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IBM Rational Test Workbench vs Katalon Studio comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Rational Test Workbench
Ranking in API Testing Tools
15th
Ranking in Test Automation Tools
27th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
Performance Testing Tools (19th)
Katalon Studio
Ranking in API Testing Tools
4th
Ranking in Test Automation Tools
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Regression Testing Tools (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the API Testing Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Rational Test Workbench is 2.1%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Katalon Studio is 10.3%, down from 12.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
API Testing Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Katalon Studio10.3%
IBM Rational Test Workbench2.1%
Other87.6%
API Testing Tools
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1513668 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Specialist, ITE at a government with 10,001+ employees
Good reporting and interface, but supports limited types of protocols and requires low-level script editing
It should have more interfaces. In terms of interfaces or protocols, what you can do with Rational is far limited as compared to other products out there. What it does, it does great, but it only gives you limited types of protocols. It supports between 8 to 15 types of protocols, whereas other test tools give you 20 to 30 types of protocols with which you can do testing and convert to script. It records Javascript-based scripts, and you got to know a little bit of Java to basically be able to edit them, but the level of editing you got to do is very low. I like that, but the ability to edit the script is not as good as Parasoft or LoadRunner, which have C-Script.
Ramanagowda Hullur - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Automation Engineer at Stryker
Recording limitations and remote access challenges have affected desktop application testing
Katalon Studio has proven effective in our deliverables, particularly in designing the framework where other tools typically require coding in client libraries such as Python or Java. With Katalon Studio, there is no such complexity, allowing us to organize projects modularly based on folder structures without needing to write separate code. The self-healing feature for web application automation and its built-in CI/CD ecosystem integration eliminates the need for external tools for pipeline setup. Katalon Studio excels in CI/CD integration, providing an inbuilt ecosystem without the need for external setup, and it features a postings structure along with keyword and library availability. Newcomers to the team can easily adapt to the setup or project structure, which contributes to its popularity, along with its low-code or no-code capability that allows for a comprehensive platform supporting web, mobile, API, and desktop automation. The self-healing mechanism for test cases autonomously identifies issues with locators and ensures they continue functioning, which is impressive, along with the robust object repository. Katalon Studio has significantly aided our team, especially when clients expect deliveries for CI/CD integration that requires automation test scripts to run on a daily schedule. The self-healing feature automatically identifies available locators for elements in the DOM, ensuring that test cases remain functional. Katalon Studio has positively impacted our organization by facilitating faster delivery when clients have urgent requirements. We can deliver quickly based on urgency due to the features Katalon Studio provides. This has led to significant reductions in time spent on framework configuration, designing, and training individuals who are unfamiliar with the tool, helping us save both time and costs.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Reporting is pretty good. Its interface is also good. I'm overall pretty happy with the functionality and use of IBM Rational Test Workbench."
"This solution provides for API testing, functional UI testing, performance testing, and service virtualization."
"Katalon Studio has positively impacted my organization by helping the team reduce manual regression effort and improve release confidence by catching UI issues earlier."
"The initial setup is pretty straightforward and easy enough to complete."
"The initial setup of Katalon Studio was easy."
"Katalon Studio is a very useful tool and very easy to use, and it can save almost 80% of your manual testing time by allowing you to record up to 1000 test cases, create scenarios, place them in a test suite, and reduce 12 hours of testing to about one hour or 90 minutes."
"User-friendly and a good solution."
"We are now performing automated testing in 15 minutes, which were previously taking a long time when doing it manually."
"I personally like the 'Object Spy' feature of this tool. It makes it easy to find an element on the web page."
"The most valuable feature is that the browser and the API testing is available in a single tool, and I don't have to look at other options."
 

Cons

"It should have more interfaces. In terms of interfaces or protocols, what you can do with Rational is far limited as compared to other products out there. What it does, it does great, but it only gives you limited types of protocols. It supports between 8 to 15 types of protocols, whereas other test tools give you 20 to 30 types of protocols with which you can do testing and convert to script. It records Javascript-based scripts, and you got to know a little bit of Java to basically be able to edit them, but the level of editing you got to do is very low. I like that, but the ability to edit the script is not as good as Parasoft or LoadRunner, which have C-Script."
"There are a number of things that they can do to simplify the tools, but the most important thing that they need to do is simplify the installation."
"The product is comparatively slow."
"Currently, I'm the only one who can use it because I have a Mac. It is giving a hard time to my team members who are on Linux. My team members are using Linux, and Katalon doesn't support Linux very well. It keeps on crashing. It crashes and shuts down almost every time they save their work, so they are not able to use it. It should have good support for Linux. We don't know what the problem is. If the Katalon team can pick up this issue, it will be very helpful."
"One area for improvement in Katalon Studio is execution speed. Larger test suites can take more time to execute."
"Katalon Studio's pricing is expensive."
"It would be helpful to have an automatic save feature."
"Katalon Studio should improve its usability, it still needs some improvement where users can easily use it to build their automation suite. It requires some initial work to set it up. There should be more keywords in the library to limit the coding requirements, this will allow a non-technical person easily start using it, which would be better."
"I've seen that our clients are not truly aware of the power behind Katalon."
"The reporting is very good, but it could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It doesn't really concern me. Licensing is on a yearly basis."
"The pricing is a little bit on the higher side, although it is really good."
"The tool's pricing is cheap compared to other alternatives. I would rate the tool's pricing a three out of ten."
"In terms of pricing, Katalon, Selenium, and Cypress all represent a similar level of investment. The software for these tools are either true open source or almost open source (because they charge a small fee), so pricing is a neutral point for me."
"Katalon Studio is less expensive than other solutions, such as Micro Focus UFT."
"We are using the free version of Katalon Studio at this point."
"The tool's licensing costs are yearly."
"The product’s pricing is very, very low."
"This product is freeware, so there is no charge for using it."
"The solution is more affordable than other vendors."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
31%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Non Profit
9%
University
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Katalon Studio?
Pricing felt reasonable for the features provided, especially considering the time saved during the automation setup and execution. From a user perspective, Katalon Studio offers good value, partic...
What needs improvement with Katalon Studio?
I feel nothing needs improvement for Katalon Studio, as it is already the best in the industry, providing the best enhancement for users. Katalon Studio is already top-notch with no need to improve.
 

Also Known As

Rational Test Workbench, IBM Rational Performance Tester, IBM Functional Tester, IBM Rational Test Virtualization Server
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Financial Insurance Management Corp.
Coca-Cola Tesla Black Board TaTa Consultancy Services Sony
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Rational Test Workbench vs. Katalon Studio and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.
881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.