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Appium vs Katalon Studio 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

Appium
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
6th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
Mobile Development Platforms (6th)
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)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Regression Testing Tools category, the mindshare of Appium is 4.0%, down from 5.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Katalon Studio is 16.7%, up from 16.5% 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

"We develop apps using the React Native framework, and Appium integrates well for testing those apps. The Appium automation framework also has good integration with GitHub Actions and plenty of other tools and frameworks, including BrowserStack."
"It's an open-source solution with a very large community and available documentation."
"We get a list that shows all devices that are connected to the system."
"Obviously because of automation, it reduces manual testing efforts."
"The automation part is extremely helpful in streamlining our processes."
"What I like about Appium right now is that it's like Cypress in the sense that............. to test the components in the way I want them to be tested."
"The solution helps with test automation. We focus mostly on Java."
"Appium's wide support of programming languages is valuable."
"The tool is easy to use. The product gives me the flexibility to use Selenium. I can also use my Java capabilities in the solution."
"Smart Wait and XPath healing are valuable features."
"We are now performing automated testing in 15 minutes, which were previously taking a long time when doing it manually."
"The automation is very fast and you don't need to be overly proficient in coding."
"The most valuable feature is that the browser and the API testing is available in a single tool, and I don't have to look at other options."
"I rate Katalon Studio's scalability a four out of five."
"It is good for API testing. It is also good for continuous integration testing. You can connect it to Jenkins."
"The ability to build all libraries with codes and use them in many situations has been most valuable."
 

Cons

"The installation part of Appium is somewhat clumsy, requiring numerous dependencies and configurations."
"Image recognition could be improved. We have some images in our mobile applications. It should be able to run from the cloud, so we can automate the catcher."
"Configuring the project to be used in Appium is a little bit tedious."
"One area where I think Appium could improve is in addressing security concerns for our data. Currently, we're unable to use cloud solutions like CloudForm due to security restrictions on our servers. We also face challenges in updating packages for the same reason. It would be beneficial if the solution could provide better support for auto-reporting and easier connections to mobile device farms."
"The initial setup is straightforward if you have previous experience with the solution, but it can be complicated for a novice user."
"Appium has problems with automated validations following iOS updates, causing us to have to validate manually."
"We need some bug fixes for nested elements."
"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."
"What it lacks is the Selenium Grid capabilities."
"I can say that in my company, we struggle a lot with iOS automation."
"Its stability needs improvement."
"Katalon Studio should improve its usability, it still needs some improvement where users can easily use it to build their automation suite. It requires some initial work to set it up. There should be more keywords in the library to limit the coding requirements, this will allow a non-technical person easily start using it, which would be better."
"There could be many improvements, however, I have not noted them down at this moment."
"It should be faster while executing, and there are some defects, like choosing the new device with the test case."
"It would be helpful if they can integrate a feature for performance testing."
"It seems to lack a few requirements that a typical customer would want. Compared to other solutions, this product is lacking."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is open source so it is free."
"The solution is open source."
"Appium is open source; we can use it for free."
"Appian is open-source, which is not licensed."
"It's open source, so it's completely free."
"This is an open source solution so it does not cost anything for licensing or otherwise."
"The solution is free."
"The solution is open-source."
"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."
"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."
"There is a free version of the tool to use and support is available through the community forums, but there is a licensed version as well."
"This product is freeware, so there is no charge for using it."
"I am using the free version."
"Katalon Studio is an expensive tool."
"There is no cost for setup or licensing."
"The pricing is good. It is the market average."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Retailer
6%
Educational Organization
31%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
11%
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?
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...
 

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: April 2025.
849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.