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Appium vs Katalon Studio comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Appium
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
6th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
Mobile Development Platforms (7th)
Katalon Studio
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
45
Ranking in other categories
API Testing Tools (5th), Test Automation Tools (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Regression Testing Tools category, the mindshare of Appium is 5.1%, down from 5.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Katalon Studio is 17.9%, up from 15.2% 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

"Appium's best feature is that it supports multiple frameworks."
"The solution is easy to use."
"It can be used with different programming languages."
"Appium has easy interaction with mobile."
"Appium's wide support of programming languages is valuable."
"The best feature of Appium is that it allows you to inspect the element. With the Appium Inspector, you don't have to install another application to do the inspection. I also like that Appium has Android device connectivity. Currently, most people use Appium as automation software, and I haven't found any other tool that's more powerful than Appium."
"It runs completely flawlessly and seamlessly every day."
"The interface is user-friendly, which is beneficial for users, even for those who are new to it."
"It supports multiple easy-to-learn languages."
"It is easy for a non-technical person to use and adopt."
"I rate Katalon Studio's scalability a four out of five."
"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 with iOS and Android."
"The most valuable feature of Katalon Studio is visual testing. It compares the look and feel of an application which is useful."
"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."
 

Cons

"Appium has problems with automated validations following iOS updates, causing us to have to validate manually."
"It needs to accommodate applications that use React.js and AngularJS."
"One thing which can be really helpful is that there is some kind of a recorder made available rather than scripting everything."
"There is always a concern about the amount of code that is required to enhance the automation process. The idea of having less code or no code is what we would like to see in future updates."
"Configuration-wise, there is a lot of room for improvement."
"An application developed on the Unity platform, such as a gaming application, objects are moving in that case. Interacting with those elements is still lacking in Appium. Appium doesn't have the internal library to play with the Unity platform. That is a huge lack right now."
"The user interface needs improvement because there are issues when setting up environment variables."
"They should add an in-built framework."
"The product’s regression testing time could be reduced."
"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."
"We have been seeing some error pop-ups that are difficult to understand why they were triggered."
"Katalon's support is not very strong unless you opt for the enterprise version."
"There is not much support offered for the free version, which is something that could be improved."
"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."
"One aspect that can be improved is testing for desktop applications. I would like to see them support more technologies in this area."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's open source, so it's completely free."
"The pricing of Appium is fine."
"Appium is open source; we can use it for free."
"I'm unsure if there's any cost associated with Appium. I got the free package which includes the server GUI application and the inspector application, and it was free to download, and that's all I need to get my work done. I'm not aware of any additional costs associated with the tool."
"The solution is open source."
"As far as I know, Appium is a free solution. It's not for commercial use."
"It's completely 100% free, and there are no hidden fees."
"The solution is open source so it is free."
"The product is affordable. It has an average and competitive pricing compared to other vendors."
"The solution is more affordable than other vendors."
"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."
"The cost of Katalon Studio is expensive but it is less than some of the other solutions, such as Micro Focus UFT or SmartBear TestComplete. The cost is the main reason we are using Katalon Studio."
"The tool's pricing is cheap compared to other alternatives. I would rate the tool's pricing a three out of ten."
"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 price is not high it's good."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Insurance Company
5%
Educational Organization
32%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
10%
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?
The pricing of Katalon Studio is affordable, making it a sensible option for those looking for an affordable range.
What needs improvement with Katalon Studio?
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. Also, enhancing its test management aspects ...
 

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: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.