Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Katalon VS GitLab

Compare Katalon VS GitLab and see what are their differences

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Katalon logo Katalon

Built on the top of Selenium and Appium, Katalon Studio is a free and powerful automated testing tool for web testing, mobile testing, and API testing.

GitLab logo GitLab

Create, review and deploy code together with GitLab open source git repo management software | GitLab
  • Katalon Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-19
  • GitLab Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-17

GitLab

Release Date
2014 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Dmitriy Zaporozhets
Employees
1,000 - 1,999

Katalon features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Katalon's intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface lowers the barrier for entry, making it simple for both novice and experienced testers to create and manage automated tests.
  • Cross-Browser Testing
    It supports automated testing across different browsers and platforms, ensuring consistent behavior of applications in various environments.
  • Integrated Reporting
    Katalon offers robust reporting and dashboard features, providing detailed insights and analytics on test execution and results.
  • Built-in Keywords
    The platform includes a comprehensive library of built-in keywords for web, API, mobile, and desktop testing, reducing the need for custom scripting.
  • Community and Support
    An active community along with comprehensive documentation and professional support services help users troubleshoot issues and share best practices.
  • Cost-Effective
    Offering both free and paid versions, Katalon is cost-effective and accessible for both small teams and large enterprises.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Katalon integrates well with popular CI/CD tools, version control systems, and other DevOps tools, enabling seamless workflows.

Possible disadvantages of Katalon

  • Performance Issues
    Some users report performance lags and slow test execution speeds, especially when dealing with large test suites.
  • Limited Scripting Language Options
    Katalon primarily supports Groovy for scripting, which could be a limitation for teams accustomed to other languages like Python or JavaScript.
  • Resource Intensive
    The platform can be resource-heavy, requiring robust hardware to run efficiently, which could be a concern for smaller setups or limited environments.
  • Steep Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While the interface is user-friendly, advanced features and customizations have a steep learning curve that might require significant time investment.
  • Limited Mobile Testing Features
    Mobile testing capabilities, while present, are not as mature or extensive as some specialized mobile testing tools.
  • Pricing for Enterprise Features
    Advanced features and extensive support come at a cost, which might be a hurdle for smaller teams or organizations with limited budgets.
  • Integration Limitations
    Although Katalon integrates with many tools, it still lacks compatibility with some niche or less popular systems.

GitLab features and specs

  • Integrated DevOps Platform
    GitLab provides a single application for the entire DevOps lifecycle, which simplifies the workflow and reduces the need for multiple tools.
  • CI/CD Capabilities
    It offers powerful Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) features, enabling automated testing and deployment.
  • Self-Hosted and SaaS Options
    GitLab can be hosted on your own servers or used as a cloud-hosted service, providing flexibility depending on your needs.
  • Strong Security Features
    GitLab includes various security features such as code quality analysis, vulnerability management, and compliance management.
  • Robust Community and Support
    There is a large community and extensive documentation available, along with professional support options.

Possible disadvantages of GitLab

  • Complexity for New Users
    The extensive features and functionalities can be overwhelming for newcomers, requiring a steep learning curve.
  • Resource Intensive
    Self-hosting a GitLab instance requires substantial server resources, which can be costly.
  • Price
    While there is a free tier, the advanced features are part of the paid plans, which can be expensive for small teams or startups.
  • User Interface
    Some users find the interface less intuitive and harder to navigate compared to other platforms like GitHub.
  • Performance Issues
    Large repositories or high usage can sometimes lead to performance issues, especially on self-hosted instances.

Analysis of Katalon

Overall verdict

  • Katalon is a highly regarded tool in the test automation field. It offers a comprehensive solution for both beginner and advanced users, making it an effective choice for many organizations looking to implement automated testing.

Why this product is good

  • Katalon is considered a good option for test automation due to its user-friendly interface, extensive support for different types of testing such as web, API, mobile, and desktop applications, and its integration with a variety of tools like CI/CD pipelines, version control systems, and issue tracking tools. It provides built-in keywords, dual scripting interfaces (manual and Groovy scripting), and robust reporting capabilities, which streamline the test automation process for users with varying levels of expertise.

Recommended for

    Katalon is recommended for software testing teams and quality assurance professionals who are seeking a cost-effective and versatile automation tool. It's especially well-suited for those who work with diverse technologies and want an all-in-one platform for their test automation needs. Its ease of use makes it accessible for those new to automation, while its advanced features cater to more experienced testers.

Analysis of GitLab

Overall verdict

  • Yes, GitLab is generally considered a good platform, especially for teams looking for an integrated set of tools for software development and DevOps. Its features and flexibility make it a strong choice for many organizations.

Why this product is good

  • GitLab is a popular DevOps platform that provides a comprehensive suite of tools for software development, including version control, issue tracking, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), and more. It is valued for its open-source model, strong security features, user-friendly interface, and a wide range of integrations. GitLab's all-in-one approach allows teams to manage their entire DevOps lifecycle from a single application, which can help improve collaboration and efficiency.

Recommended for

    GitLab is well-suited for developers, DevOps engineers, project managers, and teams that require robust CI/CD capabilities, strong security features, and an open-source platform that can be self-hosted or used as a cloud service. It is particularly beneficial for organizations looking for a comprehensive solution to streamline their development workflows.

Katalon videos

Katalon Studio: Advantage and Disadvantage to Katalon Studio

More videos:

  • Review - TestProject vs Katalon Studio - An Complete comparison
  • Review - QnA Friday 20 - Selenium or Katalon Studio ? ⭐⭐⭐

GitLab videos

Introduction to GitLab Workflow

More videos:

  • Review - GitLab Review App Working Session

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Katalon and GitLab)
Automated Testing
100 100%
0% 0
Code Collaboration
0 0%
100% 100
Website Testing
100 100%
0% 0
Git
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Katalon and GitLab

Katalon Reviews

Top 20 Open Source & Cloud Free Postman Alternatives (2024 Updated)
Katalon Studio is an integrated environment for API, web, desktop, and mobile testing. It provides a rich feature set for comprehensive testing.
Source: medium.com
Top Selenium Alternatives
Katalon Studio is a versatile testing platform that provides a comprehensive solution for web, API, mobile, and desktop application testing. It's designed for users of all technical levels and features codeless test creation, a friendly UI, and the ability to integrate with various tools and frameworks. Katalon platforms offers both automated and exploratory testing,...
Source: bugbug.io
15 Best Postman Alternatives for Automated API Testing [2022 Updated]
API testing in Katalon Studio is a comprehensive feature that supports all sorts of REST, SOAP/1.1, and SOAP/1.2 calls. Katalon Studio allows testers to collaborate in multiple ways on their API project, including keyword-driven testing and Page Object Model (POM) testing. Katalon’s API automation IDE offers the best functionality for scripting, debugging, and maintaining...
Source: testsigma.com
Best Automation Testing Tools (Free and Paid) | July 2022
Katalon Studio is a simple and powerful automation solution built by KMS Technology for testers everywhere. The tool provides comparable features to popular commercial solutions whilst eliminating the effort to build an automation framework from open sources. Best of all, we’re committed to keeping Katalon Studio free.
20 BEST Selenium Alternatives in 2021
Trusted by over half a million users, Katalon Studio offers the best of both worlds of Selenium & Appium by eliminating their complexities while still remaining a powerful automation solution with advanced features.
Source: www.guru99.com

GitLab Reviews

  1. Reinhard
    · Boss at CLOUD Meister ·
    perfect for Freelancers!

The Top 11 Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Tools
GitLab’s in-context testing solution simplifies the development process by automating both application and infrastructure management on a single platform.Why We Picked GitLab: We like GitLab’s automation of testing and compliance across development workflows. Its in-context testing minimizes license costs and reduces the learning curve.
The Top 10 GitHub Alternatives
GitLab is a web-based DevSecOps (take that, Call of Duty) platform that allows software development teams to plan, build, and ship secure code all in one application. GitLab offers a range of features and tools to support the entire software development lifecycle, from project planning and source code management to continuous integration, delivery, and deployment.
The Best Alternatives to Jenkins for Developers
CI/CD GitLab, as a complete DevOps platform, provides an integrated CI/CD solution along with its other features. If your team is already using GitLab for controlling versions and managing projects, the addition of GitLab CI/CD can be very smooth. The offering in CI/CD by GitLab is quite customizable and it backs up many programming languages as well as application test...
Source: morninglif.com
Top 7 GitHub Alternatives You Should Know (2024)
Most of the listed alternatives offer free tier plans for individuals or small teams. Tools like GitLab and Bitbucket allow users to host unlimited repositories without cost.
Source: snappify.com
Best GitHub Alternatives for Developers in 2023
While GitLab features an extensive set of capabilities, this can also serve as a weakness since beginners may find the developer tool overwhelming to begin with. The user interface compounds this issue by being outdated and unintuitive. GitLab could benefit from more third-party integrations, and its performance tends to struggle when dealing with large repositories or CI/CD...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GitLab seems to be a lot more popular than Katalon. While we know about 135 links to GitLab, we've tracked only 8 mentions of Katalon. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Katalon mentions (8)

  • 25 Best SaaS Testing Tools [2024]
    Katalon Studio is designed to provide a comprehensive testing platform for visual, web, API, mobile, and desktop applications. It is one of the best SaaS testing tools due to its user-friendly interface and robust features, which help teams streamline their testing processes and deliver high-quality software without bugs, enhancing overall digital experiences. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Top 10 iOS Automation Testing Tools for 2025 (with Key Features)
    #6 Katalon Studio This automated testing platform supports iOS app testing across desktop, web, mobile apps, and APIs. It can test native, hybrid, and web apps on various real devices, simulators, and cloud device farms. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Top 10 REST API Testing Tools
    Katalon Studio is a comprehensive test automation solution supporting web, mobile, and API applications. It integrates well with popular CI/CD tools and offers a user-friendly interface for test creation. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • The Importance of Testing and the Impact of a Bug in Production
    Katalon Studio - https://katalon.com/: an integrated environment to record and run your tests. 💲Free / Payment. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • GPT-3.5 crashes when it thinks about useRalativeImagePath too much
    I didn't realize this spelling mistake was so pervasive (80k GitHub results). Seems to be related to Katalon Studio (https://katalon.com/). - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
View more

GitLab mentions (135)

  • Cross-Compiling Haskell under NixOS with Docker
    I attended the AWS Summit 2025 in Singapore. I enjoyed the event. There were booths from various companies which I found interesting, such as GitLab and ClickHouse. More importantly, I got to meet very interesting people. - Source: dev.to / 2 days ago
  • GitLab: templates for Merge Requests
    GitLab is a well-established tool that hardly needs any introduction. This article is more like some notes to my future self. - Source: dev.to / 4 days ago
  • India Open Source Development: Harnessing Collaborative Innovation for Global Impact
    Indian developers have embraced platforms like GitHub and GitLab, which serve as global meeting points for coding projects. Developer communities such as FOSSAsia and Open Source India regularly organize hackathons, webinars, and code sprints that bring together enthusiasts to tackle both local and global problems. - Source: dev.to / 27 days ago
  • Open Source Funding: Strategies, Case Studies, and Best Practices
    In this article, we explore funding methods that empower projects such as Red Hat, GitLab, and Blender. Our discussion focuses on overlaying robust financial models with community-led efforts while incorporating advanced technologies like blockchain and smart contracts for secure, transparent fund distribution. With clear definitions, tables, bullet lists, and real-world examples, we aim to provide a holistic view... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • The Hidden Challenges of Building with AWS
    💡** My Take:** If you’re not ready to spend hours debugging AWS configurations, you might want to consider other cloud options, such as DigitalOcean or Gitlab for CI/CD. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Katalon and GitLab, you can also consider the following products

Selenium - Selenium automates browsers. That's it! What you do with that power is entirely up to you. Primarily, it is for automating web applications for testing purposes, but is certainly not limited to just that.

GitHub - Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.

Cypress.io - Slow, difficult and unreliable testing for anything that runs in a browser. Install Cypress in seconds and take the pain out of front-end testing.

BitBucket - Bitbucket is a free code hosting site for Mercurial and Git. Manage your development with a hosted wiki, issue tracker and source code.

Testsigma - Complete AI-driven Test Automation platform for Web apps, Mobile apps and APIs. Simple English commands to automate complex tests easily and effectively with all the flexibility that enterprise teams need!

Gitea - A painless self-hosted Git service