k6 Cloud is $29/mo (Team). Barrage is a self-hosted alternative at $0.99/mo. Here's when each makes sense.
| Barrage | k6 Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Self-hosted, your infra | k6 CLI is open source. Cloud features (results storage, team sharing) require subscription. |
| Data location | Your server, your disk | Your server (if self-hosted) |
| Free tier | 1 test, 100 VUs | Paid only |
| Pro pricing | $0.99/mo | $29/mo (Team) |
| Dependencies | None (single binary + SQLite) | Docker, Postgres, etc. |
| Setup time | ~30 seconds | 15-30 minutes (self-host) |
| Dashboard | Built-in at /ui | Web UI |
| License | BSL 1.1 | Open source |
Barrage is a single Go binary with embedded SQLite. Install it with one command, and you are running in under a minute. Your data stays on your server.
curl -fsSL https://stockyard.dev/barrage/install.sh | sh
The decision between Barrage and k6 Cloud usually comes down to one question: do you need the breadth of features that k6 Cloud offers, or would a focused tool that stays out of your way be a better fit? k6 Cloud has spent years building an ecosystem around load testing. Barrage does one thing well and gives you complete control of the underlying data.
Barrage runs as a single static binary with an embedded SQLite database. There is no application server, no cache layer, no background worker. One process handles HTTP requests and reads from and writes to the database file directly. This simplicity is the entire point — fewer moving parts means fewer things that can break at 2 AM.
Both Barrage and k6 Cloud offer self-hosted options, but the operational requirements differ. k6 CLI is open source. Cloud features (results storage, team sharing) require subscription. Barrage is a single binary with embedded SQLite — no containers, no external databases, no orchestration. The practical difference: Barrage runs on a $5 VPS with no configuration. Self-hosting k6 Cloud typically requires a more substantial infrastructure investment.
Switching from k6 Cloud to Barrage is straightforward for most teams. Export your data from k6 Cloud (most services offer CSV or JSON export), then POST each record to Barrage's API. A migration script that reads the export and writes to /api/ endpoints typically takes less than 50 lines of code. The reverse migration is equally simple — Barrage's SQLite database is a standard file you can query with any SQLite client.
Single binary. Free to start. $0.99/mo for Pro.