Brandwave

How popular isk6?

In September 2026, people searched for k6 by name about 87,500 times worldwide, a 22.4% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 37.5% of all global API testing tool searches, placing k6 first out of nine tools. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about API testing tools, k6 appeared in three of the five answers and was the eighth most recommended of the nine.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

k6 is the most searched of 9 competitors and the eighth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. k6Share of searches 37.5%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 8th
  2. PlaywrightShare of searches 21%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  3. SoapUIShare of searches 11.6%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. PostmanShare of searches 9.8%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  5. BrunoShare of searches 9%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd

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Top API testing tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, k6 was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. k6 is the eighth most recommended of the nine.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Postman1st
  2. Bruno2nd
  3. Karate3rd
  4. SoapUI4th
  5. Insomnia5th
  6. Playwright6th
  7. Katalon7th
  8. k68th
  9. Hoppscotch9th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Postman5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • SoapUI4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Bruno4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Karate4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • k63 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Playwright2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Katalon2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Insomnia2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Hoppscotch1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about API testing tools

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Which API testing tools compete with k6?

k6 against API testing tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for k6, Playwright, SoapUI, Postman, Bruno, Katalon, Insomnia. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
Monthk6PlaywrightSoapUIPostmanBrunoKatalonInsomniaKarateHoppscotch
Oct 202526.3%15.4%18.3%13.2%9.3%6.7%8.9%1.3%0.77%
Nov 202529.9%17.9%17%13.2%7%6.2%6.9%1.4%0.71%
Dec 202528.5%19.2%16.2%13.3%8.1%5.9%6.7%1.3%0.7%
Jan 202630%20.6%13.9%11.9%8.6%6.2%6.7%1.2%0.87%
Feb 202629.9%19.4%13.9%13.2%10.5%5.1%5.7%1.4%0.89%
Mar 202627.4%18.5%15.3%11.9%11.6%5.6%7.4%1.3%1%
Apr 202629.3%20.1%13.6%13%10.3%6.1%5.5%1.1%0.89%
May 202631.1%19.2%14.4%11.2%11.2%5.3%5.6%1.1%0.8%
Jun 202631.3%21.7%14.3%11.6%9.1%5.2%4.8%1.2%0.91%
Jul 202632.6%19.9%12.2%12%11.6%4.4%5.1%1.2%0.93%
Aug 202633.1%22.1%12.4%11.8%9.6%4.5%4.3%1.1%1.1%
Sep 202637.5%21%11.6%9.8%9%5.2%3.9%0.99%0.91%

  1. 1.k6

    37.5%

    Held 1st. 87.5K estimated branded searches, +20.7% vs prior month. Share +4.4 points.

  2. 2.Playwright

    21%

    Held 2nd. 49.1K estimated branded searches, +1.7% vs prior month. Share -1 points.

  3. 3.SoapUI

    11.6%

    Held 3rd. 27.2K estimated branded searches, -0.11% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.

  4. 4.Postman

    9.8%

    Held 4th. 22.9K estimated branded searches, -11.2% vs prior month. Share -2 points.

  5. 5.Bruno

    9%

    Held 5th. 21K estimated branded searches, -0.05% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  6. 6.Katalon

    5.2%

    Held 6th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  7. 7.Insomnia

    3.9%

    Held 7th. 9.2K estimated branded searches, -3.2% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  8. 8.Karate

    0.99%

    Moved from 9th to 8th. 2.3K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  9. 9.Hoppscotch

    0.91%

    Moved from 8th to 9th. 2.1K estimated branded searches, -13.4% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

Compare popularity between k6 and its closest rivals

Every comparison with k6

16 comparisons

How has branded search demand for k6 changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for k6 worldwide rose from 71.5K to 87.5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, k6’s share of searches among API testing tools worldwide increased from 26.3% to 37.5%.

How did search popularity change for API testing tools worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, k6 gained share of searches among API testing tools worldwide, from 33.1% to 37.5%.

  2. In September 2026, Katalon gained share of searches among API testing tools worldwide, from 4.5% to 5.2%.

  3. In September 2026, Postman lost share of searches among API testing tools worldwide, from 11.8% to 9.8%.

  4. In September 2026, Playwright lost share of searches among API testing tools worldwide, from 22.1% to 21%.

  5. In September 2026, SoapUI lost share of searches among API testing tools worldwide, from 12.4% to 11.6%.

  6. In September 2026, Bruno lost share of searches among API testing tools worldwide, from 9.6% to 9%.

How are k6’s branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using k6’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • grafana k6
  • k6
  • k6 load testing

Do you work for k6? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does k6 compete?

k6 is ranked in three competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
API testing tools1st of 937.5%Shown above
API development tools1st of 859.1%Show ranking
Load testing tools4th of 75.8%Show ranking
Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is k6 your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

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