Softwr

Testing · head to head

Katalon vs Qase

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
Qase logo

Qase

Testing

Test case management with an API first design and a free tier for small teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Qase 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.; Qase requirements traceability is shallower than the enterprise incumbents, so proving coverage against a numbered specification takes manual field discipline rather than a built in link.
  • They diverge on capability: Katalon covers Low-code test recording, Qase covers Case repository.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Katalon and Qase actually diverge.

Attributes where Katalon and Qase differ
AttributeKatalonQase
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer seat per month, plus separate per-session cloud execution chargesPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOSWeb

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 Qase

  • Case repository
  • Test runs and plans
  • Automation reporters
  • Defect linking
  • Public API
  • Requirement and review workflow

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

Qase

  • A QA lead introducing formal test management with no budget approval yetnot Katalon
  • Teams that want manual and automated results in one run history rather than two systemsnot Katalon
  • Organisations replacing TestRail on cost after a per seat renewal increasenot Katalon
  • Small teams needing exportable evidence of what was tested for a customer or auditornot 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.

Qase

  • Requirements traceability is shallower than the enterprise incumbents, so proving coverage against a numbered specification takes manual field discipline rather than a built in link.
  • It is a small vendor relative to Atlassian and Idera, and test management systems accumulate years of history, so continuity risk deserves weighing against the price saving.
  • The Jira integration is a link between two products rather than an application inside Jira, so teams that live entirely in Jira will still context switch, which is exactly what Zephyr avoids.
  • Reporting is adequate for a team and thin for a programme; consolidated quality metrics across many projects usually end up rebuilt in a BI tool.
  • Automation reporters cover the common runners well but anything unusual falls to the API, meaning someone has to build and maintain that integration.

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

Qase

Free
  • Free$undefined/month
    • Small user limit with core case management and runs
    • Enough for a two or three person team to work in permanently
  • Paid tiers$undefined/month
    • Published per user monthly pricing rising with integrations, custom fields and reporting depth
    • Cheaper per seat than the established test management incumbents at comparable tiers

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 Qase if

  • You need case repository.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want test runs and plans.
Qase review

Questions people ask

Is Katalon or Qase better?
Neither clearly leads. Katalon starts at On request and Qase at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Katalon or Qase?
Qase has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Katalon and Free for Qase.
Does Katalon or Qase run on more platforms?
Katalon runs on Web, Windows, macOS. Qase runs on Web.
Can I use Qase for free?
Yes. Qase 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 Qase is typically brought in for.
What can Katalon do that Qase cannot?
Katalon covers Low-code test recording, Built on Selenium and Appium, Object repository, AI-assisted test generation. Qase covers Case repository, Test runs and plans, Automation reporters, Defect linking.

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.

Qase: Can the free tier be used indefinitely?

Yes, within its user limit. It is a genuine free tier rather than a trial.

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.

Qase: Does it run tests?

No. It records what was run and what happened. Execution stays with your framework or your testers.

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.

Qase: How hard is migrating from TestRail?

Case import is straightforward; run history and custom field mappings are the part that takes time.

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