STATIC COMPARISON / TIER B
Grafana k6 vs Tsung
Answer Grafana k6 is an open source, self-hosted load testing tool from Grafana Labs, scripted in JavaScript, TypeScript. Tsung is an open source, self-hosted protocol and API load tool from Tsung community, scripted in Erlang, XML. The practical split is the authoring language: JavaScript, TypeScript for Grafana k6, Erlang, XML for Tsung.
Curator verdict
Both cover HTTP, HTTPS. On recorded coverage Tsung is the wider of the two (5 protocols against 4), which matters only if your workload actually uses the extra ones. Team language and existing tooling usually settle Grafana k6 against Tsung. Run the same scenario on both before you standardize; the rows below only tell you what is true on paper.
Spec matrix
| Field | Grafana k6 | Tsung |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Grafana Labs | Tsung community |
| Category | Load Testing | Protocol/API Load |
| License | Open Source | Open Source |
| Deployment | Self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Status | Active | Active |
| First released | 2017 | 2001 |
| Pricing | Free; AGPL-3.0 license. | Free; GPL-2.0 license. |
| Scripting | JavaScript, TypeScript | Erlang, XML |
| Protocols | HTTP, HTTPS, WebSocket, gRPC | HTTP, HTTPS, WebDAV, LDAP, XMPP |
| OS support | Windows, macOS, Linux | Linux, macOS |
How to choose
- Only Grafana k6 records support for WebSocket, gRPC — one hard requirement there decides the pair on its own.
- Only Tsung records support for WebDAV, LDAP, XMPP — one hard requirement there decides the pair on its own.
- Match the authoring language to the team: Grafana k6 means JavaScript, TypeScript, Tsung means Erlang, XML.
- 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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