This solution is very user-friendly, and allows for a lot of data capture when testing.""We like that Apache JMeter has different features and different plugins and that they are free of charge.""The recording and playback functionality is helpful.""It is very quick and user-friendly.""The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is free.""We are using it just for load testing. We are using its free version, and it is scalable.""The new version of the solution is stable.""We find the load testing feature valuable."

More Apache JMeter Pros →

"You can tell from the operational space of people who are using and consuming this data that they are more integrated. It is not dependent on one team anymore. It saves a lot of time by capturing and pinpointing the exact problem that is happening quickly. We have moved from getting escalations manually to getting escalations synthetically.""One of the biggest advantages of moving to Apica is the ability get to a hybrid model with the architecture in the cloud and our agents on-prem. We also have access to Apica's cloud agent across the globe. That has changed the way that we have our load testing setup at this point. Previously, it was always internal. Now, with this change in the way it is implemented for load testing, we can test anywhere across the globe and from the list of agents available within Apica's cloud. If I don't have an agent available in a second location, it just takes an email to their customer support, then it is spun up within 24 hours. That flexibility has changed the way that we perceive our load tests, not just in the US, but globally.""What I like the most is that Apica can simulate different browsers and different versions of desktop or mobile browsers.""As always, within the IT industry, everybody's always looking to upgrade and update everything else like that. Apica has been one of those things but it's really hard to replace because it offers us the unique capability to see what the customer is seeing. A lot of other ones can do Selenium script and things like that, but there's a lot in Apica that we use right now. We utilize a lot of the scenario options in Apica right now, and there's a lot of other ones that do parts of it, but it doesn't do everything that Apica does.""I like the transcript download feature. And with UI scripting, it's helpful that Apica handles a lot of the backend work automatically. I don't have to tag everything manually, though I can tag elements later if needed. It's really good at recording the steps.""It uses a basic scripting language, which is easy to learn and customize as needed. Compared to LoadRunner, I found writing and customizing code much easier in Apica.""With the ZebraTester, the ability to have and store dynamic variables, when setting up the monitors, means you can extract that value and use it in a subsequent service call. This is something that has made our lives easier... This is one of the features that I like the most because it helps us in configuring these services, in a certain flow, without the need to re-record the whole thing.""It is easy to set up and configure."

More Apica Pros →

Cons
"The installation needs some work. It could be simplified.""Apache JMeter may have difficulty recognizing dynamic objects in some critical cases, which can lead to challenges in terms of object identification.""The solution is not user-friendly, there is no framework for autocorrelation or parameterization.""At times when we overload the application, it gets stuck...After the solution gets stuck due to overloading, we have to restart our computers. In short, the solution keeps crashing.""At present, if the number of virtual users increases beyond 10,000 when testing, then it results in a Java heap which causes the solution to crash.""Until now, JMeter is not supporting most of the protocols.""JMeter should be more stable. Every time there is a new release coming up, a lot of its older functionalities or the new functionalities that are brought in are not very well-documented. It should be documented properly, and there should be proper use cases.""In Micro Focus LoadRunner we can go from the UI and we can configure it. There is no such feature in Apache JMeter. There should be UI-based recording history or logs."

More Apache JMeter Cons →

"The customer service and support were a little slow to respond. The browser sometimes checks alerts on unknown issues like latency from Apica's side.""When it comes to the way the internal agent is installed, because you can install an application on a server, I would love to see the application Docker-ized. If you could install internal agents using Docker or using containers, it would be easier for us to manage them and spin up internal agents.""Alerting needs improvement. It's a little noisy. It needs some better options. Currently, they have an issue, when you set up a synthetic monitor, you can set up where it's monitoring from, a data center that Apica owns.""The accuracy of alerts can be improved a little bit. Right now, it's pretty good in terms of alerting pretty quickly about failures or changes in response times. However, what we have seen happen is the number of alerts that we are getting is very frequent, and we would like to tone down the number of alerts. That's the only trouble we have. Apica could tone down those settings because there is no option for us to tone it down to a level that would reduce the alerts to a minimum. As a platform, it does send us good alerts, but it could be improved a bit.""Apica should add more features and integrations with different tools and certain ticketing systems, like ServiceNow.""There are some components of the user interface that are not up to date. Just to give you an idea, today we have web applications that are called single-page applications that are much faster than the old style of web application. If we can move faster into the flow of the graphic user interface, and in a more effective way, it will save us a lot of time.""The reporting part that we use for our executives needs a bit more customization capabilities. Right now, you can use only the three main templates for reporting. We would like to be able to customize them.""The initial screen on their dashboard could have a bit more data, but this is a small thing. It could have more data, so we do not need to drill down to a screen behind that initial information. I would like them to get a little better on the user interfaces that we need to go into."

More Apica Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Free"
  • "I switched to Apache because it is free. Other tools are much too expensive and can cost up to $50,000 a year if you are looking at commercial options."
  • "This is an open-source solution, and there are no fees."
  • "This is an open-source product."
  • "I was using the free version of the software."
  • "In terms of open-source adoption, it is completely free."
  • "We are using the free version, and if required, we can easily switch to the other version."
  • "When comparing the price with Load Runner, and if the cost is an issue then JMeter is a better choice"
  • More Apache JMeter Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The pricing and licensing are very reasonable. At the end of the day, you are using their technology/software and getting X amount of checks for a very decent value. As for discounts, they try to meet your budgets as much as they can. For example, if you need 100 checks and you have X amount of budget for it, then they will try and get down to that price. Costing-wise, it is a reasonably cost product. They will always try and come down to your price if you need them to come down to it by knocking off certain areas."
  • "Apica is pretty cost-effective if you buy both solutions together: Synthetic and LoadTest. If you are going for one solution, the cost is on par with any tool in the market."
  • "The level of alerting accuracy has saved us time and money in operational costs. Overall, it has automated a lot of the manual efforts which have been more complex with some of our other scripting tools or monitors. So, it brings things together by doing things faster and saves us money."
  • "License management is another area that Apica could do better. We have already had these conversations with our account teams. This is something that they are looking at largely improving in upcoming releases. I believe that this is already on their roadmap."
  • "The pricing is very reasonable, but it is not cheap."
  • "Another main difference between Apica and the other products was the cost. We really thought that the balance in Apica between the features and costs was the best among all the products on which we did a PoC."
  • "The solution's pricing is not cheap, but it is in the midrange."
  • "The pricing is fair. It is neither too cheap nor too expensive."
  • More Apica Pricing and Cost Advice →

    report
    Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Performance Testing Tools solutions are best for your needs.
    769,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: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 them… more »
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Top Answer: I appreciate JMeter's simplicity and power for performance testing.
    Top Answer:I like the transcript download feature. And with UI scripting, it's helpful that Apica handles a lot of the backend work automatically. I don't have to tag everything manually, though I can tag… more »
    Top Answer:The solution's pricing is not cheap, but it is in the midrange. The pricing depends on the scale of the organization using it. With more users, you will need licenses to maintain it, and it will get… more »
    Top Answer:It's not very user-friendly. There are more areas of improvement as well. We could use more detailed information in the request and response sections. Also, with correlation, there are times we can't… more »
    Ranking
    Views
    7,770
    Comparisons
    6,334
    Reviews
    43
    Average Words per Review
    480
    Rating
    7.7
    Views
    904
    Comparisons
    550
    Reviews
    4
    Average Words per Review
    523
    Rating
    7.8
    Comparisons
    Datadog logo
    Compared 26% of the time.
    Dynatrace logo
    Compared 24% of the time.
    AppDynamics logo
    Compared 19% of the time.
    OpenText LoadRunner Cloud logo
    Compared 15% of the time.
    Also Known As
    JMeter
    Apica LoadTest, Apica Synthetic
    Learn More
    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.”

    Apica offers a unified perspective on the entire technology stack, encompassing logs, metrics, traces, and APIs. This operational data fabric facilitates quick identification and resolution of performance issues throughout an enterprise's infrastructure. The platform's user-friendly features, including a drag-and-drop interface for dashboards and seamless integrations with tools like Prometheus and Elasticsearch, enhance ease of use and management. Apica's active observability swiftly analyzes telemetry data in real-time, enabling prompt issue resolution, while automated root cause analysis, powered by machine learning, streamlines troubleshooting in complex distributed systems. The platform's advanced data management centralizes observability data, simplifying storage, search, and analysis, thereby unveiling valuable insights and patterns. Apica also ensures compliance and governance, providing audit trails to help enterprises meet regulatory requirements. Whether for enterprises of all sizes or those with intricate distributed systems, Apica emerges as a robust tool to elevate technology stack observability and performance.

    Sample Customers
    AOL, Orbitz, Innopath Software, PrepMe, Sapient, Corporate Express Australia, CSIRO, Ephibian, Talis, DATACOM, ALALOOP, eFusion, Panter, Sourcepole, University of Western Cape
    HBO
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company38%
    Financial Services Firm30%
    Energy/Utilities Company4%
    Renewables & Environment Company4%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Computer Software Company17%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Government6%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm42%
    Hospitality Company17%
    Insurance Company17%
    Retailer8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm41%
    Insurance Company10%
    Computer Software Company8%
    Media Company5%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise24%
    Large Enterprise52%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise70%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business17%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise72%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business14%
    Midsize Enterprise5%
    Large Enterprise80%
    Buyer's Guide
    Performance Testing Tools
    April 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Apache, OpenText, Tricentis and others in Performance Testing Tools. Updated: April 2024.
    769,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Apache JMeter is ranked 1st in Performance Testing Tools with 82 reviews while Apica is ranked 45th in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability with 4 reviews. Apache JMeter is rated 7.8, while Apica is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Apache JMeter writes "It's a free tool with a vast knowledge base, but the reporting is lackluster, and it has a steep learning curve". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Apica writes "Offers transcript download feature and easy to set up and configure tests but not very user friendly". Apache JMeter is most compared with BlazeMeter, Postman, Tricentis NeoLoad, Katalon Studio and OpenText LoadRunner Professional, whereas Apica is most compared with Datadog, Dynatrace, AppDynamics and OpenText LoadRunner Cloud.

    We monitor all Performance Testing Tools reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.