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Selenium VS Apache JMeter

Compare Selenium VS Apache JMeter and see what are their differences

Selenium logo Selenium

Selenium automates browsers. That's it! What you do with that power is entirely up to you. Primarily, it is for automating web applications for testing purposes, but is certainly not limited to just that.

Apache JMeter logo Apache JMeter

Apache JMeter™.
  • Selenium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-08-22
  • Apache JMeter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29

Selenium features and specs

  • Open Source
    Selenium is an open-source tool, which means it is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. This makes it a cost-effective choice for companies of all sizes.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility
    Selenium supports multiple browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. This allows testers to ensure that web applications work seamlessly across different browsers.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Selenium can run on various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This provides flexibility to test on multiple platforms to ensure consistent user experience.
  • Supports Multiple Programming Languages
    Selenium supports multiple programming languages such as Java, C#, Python, and JavaScript. This allows testers to write their scripts in the language they are most comfortable with.
  • Rich Community and Documentation
    Being a widely-used tool, Selenium has extensive community support and a wealth of documentation and tutorials available. This makes it easier for new users to get started and find solutions to problems.
  • Integration with Other Tools
    Selenium integrates well with various testing frameworks and tools like TestNG, JUnit, and Maven, as well as CI/CD tools like Jenkins and Docker. This makes it a versatile and comprehensive automation solution.

Possible disadvantages of Selenium

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Selenium requires knowledge of programming to create and maintain test scripts. For those new to automation or coding, the learning curve can be quite steep.
  • No Built-in Reporting
    Selenium does not come with built-in reporting features. Testers must rely on third-party tools or build custom reporting solutions to generate test reports.
  • Limited Support for Desktop Applications
    Selenium is designed primarily for web application testing and offers limited support for desktop applications. This limits its use in scenarios where desktop application testing is needed.
  • Manual Effort for Maintenance
    Test scripts require regular maintenance to accommodate changes in the web application, such as updates to the UI or changes in element identifiers. This can lead to significant manual effort.
  • Performance Issues
    Selenium can be slower compared to other automation tools, especially when running extensive test suites. This can affect the speed of the overall testing process.
  • Browser Compatibility Issues
    Although Selenium supports multiple browsers, each browser's implementation of WebDriver may have unique quirks and bugs. This occasionally leads to test script compatibility issues across different browsers.

Apache JMeter features and specs

  • Open Source
    Apache JMeter is free to use, reducing the overall cost of testing and allowing for significant customization by the community.
  • Extensibility
    JMeter is highly extensible with plugins, which can add additional functionalities and capabilities tailored to specific needs.
  • Strong Community Support
    Due to its long history and widespread usage, JMeter benefits from a large, active community that provides tutorials, plugins, and troubleshooting help.
  • Supports Various Protocols
    JMeter supports a wide range of testing protocols, including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, LDAP, JDBC, and JMS, making it versatile for different types of applications.
  • Continuous Integration
    JMeter can be easily integrated with CI/CD tools like Jenkins, enabling automated performance testing in the development pipeline.
  • Graphical Interface
    The graphical user interface (GUI) makes it easier for testers to design and configure testing scenarios without extensive programming knowledge.

Possible disadvantages of Apache JMeter

  • Resource Intensive
    JMeter can be resource-intensive, especially when simulating high loads, which may require substantial hardware to mimic real-world scenarios.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Despite its GUI, JMeter can be complex to learn and use effectively, especially for those who are new to performance testing.
  • Limited Reporting
    JMeter's built-in reporting capabilities can be somewhat limited, requiring additional tools or plugins for more advanced reporting and analysis.
  • Not Ideal for UI Testing
    JMeter is not suitable for front-end or UI testing, as it is primarily designed for performance and load testing of backend services.
  • Memory Consumption
    The GUI mode, in particular, can consume a significant amount of memory, impacting performance during large-scale tests.

Selenium videos

What is Selenium | Selenium Explained in 2-minutes | Introduction to Selenium | Intellipaat

Apache JMeter videos

Book Review - Master Apache JMeter - From load testing to DevOps

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Selenium and Apache JMeter)
Automated Testing
93 93%
7% 7
Website Testing
69 69%
31% 31
Browser Testing
100 100%
0% 0
Software Testing
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Selenium and Apache JMeter

Selenium Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
Nightwatch.js simplifies the setup and use of Selenium WebDriver, providing an abstraction layer that is easier to work with for JavaScript developers. While it offers the broad compatibility and standardization of Selenium WebDriver, it aims to improve the development experience with its simplified syntax and support for the Page Object pattern, making it a middle ground...
Source: bugbug.io
Top 5 Selenium Alternatives for Less Maintenance
And that’s why code-free test automation is important. Implementing codeless Selenium alternatives can address the challenges posed by traditional Selenium testing. They help testers with various skill sets to contribute to the testing process, enhancing collaboration and accelerating the testing lifecycle. For an in-depth discussion on the significance of codeless Selenium,...
Best Automation Testing Tools (Free and Paid) | July 2022
Automation testing is the process of testing the software using an automation tool to find the defects. In this process, executing the test scripts and generating the results are performed automatically by automation tools. Some most popular tools to do automation testing are HP QTP/UFT, Selenium WebDriver, etc.,
20 BEST Selenium Alternatives in 2021
Selenium is an open-source automated testing tool. It can perform functional, regression, load testing on web applications across different browsers and platforms. Selenium is one of the finest tools, but it does have some drawbacks.
Source: www.guru99.com
Top 10 Best Selenium Alternatives You Should Try
Selenium is a convenient and portable software testing tool specifically used for testing web applications. It acts as an API (Application Program Interface) for browser automation. Selenium is the widely used free and open-source tool used for automation testing of web applications through various browsers and platforms.

Apache JMeter Reviews

Top 20 Best Automation Testing Tools in 2019 (Comprehensive List)
Apache JMeter is an open-source Java desktop application designed for load testing. It mainly focuses on web applications. This tool can also be employed for unit testing and limited functional testing.
Top 20 Best Automation Testing Tools in 2018 (Comprehensive List)
Apache JMeter is an open-source Java desktop application designed for load testing. It mainly focuses on web applications. This tool can also be employed for unit testing and limited functional testing.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Selenium should be more popular than Apache JMeter. It has been mentiond 8 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Selenium mentions (8)

  • How to write tests in Django for JavaScript fetch
    You won't be able to test the javascript function itself from within python, but you can exercise the front-end code using something like cypress (https://cypress.io) or the older but still respectable selenium (https://selenium.dev). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Having Issues with selenium
    In addition, .find_element_by_class_name is deprecated since selenium 4.3.0 and the replacement is .find_element(By.CLASS_NAME, "class"). Check selenium's site for more info. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Issues with Selenium 4.8.0
    This is the code again after checking selenium's official site :. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Having Issues with selenium
    I also tried the following code seen on the selenium.dev website. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Document Object Model Specification
    The following functions are defined within the Selenium project, at revision 1721e627e3b5ab90a06e82df1b088a33a8d11c20. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
View more

Apache JMeter mentions (2)

  • Java naming facts
    Before Jakarta EE there was Apache Jakarta which was effectively the group name for Java based projects within the Apache project. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Are servers multithreaded by default?
    If you remove Spring from the equation you need to build the servlets yourself (according to the Sevlet API). You probably package the servlets in a war-file (with some configuration files), the war-file can then be deployed in a servlet server (ie Tomcat,). The sevlet servser usually handles the thread pool and other resources (ie database connection pools) for you, so you "only" have to provide a servlet that... Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Selenium and Apache JMeter, you can also consider the following products

Cypress.io - Slow, difficult and unreliable testing for anything that runs in a browser. Install Cypress in seconds and take the pain out of front-end testing.

locust - An open source load testing tool written in Python.

Katalon - Built on the top of Selenium and Appium, Katalon Studio is a free and powerful automated testing tool for web testing, mobile testing, and API testing.

soapUI - SoapUI Pro is one of the most prominent API testing platforms around, allowing developers to quickly prototype the functions of their apps and get them to market with little hassle.

BrowserStack - BrowserStack is a software testing platform for developers to comprehensively test websites and mobile applications for quality.

Sauce Labs - Test mobile or web apps instantly across 700+ browser/OS/device platform combinations - without infrastructure setup.