Quick Verdict: BlazeMeter or Gatling?
Choose BlazeMeter if you want to run Gatling tests at scale with minimal setup, built-in reporting, and CI/CD-ready continuous performance testing.
Choose Gatling if you prefer a developer-centric, code-only load testing tool and are comfortable maintaining infrastructure and reporting yourself.
Platform Overview
BlazeMeter
BlazeMeter is a cloud-native continuous performance testing platform that supports Gatling, JMeter, and other open-source frameworks. It offers built-in test orchestration, reporting, and scalability designed for DevOps, QA, and performance teams.
Gatling
Gatling is an open-source, developer-centric load testing tool popular for its code-first approach and tight control over test logic. Tests are written in a Scala-based DSL, making it strong for code-driven performance testing. However, it relies on teams to handle execution, scaling, and analytics manually.
BlazeMeter vs Gatling: Feature Comparison
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Technology Coverage
Gatling
BlazeMeter
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Technology Coverage
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Supported Protocols
HTTP/1/2, WebSockets, SOAP, JMS, gRPC, MQTT
Extensive support including HTTP/2, WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, JMS, SOAP, LDAP, AJAX, REST, GraphQL, MQTT, IBM MQ, Oracle, SAP
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Network Emulation
Not supported
Yes (Bandwidth, Latency, Packet loss)
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Browser-based Performance
Not supported
Yes
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Modeling & Scripting
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Scripting Approach
Test-as-code
Web-GUI, Test-as-code
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Supported Languages
Scala, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, Kotlin
Extensive support including JMX, YAML, Gatling, Locust, K6
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Autocorrelation
No
Yes
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Data Parameterization
Yes
Yes
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Data Masking
No
Yes
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Assertions
Yes
Yes
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Think Time
Yes
Yes
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Ramp-up / Ramp-down
Yes
Yes
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Complex Load Modeling
Yes (No TPS support)
Yes (No TPS support)
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Versioning
Yes
No
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Execution & Orchestration
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Execution Environment
Cloud, On-Prem, Hybrid
Cloud, On-Prem, Hybrid
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Multi-Region Testing
Yes
Yes
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Scalability (VUs)
40k VU/sec
2 million+
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Multi-project / Multitenant
Yes
Yes
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Execution Scheduling
Yes
Yes
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DevOps & Ecosystem
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Basic Metrics
Extensive
Extensive
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Infra. Metrics Correlation
Yes (via integrations)
Yes (via integrations)
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Customizable Dashboards
Yes
Yes
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Anomaly Detection
Yes
Yes
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APM Integrations
Dynatrace, Datadog
Extensive support including New Relic, AppDynamics, Datadog, Dynatrace, CloudWatch
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Export of Results
CSV, PDF
CSV, PDF
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Data & Environment
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Data Generation
Yes
Yes
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Post-test Cleanup
Yes
Yes
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Network Security
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Restricted Networks
Yes
Yes
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Isolated Networks
Yes (Community edition)
No
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AI Features
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MCP Server
No
Yes
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AI Log Analysis
No
Yes
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Anomaly Detection
Yes
Yes
Key Differences Explained
Tool vs Platform
Gatling operates as a load testing engine. BlazeMeter functions as a full performance engineering platform that runs Gatling at scale.
Infrastructure & Operational Overhead
BlazeMeter handles cloud infrastructure, scaling, and orchestration. Gatling calls for teams to provision, maintain, and monitor resources. For example, scaling a 500k+ user test typically requires custom cloud provisioning with Gatling, while BlazeMeter provisions this automatically.
Reporting & Insights
BlazeMeter provides actionable, shareable performance insights. Gatling output typically needs additional tooling for analysis.
Use Case Comparison
When BlazeMeter Is the Better Choice
- Running Gatling tests at enterprise scale.
- Integrating performance testing into CI/CD pipelines.
- Facilitating cross-team collaboration (Dev, QA, SRE).
- Reducing the TCO of performance testing.
When Gatling Alone May Be Enough
- Small teams running local or limited tests.
- Developers comfortable controlling test execution and results.
- Early-stage or lightweight performance testing needs.
Developer Experience & Team Adoption
BlazeMeter
BlazeMeter allows you to reuse existing Gatling scripts, creating low friction for non-specialists. It supports shift-left and self-service testing, allowing broader team adoption.
Gatling
Gatling is powerful but code-heavy. This creates a higher barrier for non-developers and makes it less accessible to broader teams.
Pricing & Total Cost of Ownership
BlazeMeter
BlazeMeter uses usage-based platform pricing with lower hidden costs regarding infrastructure, maintenance, and tooling.
Gatling
Gatling is an open-source tool but comes with higher operational overhead. Users often face additional costs for cloud resources, monitoring, and reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, BlazeMeter is a continuous testing platform that supports Gatling as one of many open-source execution engines. It wraps Gatling with enterprise features like scaling, reporting, and management.
Yes, BlazeMeter runs Gatling scripts natively. You can upload your existing Scala simulations to BlazeMeter and run them at scale without rewriting code.
It can be both. If you use Gatling OSS, BlazeMeter complements it by adding cloud scale and history. If you consider Gatling Enterprise, BlazeMeter serves as an alternative that supports multiple frameworks beyond just Gatling.
BlazeMeter is better suited for CI/CD because it offers native plugins for tools like Jenkins and GitHub, automated pass/fail criteria, and trend analysis out of the box.
You still write your tests using Gatling DSL, but you use BlazeMeter to run them. You do not need to maintain separate Gatling load generators or reporting servers.
Final Recommendation
Gatling is a strong open-source load testing tool. BlazeMeter extends Gatling into a scalable, enterprise-ready performance testing platform. Teams looking to mature their performance testing benefit most from BlazeMeter.