Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Karate review

Freemium#3 of 29 in BDD Testing Tools

A self-hosted testing framework spanning API, UI, performance, and mock testing.

8.3/10Editor score
Visit Karate
Karate8.3 Visit Karate

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026

Karate is an open-source test automation framework for teams testing APIs and web applications. Its Gherkin feature files include built-in step definitions, HTTP operations, and assertions, with support for REST, GraphQL, SOAP, and HTTP APIs. Browser automation, mocks, contract testing, performance testing, and reporting extend the framework beyond API checks. It runs locally or in CI/CD, and is self-hosted rather than cloud-hosted, so it suits teams that want to manage test execution in their own environments.

The free plan includes the MIT-licensed Karate Framework, API testing, UI automation, performance testing, built-in mocks and stubs, and CI/CD integration. Paid plans add capabilities in distinct areas: IDE Plus offers syntax highlighting, IDE runs, structure view, and formatting; Xplorer Premium is a premium upgrade for Xplorer; Pro adds IntelliJ and VS Code plugins, debugging and step-through, enhanced autocomplete, code folding, JSON reformatting, Xplorer Premium, and async protocol testing. Karate Enterprise adds the Async Protocol Pack, IDE Enterprise tier, Karate Agent, API Coverage, API Governance, commercial support, and an SLA. The published plans show an annual pricing option, but the available prices do not establish monthly amounts.

Execution options include CLI, standalone, Java API, Maven, and Gradle, with JUnit and HTML reporting available. Integrations also include Gatling, Chrome, WebDriver, VS Code, IntelliJ IDEA, and CI/CD. Parallel execution applies to features, scenarios, and examples. These options make Karate relevant to teams seeking one framework across API and browser tests, with performance checks and mocks alongside them. It is less suited to teams looking for cloud-hosted testing or a managed service; self-hosting is the deployment model. Teams that need async protocol testing, governance, or commercial support should compare the paid tiers with the free framework.

Karate pros and cons

  • Where it wins
    • Tests REST, GraphQL, SOAP, and HTTP APIs with Gherkin feature files
    • Combines browser automation, mocks, and Gatling performance testing
    • Supports parallel execution and CLI, Maven, Gradle, or Java API runs
  • Where it doesn't
    • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to manage their own environment
    • Paid tiers add key capabilities such as async testing and commercial support
    • Browser automation depends on Chrome, WebDriver, or cross-browser drivers

Karate fact sheet, pricing and score →

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Last updated · How we research and update