Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Katalon VS Selenium

Compare Katalon VS Selenium and see what are their differences

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.

Selenium logo 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.
  • Katalon Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-19
  • Selenium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-08-22

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.

Selenium features and specs

  • Open Source
    Selenium is an open-source tool, which means it is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. This makes it a cost-effective choice for companies of all sizes.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility
    Selenium supports multiple browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. This allows testers to ensure that web applications work seamlessly across different browsers.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Selenium can run on various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This provides flexibility to test on multiple platforms to ensure consistent user experience.
  • Supports Multiple Programming Languages
    Selenium supports multiple programming languages such as Java, C#, Python, and JavaScript. This allows testers to write their scripts in the language they are most comfortable with.
  • Rich Community and Documentation
    Being a widely-used tool, Selenium has extensive community support and a wealth of documentation and tutorials available. This makes it easier for new users to get started and find solutions to problems.
  • Integration with Other Tools
    Selenium integrates well with various testing frameworks and tools like TestNG, JUnit, and Maven, as well as CI/CD tools like Jenkins and Docker. This makes it a versatile and comprehensive automation solution.

Possible disadvantages of Selenium

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Selenium requires knowledge of programming to create and maintain test scripts. For those new to automation or coding, the learning curve can be quite steep.
  • No Built-in Reporting
    Selenium does not come with built-in reporting features. Testers must rely on third-party tools or build custom reporting solutions to generate test reports.
  • Limited Support for Desktop Applications
    Selenium is designed primarily for web application testing and offers limited support for desktop applications. This limits its use in scenarios where desktop application testing is needed.
  • Manual Effort for Maintenance
    Test scripts require regular maintenance to accommodate changes in the web application, such as updates to the UI or changes in element identifiers. This can lead to significant manual effort.
  • Performance Issues
    Selenium can be slower compared to other automation tools, especially when running extensive test suites. This can affect the speed of the overall testing process.
  • Browser Compatibility Issues
    Although Selenium supports multiple browsers, each browser's implementation of WebDriver may have unique quirks and bugs. This occasionally leads to test script compatibility issues across different browsers.

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 ? ⭐⭐⭐

Selenium videos

What is Selenium | Selenium Explained in 2-minutes | Introduction to Selenium | Intellipaat

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Katalon and Selenium)
Automated Testing
39 39%
61% 61
Website Testing
41 41%
59% 59
Browser Testing
28 28%
72% 72
Software Testing
100 100%
0% 0

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 Selenium

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

Selenium Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
Nightwatch.js simplifies the setup and use of Selenium WebDriver, providing an abstraction layer that is easier to work with for JavaScript developers. While it offers the broad compatibility and standardization of Selenium WebDriver, it aims to improve the development experience with its simplified syntax and support for the Page Object pattern, making it a middle ground...
Source: bugbug.io
Top 5 Selenium Alternatives for Less Maintenance
And that’s why code-free test automation is important. Implementing codeless Selenium alternatives can address the challenges posed by traditional Selenium testing. They help testers with various skill sets to contribute to the testing process, enhancing collaboration and accelerating the testing lifecycle. For an in-depth discussion on the significance of codeless Selenium,...
Best Automation Testing Tools (Free and Paid) | July 2022
Automation testing is the process of testing the software using an automation tool to find the defects. In this process, executing the test scripts and generating the results are performed automatically by automation tools. Some most popular tools to do automation testing are HP QTP/UFT, Selenium WebDriver, etc.,
20 BEST Selenium Alternatives in 2021
Selenium is an open-source automated testing tool. It can perform functional, regression, load testing on web applications across different browsers and platforms. Selenium is one of the finest tools, but it does have some drawbacks.
Source: www.guru99.com
Top 10 Best Selenium Alternatives You Should Try
Selenium is a convenient and portable software testing tool specifically used for testing web applications. It acts as an API (Application Program Interface) for browser automation. Selenium is the widely used free and open-source tool used for automation testing of web applications through various browsers and platforms.

Social recommendations and mentions

Selenium might be a bit more popular than Katalon. We know about 8 links to it since March 2021 and only 8 links to 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 / 5 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 / 5 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 / 5 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 / 6 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
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Selenium mentions (8)

  • How to write tests in Django for JavaScript fetch
    You won't be able to test the javascript function itself from within python, but you can exercise the front-end code using something like cypress (https://cypress.io) or the older but still respectable selenium (https://selenium.dev). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Having Issues with selenium
    In addition, .find_element_by_class_name is deprecated since selenium 4.3.0 and the replacement is .find_element(By.CLASS_NAME, "class"). Check selenium's site for more info. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Issues with Selenium 4.8.0
    This is the code again after checking selenium's official site :. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Having Issues with selenium
    I also tried the following code seen on the selenium.dev website. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Document Object Model Specification
    The following functions are defined within the Selenium project, at revision 1721e627e3b5ab90a06e82df1b088a33a8d11c20. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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.

Robot framework - Robot Framework is a generic test automation framework for acceptance testing and acceptance...

BrowserStack - BrowserStack is a software testing platform for developers to comprehensively test websites and mobile applications for quality.

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!

TestComplete - TestComplete Desktop, Web, and Mobile helps you create repeatable and accurate automated tests across multiple devices, platforms, and environments easily and quickly.

puppeteer - Puppeteer is a Node library which provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome or Chromium...