Cypress vs Katalon: Testing Tool Comparison
Cypress and Katalon side by side: verified capabilities, integrations, pricing, and limitations, each claim cited to an official source.
SDK examples
One documented example per tool where available.
- JavaScript
- Package:
- cypress (version not recorded)
- Install:
- npm install cypress
const cypress = require('cypress')
cypress.run({
spec: './cypress/e2e/examples/actions.cy.js',
})
.then((results) => {
console.log(results)
})
.catch((err) => {
console.error(err)
})Run: node your-script.js
Official docs
Katalon: no approved SDK sample.
Unknown means no documentation was found; it is not the same as unsupported.
| Field |  Cypress |  Katalon |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Category | Testing | Testing |
| Vendor | Cypress.io | Katalon |
| Product status | active | active |
| Summary | Cypress is an open-source JavaScript end-to-end testing framework with an optional paid cloud service from Cypress.io. | Katalon is a commercial test automation platform covering web, mobile, API, and desktop testing with AI-assisted authoring features. |
| Product kind | Framework | Testing platform |
| AI | ||
| Uses AI | Supported Test generation, Execution, Self-healing, Failure analysis AI is used for test generation via cy.prompt and Cypress Studio AI, for test execution and debugging via cypress-tap, for self-healing with cy.prompt, and for failure analysis in Cypress Cloud and with cypress-cloud-cli. | |
| AI test generation | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| AI executes the app | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| AI generates code only | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Unsupported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Autonomous exploration | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Vision-based interaction | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Selector-free execution | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Adapts to UI changes | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Self-healing | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| AI failure analysis | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| What it tests | ||
| Testing types | End-to-end, Component, API, Accessibility | Functional, API, End-to-end, Regression |
| Targets | Web app, API | Web app, Native mobile, API, Native desktop |
| Native desktop testing | Unsupported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Native mobile testing | Unsupported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Browser extension testing | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Cross-browser testing | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[11] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Cross-platform testing | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[11] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Real device testing | Unsupported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Multi-tab testing | Unsupported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| iframe testing | Partial Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Canvas testing | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| PDF validation | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| File upload testing | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| File download testing | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| OAuth testing | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Email testing | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Notification testing | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Video content validation | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Developer integrations | ||
| MCP server | Supported Official Cypress Cloud MCP is used for agentic debugging and can be configured via OAuth or Personal Access Token. Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| VS Code extension | Supported Community · Community The Cypress Test Explorer is a community-maintained extension for VS Code. Verified 2026-09-25[6] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| SDK | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] | |
| PR workflow | ||
| GitHub | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] | |
| CI execution | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[8] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| GitHub PR checks | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[8] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| PR-aware test selection | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[8] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Autonomous PR validation | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[8] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| PR comments | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[8] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Preview deployment testing | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[8] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Merge gating | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[8] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Scheduled execution | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[8] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Pricing models | Free, Subscription, Usage-based, Per seat, Custom | Free, Subscription, Per seat, Custom |
| Free tier | Available | Available |
| Trial | Available | Available |
| Deployment | ||
| Deployment | Local, SaaS | Local, SaaS |
| License | Open source, Proprietary | Proprietary |
| License identifiers | Not researched | Not researched |
| Compatibility | ||
| Languages | JavaScript, TypeScript | Natural language |
| Runner OS | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Target OS | Windows, macOS, Linux | iOS, Android, Windows |
| Browser engines | Chromium, Firefox, WebKit | Chromium, Firefox, WebKit |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari | Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge |
| Device modes | Responsive viewport | Real device |
| Creation and execution | ||
| Execution model | Browser DOM | Real device, Browser protocol |
| Authoring method | Code, Recorder, Natural language, AI-generated code | Code, Recorder, Natural language, AI-generated workflow, Manual |
| Code authoring | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Recorder | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Natural language authoring | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Test import | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Reusable steps | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Parameterized tests | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Test data generation | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[2] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Fit | ||
| Audience | Not researched | QA engineers, Engineering managers, SDET |
| Company size | Solo, Startup, SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Use cases | Regression testing, Release gating, Cross browser testing | Test generation, Regression testing, Test maintenance |
| Validation | ||
| Visual regression | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Semantic visual assertions | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Accessibility checks | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[10] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| API assertions | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[10] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Database assertions | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Spelling and grammar checks | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Dark and light mode testing | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Performance measurement | Unsupported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Running | ||
| Local execution | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[11] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Headless execution | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[11] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Headed execution | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[11] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Parallel execution | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[14] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Test sharding | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[14] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Auto-waiting | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Automatic retries | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Network mocking | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Secrets injection | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Private network access | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Diagnosis | ||
| Screenshots | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Video recording | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Execution traces | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Console logs | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Network logs | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Replay | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Interactive debugging | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Failure grouping | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[13] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Debug artifacts | Screenshot, Video | Screenshot, Console log |
| Enterprise | ||
| SSO (SAML) | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| SSO (OIDC) | Supported Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| SCIM | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| RBAC | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Audit logs | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Secrets management | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Configurable retention | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[1] |
| Private runners | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Supported Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| On-premises deployment | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Data residency | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Training opt-out | Unknown Verified 2026-09-25[5] | Unknown Verified 2026-09-26[2] |
| Operations | ||
| Setup difficulty | low | medium |
| Maintenance approach | Manual code, Self-healing | Self-healing, Ai regeneration |
| Max concurrency | null | null |
| Reliability mechanisms | Auto wait, Retry, Isolation | Flaky test detection |
| Interfaces | CLI, Web UI, IDE extension, API, MCP | Web UI, MCP |
| Security | ||
| Certifications | Not researched | Not researched |
| Data regions | Not researched | Not researched |
| Customer data used for training | Not researched | Not researched |
| Support | ||
| Support channels | Docs, Community forum, Chat | Docs, Community forum, Email, Dedicated engineer |
| Support SLA | Not researched | Not researched |
| Integrations | ||
| Integrations | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams | Jira, Jenkins, GitLab, GitHub, Slack |