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With the widespread adoption of Automation Testing, businesses are now spoilt for choices of Automation Testing Tools. 

A plethora of automation tools, both open-source and vendor-source – have granted the market the opportunity to explore and deploy the best-suited ones for their firms. 

You must have gotten acquainted with the theory of how to choose the right automation, but turning this into practice is another story. As listed below are the top 10 trusted and curated automation testing tools with high credibility, divided into 3 categories of web app, mobile app and desktop app.

 

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Automation Testing Tools for Web App

Web App testing takes up a high percentage of the Quality Assurance market, hence the diverse and varied automation testing tools. These tools, in this case, should be feature-rich and support cross-browser compatibility.

 

1. Selenium

Selenium is among the most popular and renowned automation testing tools as the flagship automating web application for testing purposes.

 

“It is considered the industry standard for user interface automation testing of Web applications. Specifically, 54% percent of respondents used Selenium as their automation testing tool, according to the Test Automation Landscape in 2020 Report.” – Brian Anderson (Automation advocate & Selenium committer)

 

With the assistance of Selenium, the automation testing process can be implemented across different operating systems and different browsers, thanks to its two main projects.

With the 3 main projects of Selenium WebDriver, Selenium IDE and Selenium Grid, this tool empowers testers to automate browsers in a robust and versatile manner.

With the utility of diverse programming languages of Java, C#, Python, Ruby, PHP, Perl and JavaScript, etc., Selenium supports browser-based regression testing scripts and suites across multiple environments.

The extension for Chromium browsers and Firefox add-on also assists testers in writing quick bug reproduction scripts in automation-aided exploratory testing. This exploits the record-and-playback principle for automation testing implementation.

 

2. TestComplete

TestComplete from SmartBear offers a platform of multiple modules including Web app, mobile app and desktop app. Among these three modules, the outstanding one is the web application with the utility of reusable tests for all web applications. 

With the record & playback test approach, testers can use modern programming languages like JavaScript, Python and VBScript, etc.

TestComplete majors in GUI test automation tool with the assistance of AI and ML, empowering object recognition engine and script/scriptless flexibility. CI/CD is implemented for the increase in speed of delivery.

The TestComplete tool gives you access to 2050+ on-cloud test environments, making it easier for real device maintenance, virtual machines and in-house testing labs.

Accompanied by these on-cloud testing environments is the utility of manual testing which can be applied in any phase for better test coverage and accuracy.

 

3. Katalon

Katalon is another automated UI testing tool with convenient access to any type of testers, including the ones with no programming knowledge and background.

As the pioneering name in the field of codeless automation testing tools, Katalon thrives as a productive IDE for the all-platform automated test generation, regardless of the application complexity. 

Katalon scratches the surface of codeless test scripts and digs deep into the infinite testing extension, meaning that testers of all levels and competency can work with Katalon, from newbies to experts.

Other outstanding features of Katalon are:

• Utility of automation testing in API and mobiles testing
• Ability to generate test scripts, create test cases, report results and record actions
• Support for Groovy/Java scripting languages
• Support for image-based testing
• Built-in object repository, object re-identification and Xpath

 

 

 

Automation Testing Tools for Mobile App

The 4.0 Industry development entails the upsurge of smart device users with no less than 3.8 billion smartphones being circulated in the market.

More than one-third of these devices are tablets, with 244.2 billion apps downloaded in 2020. This number is predicted to surpass 258 billion app downloads globally in 2022. The skyrocketing market of mobile apps leads to the higher-than-ever demand for the quality and faster time to market (for both new releases and feature updates)

To become the flagship of the field, one must be ahead of the curve and come to the forefront with tactics to consummate the mobile apps. The best solution for this is through the automated testing tools as follows.

 

1. Appium

 

“At this time, my team is only using Appium, but this will most likely change as other teams have automation needs with mobile devices. The main reason why Appium is a good choice for us is that it allows for tests to interact easily with both Android and iOS devices. Instead of using one toolset for Android and another for iOS, Appium combines how automation functions with each platform and puts it all into one library.” – Randall Kelley (Senior Software Development Test Engineer)

 

Trusted by many developers and testers around the world, Appium helps you automate your mobile app with well-known dev tools and many programming languages. More importantly, Appium supports API from Selenium WebDriver for in-depth development.

Appium inherited many of its features from Selenium, hence supporting cross-platform testing (in iOS and Android), a wide range of languages and multiple test frameworks.

The only hiccup with Appium is the lack of official support. Instead, it has a dynamic and supportive community for real-life problems.

 

2. SoapUI

SoapUI is one Functional Testing tool for SOAP and REST testing, supported by SmartBear. This automation testing tool does not require high knowledge of programming languages. With SoapUI, the creation of test suites, test cases and their maintenance is quick and easy.

 

SoapUI supports many features, namely:

 

Automation Testing with SoapUI

SoapUI allows automation testing with the customization of test execution to override test parameters. 

Testers have full control over the functional/load tests with the automation features of SoapUI by using the Command-Line tools bundled with the tool.

 

Technology Support from professionals

SoapUI provides support for common protocols and standards.

 

Real Services

Mimic your Real Web Services without having to wait for them to be ready or accessible. Best of all, you don’t have to build expensive full-scale replicas of your production systems.

 

Security Testing

Using a complement of tests and scans, protect your services on websites against the most common security vulnerabilities.

 

Performance Validation

Use built-in assertions to check your web service performance and to ensure that it matches user expectations.

 

Ecosystem

A big part of what makes SoapUI great is the universe of the open source community and partners around it, who have accelerated the pace of innovation on SoapUI. Another reason SoapUI is so great is that it allows anyone to develop their own set of SoapUI features as SoapUI Plugins. And SoapUI Pro adds award-winning support from the SmartBear team.

 

3. Eggplant

Eggplant is an automation testing tool specializing in Graphic User Interface (GUI). This tool offers easy operating system integration with systematic test case management. 

Eggplant utilizes a two-system model which consists of a controller machine and a system under test. 

 

Besides the two dominant operating systems of Android and iOS, Eggplant also supports other standard platforms including Windows Phone, Symbian and Blackberry.

Note: Eggplant allows testers to write and execute test scripts in a manner similar to that of actual user interaction.

One major obstacle that one may encounter during their time with Eggplant is the lack of experts. Eggplant offers a great deal of outstanding features, but its popularity is still limited in a small community, making it difficult to find experienced and knowledgeable testers to work with the tool.

 

4. Ranorex

Ranorex is another vendor-source/commercial automation testing tool that has gained a universal reputation for its powerful features in creating, maintaining and executing robust test automation projects.

With Ranorex, every action, test execution, test report, etc. is under the operational control of the Web and mobile test command center. In this center, endpoint and environments of the testing system are centrally created and configured. 

In the command center, test suites operate with flexibility. To be more specific, test cases can be combined with existing code or recording modules.

Ranorex allows custom run configurations, data binding or parameterization.

Ranorex can support both newbie testers or experts in the field. Because Ranorex is a commercial, it offers dynamic ID support and expertise support from professionals. 

 

5. Kobiton

Kobiton is featured with the highlight of a mobile testing platform. The services here focus on device lab development, and more importantly, automation testing on different platforms with real devices. 

With the absence of emulators, Kobiton offers seamless access to Real-device Testing with Scriptless Automation. 

 

“Before Kobiton we were constantly buying new phones and only the folks in our office could use them. Now, my developer and quality control person can both use the platform to test our apps before we send them to the” – Katie Bruno (WDD)

The key player among Kobiton’s features is the continuous integration of testing into your DevOps CI/CD processes. Thanks to this, regression tests are executed in a faster course, with detailed monitor of the performance metrics. Time to market of the application/releases is quicker.

Why you should try Kobiton:

• Kobiton applies the Appium open-source framework, making it possible to integrate with other Frameworks as well. These can be Appium, XCUI, Espresso, etc.
• Codeless mobile testing with easily automated test scripts. From one manual test session, you can execute hundreds of devices, all at once.
• Kobiton developed the Session Explorer platform where you can resolve your test failures with accuracy and efficiency. No more wasting your time with log files and videos.

 

Automation Testing Tools for Desktop App

1. Winium

Yet another automation testing tool utilizing the Selenium library. Winium is an open-source Automation Framework for Desktop App. This tool helps engineer testing to interact with the Windows applications easily, especially for those who have worked with the Selenium WebDriver before.

Programming languages compatible with Winium include:

• Python
• Java
• C#
• Ruby
• PHP
• JavaScript

 

Although Winium supports both Desktop Apps and Mobile Apps, it is preferred for Windows Desktop App.

The stand-out feature of Winium is the price. It is the only Selenium-based tool that allows Client-Based Application Automation. It only supports Windows. Mac and Ubuntu-based are unattended in Winium.

 

2. WinAppDriver

As in the definition issued by Microsoft, WinAppDriver is: “A test framework developed by Microsoft as an open-source project.”

Since the WinAppDriver framework is the implementation of Appium, which is a Mobile App Framework based on Selenium, it is a Selenium-like automation framework.

Since its launch, WinAppDriver has encapsulated the best-combining features of 2 frameworks, making it a flexible, easy and familiar framework to work with.

The WebDriver protocol, which is the most important standard of web & mobile app testing, allows WinAppDriver to drive any Windows apps in multiple languages, namely C#, Java, Python, Ruby, etc.

Test runners available within WinAppDriver are MSTest, JUnit, NUnit, etc.

For every automation testing approach, we have different automation testing tools, which require us to go through a thorough analysis to come up with the most suitable.

 

If you want to hear from our professional staff about what automation testing tool to implement at your business, don’t hesitate to Contact us for detailed consultation. 

• Website: https://www.lotus-qa.com/
• Tel: (+84) 24-6660-7474
• Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/LotusQualityAssurance

 

Automation Testing moves at the speed of light, as the technological trend and applications are influenced by the ever-evolving change of the information technology market.

From the starting point of writing and executing the test scripts with bare support from technical tools, automation testing team now leans towards the utility of automation testing tools with various choices in terms of pricing plans, programming skills and other technical aspects.

After years of development and enhancement, the current pool of automation testing tools is now considered the pathway to success in the journey of transforming from manual to automation.

 

3 Types of Automation Tools

Automation tools are the destination for businesses and firms to come to for the optimal solution.

You must have been familiar with How to do automation testing. But do you really know the nature of them, such as their categories, price range, etc.? With this pace of development within the market, automation tools can be divided into 3 categories as follow:

 

Open-Source Tools

Open-source tools are the most common type for many firms and businesses to implement their automation testing process.

With these tools, the source code for testing execution has deliberate access. Plus, the source code can be utilized in both ways, either with full adoption or partly modification, depending on your needs.

For general utility, open-source tools allow quick access and viability for customization of an advanced test case. Hence, the use of an open-source tool requires SDETs (Software Development Engineering Testers) to have a programming background to deliberately customize the source code according to the specification of the project.

Note: Open-source tools for automation are free. In contrast, the cost of training and hiring adequate automation testing engineers is much higher than that of manual testing.

 

Commercial Automation Tools

Commercial automation tools, or vendor-source tools – are one other option for automation tools. With purchase through a monthly or annual subscription, you get access to premium features of these tools

One fine example of these features is the customer-centric service. If you encounter any problem during your time with the tool, full support 24/7 with a dedicated team will be at your service.

 

Custom Frameworks

No doubt open-source and vendor-source automation tools are the most popular ones, with a percentage of the utility of more than 80% of the market. Nevertheless, they are not always the answer, especially for niche projects. 

 

The differences and incompatibility in the testing processes, testing environments, test methodology require the testing team for a custom framework to be developed in accordance with their project’s features.

 

As compared with the open and vendor-source tools, custom frameworks are far more complicated and burdensome to develop. For most of the time, custom frameworks are the last resort for the testing team and technical experts only if the other types of tools are incompatible with the project.

 

How to Choose the Best-Fit Automation Tool?

Despite being spoilt for ubiquitous choices of automation tools, businesses can follow these 5 following steps to come up with the strategic tools best fit for your firm.

 

1. Acquire a profound understanding of project requirement

A thorough understanding of the project requirements acts as the foundation for any further development of that project, including the automation testing process.

With the undeniable improvement and enhancement of automation testing, the scope and scale of the tests and projects require minute details to alleviate the test results and proficiency throughout the operation of the testing team.

The checklist of what to be clarified includes:

•       Kinds of application (web app, mobile app or desktop app)
•       Scope of the project (number of test cases, test scripts, etc.)
•       Skill competence of the testing team

Having sorted out the checklists of project specification, businesses can indicate a strategic business analysis to put into an official project requirement. Only with the clarification of every single detail can the chosen tool integrate seamlessly with the project/application.

 

2. Devise budget and pricing plans

For any business, the ultimate target is to gain as much revenue as possible. In other words, a positive ROI for your business, in the long run, is the utmost important goal. 

Fascinating as it is, not every firm is willingly ready to invest such a big amount of capital with no ROI in the near future.

 

To successfully pull this off, the first thing you need to do is devise a budget and plan for your capital. Depending on the budget, it will be easier for you to pick the appropriate software and the suitable automation tool.

 

With the detailed plan of the expenses and infrastructure for an automation testing lab, product owner or higher-level executive can have a grasp of how the whole testing process will operate with the given revenue. Hence, the decision on what tool to be implemented will be more cost-effective and proficient. 

 

3. Determine the available skills of SDET and the programming languages

The inroads of automation testing take huge effort and knowledge of programming languages and other technical skills.

Most of the automation testing tools necessitate popular programming languages, including Java, Python, etc. The application of these programming languages is a must, but to proficiently and competently implement them in the automation testing environment is another story.

For usable and sustainable test scripts, automation testers are obligated to write code that conforms to the designated quality standards of the project. Along with this, it is also quite important to deliver test scripts that are both efficient and comprehensible, even for newbie testers. 

This could help in automation training and maintenance for later.

 

4. Clarify supported platform cross-browser compatibility

Supported platforms of the project are to be clarified as for each different platform, there are different tools to optimize the testing process.

For example, Selenium is an open-source framework to perform web testing; Kobiton specializes in Mobile and IoT Continuous Testing; Ranorex is for desktop applications.

Regarding cross-browser compatibility, testers have to consider these features:

• Different browser-OS combinations, devices, and assistive tools
• Shortlist of the most important browser-device combinations. This can be concluded from the target market, business indicators and other additional values. 
• The behavioral analysis of your target customers to come up with the most common combinations of browsers and devices.

 

5. Clarify other technical aspects

Distinct from manual testing, automation testing process demands for high skills in the use of programming languages, not to mention other aspects in the course of technology. 

With automation testing tools, the project leaders have to dig through the functions and performance of those available to come up with the most suitable lists of tools for your project. 

The services provided within the market of automation testing tools have diverse choices for clients. You can experience one’s core features in trial and then decide whether it’s worth your investment.

Check out: Top 10 Trusted Automation Testing Tools for Your Business

The technical aspects of any automation tools include:

• Script maintenance and reusability: As a key factor on how the cost of one automation testing project can escalate, testing scripts maintenance requires vast consideration for any possibilities of utility in the future. 

By putting a direct effect on the reusability of the test scripts, the automation testing team can save a lot of time when facing similar test cases.

A significant factor that escalates the total cost for test automation is script maintenance. Pre-written scripts in automation testing are fragile by nature. The ideal automation tool should come with capabilities to reduce such effort, such as eliminating object locator flakiness. On the other hand, script reusability saves you and the team a great deal of time for similar test cases as you can reuse test scripts.

• Technical support from tool provider: Professional technical support is offered within commercial tools. Normally, you can get help from tool providers via channels like direct chat or email. As in open-source tools, the support often comes from an active community with thousands of users.
• CI/CD integration capabilities: Tools with capability to integrate into the CI/CD pipelines ensure the testing continuity, making the whole process robust, dynamic and comprehensive. 
• Report record and format: With automation testing tools, the record of test results and further documentation is secured in digital format, which is stored for future reference and training.
• Keyword & Data-Driven Testing: The robust utility of Keyword & Data-Driven Testing assists test team in the extension and expansion of the test scope. In the long run, this is a strategic feature for higher ROI.
• The applied application under test: The application under test should have a schedule of releases for the most proficient preparation. What features to be updated and new points should be noted to clarify the procedure of automation testing.

 

No matter what your scale and what aspects to be tested in your product, you have to follow through the 5 steps above to catch the essence and the core of your automation testing process. You can either figure this out with your BA and developer team or you can come to experts in the field for a thorough analysis of what tool to be implemented.

 

If you want to hear from our professional staff of the Testing Industry, don’t hesitate to Contact us for detailed consultation. 

• Website: https://www.lotus-qa.com/
• Tel: (+84) 24-6660-7474
• Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/LotusQualityAssurance