Top 10 Test Automation Tools

Developer Testing is an Important Step towards Accountability. It gives Developers a way to Demonstrate the Quality of the Software they Produce. – Kent Beck (American Software Engineer and Creator of Extreme Programming)

Software Testing is crucial for assessing the quality, reliability and performance of a product. It is an indispensable phase of a software development lifecycle. While testing can be undertaken in different ways, the shortcomings of Manual Testing have only increased the demand for Automation Testing.

Conducting tests in an automated fashion requires the employment of Automation Testing Tools which help in facilitating this process.

In this blog, we will look at some of the best Test Automation Tools which would help you to execute test cases. However, before we begin with the Automation Tools List, let us look at some of the general questions surrounding Automation Testing.

What is Test Automation?

Automation Testing is a technique in software testing which makes use of Automation Testing Tools for executing a test case suite. The process is so designed that it feeds data into the system and compares the actual outcome with the expected result, followed by generating a detailed test report.

The objective of Test Automation is to lessen the number of test cases which are required to be executed manually and not necessarily to be a replacement for Manual Testing.

Regression Tests which are essentially repetitive in nature are usually automated. Similarly, another form of Automation Testing is data driven testing, which involves using a set of test data to drive the automated test scripts. This allows testers to test multiple scenarios quickly and thoroughly, using a single test script.

Know about Automation Testing in more detail; check out our blog on What is Automation Testing?

What are Automation Tools?

Software Testing cannot be carried out without the appropriate test automation tools. On much the same note, Automated Testing is only possible through the right Automation Testing Tools.

These automated software testing tools are important determinants of whether the advantages of automation would be delivered and how automation will be executed in the first place. These Automated Testing Tools are an integral component of the DevOps toolchain.

Development cycles which run in a successive manner, involves the execution of the same test suite in a repeated manner. An Automation Tool can help in recording this test-suite and re-playing it as and when required. Automation of the test suite removes the need for human intervention.

There are three major categories of Software Testing Tools used in Automation Testing:

• Open Source Test Automation Tools: Published source code, can be freely used by anyone
• Commercial Automation Testing Tools: Larger support, cost more money
• Custom Test Automation Tools: Made for specific projects

Katalon

Katalon was launched in 2015 and is a cross-browser, free-licensed and an Open Source Test Automation Tool. It can be considered as a comprehensive Automation Tool which can be used for Desktop, mobile, Web as well as API testing.

Its features cover several aspects of the testing process including creation of test cases, recording of actions, execution of tests, generation of test scripts as well as production of results.

Features:

1. It can be integrated with some of the best Automation Testing Tools like Appium and Selenium, helping to cover even more advanced functions like user-friendly IDE, object spy, browser plugin and object repository
2. It can run on multiple platforms ? Windows, Linux and macOS
3. Katalon provides dual scripting interfaces which is especially useful for users with no coding skills
4. One of the shortcoming of Katalon as  a Software Testing Tool is that it only uses Groovy Scripting Language and has a small developer community
5. It supports sequential and parallel executions as well as local and remote testing

Selenium

As one of the leading Software Testing Tools, Selenium was originally developed by Jason Huggins in 2004. It is an Open Source Test Automation Tool used for conducting Selenium Automation Testing.

It is generally used for Regression Testing as it offers playback and recording facility. Recorded scripts can be exported in other languages, it can be integrated with TestNG and JUnit, multiple tests can be executed as well as comments can be inserted in the middle of the script.

Features:

1. This Testing Tool can be executed on multiple Operating Systems and Browsers. It runs on Linux, Windows and OS X; and is compatible with Chrome, Headless, Internet Explorer as well as Firefox
2. IDE and WebDriver components of Selenium, act as the basic framework for several other Automation Testing Tools including Watir, Robot Framework and Katalon
3. Tests can be written in multiple languages including Java, Python, C#, Groovy, Perl, PHP and Ruby
4. It supports parallel execution of test cases as well as provides for easy maintenance of code

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Ranorex Studio

It is a multipurpose Automation Testing Tool which has quite wide coverage in terms of the types of tests which can be executed through it including mobile, desktop and web application testing. It can be used for automating data driven tests, regression tests, functional UI tests and others. It has a simple GUI which appears as a codeless click-and-go interface.

Features:

1. As one of the prominent Software Testing Tools, it helps in codeless test creation, provides for reusable test scripts as well as for replaying and recording of testing phases
2. It provides for cross-platform and cross-browser testing
3. It offers shareable object repository, along with reliable object identification
4. Its video reporting feature is especially helpful to testers as it saves them the requirement of having to re-run tests to follow everything
5. This Testing Tool can be integrated with Automation solutions like Jenkins, Jira, Bamboo, Git, NeoLoad and others
6. It provides for parallel as well as remote or local testing

Lambda Test

When it comes to cross-browser testing, Lambda Test is the first Automated Testing Tool of choice. They provide a secure, super-fast and scalable Selenium Grid which can be utilized for executing test cases in as many as 2000+ OS and browsers.

Features:

1. The Testing Tool is built on latest tech stack which provides for seamless and fast execution of tests
2. It provides for parallel testing which reduces the overall testing time
3. It can easily be integrated with team communication and project management tools
4. It supports multiple languages, including most of the major ones
5. As one of the leading Software Testing Tools, it provides for Geo-Targeting, Geo-Localization and Geo-Blocking across more than 27 countries

TestComplete

It is considered to be one of the best Automation Testing Tools, when it comes to desktop application testing, even though it provides for mobile and web application testing as well. It is especially useful for building and running functional UI tests in the cloud, in parallel or on your machine, through replay and record facilities.

The TestComplete version 14.72 was launched this very year in January with considerable improvements in web testing and test execution.

Features:

1. It provides for code as well as codeless test creation and is suitable for usage by technical as well as non-technical users
2. Test scripts can be written in multiple languages including Python, JavaScript, C++ or VBScript
3. As an Automation Tool, it has a robust object identification engine which helps in identifying dynamic elements of user interface interaction
4. It provides for cross-browser, regression as well as parallel testing which helps in scaling tests across more than 1500 real test environments
5. As one of the prominent Software Testing Tools offered by SmartBear, it can easily be integrated with other products which SmartBear has to offer

Appium

When it comes to testing mobile applications, Appium is one of the most popular Automation Testing Tools. It is an Open Source Test Automation Tool for mobile web native/hybrid applications on Android/iOS platforms. It is based on client-server architecture.

Features:

1. Test cases can be written in multiple programming languages (Java, Python, JavaScript PHP and so on)
2. It can be integrated with CI/CD tools
3. As a Testing Tool it provides for cross-platform testing and reuse of code
4. Its recording feature helps testers in recording gestures
5. It embodies high compatibility and can be executed on computer and mobile operating systems with the help of WebDriver protocols

HPE Unified Functional Testing (UFT)

Formerly known as QuickTest Professional (QTP), UFT provides for continuous, functional and regression testing. It is one of the leading Automation Testing Tools, which can be used for automating Desktop, Web, Net, Flex, Mobile, Java, Delphi, Siebel, Oracle, SAP, PowerBuilder and other applications. It uses Visual Basic Scripting Edition Language.

Features:

1. It provides for multi-platform compatibility and cross-browser testing
2. It is a licensed Automation Tool, with its free trial version being available for 60 days
3. It provides for multiple-testing solutions, canvas-visual test flows, optimized distributed testing and image based object identification
4. As one of the prominent Automation Software Testing Tools, it guarantees XML support, business process testing, reliable test results and keyword driven framework

Watir

Watir (pronunciation ? water) is the abbreviation for Web Application Testing in Ruby. It is an Open Source Test Automation Tool which is widely used for regression testing. Only Internet Explorer is supported by Watir; however, Watir WebDriver supports Opera, Chrome, FireFox and others.

For a long time, Watir did not have any update. It finally came with its version 6.17 in August, 2020. This version has been crucial in rectifying a number of critical bugs. This version requires Ruby 2.5 or greater.

Features:

1. It enables you as a tester to take screenshots of the testing being done
2. It provides test alert pop ups as well as page performance
3. As an Automation Tool it helps you execute flexible, simple, easy maintainable and readable automated tests
4. With Ruby as the Scripting Language, Watir can be used to connect with database, read files, excel and so on
5. It is considered to be one of the best Quality Assurance Automation Testing Tools

Eggplant

It is developed by TestPlant for the purpose of GUI testing and application testing on mobile devices. It is a suite of Test Automation Tools with each of its components being used for different types of testing. Eggplant?s Digital Automation Intelligence functions on an image-based approach, rather than an object-based one.

Features:

1. It provides for test automation which is AI-driven and thus helps in performance, functional and usability testing
2. As a Software Testing Tool, it enables usage of a single scripting language and the execution of test cases on multiple platforms
3. It guarantees scalable and responsible application experience as well as test maintenance
4. It provides for easy integration with tools already in use

Cucumber

It is an Open Source Test Automation Tool which facilitates Behavior Driven Development (BDD). It can be used to undertake automated acceptance testing by executing examples which most closely describes the behavior of an application.

It is an easy to use Automation Tool which can be used to write and run test cases, by individuals irrespective of their technical background. Cucumber Open 6.9.1, its latest version was launched in December, 2020.

Features:

1. It provides for test execution across multiple platforms (Java, Ruby, JavaScript, .NET and others)
2. It provides for integration with Jira as well as unhindered automation with API calls, Selenium and direct function calls
3. Test code can be written in Gherkin and made to run on different frameworks
4. It provides for reports in JSON, HTML and other formats

Conclusion

In this blog, we have covered some of the best Automation Testing Tools in terms of their capabilities and popularity. The list is by no means exhaustive and the domain of Software Testing Tools continues to evolve at a rapid pace with emerging trends within the technological domain ? Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, IoT and Big Data Testing, shift towards Automation Testing and so on.

This means that the task to choose the right Automation Tool can be an extremely challenging one. It is important to remember that you should be absolutely clear of the requirements of the test at hand before shortlisting your tools.

At the same time, you can do a pilot study as well as discuss your choices with other stakeholders. This would definitely help in making your task easier.

Test Automation Tools are of great utility to Software Development Engineers in Test (SDET), among others.

We at Syntax Technologies offer you an exciting opportunity to cultivate Automation Testing skills and become a QA Automation Tester. Learn more here.