Performance Testing vs Load Testing: Difference and Comparison

With different software being built almost every minute of every day around the world, only a few are reaching the stage of the launch, and even fewer get successful in the field. Before launching any software, a lot of tests are done on it in order to understand and sometimes even improve a lot of things.

Key Takeaways

1. Performance testing measures a system’s responsiveness, reliability, and scalability under various conditions, while load testing assesses its behavior under high user loads.
2. Performance testing encompasses load testing, stress testing, endurance testing, and other types, while load testing is a single type of performance testing.
3. Load testing aims to identify bottlenecks and system limitations, while performance testing ensures the system meets predefined performance benchmarks.

Performance Testing vs Load Testing

Performance testing is focused on evaluating the system’s overall performance under different conditions. Load testing is focused on testing the system’s ability to handle high levels of transactions. Performance testing may use various tools, while load testing involves using specialized tools.

Performance testing of software is done to determine the system’s performance which includes speed as well as reliability under varying loads. The normal load is applied to the system in this test, and it checks the system’s behaviour. Also, one more amazing thing is that the tools required for performance testing are less costly.

Load testing of software is done to determine the behaviour of a system when multiple users access it at the same time. Load testing is performed under peak load conditions and checks the system’s behaviour under extreme load. The drawback of blue testing is that the tools required for it are costly.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Performance Testing	Load Testing
About	In humans testing the system’s performance is determined including speed and reliability and application of varying load.	In Load testing, the system’s behaviour is determined when it is accessed by multiple users at the same time.
Validation	Performance testing validates whether the system’s performance is proper	Load testing validates the system’s operating capacity.
Load applied	The load applied on the system for testing is normal	The load applied on the system for testing is peak load
Limit of load	The limit load applied in performance testing is above and below threshold of a break	The limit load applied on the system while load testing is threshold of break.
Checks	Performance Testing checks the behaviour of a system when a normal load is applied.	Load Testing checks the behaviour of a system when the load applied is extreme.

What is Performance Testing?

The performance of the software is a very important aspect and needs to be checked at various levels. Performance testing helps in determining the performance of the system under normal load. The performance check here is the speed of the system and the reliability of the system under varying loads. This is a very important step in the validation of software. 

The normal load is applied to the system while doing the performance test. It is necessary to get this test done in order to check systems behaviour under a normal load. The limit of the load is kept both above and below the threshold of a break. 

The aspects that are tested under performance testing are stability, speed, scalability and reliability. After this test is done and the system qualifies, the system’s performance in a way is said to be validated. As one more advantage point, post required for performance testing, I am in a very low price range, making them easily affordable. This testing is very important for software and gives information about the performance of the system’s sensitivity, stability, and also reactivity under given workloads.

What is Load Testing?

Another very important test for system software is load testing. It is different from performance testing in one or more factors. The very first is that load testing is used to determine a system’s performance or the performance of a software application or product on the application of load conditions that are real life-based. 

Unlike Performance testing, the load applied for load testing is peak. And the limit of load applied in load testing is the threshold of break. This immensely helps in the determination of the capacity, or more precisely, the operating capacity of the software or system application. Load testing is basically used or performed to determine the system’s behaviour under the application of extreme load. 

Performing load testing, the only thing that can be tested is the system’s sustainability. And also, there is a low point that comes in the form of expensive tools. Yes, the tools required for load testing are very costly. In simple language, load testing is described as a process, the result of which determines the system’s behaviour when it is accessed at the same time by multiple users. 

Main Differences Between Performance Testing and Load Testing

1. Tools for performance testing are not very expensive, while the tools required for load testing are quite costly.
2. Performance testing is done to check a system’s reliability, sensitivity and stability, whereas load testing is done to check the sustainability of a system.
3. Performance testing validates whether the performance of a system is proper. Meanwhile, by load testing, one can determine the system’s operating capacity.
4. The load applied in performance testing is normal load, while the load applied in load testing is extreme load.
5. The limit of the load is above and below the threshold of a break-in performance testing, whereas the threshold of a break is the limit of load in load testing.

References

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ctr.12473
2. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15732479.2013.772212