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Testing · head to head

Katalon vs Tricentis Tosca

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
Tricentis Tosca logo

Tricentis Tosca

Testing

Model based test automation for enterprise applications, with deep SAP and mainframe coverage

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Tricentis Tosca licensing is quoted per workstation at enterprise figures, so the tool only pays back where testing headcount is already large; a team of five will not recover the cost.
  • They diverge on capability: Katalon covers Low-code test recording, Tricentis Tosca covers Model based test design.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Katalon and Tricentis Tosca actually diverge.

Attributes where Katalon and Tricentis Tosca differ
AttributeKatalonTricentis Tosca
Pricing modelPer seat per month, plus separate per-session cloud execution chargesquote
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOSWindows, Web

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Tricentis Tosca

  • Model based test design
  • SAP coverage
  • Risk based test selection
  • API and message layer testing
  • Test data management
  • Distributed execution

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 Tricentis Tosca
  • An organisation wanting test management and AI-assisted test maintenance bundled with automation authoring in one commercial productnot Tricentis Tosca
  • A team needing occasional cross-browser or device cloud sessions without maintaining its own device lab or Selenium Gridnot Tricentis Tosca
  • An enterprise wanting a single vendor and support contract for test authoring, management and cloud execution togethernot Tricentis Tosca

Tricentis Tosca

  • Regression testing an SAP estate through an S/4HANA migration where thousands of transactions must be verifiednot Katalon
  • A regulated organisation that needs auditable evidence of what was tested before each releasenot Katalon
  • Testing a mixed estate of browser, Windows desktop and mainframe applications from one suitenot Katalon
  • A test centre of excellence with dozens of testers where per screen maintenance beats per test maintenancenot 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.

Tricentis Tosca

  • Licensing is quoted per workstation at enterprise figures, so the tool only pays back where testing headcount is already large; a team of five will not recover the cost.
  • Building the initial application model takes months and is usually done with paid consultants, meaning value arrives long after the invoice does.
  • The authoring environment is Windows only and heavy, which sits awkwardly in organisations whose engineers work on macOS or Linux.
  • Tricentis has assembled its portfolio through acquisitions, so products sold together vary in how deeply they are integrated and a buyer should verify the joins rather than the diagram.
  • Skills are specific to Tosca and not transferable, so recruiting testers means hiring for a niche tool and losing a trained one hurts more than losing a Selenium engineer.

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

Tricentis Tosca

On request
  • Tricentis Tosca$undefined/year
    • Quoted per workstation licence with separate execution agents and module packs
    • Implementation is normally sold with partner services, which typically exceed first year licence cost

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 Tricentis Tosca if

  • You need model based test design.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want sap coverage.
Tricentis Tosca review

Questions people ask

Is Katalon or Tricentis Tosca better?
Neither clearly leads. Katalon starts at On request and Tricentis Tosca at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Katalon or Tricentis Tosca?
Katalon starts at On request and Tricentis Tosca at On request.
Does Katalon or Tricentis Tosca run on more platforms?
Katalon runs on Web, Windows, macOS. Tricentis Tosca runs on Windows, Web.
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 Tricentis Tosca is typically brought in for.
What can Katalon do that Tricentis Tosca cannot?
Katalon covers Low-code test recording, Built on Selenium and Appium, Object repository, AI-assisted test generation. Tricentis Tosca covers Model based test design, SAP coverage, Risk based test selection, API and message layer testing.

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.

Tricentis Tosca: Is Tosca scriptless?

Test assembly is scriptless, but non trivial estates still need TQL queries and custom modules, which is programming under another name.

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.

Tricentis Tosca: Why does it dominate SAP testing?

It holds SAP certification, covers SAP GUI and Fiori at transaction level, and is sold through the same integrators that run SAP programmes.

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.

Tricentis Tosca: Can it replace Selenium for a web only product?

It can, but the economics do not work. Model based testing pays off across large heterogeneous estates, not one web application.

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