Top 10 Automation Testing Tools in 2023

Currently, applications become feature-rich and complex; manual testing on these applications can be complicated, time-consuming, and prone to human errors. Automation is becoming very popular these days, as it saves time, and there are fewer chances for human errors.

Automation requires skill sets like the knowledge of platforms, languages, and test automation frameworks.

Testers with these high skill sets can perform test automation. Still, with the increasing demand for automation testing in the industry, various automation testing tools come in to make it easy and available even for the user with a lesser skill set. In this blog, We will discuss the top 10 automation tools that can be helpful.

How to choose the right automation tool

Software testing automation became very popular and continuously increased in demand because of its time efficiency and less human intervention, reducing the chances of making human errors while testing.

There are currently many tools in the market for automation testing, but it is essential to understand the requirements and choose the tools according to that. There are open-source tools that can be cost-effective but may be less in the features, and there are paid tools that will be feature-rich.

Another significant factor that should be considered while choosing a tool for test automation is the skill of the tester, mainly the coding skills. There are tools as per the expertise of the user as well. If a user has good coding skills, he can choose any code-based tool, but if the user is not very comfortable with coding, he can choose record and play tools like Katalon, Mabl, etc.

User must understand their capabilities and the requirements of the project. Only then can they choose the right automation tools.

In this blog, I will help you compare and select the right tool by sharing the top 10 automation testing tools. This list will contain all types of tools along with their advantages and limitations.

Selenium

Selenium is the most popular open-source automation testing tool in the market, and a vast community of testers prefers this tool for their automation purpose. As Selenium is open source, it is cost-efficient, and there is vast support a tester can find online because it has a huge user base.

Selenium architecture

Selenium was using json wire protocol till selenium 4. Below is the selenium architecture with json wire protocol.

From Selenium 4, the W3C protocol is followed. Below is the architecture for Selenium 4. Image

Advantages of Selenium

1. Selenium is an open-source automation testing tool that is readily available and cost-efficient.

2. Selenium supports various languages like Java, Python, C#, Ruby, Javascript, and Kotlin. However, most testers use Java with Selenium.

3. Selenium supports operating systems like Windows, Linux, and Macintosh.

4. Selenium supports browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, etc..

5. Selenium supports parallel test execution.

6. Test case execution is faster in Selenium.

7. Test cases can be performed in the headless mode.

Disadvantages of Selenium

1. As Selenium is an open-source automation testing tool, there is no dedicated technical support. Selenium users provide the solutions on some platforms like stack overflow, etc.

2. Selenium can only be used for web application automation; It is incapable of mobile application automation.

3. Selenium cannot generate reports, so we need to integrate tools like TestNg with it.

4. Test case creation is complex.

LambdaTest

It is a platform for manual and automation testing for Mobile and web applications. It is cloud-based. Real devices can be used for mobile testing, or it provides emulators and simulators.

It supports frameworks like Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Puppeteer, and TestCafe.

It supports Appium, Espresso, XCUITest, and EarlGrey for mobile automation testing.

Advantages of LambdaTest

1. It provides many frameworks as options to choose from.

2. Testing can be performed on real devices or emulators and simulators.

3. Continuous Integration can be done with Jenkins, Gitlab, CircleCI, etc.

4. API for continuous testing.

Disadvantages of LambdaTest

1. It’s slow.

2. Debugging can be improved.

3. The free version has limited features, so the full features can be costly.

Cypress

Cypress is an open-source UI automation testing tool for performing end-to-end end testing. It is based on JavaScript and built on Node.js. It can interact with the application more directly than Selenium; hence, it is faster than Selenium as it does not need to wait for synchronization like Selenium. Cypress runs in the same loop as the application being tested. Cypress works in the DOM elements.

Advantages of Cypress

1. Fast execution – Cypress directly interacts with the application and works in the DOM element. It does not require waits to synchronize, so the execution time is less, and it is faster than Selenium.

2. It runs directly on the browser.

3. Easy setup – Libraries and dependencies are already defined, so additional setting is not required.

4. Cypress can take screenshots and videos while running the tests.

5. Near to actual user experience.

6. Easy to write and read.

Disadvantages of Cypress

1. It only supports JavaScript for writing tests as it runs inside the browser.

2. Multiple tabs and windows can not be tested simultaneously using Cypress.

3. Safari and Edge are not supported for now.

4. Iframe support is limited.

Cucumber

It is a Behaviour-driven development test automation framework. It tests the behavior of the application feature. It is widely used in testing communities and organizations. A team working on a project may have only some of the technical resources. For example, a BA is a part of a team but is not an expert in coding. In this case, he may need help with the test cases written. Cucumber uses the Gherkin language to write the test cases.

There are two primary components of the cucumber test automation framework

Feature file- Scenarios will be written in the feature file in the given, when, and then format.

If there are multiple actions or conditions to be performed, then it can be done like

Step definition- In this file, data mapping is done with the steps of the scenarios that need to be executed.

Test runner file: This file will have the path of the feature file and step definition file. Execution will happen from this file.

package StepDefinition;
Import cucumber.api. Java.en.Given;
import cucumber.api. Java.en.Then;
import cucumber.api. Java.en.When;
public class Steps
{

@Given(“^a user navigates to the AUT page by opening the browser$”)
//Code to Open any browser and launch the login page of the application to define the GIVEN step of the feature

@When(“^user clicks on the login button$”)
//The login button is identified using the found element of the XPATH and is clicked to go to the login page

@When(“^user enters correct username and password values$”)
//The username and password field inputs are placed into the correct web elements using XPATH. The WHEN step of the feature is being executed here.

@Then (“^user gets directed to homepage$”)
//Direct to the application’s Homepage due to correct username and password inputs in the WHEN step. This would define the THEN step of the feature.
}

Test runner file: Test execution will start from here. We can use Junit annotations to run the Test.

@RunWith – This indicates running the class mentioned with this annotation.

package TestRunner;
Import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
import cucumber.api.CucumberOptions;
import cucumber.api.junit.Cucumber;
@RunWith(Cucumber.class)
public class Runner
{
}

Advantages of Cucumber

1. Cucumber focuses on end-user experience.

2. It is straightforward to write test cases in cucumber.

3. It resolves the challenge of communication between the technical and non-technical people in the project.

4. It is straightforward to set up the environment.

Disadvantages of Cucumber

1. It is a must for all users to collaborate. Otherwise, it will lose its purpose.

2. Scenarios and steps require maintenance.

Appium

Appium is an open-source tool that is famous for mobile test automation. It supports Android, IOS, and Windows operating systems. It can automate Native mobile applications, Mobile web applications, and Hybrid mobile applications.

It is a cross-platform testing tool. The same code will work for Android, IOS, and Windows operating systems.

Architecture of Appium

Advantages of Appium

1. Open Source – It is an open-source tool, so it is available for free.

2. Using Appium, users can test all types of mobile applications, i.e., hybrid, native, and web applications.

3. Appium works on both Android and IOS.

4. It supports cross-platform, which means the same test cases can be run on different platforms.

Disadvantages of Appium

1. The reporting needs to be more detailed.

2. To support the older APIs than API 16, Appium needs other libraries like Selendroid.

3. As it works on a remote web driver, It is slow.

Katalon

Katalon is a platform that can be used for both web and mobile automation.

Advantages of Katalon

1. This platform can be used for both web and mobile testing.

2. It has AI features like self-healing and intelligent waiting.

3. It supports cross-platform testing.

4. It has low-code features, which makes it easy to use.

5. It is also manageable from the budget point as it comes with flexible packages and a basic free package.

Disadvantages of Katalon

1. Katalon supports only Java and Groovy.

2. It is not open source.

3. Katalon users are less in the market and have a small community.

Test Complete

Test Complete is another tool that can be used for web and mobile testing. It supports many languages like Python, Javascript, VB script, etc.

Advantages of Test complete

1. It Supports various browsers.

2. It has Continuous Integration, which makes it very easy to use.

3. It has a record and playback feature, and the scripts can be edited again.

Disadvantage of TestComplete

1. It supports only Windows and not Mac.

2. License cost is high.

TestRigor

TestRigor is an AI-based testing tool used to automate web applications, mobile applications, and desktop applications. Test cases are written in English, which is very easy to write and understand. It supports parallel execution, which, in return, increases the execution speed.

Advantages of TestRigor

1. Single solution for end-to-end testing of all web, Mobile, and desktop applications.

2. Supports parallel execution means the tests can be executed in parallel instances.

3. Test case writing is easy as tests can be written in plain English.

4. Easily maintainable.

Disadvantages of TestRigor

1. It is a Paid tool, so it may only be convenient for some.

Soap UI

Soap UI is an open-source tool for testing. It is mainly used for web API testing and web services. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, REST, JDBC, SOAP, etc.

Soap UI architecture

Advantages of Soapui

1. The GUI of the tool is easy to use.

2. All standard protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, JDBC, AMF, SOAP, WSDL, etc., are supported.

3. It costs less.

Disadvantages of Soapui

1. It can be slow for extensive testing.

2. It has lower stability

3. It can be difficult for the first-time user.

HPE Unified Functional Testing (UFT)

UFT is also previously known as QTP. It is used for regression and functional testing. It supports multiple platforms. It also can be used for mobile and desktop testing. It uses VBScript language to create the tests.

Advantages of UFT

1. It supports multiple platforms and technologies.

2. It is a keyword-driven framework, So a less technical person can use it.

3. It can be integrated with other defect-tracking tools and test management tools.

4. It offers data-driven testing.

Disadvantages of UFT

1. It does not work on all the versions of all the browsers.

2. It is a licensed tool. So it can be costly.

3. It uses VBscript, which is not a very commonly used language, So finding support can be difficult.

Frequently Asked Questions