Karate vs. Katalon
Although Katalon supports switching between a no-code and scripting view, the tool is designed more as a UI-driven tool that non-programmers can use. Scripting is in Groovy which is as verbose as Java code.
When it comes to API testing, chaining of API requests, data-driven testing and complex assertions requires the user to plug-in Groovy code and switch between the no-code and scripting / snippet views. This limits the speed and flexibility of teams when it comes to writing an maintaining complex end-user flows and business-logic validations.
Katalon strengths compared to Karate:
- Includes Test Management aspects as part of their wider offering.
- Better support for Mobile testing via Appium.
- Working on AI, for e.g. this ATG (Autonomous Test Generation) but in beta: https://katalon.com/resources-center/blog/katalon-atg-preview - also claims self-healing in UI tests.
- They do have execution options including Docker, and cloud agents.
Please refer table below for detailed comparison.
| Katalon | Karate | |
|---|---|---|
|
Platform |
The IDE is deeply based on Eclipse. The Eclipse Platform is in decline and being overtaken by the VS Code and Intellij ecosystems. |
Is not locked into any IDE. Plugin support for both Intellij and VS Code. Even remote development environments are supported. |
|
Scripting |
Supports both No-Code and Code. But the emphasis is on No-Code. Code for API testing happens to be Groovy and is is as verbose as Java. |
Low Code. |
|
Assertions |
Requires Groovy skills for complex assertions. There is also a concept of verification snippets, which is very much like code. |
Built-in, comprehensive yet readable. |
|
Chaining |
Not Intuitive. Cannot be read on one page.Simulating an end-user flow is possible, but passing data requires using Groovy code. |
Designed to support multiple API calls within a single test flow. Tests are reports are readable by business/users. |
|
Power and Re-Use |
Data-driven testing/looping is hard and requires working in Groovy and the UI. |
Built-in support for data-driven testing and loops. First-class support for common functions, header/auth manipulation and environment switching. |
|
Extending via Code |
Supported via custom Groovy code which can re-use Java code. |
For advanced use-cases, Karate can call Java code. This allows for testing databases. async systems (e.g. Kafka and Queues) and CLI processes. |
|
Parallel Execution |
Supported mostly when running using Katalon's cloud offerings. Not clear if you can got a single aggregated report. |
Tests are executed on multiple threads. Typical time savings are 10x or more. A single aggregated report is generated. |
|
Tags |
|
Built-in. Can be used for execution flexibility, dry-run reports, test coverage and linking to test-management and reporting tools. |
|
Reports |
Emphasizes cloud extensions such as Katalon TestOps and Katalon TestCloud. |
Built-in, rendered locally, can be shared as HTML. |
|
Version Control |
Since Katalon is a UI driven-tool, tests are saved in a proprietary format and not Git fiendly. Test authoring requires a separate workflow. Developers and testers tend to work in silos. |
Karate is local-first and code-driven. Tests are plain-text and version-controlled or change-tracked just like normal code. You see the history of your implementation code and tests together. Team collaboration happens naturally via Git. |
|
Mocks |
Not supported |
Karate API mocks can be deployed locally or anywhere within your network. Mocks can be highly dynamic with effort. |
|
UI Testing |
Depends on Selenium. |
Karate's browser automation supports both Chrome and WebDriver. The WebDriver implementation does not depend on Selenium. Karate better supports hybrid-tests where you can mix API and UI tests in the same script. |
|
Performance Testing |
Not Supported. |
You can model complex load-models and combine mutiple Karate scripts and user- flows. You can choose to run your tests in the cloud or as part of your CI/CD. |
