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Testing · head to head

Katalon vs Playwright

Katalon logo

Katalon

Testing

Commercial low-code test automation platform built on Appium and Selenium, priced per seat plus separate cloud session add-ons

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Playwright logo

Playwright

Testing

Open-source web automation framework for testing and scripting across browsers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Playwright has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Katalon real cost stacks three separate charges, per-seat authoring licence, the True Platform add-on for test management, and per-session cloud execution, so the advertised seat price significantly understates total spend for a team running cloud tests regularly.; Playwright requires programming language knowledge; not suitable for non-technical QA staff
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Katalon and Playwright actually diverge.

Attributes where Katalon and Playwright differ
AttributeKatalonPlaywright
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer seat per month, plus separate per-session cloud execution chargesopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOSWindows, macOS, Linux

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Testing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Katalon

  • Low-code test recording
  • Built on Selenium and Appium
  • Object repository
  • AI-assisted test generation
  • TestCloud execution
  • TestOps management

Only in Playwright

Nothing recorded that Katalon does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Katalon

  • A QA team wanting a lower-code authoring layer over Selenium and Appium for testers without deep coding backgroundsnot Playwright
  • An organisation wanting test management and AI-assisted test maintenance bundled with automation authoring in one commercial productnot Playwright
  • A team needing occasional cross-browser or device cloud sessions without maintaining its own device lab or Selenium Gridnot Playwright
  • An enterprise wanting a single vendor and support contract for test authoring, management and cloud execution togethernot Playwright

Playwright

  • End-to-end testing for web applicationsnot Katalon
  • Cross-browser compatibility testingnot Katalon
  • Accessibility testing and automated screen reader validationnot Katalon
  • Web scraping and data extraction automationnot Katalon
  • AI agent web automation via MCP integrationnot Katalon

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Katalon

  • Real cost stacks three separate charges, per-seat authoring licence, the True Platform add-on for test management, and per-session cloud execution, so the advertised seat price significantly understates total spend for a team running cloud tests regularly.
  • Since it is built on Selenium and Appium underneath, a team with strong automation engineers can replicate most of the core capability for free, paying only for optional cloud execution elsewhere, making Katalon's value proposition mainly about authoring speed rather than unique capability.
  • The steep first-three-seats discount versus the fourth-seat-and-beyond price means cost per seat rises sharply as a team scales past three testers on Katalon Studio alone.
  • Low-code recorded tests can become brittle and hard to maintain at scale in the same way any record-and-playback approach does, requiring the team to still write real code for complex scenarios.
  • Enterprise pricing is quote-only, so the largest deployments lose the pricing transparency the published seat tiers otherwise offer.

Playwright

  • Requires programming language knowledge; not suitable for non-technical QA staff
  • WebKit implementation less mature than Chromium; occasional webkit-specific issues
  • Mobile browser testing relies on emulation, not real devices
  • No managed cloud infrastructure; users must host CI/CD runners or pay for third-party services

Pricing, plan by plan

Katalon

On request
  • Katalon Studio$84/month
    • Annual billing, first three seats at 84 US dollars a seat a month
    • Fourth seat and beyond at 150 US dollars a seat a month
    • Low-code recording, object repository, Selenium and Appium engine underneath
  • True Automation$167/month
    • Annual billing, per seat
    • Includes Studio features plus test management and AI agents
    • True Platform TestOps and TestCloud sold as a further add-on at 700 US dollars a seat a year
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Custom quote for private SaaS and hybrid licensing
    • Dedicated support
    • Negotiated cloud session volume

Playwright

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Playwright review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Katalon if

  • You need low-code test recording.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want built on selenium and appium.
Katalon review

Choose Playwright if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Playwright review

Questions people ask

Is Katalon or Playwright better?
Neither clearly leads. Katalon starts at On request and Playwright at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Katalon or Playwright?
Playwright has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Katalon and Free for Playwright.
Does Katalon or Playwright run on more platforms?
Katalon runs on Web, Windows, macOS. Playwright runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Playwright for free?
Yes. Playwright has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Katalon starts at On request.
What is Katalon best used for?
Katalon is most often used for a qa team wanting a lower-code authoring layer over selenium and appium for testers without deep coding backgrounds, an organisation wanting test management and ai-assisted test maintenance bundled with automation authoring in one commercial product, a team needing occasional cross-browser or device cloud sessions without maintaining its own device lab or selenium grid, an enterprise wanting a single vendor and support contract for test authoring, management and cloud execution together. Of those, a qa team wanting a lower-code authoring layer over selenium and appium for testers without deep coding backgrounds and an organisation wanting test management and ai-assisted test maintenance bundled with automation authoring in one commercial product are not what Playwright is typically brought in for.
What can Katalon do that Playwright cannot?
Katalon covers Low-code test recording, Built on Selenium and Appium, Object repository, AI-assisted test generation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Katalon: Is Katalon free?

No, though a 30-day free trial with no credit card is offered; the product is commercial with per-seat licensing.

Playwright: How much does Playwright cost?

Playwright is completely free. It is open-source software available for TypeScript, Python, .NET, and Java with no licensing fees or usage limits.

Source
Katalon: Does Katalon replace Selenium and Appium?

No, it is built on top of them; Katalon adds a low-code authoring layer, test management and cloud execution rather than a different automation engine.

Playwright: Is Playwright open-source?

Yes, Playwright is open-source software. The source code is available on GitHub and can be used at no cost with no restrictions on commercial use.

Source
Katalon: Is cloud execution included in the seat price?

No, TestCloud cross-browser and mobile sessions are billed separately, at 197 US dollars a session monthly or 1,899 annually per session.

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