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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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.1
Katalon Studio is user-friendly and cost-effective, leading to significant savings and efficiency improvements for many teams.
Sentiment score
6.8
SmartBear TestComplete automation saves time, enhances client satisfaction, and boosts efficiency, with annual savings of approximately $10,000.
Once set up, only one person is needed to handle all tasks, reducing the requirement for multiple personnel.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.8
Katalon Studio's customer service is responsive, with better support for enterprise versions, though free users face slower service.
Sentiment score
6.9
SmartBear TestComplete's customer support is knowledgeable but inconsistent, with delays and unresolved issues needing faster escalation and responses.
Katalon's support is not very strong unless you opt for the enterprise version.
I encountered a couple of issues during the initial setup, but customer care resolved them quickly.
Within 24 hours, I received support from the customer support team through their forum.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.8
Katalon Studio is praised for scalability, adaptability, and cost-effectiveness, though some seek better script execution for large-scale tests.
Sentiment score
7.4
SmartBear TestComplete is scalable and adaptable, with flexible scripting, but may require licensing for wider deployment.
It allows me to develop, run, and deploy test cases extensively.
Katalon Studio handles larger projects and more complex test cases very easily.
Katalon Studio has very good scalability.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.6
Katalon Studio is generally stable with occasional bugs and crashes, influenced by updates and application complexity.
Sentiment score
6.9
SmartBear TestComplete generally stable, but users report crashes, memory leaks, and HTML5 testing delays in certain scenarios.
It needs more stability when test cases are executed.
In my experience, Katalon Studio is stable, but sometimes I encounter lag and crash issues.
I have not encountered any major bugs or crashes.
 

Room For Improvement

Katalon Studio struggles with stability, scripting diversity, integration, documentation, and requires better support, pricing, and functionality enhancements.
SmartBear TestComplete faces challenges in object recognition, integrations, licensing, performance, and support across browsers and mobile devices.
Parallel execution is available, but not with the free version.
Providing clearer guidance during the trial period for certification and training modules would also help.
There is significant competition, so providing a good offer with extra features could be beneficial.
While using SmartBear TestComplete, we are fine with the current capabilities, however, it would be beneficial to improve some performance aspects, especially the image comparison feature.
 

Setup Cost

Katalon Studio offers free and paid versions, with varied opinions on affordability and competitiveness against similar tools.
SmartBear TestComplete's pricing and licensing receive mixed reviews, seen as both reasonable and costly depending on usage and modules.
The approximate cost is around $8,000.
Although there are free automation software options available, Katalon Studio offers everything in a single hub for a fee.
The pricing of Katalon Studio is affordable, making it a sensible option for those looking for an affordable range.
 

Valuable Features

Katalon Studio is renowned for its flexibility, ease of use, and comprehensive support for various testing and automation tasks.
SmartBear TestComplete excels in cross-platform automation, integration, and support for multiple languages, enhancing automated testing efficiency and maintenance.
We can schedule our test cases, and the report which we get can be shared with higher-level management.
Katalon Studio has positively impacted my organization because I have noticed that I can save more than 50% of our time automating test cases.
Now, using Katalon Studio, we have a 50% increase in velocity in the test and create automatic tests.
The most valuable feature of SmartBear TestComplete for me is the image comparison functionality.
 

Categories and Ranking

Katalon Studio
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
3rd
Ranking in Test Automation Tools
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
51
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
76
Ranking in other categories
Functional Testing Tools (9th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the Test Automation Tools category, the mindshare of Katalon Studio is 8.2%, down from 11.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SmartBear TestComplete is 5.8%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Test Automation Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Katalon Studio8.2%
SmartBear TestComplete5.8%
Other86.0%
Test Automation Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Ramanagowda Hullur - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
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.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise20
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise32
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Katalon Studio?
I started with the trial version and found it had many features. I purchased the next level, and the setup cost was reasonable for me. For working professionals, Katalon Studio provides a lot at a ...
What needs improvement with Katalon Studio?
The reporting is very good, but it could be better.
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 am not involved in pricing or licensing; our management team handles these aspects.
What needs improvement with SmartBear TestComplete?
While using SmartBear TestComplete, we are fine with the current capabilities, however, it would be beneficial to improve some performance aspects, especially the image comparison feature. Occasion...
 

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: September 2025.
872,846 professionals have used our research since 2012.