12+ Automated Testing Tools for Web Applications 2020
With the rapid adoption of Agile and DevOps methodologies in recent years, the way how we test web applications has completely changed today. Unlike previously where we used to manually test a web application, testing nowadays is performed by a computerized system to save time and get faster, more accurate results. The new approach is called Automation Testing or Test Automation.
The main reasons why Automation Testing is a preferred choice for quality testers are Speed, Time, and Quality. However, picking the right automated testing tools is the first and foremost step to unleash the true potential of automation testing. With that in mind, here’s a hand-picked list of the best automation testing tools which QA professionals can use to improve their web apps significantly.
Let’s start with understanding what Automated Testing actually is!
What is Automated Testing?
In software testing, Automated Testing or Test Automation refers to the use of specialized software systems, aka automation testing tools, separate from the one being tested, to control the execution of tests and compare the actual outcomes with the expected results.
The automated process requires little or no human intervention and is often used to automate some repetitive but necessary testing tasks that may be too difficult to perform manually. The main objective of automation testing is to provide testers with higher efficiency, effectiveness, and accuracy.
What Are the Different Types of Automation Testing?
There are many types of tests that can be automated. However, we can’t really get them all into one post. Here are just a few to give you a good starting point.
#Code Analysis:
These tests leverage different types of static and dynamic code analysis tools, such as SonarQube and Coverity, to check if your code is likely to cause bugs or security problems. In fact, Code Analysis is the first and foremost step to quality improvement.
#Unit Testing:
Unit tests are designed to test a specific section of code individually to ensure it is working as expected.
#Smoke Testing:
Also known as Build Verification Testing, Smoke Testing is usually performed after a maintenance window to examine whether the deployed build is up and running.
#Functional Testing:
Functional Testing is performed to determine whether all functions and features of the software are working as expected or not.
#GUI Testing:
Graphical User Interface (GUI) tests involve the testing of the user interface to ensure all the visual elements of the software are looking and functioning as expected.
#API Driven Testing:
These tests are performed to determine if the Application Programming Interface (API) of the software is working and interacting correctly with other software applications.
#Integration Testing:
Usually performed after the completion of Unit Testing, Integration Testing involves the testing of units or modules that are integrated.
#Regression Testing:
Regression Testing is performed to verify that a recent change in code doesn’t affect the old code, and everything is working like before.
#Acceptance Testing:
Acceptance Testing is usually done to ensure if the software system has met the required criteria for delivery to end-users.
#Performance Testing:
Performance tests are non-functional tests performed to check the speed, scalability, and stability of the software under different workloads.
#Security Testing:
Security Testing performed to check if the software is capable enough to combat with ever-emerging cybersecurity threats.
#Black Box Testing:
Also known as Input-output Testing, Black Box Testing emphasizes testing the software from the user’s perspective by comparing the input data with output data.
#Continuous Testing:
This is performed to get immediate feedback on potential risks associated with a software release candidate.
The Key Benefits of Automation Testing
The key advantages of automated testing include:
- Up to 70% faster than the manual testing
- Wider testing coverage
- Earlier detection of defects
- Improved testing efficiency
- Saves money
- Re-usable test scripts
- Little or no human intervention
- Greater consistency
- Reliability in results
- Improved testing accuracy
- Increased productivity
- Reduction of repetitive work
- Increased efficiency
- Ability to test thoroughly
- Faster feedback
- Faster time-to-market
Automated Testing vs. Manual Testing
To help you understand the difference between automated testing and manual testing, here is a quick comparison of the two.
#Time Factor:
As compared to manual testing, automated testing takes less processing time.
#Random Testing:
Also called Exploratory Testing, Random Testing is not allowed in automation.
#Start-up Cost:
In the long run, automated testing returns higher on investment when compared with manual testing.
#Accuracy:
Automation Testing depicts a higher accuracy than manual testing due to computer-based testing.
#Frameworks:
Automation testing uses various frameworks for testing, whereas manual testing doesn’t.
#The Human Factor:
Humans aren’t a part of the automation testing equation, while manual testing is truly human-based.
#Programming Skills/Knowledge:
Automation testing requires knowledge of various programming languages to write scripts, whereas manual testing doesn’t.
#Testing at Scale:
Testing at a large scale can be easily performed with automation testing, while manual testing requires a significant amount of time for the same.
#Turnaround Time:
In automation testing, the turnaround time is much lower as compared to manual testing.
Top Automated Testing Tools for 2020
1: LambdaTest
LambdaTest is one of the most popular and widely used cloud-based cross-browser testing platform that empowers QA professionals to perform automated and live interactive testing on their websites and web applications across 2000+ web/mobile browsers and operating systems online. You can even integrate it with your favorite tools such as Asana, Slack, Trello, Jira, and more to collaborate seamlessly with other testers.
2: Selenium
Selenium is an open-source suite of testing tools that automate web browsers across a variety of platforms. Comprised of 4 components, Selenium WebDriver, Selenium IDE, Selenium Grid, and Selenium RC, it facilitates test engineers to run, scale and distribute complex and advanced automation scripts across a wide range of environments.
Designed to help you automatically test the functional aspects of a web application, Selenium works well with several programming/scripting languages, testing systems, browsers, and operating systems.
3: Experitest
Experitest is your all-in-one solution for cross-browser testing, Appium & Selenium testing, mobile app testing, and more. With this extremely powerful testing tool, you can create and execute hundreds of manual or automated tests simultaneously across 2000+ browsers, devices, and operating systems in the cloud. Additionally, it also integrates well with other popular development and testing tools.
4: Ranorex
Trusted by over 4k+ companies and 14k+ users worldwide, Ranorex is an all-in-one tool to automate the testing of desktop, web-based and mobile applications. Using this exceptionally powerful automated testing tool, you can create and run automated test modules using popular programming languages and frameworks such as C#, Java, and VB.NET. And, the best thing about Ranorex is that it comes with a codeless click-and-go interface and best suitable for beginners.
5: Watir
Pronounced as “water”, Watir is an abbreviation for “Web Application Testing in Ruby”. With the help of this open-source Ruby library, you can automate web application testing for popular modern web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and Internet Explorer. The most noteworthy thing about Watir is that it interacts with a browser the same way a human does.
6: Katalon Studio
Used by over 55k small, medium, and large companies, Katalon Studio is a complete cross-platform automation testing solution for API, web, mobile and desktop applications. It is built on top of Selenium and Appium and facilitates you to quickly generate and execute tests on all browsers, devices, and operating systems. Available on both Windows and Mac, Katalon comes with a built-in test recorder and offers out-of-the-box Jira integration.
7: LEAPWORK
LEAPWORK is another popular automation platform that allows you to write and execute high-quality test cases without writing a single line of code. Unlike other automated testing tools in the list, it offers visual building blocks that include all the logic and commands needed for test automation, RPA and more. Moreover, it has the shortest learning curve of any equivalent tool and requires only a single day to get started.
8: CloudQA
Built on the top of Selenium, CloudQA is a simple yet powerful cloud-based automation testing tool that offers codeless testing along with record and playback. Allowing you to run hundreds of tests in parallel across different browsers, it speeds up regression testing and release cycles by up to five times. Furthermore, CloudQA integrates well with your existing tech stack, including Slack, Asana, Jenkins, and Jira.
9: Cypress
Cypress is a lightweight and fast open-source front-end testing tool designed to make everything from setting up to writing and running to debugging easier for both developers and QA engineers. It is created keeping the modern web in mind and thereby can handle modern JavaScript frameworks like no other tool. While most end-to-end automated testing tools are Selenium-based, Cypress is built with a completely new architecture from the ground up.
10: TestComplete
Claimed to be the easiest-to-use automated testing tool, TestComplete leverages the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make it quicker and easier for QA professionals to create, maintain, and execute automated UI functional tests across for mobile, web, and desktop applications – all without additional plug-ins. With TestComplete, you can expand your test coverage and ensure you ship battle-tested, bug-free web applications.
11: TestingWhiz
TestingWhiz is a simple, intuitive and codeless automation testing tool for multiple scenarios such as Web, Mobile, API testing, etc. Having a very short learning curve, it comes with a powerful Automation Engine using which you can take your test and deploy your web applications at DevOps speed. Equipped with an intuitive Record/Playback feature, TestingWhiz offers over 300+ drag and drop commands to take your test automation to a whole new level.
12: TestCraft
TestCraft is a code-free test automation platform that allows testers to visually create fully automated, Selenium-based test scenarios that you can run on multiple browsers, platforms, and work environments. Like TestComplete, TestCraft also takes advantage of the revolutionary AI technology to reduce maintenance time as well as the development cost of a web application.
In addition to the above-mentioned automation testing tools, you can also try the following tools to automate testing of your web applications:
How to Pick the Right Automation Testing Tool?
With a multitude of automation testing tools available online, selecting the right tool can sometimes be tricky. Keep the following criteria in mind to select the best automation tool for your requirement:
- Ease of use
- Environment Support
- Database testing
- Object identification and mapping
- Image testing
- Scripting language used
- Error recovery testing
- Support for multiple testing frameworks
- Support for various types of tests
- Minimize training cost of selected tools
- Extensive test reports and results
Hopefully, you would find this article useful and informative. In case you’re looking for a reliable partner to automate the testing of your web applications, feel free to contact us.
