Cypress vs Karate
Cypress
cypress.io
Karate
karatelabs.ioSide by side
| Figure | Cypress | Karate |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $67/mo | $8.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 5 |
| Spec score · Automated Testing | 9.4 (#1) | 9.2 (#2) |
| Spec score · Regression Testing Software | 9.4 (#1) | 9.3 (#2) |
| Spec score · Testing Automation Software | 9.4 (#1) | 9.2 (#3) |
| API testing | The cy.request() command sends HTTP requests and checks status, body, headers and response time without rendering a page. | The framework tests REST, GraphQL and SOAP with JSON/XML assertions, schema validation and data-driven scenarios. |
| Documentation depth | Documentation includes installation, system requirements, component and end-to-end testing, API concepts, CI setup, plugins, migration guides and troubleshooting FAQs. | Documentation covers installation, CLI, Maven, Gradle, standalone JAR, syntax, HTTP, assertions, parallel execution, Java API, databases, WebSocket, MQ, UI and performance testing. |
| Founded | 2014 | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | LinkedIn lists headquarters as Worldwide, United States, with locations shown in Sugar Land, London and Bengaluru. |
| Integrations | Cypress Cloud integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Jira. | The integrations directory lists more than 40 native integrations and more than 15 protocols or formats. |
| License | The Cypress App source repository is released under the MIT License. | The core Karate framework is MIT licensed and free forever; enterprise components use a commercial license. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.7 out of 5 from 107 reviews. | 4.4 out of 5 from 6 reviews |
| Rating on Gartner Peer Insights | The currently opened Gartner page shows 0.0 out of 5 from 0 reviews. | 4.7 out of 5 from 6 reviews |
| Security | Cypress says Cypress Cloud maintains a SOC 2 Type 2 report and encrypts testing content in transit with TLS 1.2 or greater and at rest with AES-256 or greater. | Karate Labs says its products run locally or in customer infrastructure, store no customer test data, and ship with zero telemetry. |
| Security controls | Cypress Cloud states TLS 1.2-plus transit encryption, AES-256-plus at-rest encryption, annual penetration testing and SOC 2 Type 2 reporting. | The security brief describes local desktop execution, no cloud data storage, offline license activation, Maven/Sonatype checks and GitHub Dependabot scanning. |
| Support | The pricing comparison lists Community support for Starter, Email support for Team and Business, and Premium support for Enterprise. | The free tier includes community support, Pro includes priority email support, and Enterprise includes commercial support with an SLA and dedicated Slack channel. |
| What it does | Cypress combines a locally run open-source testing app with Cypress Cloud for browser application quality testing. | Karate combines API, UI, mock, contract and performance testing in one Gherkin-style framework. |
Plans
Karate
- FreeFree
- IDE Plus$100 a year
- Xplorer Premium$200 a year
- Pro$640 a year
- Karate EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Cypress
Cypress is a front-end testing tool for web applications, combining an open-source Cypress App with the cloud-based Cypress Cloud service. The App supports end-to-end and component testing, launching and controlling real browsers from Chrome-family browsers and Firefox; WebKit is experimental. For debugging, it offers time-travel snapshots, readable errors, stack traces, automatic waiting, and network stubbing. Cypress Cloud stores recorded CI test runs and adds debugging, analytics, and orchestration for teams. It connects with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Jira, and its MCP works with AI coding assistants including Claude, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot. The Starter plan costs nothing and includes 10 users, 500 test results per month, 100 prompt executions per month, and 30-day access to paid features. Team costs $67 a month, billed annually at $799. Cypress says Cloud test content is stored in the United States, and material in public projects is publicly accessible. It also says its AI models are not trained on customer data.
Karate
Karate is a testing framework for API, UI, mock, and performance work. Its MIT-licensed core is free for commercial projects and supports REST, GraphQL, and SOAP testing, with JSON and XML assertions and schema validation. It can automate browsers and desktop apps, and combine UI and API steps in one test. Built-in Gatling integration lets teams reuse API tests for performance testing. The Free plan costs nothing and includes community support. Paid plans include IDE Plus at $100 a year, Xplorer Premium at $200 a year, and Pro at $640 a year; Pro adds IDE plugins, debugging, enhanced autocomplete, development async protocol testing, and priority email support. The platform lists integrations including AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Maven, Gradle, Docker, IntelliJ, VS Code, and Gatling. Enterprise async protocol testing covers Kafka, gRPC, and WebSocket, but production CI/CD execution requires an Enterprise runtime license. Platforms include API, extension, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, and Windows.