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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
6.7
Katalon Studio enhances testing efficiency and cost-effectiveness, with many achieving significant time savings and improved integration with CI/CD pipelines.
Sentiment score
6.8
SmartBear TestComplete automation saves time, enhances client satisfaction, and boosts efficiency, with annual savings of approximately $10,000.
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
Once set up, only one person is needed to handle all tasks, reducing the requirement for multiple personnel.
QA Analyst at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.9
Customer service is praised for responsiveness, but technical support varies, especially in the free version, highlighting areas for improvement.
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.
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
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.8
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
SmartBear TestComplete is scalable and adaptable, with flexible scripting, but may require licensing for wider deployment.
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
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.7
Katalon Studio is generally stable, with minor issues reported, particularly with large tests, integrations, and UI updates.
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.
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
 

Room For Improvement

Katalon Studio requires stability, faster support, expanded language options, improved interface, better performance, and more flexible pricing.
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.
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
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.
QA Analyst at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

Katalon Studio offers free and premium versions, valued for features and pricing, though some find it relatively expensive.
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.
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.
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.
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
The most valuable feature of SmartBear TestComplete for me is the image comparison functionality.
QA Analyst at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Katalon Studio
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
2nd
Ranking in Test Automation Tools
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
API Testing Tools (4th)
SmartBear TestComplete
Ranking in Regression Testing Tools
5th
Ranking in Test Automation Tools
7th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
76
Ranking in other categories
Functional Testing Tools (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Test Automation Tools category, the mindshare of Katalon Studio is 6.4%, down from 11.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SmartBear TestComplete is 5.8%, down from 6.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Test Automation Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Katalon Studio6.4%
SmartBear TestComplete5.8%
Other87.8%
Test Automation 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.
Prakhar Goel - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr Test Lead at Emerson
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
16%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
6%
 

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 Business22
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise32
 

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 ...
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: November 2025.
879,455 professionals have used our research since 2012.