What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for testing. We have three types of testing. One is the APA testing, and the web, and one is mobile. All have been recorded through this protocol.
What is most valuable?
We appreciate that the solution is free to use, as an open-source tool.
We're using all of the lightweight technology with the AngularJS and Springboard applications, all the EPAs only. We use these CTP samples for all the web, as well as the EPAs.
The initial setup is pretty straightforward.
The product is easier to learn than paid tools. You can find training online on YouTube, or you can Google it to find out more about the solution and how to use it.
The JMeter community has developed a lot of IoT protocols.
What needs improvement?
We're like the solution to be more user-friendly.
As freeware, not everything is readily available. You can't play around with everything. That's just due to the fact that it's not a paid tool. When you pay for tools, you get a bit more.
Not everything is supported by JMeter. It's limited.
With JMeter, with banking encryption, we have struggled a lot. It's not as good as other paid tools that provide support and configuration capabilities that JMeter lacks.
The solution doesn't really have good documentation, and, if you run into issues you can't simply raise a ticket. There's no help available to you.
There are certain protocols that you can get on other solutions, such as LoadRunner, that you can't get on JMeter.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is pretty good. You can execute any kind of tech with JMeter as well. It's an open-source community. There are a number of samples are available. You can achieve it in different ways, however, the stability is quite good. That said, we have experienced glitches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is possible. You need to have the load generator for the scaling of your application. It's very simple to procure the load generator. You will have to install the JMeter agent file, where it'll be connecting to the monitor. It will not be as simple as a paid tool. For example, with BlazeMeter, they provide scaling with the cloud. BlazeMeter supports the JMeter items. If you have thousands of users, you will need the cloud and you'll need something like BlazeMeter.
Currently, as this is a banking application, we don't have that many users. However, I've tried it with the 5000 users with the five to six load generators in the cloud. If we want to really scale, however, it's best to go with BlazeMeter.
How are customer service and support?
As an open-source tool, support is not available for JMeter.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use NeoLoad. JMeter is open-source. It suggests you need to install that and you can make the cloud as a distributor system. NeoLoad is paid. We have some licenses and discounts. We cannot use NeoLoad due to the licenses. That's why we moved the solution to JMeter which is free and open-source.
How was the initial setup?
The initial implementation is very simple. Initially, when setting up JMeter, you have to follow the proper documentation. It's very simple, however, if you do make some mistakes, you'll not be able to set up the distributed system. You need to have a little bit of networking knowledge so that all the systems should be in the same network and subnet. Connectivity should be established. It can be very difficult to execute. If you try to do everything all at once. I had some experience and I did it in the parts. It's very simple for me.
What about the implementation team?
I handled the implementation myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is open-source and free to use.
So long as you don't have to scale too much, it's very cost-effective. If you do have to scale your users, it's best to move over to BlazeMeter, which is reasonably priced, user-friendly, and works well.
What other advice do I have?
I would not recommend this solution for machine-critical applications such as banking or telecom applications. For those, we would go for paid tools. That way, if there are any technical issues or technical breaches with the tool, with the application we are supporting, we can call on support for troubleshooting. With JMeter, we don't have this option. It is good, however, for non-critical applications. In telecom or banking applications, they need to have critical releases and patches, and issues have a high likelihood of leading to a loss of business. We don't want to take chances. However, for non-critical items, JMeter is fine.
I'd recommend the solution to other users so long as they keep in mind JMeter's capabilities are limited. The upside is it is free to use, however, there's also a limit, to some extent, on how you can use it. IF you have a small-scale organization and a small number of users, JMeter will work well.
I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.