STATIC COMPARISON / TIER B
Gatling vs NeoLoad
Answer Gatling is an open source, self-hosted load testing tool from Gatling Corp., scripted in Java, Scala, Kotlin. NeoLoad is a commercial, self-hosted or vendor-hosted enterprise performance suite from Neotys / Tricentis, scripted in JavaScript, Groovy. The practical split is the cost model: Gatling is open source, NeoLoad is commercial.
Curator verdict
Both cover HTTP, HTTPS, WebSocket. Recorded protocol coverage is the same width on both sides (5 protocols), so breadth is not the deciding factor here. Budget and procurement usually settle Gatling against NeoLoad before any benchmark does. Run the same scenario on both before you standardize; the rows below only tell you what is true on paper.
Spec matrix
| Field | Gatling | NeoLoad |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Gatling Corp. | Neotys / Tricentis |
| Category | Load Testing | Enterprise Suite |
| License | Open Source | Commercial |
| Deployment | Self-hosted | Hybrid |
| Status | Active | Active |
| First released | 2012 | 2005 |
| Pricing | Free open-source core; commercial platform available. | Commercial subscription or license; request a quote. |
| Scripting | Java, Scala, Kotlin | JavaScript, Groovy |
| Protocols | HTTP, HTTPS, WebSocket, SSE, JMS | HTTP, HTTPS, WebSocket, JDBC, SAP |
| OS support | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, Linux |
How to choose
- Choose Gatling if you need a free, self-supported stack (Free open-source core; commercial platform available).
- Choose NeoLoad if you can fund a commercial license for vendor support (Commercial subscription or license; request a quote).
- NeoLoad can be run either self-hosted or on vendor infrastructure; Gatling only runs self-hosted.
- Only Gatling records support for SSE, JMS — one hard requirement there decides the pair on its own.
- Only NeoLoad records support for JDBC, SAP — one hard requirement there decides the pair on its own.
- Match the authoring language to the team: Gatling means Java, Scala, Kotlin, NeoLoad means JavaScript, Groovy.
- Open the Test Rig to compare license, deployment, protocol and OS rows side by side.
Need more than two tools or a shareable matrix? Use the live Test Rig from the directory compare tray.
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