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Katalon Studio vs SmartBear TestComplete comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 15, 2024

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
Ranking in Test Automation Tools
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
46
Ranking in other categories
API Testing Tools (4th)
SmartBear TestComplete
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
5th
Ranking in Test Automation Tools
6th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
75
Ranking in other categories
Functional Testing Tools (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Test Automation Tools category, the mindshare of Katalon Studio is 10.5%, down from 12.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SmartBear TestComplete is 6.0%, down from 7.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Test Automation 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.
Prakhar Goel - PeerSpot reviewer
Used for integration automation, user-based automation, and web automation
The solution's most valuable features are the drag-and-drop feature, keyword-driven approach, and reusability of the scripts. The solution has introduced a new feature that helps us identify objects we cannot normally identify. It gives you a fair idea of objects, resolving the object recognition issue. The solution can be used to perform different tests on different machines.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This is a product that is well ahead of its immediate competition in features and functionality."
"I would recommend Katalon Studio, especially if you do not require a license."
"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."
"We are now performing automated testing in 15 minutes, which were previously taking a long time when doing it manually."
"It has been good so far for API testing on Mac. It is not that hard to learn and use. There is so much support out there, so if anyone wants to start using it, there is enough help."
"The most valuable feature of Katalon Studio is visual testing. It compares the look and feel of an application which is useful."
"I personally like the 'Object Spy' feature of this tool. It makes it easy to find an element on the web page."
"The most valuable feature is the integration with Azure DevOps."
"When compared to other tools, it is very simple."
"It is a strong automation tool for desktop, browser, and API testing."
"The reporting is ready to use and doesn't require any setup."
"The solution is great as a record and playback tool. It also has valuable regression testing."
"Test items, project variables helps in managing automation suite and scheduling execution."
"The ability to run a whole suite of tests automatically (which we did overnight)."
"You can record your actions and play them back later."
 

Cons

"The solution can be further improved with better loading time."
"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."
"There could be many improvements, however, I have not noted them down at this moment."
"Katalon doesn't support testing of hybrid applications. It's a limitation."
"The tool's maintenance is very difficult since they do not follow call by value or call by reference. Due to this, any change happening is not reflected throughout all the test cases. There are some issues with data parameterization as well."
"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."
"It should start working on Silverlight automation."
"The solution needs more training manuals or some form of online forum for learning. It needs more documentation."
"The solution needs to extend the possibilities so that we can test on other operating systems, platforms and publications for Android as well as iOS."
"TestComplete gives support to do requests to a SOAP web service but has no support to do HTTP requests on Restful services."
"There could be API interfaces with this tool."
"To bring it up to a 10, I would be looking for the addition of some key functional API testing."
"In the cross-browser domain, it has a few snags with Microsoft Edge and Chrome; although, these problems are not critical."
"The solution’s customer support should be improved."
"SmartBear products generally have a weak link when it comes to integration with other test management tools like Inflectra."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is affordable."
"The tool's licensing costs are yearly."
"The solution is more affordable than other vendors."
"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."
"The approximate cost is around $8,000."
"Katalon Studio is a free tool."
"There is no cost for setup or licensing."
"The product is affordable. It has an average and competitive pricing compared to other vendors."
"The price is less, compared to other products, such as QTP."
"Buy modules on demand. If you have a four-person team and they will each automate tests only 25% of the time, it's better to buy a floating licence and share the tool during the work day."
"SmartBear TestComplete is an expensive tool."
"The pricing is pretty reasonable."
"We have a TestComplete 12 license."
"The price of SmartBear TestComplete could be less. The main challenge is when it comes to node-locked. They should use a subscription model, such as a monthly-based subscription or, a quarterly-based subscription. Their floating license is very expensive, and this high price should be reduced or provide, at a minimum, a subscription model."
"The solution's pricing is too high."
"The option we chose was around $2,000 USD."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
33%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
20%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
7%
 

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...
What do you like most about SmartBear TestComplete?
TestComplete has strong reporting capabilities. The reports they generate are really good.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SmartBear TestComplete?
I don't know much about the pricing, however, I think it's cheaper.
What needs improvement with SmartBear TestComplete?
The recording function, when using Python, could be improved, as it does not work well in recording testing.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Coca-Cola Tesla Black Board TaTa Consultancy Services Sony
Cisco, J.P. Morgan, Boeing, McAfee, EMC, Intuit, and Thomson Reuters.
Find out what your peers are saying about Katalon Studio vs. SmartBear TestComplete and other solutions. Updated: February 2025.
842,296 professionals have used our research since 2012.