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Appium vs Katalon Studio 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

Appium
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
6th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
Mobile Development Platforms (7th)
Katalon Studio
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
2nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
API Testing Tools (5th), Test Automation Tools (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Regression Testing Tools category, the mindshare of Appium is 4.0%, down from 5.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Katalon Studio is 16.7%, up from 16.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Regression Testing Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Abhishek-Tiwari - PeerSpot reviewer
Has cross-platform flexibility and a record-and-play option
The challenging part with Appium is that installation can be a bit tricky. It can be challenging to set up in Android versus iOS environments. Appium has some limitations in terms of writing code using simulators and online cloud devices. I faced challenges with native based scenarios, battery turn out percentage, battery charging percentage, and memory capacity. The other challenge I faced involved codes changing from device to device. For example, the piece of code that works in iOS version 10.1 won't work in iOS version 6.0. In upcoming releases, if they can reduce some more of the dependencies like SDK, UIAutomator, etc., it would be great. That is, I'd like to see a consolidated package or bundle release that is much more user-friendly.
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Appium is it supports iOS and AOS and is open-source."
"We do not need to pay for the solution. It’s free."
"Appium has easy interaction with mobile."
"The solution is stable."
"What I like about Appium right now is that it's like Cypress in the sense that............. to test the components in the way I want them to be tested."
"Appium's wide support of programming languages is valuable."
"We get a list that shows all devices that are connected to the system."
"Obviously because of automation, it reduces manual testing efforts."
"This solution is very user-friendly to learn and implement, and less technical knowledge is required to handle automation."
"The scalability of the product is good."
"The tool has a good record and playback feature for functionality, which saves time when creating automated tests."
"The automation is very fast and you don't need to be overly proficient in coding."
"The initial setup is pretty straightforward and easy enough to complete."
"It is good for API testing. It is also good for continuous integration testing. You can connect it to Jenkins."
"Katalon Studio is user-friendly."
"The best thing about the solution is that there is a record and playback functionality."
 

Cons

"Appium can improve when the case fails, there should be a feature where you can generate the report from Appium. Once you're on a test case, automatically the screenshot should be captured which would avoid manual intervention. These features would be beneficial to migrate to Appium."
"The deployment process and configuration are quite complex and require improvement."
"The challenging part with Appium is that installation can be a bit tricky. It can be challenging to set up in Android versus iOS environments."
"It needs to accommodate applications that use React.js and AngularJS."
"Support-wise, it could be better."
"One area where I think Appium could improve is in addressing security concerns for our data. Currently, we're unable to use cloud solutions like CloudForm due to security restrictions on our servers. We also face challenges in updating packages for the same reason. It would be beneficial if the solution could provide better support for auto-reporting and easier connections to mobile device farms."
"One thing which can be really helpful is that there is some kind of a recorder made available rather than scripting everything."
"The installation part of Appium is somewhat clumsy, requiring numerous dependencies and configurations."
"Katalon doesn't support testing of hybrid applications. It's a limitation."
"Katalon Studio's pricing is expensive."
"There could be many improvements, however, I have not noted them down at this moment."
"It should be faster while executing, and there are some defects, like choosing the new device with the test case."
"I've seen that our clients are not truly aware of the power behind Katalon."
"The product’s regression testing time could be reduced."
"Support options need improvement. It is sometimes hard to find a solution to any given problem, thus you are forced to use another solution."
"It seems to lack a few requirements that a typical customer would want. Compared to other solutions, this product is lacking."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is no license for this solution because it is open-source."
"The price is good for people to be able to make a favorable decision for the value."
"It's open source, so it's completely free."
"Appium is open source; we can use it for free."
"This is an open source solution so it does not cost anything for licensing or otherwise."
"The solution is open-source."
"The pricing of Appium is fine."
"Appium is free and open-source."
"The tool is free to use."
"There is a free version of the tool to use and support is available through the community forums, but there is a licensed version as well."
"I am using the free version."
"The prices are very high."
"The product’s pricing is very, very low."
"This product is freeware, so there is no charge for using it."
"The pricing is good. It is the market average."
"The solution is more affordable than other vendors."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
6%
Educational Organization
29%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Do you recommend Appium?
I do recommend Appium. It is an open-source solution and completely free of charge. We use Appium and Appium Studio as our base for any type of mobile automation for testing. It has a great interfa...
What do you like most about Appium?
Appium helps me to do as much as much as I want to.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Appium?
My experience with Appium from a pricing perspective is favorable due to it being open source, making it a cost-effective option.
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...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Nuvizz, Coupa Software, Eventbrite, Evernote
Coca-Cola Tesla Black Board TaTa Consultancy Services Sony
Find out what your peers are saying about Appium vs. Katalon Studio and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,671 professionals have used our research since 2012.