Overview
Software development today is fast-paced, and one must deliver quality products quickly. The modern QA team cannot make do without automated testing tools for early bugs detection which saves time. Now let us explore the best automated testing tools for modern QA Automation in easy-to-understand terms. Are you excited to know more about automated testing ?
What is Automated Testing?
Let’s start explaining what automated testing really is. Automated testing is done by software applications that conduct test cases. The result received after comparison is then reported and presented. In other words, instead of manually running a test on a program, the tool does that. It becomes very helpful when dealing with complex applications or repetitive tests.
Why Automated Testing Tools?
There are many reasons why automated testing tools are gaining their popularity nowadays:
- Speed: Automated tests run very fast.
- Consistency: They ensure that tests would be carried out the same way every single time.
- Coverage: The utility of these applications is providing coverage in diverse devices and platforms using different browsers and operating systems, which is hard to do manually.
- Cost-effective: Once the test is developed, it can run for a long time without any additional work, saving time and resources in the long run.
Let’s dive a bit deeper into the top automated testing tools available in the market today.
1. Selenium
Selenium tool is totally free and open-source, so available to all. It supports any programming language you may require, such as Java, Python, C#, or JavaScript. In addition, it works well on any browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) and platform (Windows, Mac, Linux), too.
Why Selenium?
- Language support: You can code your tests in your preferred choice of programming language.
- Community size: Since it’s widely adopted, there are a number of help and resources available over the internet.
However, coding knowledge is required to write Selenium tests, which is not ideal for non-developers.
2. TestComplete
TestComplete is a commercially available automation tool developed by SmartBear, hence an excellent solution for teams looking for an all-rounded approach. It also tests web and mobile applications, hence ideal for testing desktop applications.
Why Select TestComplete?
- Easy to use: One will get its easy record-and-playback functionality to create easy and direct tests without having to program.
- Cross-platform testing: It enables the running of tests on different platforms.
- Multiple languages: TestComplete supports many languages.
TestComplete is expensive, but the tool provides so many things that serious QA teams consider it an excellent investment.
3. Cypress
Cypress is recently developed but is becoming popular gradually, especially in developers and testers working on JavaScript. It’s an open-source platform. Since cypress focuses testing as a task which is simple and quick, it makes everything look smooth and easy.
Why use Cypress?
- Easy setup: You can get started with Cypress in just a few minutes.
- Fast execution: Cypress runs tests right in the browser, which makes tests much faster than in some other tools.
- Great debugging tools: It provides very detailed error messages that help trace failed tests easily.
Cypress is limited to JavaScript and might not be ideal for teams using other programming languages.
4. Appium
Appium is an open-source tool that is majorly used by users in mobile application testing. You will write test scripts using one or more programming languages like Java, Ruby, and Python to either test Android, iOS, or both apps.
Why Use Appium?
- Cross-platform testing: You can write a single test script to be used on both Android and iOS platforms.
- Multiple language support: It is flexible because Appium allows the scripting of many different programming languages.
- Free: Being an open-source tool, Appium is free of cost, which helps budget-conscious teams.
Appium is not easy to set up, and knowledge about the development of mobile applications is essential to use this tool. However, it is considered the best tool for testing mobile applications.
5. Jenkins
Jenkins is an integration (CI) server. It is helpful in automated testing, especially when you want to combine with testing tools like Selenium in such a way that it automatically runs every time your code is changed.
Why Use Jenkins?
- Automation: Jenkins makes it easy for you to have the running test on any new code as it automates the task for you.
- Customizable: Jenkins integrates well with so many testing tools, and you can customize it according to your needs.
- Large community: Being popular, this tool has a large online community with vast support.
Automated testing tools are essential for the modern QA Automation testing tools teams. Be it a web, mobile, or desktop application, there’s always a tool available that one could use according to the project requirements. Our list of such tools include Selenium, TestComplete, Cypress, Appium, and Jenkins, each having their own strengths, so it all depends upon the specific project requirements.