What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for functional testing on some backends, APIs, the ServiceNow GUI, and other web GUIs.
We have it running on a few machines, in-house. Each developer downloads it to their machine, and we also have it running on a test server.
What is most valuable?
This solution is written in Groovy, which means that we can write Groovy scripts that work with it. 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.
From a user's perspective, this solution is better than Micro Focus UFT.
The documentation for this solution could be improved. However, it is a freeware, and the documentation is still better than that of UFT.
What needs improvement?
At the moment, this solution only works for web-based products. It's sort of like a Selenium wrapper, which is quite well done.
The Object Spy is rather frustrating to work with, so I tend not to use it. Instead, I just go and look at the objects in the HTML code, in Chrome for example. A more user-friendly Object Spy would be an improvement.
I would like to see the extension to other GUIs such as Windows and SAP.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for less than six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of this solution is good and improving.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This product is installed on your own client, and it runs fine there. Scalability is not really an issue. There are two of us using this solution at the moment, and we plan on maybe going up to three or four. There is only a certain amount of testing and automation required for our project.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support for this solution is mainly through forums, and the forums are quite good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are trying to get away from Micro Focus products because they're extremely expensive. For functional testing, we're migrating to Katalon Studio, for example.
In the organization as a whole, people are using UFT from Micro Focus, and they are paying a lot of money for it. From the perspective of the user, I would say that this solution is better than UFT, and would encourage people to migrate from UFT to Katalon.
Personally, I have also used Rational Functional Tester, Tricentis Tosca, and Ranorex.
Tosca has a very good analysis, but if you're working with complex web GUIs, such as Angular for example, then Tosca is a pain in the neck. Tosca is more for test analysis.
Ranorex is a good product and it is more flexible. I believe that it can handle Windows GUIs, which Katalon cannot do at the moment. However, Katalon is free, and they are also implementing Winium if we should have the need for Windows GUIs.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. You just download a ZIP file, copy the contents of it into a directory, and you're ready to go. It is a bit like installing Eclipse. The deployment is quick.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This product is freeware, so there is no charge for using it.
There is a paid service available that offers a cloud database where you can store your test cases, pull your test executions, get reports, etc. We're not currently using this service so I cannot comment on it.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I was recently tasked with looking at different testing tools, and I evaluated several including Katalon. Once I tried it, I liked it, and so far we've been happy with it.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for anybody who is considering this project to have some familiarity with Groovy and Java. If you don't like coding then it will not be the product for you. Otherwise, in our experience, it's a good product. It is well thought through and continues to improve.
This solution semi-automatically updates to the latest version, so it is always up to date.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
