AI

A mature AI layer in a test management solution should go well beyond simple test generation. Here is what to expect from a tool genuinely built for AI-powered QA:

Generate full test cases from plain text descriptions or requirements documents
Create test data automatically to populate and run your tests
Generate and edit requirements with AI assistance
Update existing tests automatically after a requirement changes
Operate without monthly credit limits or usage restrictions

aqua’s actana AI is included in every paid plan across both the Test Management and Requirement Management modules. Supported formats include BDD and user stories, with test design techniques such as boundary value analysis and equivalence partitioning applied automatically. Teams save approximately 12.8 hours per tester per week, and 42% of AI-generated test cases require no editing at all, according to aqua’s published figures. Katalon provides AI assistance through StudioAssist for code generation and TrueTest, which learns from real user behaviour in production and generates automated tests continuously. Katalon’s AI capabilities centre on test automation authoring; test management, documentation, and requirements generation are areas where actana AI goes further.

actana AI for test case generation (all paid plans)

StudioAssist AI for code generation and test authoring

actana AI for test data creation

TrueTest: learns from real user behaviour to generate automated tests

actana AI for requirements generation (RM module)

AI-powered manual-to-automation conversion

actana AI for editing and enhancing content

AI agents that analyse requirements and create test plans

No usage restrictions on AI

AI features vary by plan; some only on paid tiers

BDD, user story, and structured test case formats

BDD support via Cucumber integration

No AI-driven production monitoring

TrueTest: post-release production coverage gap detection

actana AI for test case generation (all paid plans)

actana AI for test data creation

actana AI for requirements generation (RM module)

actana AI for editing and enhancing content

No usage restrictions on AI

BDD, user story, and structured test case formats

No AI-driven production monitoring

StudioAssist AI for code generation and test authoring

TrueTest: learns from real user behaviour to generate automated tests

AI-powered manual-to-automation conversion

AI agents that analyse requirements and create test plans

AI features vary by plan; some only on paid tiers

BDD support via Cucumber integration

TrueTest: post-release production coverage gap detection

Verdict: aqua leads for test management AI; Katalon leads on AI-driven automation and production monitoring.

Try aqua AI

Test management

Test management is the core reason most teams evaluate these tools, but depth varies significantly between platforms. These are the capabilities that separate a complete solution from a basic one:

Create, execute, share, and manage test cases in a unified workspace
Group tests into scenarios and assign custom labels
Navigate the test suite quickly with filters and shared team views
Access the full execution history for every test case
Store a complete audit log of item changes for compliance purposes
Visualise requirements coverage and dependencies across test cases

aqua and Katalon both provide solid foundations: test cases, test plans, custom fields, execution history, and change logs. aqua includes configurable workflows, shared views, and adaptive field logic on all paid plans. Katalon (via TestOps) provides centralised management for manual and automated tests, with real-time dashboards and test orchestration. Configurable workflows and shared team views are available in aqua at every paid tier; Katalon does not offer these features.

Test cases, test scenarios, bulk edits, custom fields

Test cases, test plans, test runs, custom fields

Full execution history

Quick navigation and filters

Advanced filtering and search

Item change history and audit log

Item change history

Configurable workflows (all paid plans)

No configurable workflows

Shared views (all paid plans)

No shared views

Adaptive field logic

Requirements traceability via TestOps

Test case parametrisation

Data-driven testing support

Tampering-proof project logging

Not available

Test cases, test scenarios, bulk edits, custom fields

Full execution history

Quick navigation and filters

Item change history and audit log

Configurable workflows (all paid plans)

Shared views (all paid plans)

Adaptive field logic

Test case parametrisation

Tampering-proof project logging

Test cases, test plans, test runs, custom fields

Full execution history

Advanced filtering and search

Item change history

No configurable workflows

No shared views

Requirements traceability via TestOps

Data-driven testing support

Not available

Verdict: aqua wins with configurable workflows, shared views, and tampering-proof logging on all paid plans.

Integrations

Most QA teams rely on a stack of tools that has been in place for years, and native connectivity to that stack determines how much manual work your team absorbs daily. Genuine integration depth means more than a REST endpoint alone:

Native integrations with test automation frameworks and tools
Jira integration with real-time synchronisation
REST API for connecting additional tooling
CI/CD and developer ecosystem integrations

aqua provides 14+ native integrations covering the established QA automation stack: Jira, Jenkins, Confluence, JMeter, PowerShell, Database MSSQL, UnixShell, SoapUI, Ranorex, Database Oracle, REST API, Azure DevOps, UFT, and Selenium. Jira integration includes real-time two-way project sync. aqua Capture, a native bug recording tool, is included in all paid plans. Katalon covers a wider developer ecosystem: CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab, Azure DevOps, CircleCI, Bamboo), testing frameworks (Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Cucumber, Jest, Pytest, Robot), cloud execution providers (BrowserStack, LambdaTest, SauceLabs), and ALM tools (Jira, qTest, TestRail, Xray, Zephyr). Slack integration and on-premise Jira Datacenter support were also added in late 2025.

14+ native integrations including REST API

Extensive ecosystem: CI/CD, frameworks, cloud, ALM

Jira with real-time two-way project sync

Jira with two-way sync (Cloud and Datacenter)

Jenkins, JMeter, SoapUI, Ranorex, Selenium, UFT

Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab, Azure DevOps, CircleCI

Database MSSQL, Database Oracle

Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Cucumber, Pytest

PowerShell, UnixShell, Confluence

Slack, BrowserStack, LambdaTest, SauceLabs

aqua Capture: native bug recording tool (all paid plans)

No native screen capture tool included

14+ native integrations including REST API

Jira with real-time two-way project sync

Jenkins, JMeter, SoapUI, Ranorex, Selenium, UFT

Database MSSQL, Database Oracle

PowerShell, UnixShell, Confluence

aqua Capture: native bug recording tool (all paid plans)

Extensive ecosystem: CI/CD, frameworks, cloud, ALM

Jira with two-way sync (Cloud and Datacenter)

Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab, Azure DevOps, CircleCI

Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Cucumber, Pytest

Slack, BrowserStack, LambdaTest, SauceLabs

No native screen capture tool included

Verdict: aqua wins on native QA tool depth; Katalon wins on CI/CD framework breadth.

Pricing flexibility

Pricing structure matters as much as the headline number, and tools that gate features behind higher tiers or charge full price for every user type can become far more expensive than they first appear. These are the key factors worth examining:

Transparent per-module pricing
Monthly billing option
Free or lower-cost licences for stakeholders and lighter users
Custom Enterprise plan for larger organisations

aqua uses modular per-product pricing across three named licences. The Requirement Management and Test Management modules are each €89/month per user billed annually. The Test Runner DEV licence is available at €19/month for developers and QA specialists who execute tests but are not involved in test or requirement management. Guest seats are included free in every plan. A Floating Licence with shared concurrent access is also available for distributed teams, with pricing discussed individually. The aqua Suite License bundles the full ALM package for €99/month in Private Cloud or On-Premise. Katalon offers a forever-free version of Katalon Studio, a 30-day free trial of the paid Create plan starting at $84/user/month (promotional rate for new customers; regular annual price $2,199/year), and a 20% annual discount across all plans.

Monthly billing available

Free Guest licences included in every plan

Forever-free version of Katalon Studio

Test Runner DEV licence at €19/month

30-day free trial of paid plans

Modular pricing: TM, RM, TR purchased separately

Modular add-ons: Runtime Engine, TestCloud purchasable separately

Floating Licence for distributed teams (contact sales)

Custom Enterprise (Scale) plan

aqua Suite License: €99/month (full ALM, Private Cloud or On-Premise)

20% annual discount

Forever-free Katalon Studio version

Monthly billing available

Free Guest licences included in every plan

Test Runner DEV licence at €19/month

Modular pricing: TM, RM, TR purchased separately

Floating Licence for distributed teams (contact sales)

aqua Suite License: €99/month (full ALM, Private Cloud or On-Premise)

20% annual discount

Monthly billing available

Forever-free version of Katalon Studio

30-day free trial of paid plans

Modular add-ons: Runtime Engine, TestCloud purchasable separately

Custom Enterprise (Scale) plan

20% annual discount

Forever-free Katalon Studio version

Verdict: aqua wins on modular flexibility and free Guest seats at every tier; Katalon wins with a forever-free Studio version.

Try aqua for free

Deployment Models

Many vendors avoid publishing their deployment limitations clearly, and this matters most in regulated industries such as banking, insurance, government, and healthcare. These are the options worth verifying before committing:

Vendor-managed Cloud hosting with GDPR compliance
Dedicated or isolated Cloud environment for Enterprise customers
On-Premise installation within your own infrastructure

aqua has offered On-Premise deployment since its first release and continues to provide it through the aqua Suite License alongside Private Cloud. Katalon also offers On-Premise deployment for TestOps, launched for organisations with strict compliance requirements. Katalon’s options include Public SaaS, Private SaaS (single-tenant), and On-Premises. Katalon’s own documentation notes that On-Premises deployment comes without some cloud-only features and recommends Private SaaS for most regulated-industry needs.

GDPR-compliant aqua-hosted Cloud

Public SaaS (multi-tenant cloud)

On-Premise (aqua Suite License)

On-Premise (Enterprise, via TestOps On-Premises)

Private Cloud or Dedicated Cloud (aqua Suite License)

Private SaaS / single-tenant cloud (Enterprise)

SSO via SAML or LDAP (aqua Suite License)

SSO (Scale/Enterprise plan)

GDPR-compliant aqua-hosted Cloud

On-Premise (aqua Suite License)

Private Cloud or Dedicated Cloud (aqua Suite License)

SSO via SAML or LDAP (aqua Suite License)

Public SaaS (multi-tenant cloud)

On-Premise (Enterprise, via TestOps On-Premises)

Private SaaS / single-tenant cloud (Enterprise)

SSO (Scale/Enterprise plan)

Verdict: Tie. Both tools offer On-Premise. aqua's is a long-standing option; Katalon's is more recently launched.

Dashboards

QA dashboards serve two purposes simultaneously: helping the team track daily progress and giving stakeholders visibility into quality health without requiring full tool access. A strong implementation needs to cover the following:

Display any workspace data, not just a predefined widget set
Support both private and team-shared dashboards
Offer a variety of chart and visualisation types
Trigger KPI alerts when a metric crosses a threshold

aqua offers fully custom dashboards on all paid plans, drawing on any workspace data, and includes KPI Alerts that notify users when a metric moves above or below a defined threshold. Katalon (TestOps) provides configurable dashboards with real-time visibility into testing progress, coverage gaps, and release readiness, including stability metrics and test health reports added in late 2025. Custom chart creation was also added to TestOps dashboards in November 2025. Automated threshold-based KPI Alerts are not a feature Katalon offers.

Any workspace data on dashboards

Test health, stability metrics, release readiness

KPI Alerts with threshold notification

No KPI Alerts

Custom dashboards (all paid plans)

Configurable dashboards (paid plans)

Shareable with stakeholders

Pie, bar, stacked bar, table charts

Custom chart creation (added Nov 2025)

Any workspace data on dashboards

KPI Alerts with threshold notification

Custom dashboards (all paid plans)

Shareable with stakeholders

Pie, bar, stacked bar, table charts

Test health, stability metrics, release readiness

No KPI Alerts

Configurable dashboards (paid plans)

Shareable with stakeholders

Custom chart creation (added Nov 2025)

Verdict: aqua wins with KPI Alerts and the ability to surface any workspace data.

Reporting

The gap between a useful stakeholder report and a basic metrics export is where tools diverge most significantly. A mature reporting layer should give teams full control over the following:

Pre-built report templates as a starting point
Fully custom layouts with drag-and-drop and formatting controls
Support for any workspace data, pivot tables, and scripts
External text, image, and data embedding for stakeholder reports

aqua provides a fully configurable reporting system with drag-and-drop layouts, pivot tables, custom scripts, parametrised reports, external text and image insertion, and both template-based and bespoke report creation. Reports can be shared externally. Katalon provides reporting through TestOps with HTML reports, test run analytics, and test health reports, but does not offer dedicated custom report layouts, saved templates, pivot tables, scripted reports, or a purpose-built external report sharing capability.

Pre-built report templates

Not available

Fully custom report layouts

Not available

Any workspace data

Dashboard-based metrics and test run analytics

Text and image formatting in reports

Not available

Drag-and-drop report builder

Not available

Pivot tables

Not available

Scripts and parametrisation

Not available

External sharing of reports

Shareable via read-only access

Pre-built report templates

Fully custom report layouts

Any workspace data

Text and image formatting in reports

Drag-and-drop report builder

Pivot tables

Scripts and parametrisation

External sharing of reports

Not available

Dashboard-based metrics and test run analytics

Not available

Shareable via read-only access

Verdict: aqua wins with a full reporting suite; Katalon covers dashboards and test run analytics.

User management

Precise user management is essential when working on multiple projects and/or working with external specialists. It will also save you a lot of pain from running crowd testing in the same test management solution.

Default and custom role definitions
Per-user permission overrides beyond role-level access
SSO for enterprise identity management

aqua includes granular roles and permissions on all paid plans, with custom roles available to every customer. Per-user permission settings go beyond role-level assignments. Katalon provides role-based access control via TestOps with default roles available across plans, and SSO on the Scale/Enterprise plan. Per-user individual permissions beyond roles are not supported.

SSO via SAML or LDAP (aqua Suite License)

SSO (Scale/Enterprise plan)

Default user roles (all plans)

Granular roles and permissions (all paid plans)

Role-based access control

Individual per-user permissions

Role-level permissions only

SSO via SAML or LDAP (aqua Suite License)

Default user roles (all plans)

Granular roles and permissions (all paid plans)

Individual per-user permissions

SSO (Scale/Enterprise plan)

Default user roles (all plans)

Role-based access control

Role-level permissions only

Verdict: aqua wins with individual per-user permission settings beyond role assignments.

ALM

Full application lifecycle management in a single tool reduces vendor licences and keeps traceability intact across every stage of development. A complete offering needs to span the following:

Requirements management with AI assistance and coverage tracking
Test case management linked directly to those requirements
Project and workflow management across the full team

aqua provides full ALM coverage through its modular licences: Requirement Management and Test Management, purchasable individually or together via the aqua Suite License. Katalon covers ALM through TestOps (test management, requirements traceability, project management) and Katalon Studio (test authoring and automation). Both tools connect test cases to requirements and support project management workflows.

Test case management (TM licence, €89/month)

Test case management (all paid plans)

Requirements management (RM licence, €89/month)

Requirements management via TestOps

Project management and configurable workflows

Project management and sprint planning

Test case management (TM licence, €89/month)

Requirements management (RM licence, €89/month)

Project management and configurable workflows

Test case management (all paid plans)

Requirements management via TestOps

Project management and sprint planning

Verdict: Tie. Both cover the full ALM lifecycle with different strengths.

What people say

Here are a few things people like and dislike about both tools.

“I loved how easy it was to migrate to aqua. It was our first test management solution, and we liked what we saw in the demo. It took less than a week to get started with the full version. Our testing was a bunch of Excel spreadsheets before, and aqua provides a completely different level of convenience and transparency.”

Anna R.

E-commerce manager

“I like Katalon's user interface as It is easy to use, user friendly and can be implemented easily. I also like its extensive automation testing capabilities which can be easily integrated with various tools and frameworks. The issues that I noticed with Katalon is that it hangs when running complex automation scenarios or executing multiple test suites. Application gets freeze for some time when switching from one test case tab to another.”

Sunny K.

System Engineer

“My personal favourite is the reporting functionality. Basic templates often do the job, but the customisation is almost PowerBi-deep (at least for our purposes). I also use dashboards to track the state of test cases in real-time.”

Vladimir R.

Leader, service MENA

“I really love how easy it makes the automation process, besides how easy to use and understand this program is. However, it can improve the execution on mobile devices. It happened to me many times in the past that during execution the session just closes itself so the automation fails.”

Kimberly M.

QA Manager

Anna R.

E-commerce manager

Vladimir R.

Leader, service MENA

Sunny K.

System Engineer

Kimberly M.

QA Manager

Final verdict

aqua is an established enterprise-grade solution with modular pricing, mature custom reporting, On-Premise deployment, and actana AI on every paid plan. Katalon is a strong choice for automation-first teams, with its AI-native Studio, TrueTest for production monitoring, and an extensive CI/CD integration library. Katalon still lacks custom reports, configurable workflows, granular per-user permissions, and KPI Alerts.

actana AI for test case generation, test data, and requirements (all paid plans)

StudioAssist + TrueTest AI for automation and production testing

Configurable workflows (all paid plans)

No configurable workflows

Shared views (all paid plans)

No shared views

Custom reports: templates, pivot tables, scripts

Dashboard-based metrics only

KPI Alerts on dashboards

No KPI Alerts

Individual per-user permissions (all paid plans)

Role-level permissions only

On-Premise deployment (aqua Suite License, long-standing)

On-Premise deployment (Enterprise, recently launched)

14+ native integrations including QA automation tools

Extensive CI/CD, framework, and cloud integrations

aqua Capture: native bug recording tool

No equivalent included

Modular pricing: TM €89, RM €89, TR DEV €19/month

Modular add-ons available

Free Guest seats in every plan

Forever-free Katalon Studio version

actana AI for test case generation, test data, and requirements (all paid plans)

Configurable workflows (all paid plans)

Shared views (all paid plans)

Custom reports: templates, pivot tables, scripts

KPI Alerts on dashboards

Individual per-user permissions (all paid plans)

On-Premise deployment (aqua Suite License, long-standing)

14+ native integrations including QA automation tools

aqua Capture: native bug recording tool

Modular pricing: TM €89, RM €89, TR DEV €19/month

Free Guest seats in every plan

StudioAssist + TrueTest AI for automation and production testing

No configurable workflows

No shared views

Dashboard-based metrics only

No KPI Alerts

Role-level permissions only

On-Premise deployment (Enterprise, recently launched)

Extensive CI/CD, framework, and cloud integrations

No equivalent included

Modular add-ons available

Forever-free Katalon Studio version

Winner

Try aqua for free

FAQ

What are the limitations of Katalon Studio compared to aqua?

Katalon is primarily a test automation platform. It lacks configurable workflows, custom report templates, pivot tables, individual per-user permissions, and KPI Alerts — all of which aqua provides on every paid plan.

How does Katalon compare to Selenium for test automation?

Katalon provides a low-code interface and integrated testing tools, making it easier for non-developers than Selenium.

Which types of companies typically use Katalon or aqua?

Katalon is used by companies seeking AI-augmented automation for web, API, mobile, and desktop testing. Enterprises needing advanced test management, custom reporting, and regulated-industry compliance typically choose platforms like aqua.

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Which TMS Comes Out on Top?

Key differences between aqua and Katalon

How we compare

AI

Verdict: aqua leads for test management AI; Katalon leads on AI-driven automation and production monitoring.

Test management

Integrations

Pricing flexibility

Verdict: aqua wins on modular flexibility and free Guest seats at every tier; Katalon wins with a forever-free Studio version.

Deployment Models

Dashboards

Reporting

User management

ALM

What people say

Final verdict

Winner

FAQ

What are the limitations of Katalon Studio compared to aqua?

How does Katalon compare to Selenium for test automation?

Which types of companies typically use Katalon or aqua?