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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
16th
Ranking in Test Automation Tools
37th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
Performance Testing Tools (21st)
Katalon Studio
Ranking in API Testing Tools
4th
Ranking in Test Automation Tools
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
Regression Testing Tools (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the API Testing Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Rational Test Workbench is 0.7%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Katalon Studio is 13.3%, up from 11.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
API Testing Tools
 

Featured Reviews

KashifJamil - PeerSpot reviewer
Good integration with other tools, stable, scales easily
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. This includes the workbench as well as the other tools. In the future, I would like to see the other types of tests supported, that are not already covered in the DevOps approach. This would include, for example, penetration testing.
Appu Ashok - PeerSpot reviewer
Expansive integrations boost automation potential across devices
I am in the field of product research and am familiar with Katalon Studio for product comparisons and test automation. Even though I am not an active tester, I have created a few tests using Katalon Studio Some of our customers use Katalon Studio, however, our own product, Tangene, is a…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This solution provides for API testing, functional UI testing, performance testing, and service virtualization."
"Reporting is pretty good. Its interface is also good. I'm overall pretty happy with the functionality and use of IBM Rational Test Workbench."
"It has been good so far for API testing on Mac. It is not that hard to learn and use. There is so much support out there, so if anyone wants to start using it, there is enough help."
"User-friendly and a good solution."
"Katalon Studio is easier to use compared to SmartBear TestComplete."
"This is a product that is well ahead of its immediate competition in features and functionality."
"Smart Wait and XPath healing are valuable features."
"I like the feature where you can define a model that represents your website and then reuse the components from the model. It makes creating more test cases easy."
"The tool has a good record and playback feature for functionality, which saves time when creating automated tests."
"The best thing about the solution is that there is a record and playback functionality."
 

Cons

"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."
"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."
"I would like to see improvements in how Katalon Studio works with iOS applications, especially with React Native applications."
"The free version of the solution is not user friendly at all."
"We have had some issues when it comes to stability, which is something that needs to be improved."
"I would like Katalon Studio to develop manual test case generation using AI capabilities, as other tools like those using OpenAI are already doing this."
"One improvement would be if it could support more programming languages such as JavaScript or Python. Right now, it is only on Groovy, which I think is not a too popular language."
"Extending the certification validity, especially after the trial period, would be beneficial."
"The tool's maintenance is very difficult since they do not follow call by value or call by reference. Due to this, any change happening is not reflected throughout all the test cases. There are some issues with data parameterization as well."
"The product’s regression testing time could be reduced."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is a little bit on the higher side, although it is really good."
"It doesn't really concern me. Licensing is on a yearly basis."
"The product is affordable. It has an average and competitive pricing compared to other vendors."
"The product is expensive."
"The tool is affordable."
"This product is freeware, so there is no charge for using it."
"The price of Katalon Studio is reasonable. They recently had a price increase that might impact new subscribers. We are using a business license."
"Price-wise, Katalon Studio is a costly product. Considering what the solution provides its users with, I can say that price-wise, Katalon Studio is an okay product."
"I am using the free version."
"Katalon Studio is less expensive than other solutions, such as Micro Focus UFT."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
29%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Non Profit
8%
Computer Software Company
17%
Educational Organization
16%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Katalon Studio?
Katalon Studio is on the expensive side. I rated it eight on a scale where ten is very expensive. I recommend optimizing the pricing, as a moderate value around five would be preferred.
What needs improvement with Katalon Studio?
The pricing could be improved. Offering a discount on Katalon Studio licenses could encourage more users. There is significant competition, so providing a good offer with extra features could be be...
 

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: May 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.