shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Katalon?

Katalon True Platform unifies test management, automation, execution and production insights. Test web, mobile, API and desktop in one platform. Start free, no credit card. - katalon.com

Depends. Buy if your QA team needs unified test automation plus test management and can absorb per-node CI fees. Skip it if you're a solo dev or code-first team; free Selenium or Playwright covers simple testing.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 15 public sources; review volume is thin (Trustpilot shows 1 review), so confidence is medium.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free / Studio

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Team / StarterFrom $59/mo
EnterpriseCustom (contact sales)

Best for

  • QA teams automating web, mobile, API, desktop
  • Low-code testers with light coding skills
  • Teams wanting management and execution in one tool
  • Jira shops open to AI-written test cases

Not for

  • Solo devs doing simple smoke tests — Selenium IDE is free
  • Code-first teams happier in Playwright or in-house frameworks
  • Small teams that can't absorb per-node CI execution fees
  • Buyers needing transparent upfront pricing — Enterprise is quote-only

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Runtime Engine for CI/parallel runs is paid per node; 5 engineers plus 2 nodes modeled at $7,200–$9,600/yr.

medium

Enterprise Edition is custom contact-sales pricing; expect negotiation, not a public rate card.

medium

Some testers eventually migrate to plain-code frameworks like IntelliJ setups — plan your exit path.

low

30-day trial, then paid plans required; legacy plan pages still circulate alongside current Starter offers.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free tier includes unlimited test cases; genuinely useful for learning.
  • Tests web, mobile, API, and desktop in one platform.
  • AI writes test cases from requirements, Jira tickets, or prompts.
  • No-code, low-code, or full-code authoring suits mixed-skill teams.
  • Named Gartner 'Visionary' 2025 for AI-augmented software testing.

Cons

  • Serious users report leaving for IntelliJ and in-house frameworks.
  • CI and parallel execution cost extra per node beyond free Studio.
  • Enterprise pricing opaque; contact-sales only for large organizations.
  • Trustpilot presence thin: 3.2/5 from a single review.
  • Legacy subscription pages and mixed plan models create pricing confusion.

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 15 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x2review x10security x1news x2

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 15

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Free tier strong; CI nodes and Enterprise climb fast.
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Templates and low-code praised by less-technical users.
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Web, mobile, API, desktop, management, execution unified.
  • Support quality: 4/5. Reviewers praise responsive support and active community.
  • Security posture: 3/5. Published security page and CISO; no audit evidence.
  • 4.5/5 Tekpon rating Katalon listing score
  • $59/mo Starting price 30-day free trial
  • Yes Free tier Studio free; unlimited test cases
  • $27M raised Funding ~360 employees, Atlanta HQ

Pricing

Free / Studio

$0

  • Unlimited test cases
  • Visual testing included
  • For learning and personal projects

Team / Starter

From $59/mo

  • Self-serve team testing
  • 30-day free trial
  • Runtime Engine billed per node

Enterprise

Not disclosed

  • All Team capabilities
  • For large testing programs

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Feedback is split: beginners praise the templates, support, and community, while experienced testers sometimes leave for plain-code frameworks.

“Selenium has been giving me problems lately so I spent a week trying Katalon and I really like it.”
Reddit, r/QualityAssurance
“Katalon was a big reason for leaving my last job. So much happier using IntelliJ and an in house testing framework.”
Reddit, r/QualityAssurance
“I like the pre-installed templates because for someone with a little knowledge of coding I can just use Katalon templates and they get the work done without any problem.”
Software Advice review

Alternatives

Compare Katalon with each alternative.

Full analysis

Based on 15 public sources; review volume is thin (Trustpilot shows 1 review), so confidence is medium.

Legit all-in-one test automation with a real free tier; overkill for simple smoke tests — try free Selenium first.

Methodology

Based on 15 public sources; review volume is thin (Trustpilot shows 1 review), so confidence is medium.

Sources

  1. Katalon official sitekatalon.com
    official
  2. Katalon product security pagekatalon.com
    security
  3. Katalon Pricing Page Hubpricingpagehub.com
    review
  4. Katalon Pricing: Studio vs Runtime Engine (Autonoma AI)getautonoma.com
    review
  5. Vendr: Katalon Studio pricingvendr.com
    review
  6. Katalon Review 2026 — AI Testing Guideaitestingguide.com
    review
  7. Software Advice: Katalon Studio reviewssoftwareadvice.com
    review
  8. Trustpilot: katalon.com reviewstrustpilot.com
    review
  9. Tekpon: Katalon reviewstekpon.com
    review
  10. Reddit r/QualityAssurance: Katalon freeware threadreddit.com
    review
  11. Reddit r/QualityAssurance: leaving Katalon threadreddit.com
    review
  12. Gartner Peer Insights: Katalon True Platformgartner.com
    review
  13. Katalon Studio — Wikipedia (Gartner Visionary 2025)en.wikipedia.org
    news
  14. LeadIQ: Katalon company overviewleadiq.com
    news
  15. Katalon Docs: trial and subscription plansdocs.katalon.com
    official

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