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Katalon Studio vs Selenium HQ comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Katalon Studio
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
2nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
46
Ranking in other categories
API Testing Tools (4th), Test Automation Tools (3rd)
Selenium HQ
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
110
Ranking in other categories
Functional Testing Tools (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Regression Testing Tools category, the mindshare of Katalon Studio is 17.1%, up from 16.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Selenium HQ is 5.4%, down from 7.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Regression Testing Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Anuradha.Kapoor Kapoor - PeerSpot reviewer
Functional automation features and the recording functionality saves time but the performance and script execution is slow
I would like to see improvements in how Katalon Studio works with iOS applications, especially with React Native applications. The speed is very slow. It takes time. Katalon Studio also takes my laptop memory, and execution becomes slow for the script. There are parallel execution options. I'm sure their online cloud version must be very fast, but as a service-based company, we are under NDA with our clients and can't run their code on our servers. I would like to see iOS improve and see a more capable recording feature. Katalon Studio has released an AI version, and I have a demo scheduled to see the new features.
Anil Kumar Shrestha - PeerSpot reviewer
An open-source solution that integrates with every programming language and library
What I like best about it is that it can automate everything on the front end with the help of other frameworks. The community worldwide provides support for any issues. Plus, it’s open-source, which is a big advantage. The solution integrates with every programming language and library and is very easy to use. It has a simple syntax, and the documentation on the website makes it straightforward to learn and implement.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Overall, I recommend it highly and find it easy to use with many integrations."
"The ability to build all libraries with codes and use them in many situations has been most valuable."
"Katalon Studio's biggest advantage is its price. It's a good tool for the price, albeit with some limitations when you compare it with tools like Tricentis Tosca."
"The most valuable features of Katalon Studio are its user-friendliness and the AI smart healing capabilities."
"We can write code in Java and it is easy to link to other JARs that we find on the internet, which is very handy."
"The tool is easy to use. The product gives me the flexibility to use Selenium. I can also use my Java capabilities in the solution."
"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."
"Our clients have requested by all types of testing, including mobile, desktop, and API testing and all of those are covered by Katalon. I find that very valuable, very complete."
"Selenium is a valuable tool for web testing, and it integrates easily with frameworks like the Gauge framework, making it easier than others. It supports different programming languages, including Java and JavaScript."
"The most valuable features of Selenium HQ are it is open-source, has a good interface, and integrates well."
"I am impressed with the product's ability to catch content from website."
"It's not too complicated to implement."
"My customer previously validated every file and it would take almost 15-20 minutes for a document. They used to randomly select and test only 100 out of the thousands, maybe 85,000, files, to pick up sampling. Each file would take around 20 to 25 minutes, so we were not able to do it manually, but with the help of Selenium, we were able to test all the files in two days. It saves a lot of time."
"I have found using IDE and Cucumber framework is good."
"The primary benefit is its cost and the ability to use the cloud."
"The most valuable feature is the Selenium grid, which allows us to run tests in parallel."
 

Cons

"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 aspect that can be improved is testing for desktop applications. I would like to see them support more technologies in this area."
"Katalon lacks integration with other software, including integrating other languages like .NET and PHP."
"The product’s regression testing time could be reduced."
"The integration process with Jira should be enhanced and facilitated."
"The product is comparatively slow."
"The price of Katalon Studio is an area of concern where improvement is required."
"I've seen that our clients are not truly aware of the power behind Katalon."
"For now, I guess Selenium could add some other features like object communications for easy expansion."
"The drawback is the solution is not easy to learn."
"The reporting part can be better."
"There's no in-built reporting available."
"Selenium could offer better ways to record and create scripts. IDE is available, however, it can be improved."
"In the future, Selenium should be able to automate desktop-based applications, as it is not currently able to handle non-web-based, Windows-based applications."
"The solution's UI path needs to be modernized."
"I would like to see some reporting or test management tools."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its pricing is quite reasonable. If you require their help in getting started, then there is a professional services fee on top of the product license cost."
"Katalon Studio is an expensive tool."
"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."
"It is freeware software, so start using it."
"The approximate cost is around $8,000."
"The product is affordable. It has an average and competitive pricing compared to other vendors."
"The product’s pricing is very, very low."
"The product is expensive."
"Selenium HQ is a free solution."
"I have been using the open-source version."
"It is an open-source tool."
"There is no pricing cost. License is Apache License 2.0."
"It is free."
"This product is open source and free. That was a huge deciding factor for us getting into it."
"Selenium is an open-source product. It is free."
"We are using Selenium open-source, so there is no need to purchase anything."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
33%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Katalon Studio?
I used the trial version of Katalon Studio, which I got for free. For TestComplete, I used an internal license as my organization was partnered with them.
What needs improvement with Katalon Studio?
Extending the certification validity, especially after the trial period, would be beneficial. Providing clearer guidance during the trial period for certification and training modules would also he...
How do I choose between Selenium HQ and Eggplant Digital Automation Intelligence?
Selenium HQ’s biggest advantage is that it is customizable. Its other most valuable feature is that the driver interface is really helpful and user-friendly; Selenium HQ makes it easy to navigate t...
What do you like most about Selenium HQ?
Selenium's open-source nature is a key advantage. Its extensive support for diverse web technologies.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Selenium HQ?
Selenium is easy to install and mostly free, so there's no need for a license. This lack of costs makes it an attractive option.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
SeleniumHQ
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Coca-Cola Tesla Black Board TaTa Consultancy Services Sony
BrowserStack, Sauce Labs, experitest, Tricentis GmbH, SmartBear Software
Find out what your peers are saying about Katalon Studio vs. Selenium HQ and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.