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Testing · head to head

Katalon vs Zephyr Scale

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
Zephyr Scale logo

Zephyr Scale

Testing

Native test management for Jira

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.; Zephyr Scale tightly bound to Jira; limited standalone functionality outside Jira ecosystem
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Katalon and Zephyr Scale actually diverge.

Attributes where Katalon and Zephyr Scale differ
AttributeKatalonZephyr Scale
Pricing modelPer seat per month, plus separate per-session cloud execution chargesquote
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOSWeb

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 Zephyr Scale

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

Zephyr Scale

  • Test case management within Jira workflowsnot Katalon
  • Manual and automated test execution trackingnot Katalon
  • Cross-project test asset reusenot Katalon
  • Requirements traceability from stories to testsnot Katalon
  • CI/CD pipeline and BDD framework 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.

Zephyr Scale

  • Tightly bound to Jira; limited standalone functionality outside Jira ecosystem
  • No-code automation features limited in Standard tier, expanded only in Advanced
  • Data residency feature unavailable for Essential tier, limiting enterprise compliance
  • Transparent cost structure not provided on marketing page

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

Zephyr Scale

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Zephyr Scale 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 Zephyr Scale if

Nothing in the data separates Zephyr Scale from Katalon on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Zephyr Scale review

Questions people ask

Is Katalon or Zephyr Scale better?
Neither clearly leads. Katalon starts at On request and Zephyr Scale at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Katalon or Zephyr Scale?
Katalon starts at On request and Zephyr Scale at On request.
Does Katalon or Zephyr Scale run on more platforms?
Katalon runs on Web, Windows, macOS. Zephyr Scale runs on 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 Zephyr Scale is typically brought in for.
What can Katalon do that Zephyr Scale 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.

Zephyr Scale: How much does Zephyr Scale cost?

Zephyr Scale pricing is not published on the website. Three tiers are available: Essential, Standard, and Advanced, plus QMetry for Jira. Contact SmartBear or visit Atlassian Marketplace for pricing details.

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.

Zephyr Scale: Is there a free trial available?

Yes, Zephyr offers free trials for Essential, Standard, and Advanced tiers, as well as for QMetry. Visit the product page to start a trial.

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.

Zephyr Scale: Does Zephyr Scale work outside of Jira?

Zephyr Scale is tightly integrated with Jira for test management. For standalone test management outside Jira, SmartBear offers QMetry as an alternative.

Source
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