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Katalon Studio vs Selenium HQ comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.4
Katalon Studio enhances testing efficiency and cost-effectiveness, with many achieving significant time savings and improved integration with CI/CD pipelines.
Sentiment score
6.6
Selenium HQ reduces testing time, increases ROI, and offers cost-efficient automation, despite needing skilled users for optimal performance.
It saves almost 80% of your manual testing time, so it is better to switch to Katalon Studio.
Lead Automation Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
We already have the automation pipeline in place, and we are also using the cloud, allowing us to test multiple browsers and platforms simultaneously, which is great for time and cost savings.
System Engineer at Tata Consultancy Services private Limited
I have seen a return on investment with Katalon Studio because the number of resources allocated to the project has reduced, making it very time-saving and efficient.
Senior Software Qulity Assurance Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.0
Customer service is praised for responsiveness, but technical support varies, especially in the free version, highlighting areas for improvement.
Sentiment score
6.0
Selenium HQ's open-source model means no official support, but extensive community resources offer effective help for troubleshooting.
Katalon's support is not very strong unless you opt for the enterprise version.
Senior Consultant at Yethi Consulting
I encountered a couple of issues during the initial setup, but customer care resolved them quickly.
Senior Quality Specialist at Zenya
Within 24 hours, I received support from the customer support team through their forum.
Software Development Engineer in Test at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
The marketplace community and forums are what we browse and look after, and we have found solutions whenever we tried to find anything.
DevOps Lead at Illumifin India LLP
I have not had the need to escalate questions to Selenium HQ tech support recently, as open community support is widely available and has been sufficient for our needs.
Sr Manager consultant - Digital assurance Services at adrosonic
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Katalon Studio excels in endpoint testing, supports small-to-medium teams, with features enhancing adaptability and scalability, but needs speed improvements.
Sentiment score
7.4
Selenium HQ is scalable and efficient for large scenarios, though hardware and configuration can impact performance.
We achieve scalability through building modular tests, leveraging features such as parallel execution, and using CI/CD integration and pipelines.
System Engineer at Tata Consultancy Services private Limited
It allows me to develop, run, and deploy test cases extensively.
Senior Quality Specialist at Zenya
Katalon Studio handles larger projects and more complex test cases very easily.
Software Development Engineer in Test at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
We can execute thousands of test cases weekly, and our automation coverage using Selenium HQ is approximately eighty-five percent.
Sr Manager consultant - Digital assurance Services at adrosonic
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.8
Katalon Studio is generally stable, with minor issues reported, particularly with large tests, integrations, and UI updates.
Sentiment score
7.0
Selenium HQ is stable across platforms, with minor issues in Internet Explorer; most find Chrome and Firefox satisfactory.
It needs more stability when test cases are executed.
QA at Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC
In my experience, Katalon Studio is stable, but sometimes I encounter lag and crash issues.
Software Development Engineer in Test at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
I have not encountered any major bugs or crashes.
Software Test Engineer at a tech services company with self employed
Selenium HQ is a scalable solution; it has been in production for the last two years, but I have been working on it for the last six years, so it is definitely scalable.
DevOps Lead at Illumifin India LLP
 

Room For Improvement

Katalon Studio requires stability, faster support, expanded language options, improved interface, better performance, and more flexible pricing.
Selenium HQ requires better browser support, enhanced reporting, frequent updates, mobile testing, improved documentation, and user-friendly features.
Parallel execution is available, but not with the free version.
QA at Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC
Providing clearer guidance during the trial period for certification and training modules would also help.
Consultant at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
There is significant competition, so providing a good offer with extra features could be beneficial.
Senior Quality Specialist at Zenya
An automatic update mechanism for Selenium HQ would be beneficial, eliminating the need for manual downloads and updates of browser drivers when new versions are released.
Sr Manager consultant - Digital assurance Services at adrosonic
I don't know if we have that capability to provide different data sources such as SQL Server, CSV, or maybe some other databases, so that kind of capability would be great.
DevOps Lead at Illumifin India LLP
 

Setup Cost

Katalon Studio offers free and premium versions, valued for features and pricing, though some find it relatively expensive.
Selenium HQ is a cost-effective, open-source tool, though additional expenses may arise for maintenance, implementation, and expertise.
The approximate cost is around $8,000.
QA at Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC
Although there are free automation software options available, Katalon Studio offers everything in a single hub for a fee.
Software Test Engineer at a tech services company with self employed
From a user perspective, Katalon Studio offers good value, particularly for teams looking for quick automation without significant upfront investment.
Quality Automation Specialist at SymphonyAI
 

Valuable Features

Katalon Studio offers user-friendly automation with robust features, integrations, and low-code support for web, mobile, and API testing.
Selenium HQ provides cost-free, adaptable, cross-platform testing with customization, CI tool compatibility, and a supportive community.
We can schedule our test cases, and the report which we get can be shared with higher-level management.
Senior Quality Specialist at Zenya
Katalon Studio has positively impacted my organization because I have noticed that I can save more than 50% of our time automating test cases.
Software Development Engineer in Test at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Now, using Katalon Studio, we have a 50% increase in velocity in the test and create automatic tests.
IT Projects Director at a tech consulting company with 11-50 employees
New features in Selenium HQ make object identification easier without reliance on XPath and CSS.
Sr Manager consultant - Digital assurance Services at adrosonic
When we were doing these tests manually, it took several hours of effort, and those hours, when counted on the basis of person days, used to be maybe six or seven months of effort, which we can now do every day by running the pipeline.
DevOps Lead at Illumifin India LLP
 

Categories and Ranking

Katalon Studio
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
API Testing Tools (4th), Test Automation Tools (2nd)
Selenium HQ
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
113
Ranking in other categories
Functional Testing Tools (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Regression Testing Tools category, the mindshare of Katalon Studio is 11.0%, down from 17.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Selenium HQ is 5.5%, up from 5.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Regression Testing Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Katalon Studio11.0%
Selenium HQ5.5%
Other83.5%
Regression Testing Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Ramanagowda Hullur - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Automation Engineer at Stryker
Recording limitations and remote access challenges have affected desktop application testing
Katalon Studio has proven effective in our deliverables, particularly in designing the framework where other tools typically require coding in client libraries such as Python or Java. With Katalon Studio, there is no such complexity, allowing us to organize projects modularly based on folder structures without needing to write separate code. The self-healing feature for web application automation and its built-in CI/CD ecosystem integration eliminates the need for external tools for pipeline setup. Katalon Studio excels in CI/CD integration, providing an inbuilt ecosystem without the need for external setup, and it features a postings structure along with keyword and library availability. Newcomers to the team can easily adapt to the setup or project structure, which contributes to its popularity, along with its low-code or no-code capability that allows for a comprehensive platform supporting web, mobile, API, and desktop automation. The self-healing mechanism for test cases autonomously identifies issues with locators and ensures they continue functioning, which is impressive, along with the robust object repository. Katalon Studio has significantly aided our team, especially when clients expect deliveries for CI/CD integration that requires automation test scripts to run on a daily schedule. The self-healing feature automatically identifies available locators for elements in the DOM, ensuring that test cases remain functional. Katalon Studio has positively impacted our organization by facilitating faster delivery when clients have urgent requirements. We can deliver quickly based on urgency due to the features Katalon Studio provides. This has led to significant reductions in time spent on framework configuration, designing, and training individuals who are unfamiliar with the tool, helping us save both time and costs.
Sujata Sujata Ghadage - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr Manager consultant - Digital assurance Services at adrosonic
Automation in testing processes sees improvement with multi-browser support and easier website interactions
Selenium HQ could improve by including a robust reporting framework, eliminating the need for external frameworks. The tool could simplify object identification, enabling users to generate XPaths without requiring detailed DOM understanding. Additionally, an automatic update mechanism for Selenium HQ would be beneficial, eliminating the need for manual downloads and updates of browser drivers when new versions are released.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise25
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise33
Large Enterprise51
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Katalon Studio?
Pricing felt reasonable for the features provided, especially considering the time saved during the automation setup and execution. From a user perspective, Katalon Studio offers good value, partic...
What needs improvement with Katalon Studio?
Katalon Studio could improve by making test maintenance easier for very large projects, especially when applications undergo frequent UI changes. It would help if Katalon Studio handled large test ...
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?
I will give an eight for my satisfaction with the pricing and licensing costs of Selenium HQ.
 

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: December 2025.
879,889 professionals have used our research since 2012.