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Karate review

#2 in API Testing ToolsScore 9.8/10Checked Nov 15, 2026By BestSoftwareGuides Editorial Team

Karate is an open-source framework for API, UI and performance testing, with paid IDE plugins and an enterprise edition. It ranks #2 of 11 in our API testing tools list (9.8/10). Best for engineering teams that want code-based API tests in CI without a per-user client fee.

Price: Free plan · paid from $8.33/user/mo (annual).

Visit KarateFull pricingAlternatives

What Karate is

Karate is an MIT-licensed test framework that covers REST, GraphQL and SOAP API testing, built-in mocks and performance testing through Gatling. Karate Labs sells IDE plugins, Xplorer Premium and an Enterprise edition with async protocol support (Kafka, gRPC, WebSocket) and API coverage reporting.

Pros and cons

Where it wins
  • Core framework is free and MIT-licensed, including mocks, Gatling performance tests and CI/CD use
  • One framework covers API, UI and performance tests
  • Paid tiers are listed per user with public prices
Where it falls short
  • Async protocols (Kafka, gRPC, WebSocket) in CI/CD need an Enterprise runtime license
  • Tests are written in Karate's own DSL, so non-coders need the IDE or Xplorer tooling
  • Enterprise trials require a vetted, scoped request rather than self-serve sign-up

Karate pricing

Karate pricing plans
PlanBilled annuallyBilled monthlyAnnual savingNotes
Free (Open source + Xplorer)FreeFree—MIT-licensed framework
IDE Plus$8.33/mo——Per user; $100/user/year
IDE Pro$53.33/mo$64/mo17%Per user; $64/month billed monthly or $640/year
Xplorer Premium add-on$16.67/mo——Per user; $200/user/year
Karate EnterpriseCustom quoteCustom quote—Commercial license, annual

USD, per user per month unless noted. "—" means the price is not published or we could not confirm it. Last checked Nov 15, 2026. Status: verified on Karate's pricing page.

Key facts

Free planYes. Open-source Karate framework (MIT) plus free tier of Xplorer desktop client
Free trialNot advertised
Paid from$8.33/user/mo billed annually · $64 monthly
Minimum seats1
PlatformsOpen-source framework (JVM), IntelliJ and VS Code plugins, Xplorer desktop app
Compliance and securitySSO (Enterprise IDE licenses)
SupportCommunity (free), Email (IDE Pro), Dedicated Slack (Enterprise)
REST API testingYes
GraphQL testingYes
Load testingYes
API mockingYes
CI/CD integrationYes
Facts checkedNov 15, 2026 · verified on the vendor's own site (source)

Also ranked in

Karate is ranked in 2 of our lists: #2 of 11 in API Testing Tools, and:

#2 of 5 in API Testing Tools with Load Testing

Karate alternatives

Apidog 9.8/10
Teams that want API design, mocks, tests and docs in one tool at a low per-user price
Postman 9.8/10
Teams of any size that want one shared tool for API requests, tests and mocks
Bruno 9.4/10
Developers who want API collections versioned in Git with no cloud account
Insomnia 9.4/10
Developers who want a local-first or Git-synced API client with CLI test runs
Hoppscotch 8.9/10
Teams that want a free, self-hostable API client with low per-user cloud pricing
Apache JMeter 8.8/10
Teams that need free load testing of HTTP, REST, SOAP and GraphQL endpoints
Katalon Studio 8.7/10
QA teams that want API tests alongside web and mobile UI tests in one tool
ReadyAPI 8.1/10
Enterprise QA teams testing many API protocols, including SOAP and messaging
iceDQ 7.8/10
Enterprise QA and data teams testing ETL pipelines, migrations and BI reports
REST Assured 7.5/10
Java teams writing API tests as code alongside JUnit or TestNG

Karate compared

Frequently asked questions

How much does Karate cost?

Karate has a free plan and paid plans start at $8.33 per user/month billed annually ($64 billed monthly). Prices last checked Nov 15, 2026.

Is Karate free?

Yes. Open-source Karate framework (MIT) plus free tier of Xplorer desktop client

What are the best Karate alternatives?

Apidog (9.8/10), Postman (9.8/10), Bruno (9.4/10) are the highest-scoring alternatives in our API testing tools ranking.

Sources