Karate vs Playwright
Karate
karatelabs.io
Playwright
playwright.devSide by side
| Figure | Karate | Playwright |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $8.33/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 1 |
| Spec score · Automated Testing | 9.2 (#2) | 8.0 (#19) |
| Spec score · Regression Testing Software | 9.3 (#2) | 8.0 (#17) |
| Spec score · Testing Automation Software | 9.2 (#3) | 8.0 (#11) |
| Integrations | The integrations directory lists more than 40 native integrations and more than 15 protocols or formats. | The MCP server is described as compatible with VS Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop, Windsurf, and any MCP client. |
| License | The core Karate framework is MIT licensed and free forever; enterprise components use a commercial license. | The Playwright core package metadata lists the Apache-2.0 license. |
| Purpose | Karate combines API, UI, mock, and performance testing in one framework with readable syntax. | Playwright enables web automation for testing, scripting, and AI agents. |
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
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.
Playwright
Playwright has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.