Side by side
Grafana k6 vs Locust
Both stand on performance testing software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Linux
Grafana k6 combines several kinds of testing with tracing, logging and profiling capabilities. Check the 500-hour monthly Free plan limit and Pro’s platform fee plus pay-as-you-go pricing against expected usage.
Visit Grafana k6 Free plan APILinuxMac+3
Locust combines Python-authored tests with live reporting, adjustable load, and distributed execution. Its automatic OpenTelemetry instrumentation is currently limited to the requests library.
Visit LocustThe facts
| Grafana k6 | Locust | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | See the plans | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 6 | 1 |
| Maker | Grafana k6 | Not published |
| Website | grafana.com | locust.io |
| On performance testing software | #15 of 38 | #11 of 38 |
Grafana k6: what it does well
- Supports load, stress, browser-based, distributed and API testing.
- Includes OpenTelemetry support and service maps.
- Logging includes structured parsing and live tailing.
- Profiles CPU, memory and threads.
- Supports a broad list of programming languages.
What to know first
- Free plan is capped at 500 virtual user hours monthly.
- Pro adds a 19.00 USD monthly platform fee plus usage.
- Kernel profiling is not supported.
- Logs are retained for 30 days.
Locust: what it does well
- Free software under the MIT license
- Write scenarios using Python libraries
- View throughput, response times, and errors live
- Adjust load while a test runs
- Distributed tests across multiple machines
What to know first
- Automatic instrumentation covers only the requests library
- Remote hosted testing is described through Azure Load Testing
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