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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

"The initial setup is pretty straightforward and easy enough to complete."
"Smart Wait and XPath healing are valuable features."
"It is easy for a non-technical person to use and adopt."
"The tool has a good record and playback feature for functionality, which saves time when creating automated tests."
"The most valuable feature is its automation security capabilities."
"It is a good tool and provides all the essential features for our business requirements."
"It provides us daily feedback on the status (failing/working) of the core features of our websites."
"The automation is very fast and you don't need to be overly proficient in coding."
"Selenium web driver - Java."
"It has helped to complete tests in less time, which would not be possible relying on manual testing only."
"The stability of the solution has been good, it is reliable we have not had any bugs."
"It supports most of the mainstream browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, IE and etc."
"It's easy for new people to get trained on this solution. If we are hiring new people, the resource pool in the market in test automation is largely around Selenium."
"The tool is easy to use and log in with respect to other tools. It is open-source. We can customize the product. I also like its security."
"The solution is very easy to use. Once you learn how to do things, it becomes very intuitive and simple."
"The most valuable features of Selenium HQ are it is open-source, has a good interface, and integrates well."
 

Cons

"Now we are having difficulties in using it and had to limit our automation experts to the features that Katalon allows us to use for free. It was free access and they claimed that it would be free for all time."
"I can say that in my company, we struggle a lot with iOS automation."
"The product’s regression testing time could be reduced."
"We have had some issues when it comes to stability, which is something that needs to be improved."
"There could be many improvements, however, I have not noted them down at this moment."
"The free version of the solution is not user friendly at all."
"The integration process with Jira should be enhanced and facilitated."
"The solution can be further improved with better loading time."
"I would like to see XPath made more reliable so that it can be used in all browsers."
"It is not a licensed tool. The problem with that is that it won't be able to support Windows desktop applications. There is no support for Windows desktop applications. They can do something about it. Its user interface can also be improved, which is not great compared to the other latest tools. Anybody who has been working on functional testing or manual testing cannot directly work on Selenium HQ without learning programming skills, which is a disadvantage."
"If they can integrate more recording features, like UFT, it would be helpful for automation, but it's not necessary. They can also add a few more reporting features for advanced reporting."
"Selenium HQ can improve by creating an enterprise version where it can provide the infrastructure for running the tests. Currently, we need to run the test in our infrastructure because it's a free tool. If Google can start an enterprise subscription and they can provide us with the infrastructure, such as Google Cloud infrastructure where we can configure it, and we can run the test there, it would be highly beneficial."
"The initial setup was difficult."
"Selenium HQ doesn't have any self-healing capabilities."
"Selenium could offer better ways to record and create scripts. IDE is available, however, it can be improved."
"For email-based applications, we can't automate as we would like to, making it necessary to bring in a third-party product to do so."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is affordable. It has an average and competitive pricing compared to other vendors."
"The tool's pricing is cheap compared to other alternatives. I would rate the tool's pricing a three out of ten."
"There is no cost for setup or licensing."
"The prices are very high."
"The tool is free to use."
"Katalon Studio is a free tool."
"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."
"We are using the free version. We plan on getting a paid version because there is a limitation in terms of the number of users. We want to maximize it."
"Selenium is an open-source solution, and It's free."
"It is an open-source tool."
"We are using Selenium open-source, so there is no need to purchase anything."
"It is free to use."
"Since it is an open source. It is free to use. However my company see it as the future of load testing."
"This is an open-source product that can be used free of charge."
"The solution is open source."
"This product is open source and free. That was a huge deciding factor for us getting into it."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
33%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
10%
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.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.