Top 20 Essential Website Testing Tools
By Shreya Bose, Community Contributor - August 7, 2024
Website testing is a critical process that ensures a website functions optimally and delivers a seamless user experience across various devices and browsers. It plays a vital role in identifying and fixing bugs, security vulnerabilities, and usability issues before they impact users.
This curated list of 20 essential website testing tools empowers developers and QA teams to ensure optimal performance, functionality, and user experience of their websites.
What Are Website Testing Tools?
Website testing tools refer to applications or frameworks designed to examine and evaluate a website’s function, performance, appearance, UI, security and user-friendliness. It goes without saying that websites must be tested for seamless functionality across a wide range of browsers, devices and Operating systems.
Website testing tools are absolutely essential for managing software quality and reliability. They detect bugs, offer feedback on their occurrence, and eliminate them before the app hits prod.
These tools are required to automate a large number of repetitive and time-consuming tasks, reducing manual effort in QA pipelines. It also cuts down the incidence of errors and human fatigue, helping to streamline bug tracking and resolution.
20 Best Website Testing Tools
1. BrowserStack
BrowserStack offers extensive software architecture for software testing – manual, automated, visual, low-code and AI-driven. Our tech suite includes multiple products to perform any type of testing such as cross-browser, visual, accessibility, etc along with access to 3000+ real browsers and devices.
The BrowserStack provides the following tools to perform website testing:
- Live: QA testers and developers use Live for manual testing on 3500+ real desktop and mobile browser combinations. It allows you to monitor app performance in real-world conditions so that bugs cannot escape into prod without your knowledge.
- Automate: Automate enables automated testing at scale on real desktop and mobile browsers. You can install the SDK for your framework, and start running steps on 3500+ real desktop and mobile browser combinations – on real devices. No code changes are required.
- Automate Turboscale: Get a self-managed and scalable automation grid on your cloud with Turboscale. Testers can run automation scripts in a Docker-based scalable grid on their cloud.
- Percy: Testers can automate visual testing with Percy. It will capture screenshots, compare them against a baseline, and highlight visual changes.
- Low-code automation: QAs can automate tests with low learning curves, thanks to Low Code Automation. They can use a web-based application and a desktop application – the former lets you view tests, manage and trigger test suites, view build reports, and the latter can create tests and run them on local browsers.
- Test Observability: Teams can leverage real-time test reporting, and AI-led test failure analysis, detect flaky tests and set specific metrics to track test automation.
- Test Management: QAs can utilize our AI-powered full-stack test management mechanisms. They can build, manage and track all tests, and derive insights into the process. The management suite can be fully integrated into your test automation landscape.
Why is BrowserStack the Best Website Testing Tool?
BrowserStack streamlines testing with real browsers and devices for manual, automated, visual, and low-code testing. It continuously updates features and frameworks to stay ahead of testing trends.
Here are a few tangible benefits:
- Cost savings via efficient, optimized automation testing. You don’t have to invest in the setup and maintenance of your test grid. Just log in to BrowserStack and start testing.
- Faster feedback cycles, thanks to refined management and monitoring systems in place.
- Better allocation of human resources, now than automation tools have taken over the routine, repetitive tasks.
- Better test accuracy and increased test coverage.
- Access to thousands of real browsers, devices and OSes, enabling software tests in real user conditions.
- Effortlessly integrate with various languages and frameworks for comprehensive automated testing.
2. Selenium
Selenium is an open-source automated testing framework designed to validate web applications across variant browsers and platforms. Testers can use it to simulate user interactions with browsers and verify their responses in real-time.
Selenium supports:
- Programming Languages: C#, Java, Python, PHP, Ruby, Perl, and JavaScript
- Operating Systems: Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, Mac, Solaris.
- Browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Edge, Opera, Safari, etc.
Arguably, Selenium is one of the most popular testing frameworks in the world. However, it is meant solely for testing web applications, not mobile apps.
Features:
- Supports most programming languages testers use to create automation scripts.
- Supports multiple web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and so on.
- Can operate on any OS – Linux, Macintosh, MacOS, etc.
- Supports parallel testing.
- Provides methods to handle pop-ups and alerts during test execution.
- Comes with a large and active user community.
- Supports multiple test frameworks like TestNG.
- The underlying architecture allows Selenium to integrate with other tools and frameworks.
- Selenium is easy to understand and utilize because its commands are grouped based on classes.
- Selenium WebDriver requires no server installation because all test scripts interact directly with the browser in question.
- Requires far fewer technological resources to run, relative to other automation tools.
Closing Thoughts: Selenium is an open-source tool that supports multiple programming languages. However, it can be slow and resource-intensive and its maintenance can be challenging due to frequent updates in web browsers.
3. Cypress
Cypress is a front-end testing tool built to address key pain points that devs and testers deal with when testing software. It addresses many of Selenium’s limitations, enabling the creation of faster and more stable tests.
It is a JavaScript-based end-to-end testing framework built on Mocha – a feature-rich JavaScript test framework running on and in the browser, making asynchronous testing simple and convenient. Cypress’ testing library also uses a BDD/TDD assertion library and a browser to pair with any JavaScript testing framework.
Most Cypress users are devs or QAs building web apps with JavaScript frameworks. It is free and open-source and is helpful for setting up, writing, running, and debugging tests.
Once testers build their test suites and integrate Cypress with their CI provider, Cypress Cloud can record your test runs.
Features:
- Cypress takes snapshots as tests run. Testers can hover over commands in the Command Log to observe each test step.
- QAs can debug directly from their dev tools. Cypress offers readable errors and stack traces to accelerate debugging.
- The tool automatically waits for commands and assertions before moving to the next test step.
- QAs can verify and control how functions, server responses and timers work within apps.
- Testers can control, stub, and test edge cases without a server. They can also control stub network traffic.
- Cypress takes screenshots automatically on test failure. Testers can also enable video recordings of the entire test suite from the CLI.
- Allows testing within Firefox and Chrome – family browsers.
- Allows discovery and diagnosis of unreliable tests.
Closing Thoughts: Cypress is quite fast when it comes to test execution and reporting. It supports a multitude of different browsers and is easy to integrate with Cucumber and generate reports. The free version, however, does not have the one-point dashboard. It may also not be optimal for large-scale projects consistently.
4. Katlon
Katalon Studio is a free tool for test automation. It is used to test websites, mobile apps and web apps. For users without technical expertise, the tool provides record & playback as well as manual mode. For programmers, it provides script mode – users write scripts in Groovy.
Features:
- Can integrate with Git, Jenkins, qTest and Jira.
- Provides in-built templates for maintaining object repos, test cases and custom keywords.
- Supports Java and Groovy.
- Setup and installation are quite simple; just download the package for your OS, extract it and activate it.
- Test scripts recorded in one browser can be run in another supported browser, facilitating cross-browser testing.
- Test results are intuitive and can be exported to PDF and CSV formats.
Closing Thoughts: Katalon’s UI is easy to use and implement after acquiring the tool. It provides extensive automation capabilities and can easily integrate with your existing tools. However, the platform may freeze sometimes, especially when switching from one test case to another.
5. Playwright
Playwright is another free and open-source automation library. It is backed by Microsoft and facilitates end-to-end testing with a web browser.
Playwright is ideal for many test scenarios – be it page interactions to progressive web apps.
Features:
- Works with multiple browsers – Chromium (Chrome, Edge), Firefox, and WebKit (Safari).
- Supports multiple platforms – mobile (Android), web, and desktop (MacOS, Linux, Windows).
- Can emulate mobile devices – geolocation, screen size, etc.
- Though initially built for Node.js, Playwright now supports JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, and C#/.NET bindings.
- Can run browsers in headless mode for faster test execution. It can also run GUI mode for development and testing.
- Can automate multiple browser interactions – clicking buttons, filling forms, moving between pages.
- Automatically waits for elements load before performing the next test steps. This reduces flakiness.
- Supports Accessibility testing, CI testing, API testing, network interception and mocking.
Closing Thoughts: Easy to use, especially for BDD. Well integrated with Visual Code Studio, and supports ChromeDriver, and multiple other libraries. However, it comes with little to no community support.
6. Puppeteer
Puppeteer is a Node.js library that offers a high-level API to control Chrome/Chromium over the DevTools Protocol. By default, Puppeteer runs in headless mode but can be configured to work in “headful” Chrome/Chromium.
At its core, Puppeteer is an automation tool rather than a test tool. It is best suited for use cases such as scraping, generating PDFs, etc.
Features:
- Allows automation of form submission, UI testing, keyboard inputs and other user interactions.
- Allows use of the latest Javascript and browser features.
- Allows testing of Chrome extensions.
- Can generate screenshots and PDFs of web pages
- Can crawl single-page applications and create pre-rendered content.
Closing Thoughts: Handles route redirects within browsers quite well. Great at taking snapshots of test steps. However, it can slow down platform performance if the script uses too many redirects.
7. New Relic
New Relic APM offers real-time monitoring and analytics data around software performance, especially about application performance management (APM). It is used by devs, Ops personnel and other stakeholders to monitor and optimize their tech stack.
This tool provides detailed performance metrics and actionable insights. These directly help to quickly identify and resolve issues, recurring or otherwise. It is especially good at addressing pain points causing downtime, system bottlenecks and deployment inefficiencies.
Features:
- Delivers real-time analytics data.
- Integrates with a wide range of systems and services, creating a centralized monitoring dashboard.
- The dashboard is customizable; users can tweak it to highlight the performance metrics to be prioritized in their specific project.
- Allows users to check transaction traces and logs. These datasets are necessary to understand the fundamental cause of performance issues.
- Offers comprehensive documentation for installation. The guided installation automatically detects the user’s digital environment and sets up the agent.
- Records and creates logs for customer errors. Your dashboard will showcase different attributes for better troubleshooting.
Closing Thoughts: Easy to implement, easy to monitor application data. Provides SLA data daily or weekly. However, the tool does not capture test logs automatically, requiring them to be imported from the workstation.
8. Test Rigor
TestRigor is a platform built for simplifying test automation. It helps with achieving wide test coverage, reducing the time and effort required for each sprint. It leverages machine learning and AI models, the tools identify defects early in the dev cycle.
TestRigor assists with test case creation, test execution, defect reporting and test maintenance. It can automate test execution, simulate user actions and verify results.
Features:
- Possesses machine learning algorithms that automatically generate test cases based on usage patterns and expected software behavior.
- Significantly reduces manual effort in terms of test creation and execution.
- Provides a user-friendly UI and takes away much of the complex scripting otherwise required for dev pipelines.
- Allows test creation through simple, intuitive commands. This makes the tool usable by technical and non-technical users.
- Runs adaptive regression testing by examining error-prone areas and adjusting test coverage to match it.
- Uses intelligent algorithms to evaluate test results and find patterns in how bugs occur.
- Helps to prioritize bug fixes by order of risk and impact on user experiences.
Closing Thoughts: Users can generate test scripts with regular English statements. Comes with a great customer support team. However, the tool does seem to crash relatively often, according to reviews.
9. BugBug
BugBug simplifies end-to-end testing, limits your test workload and prioritizes user experience. This low-code test automation tool reduces the need for manual testing. Users can quickly record, edit and run stable end-to-end tests, either locally or in the cloud.
Features:
- The UI is very user-friendly, facilitating a quick learning curve.
- Offers customizable workflows that can be tailored to project requirements.
- Provides real-time collaboration capabilities that are optimized for Chrome users.
- Facilitates no code test creation.
- Allows test execution in your browser or the cloud.
- Simulates real cursor clicks during tests.
- Provides smart auto-scrolling which is especially useful for recording tests.
Closing Thoughts: Test setup is quite easy, and the UI is intuitive. Integration capabilities, on the other hand, are somewhat lacking. Reporting mechanisms are also a little complicated.
10. Test Collab
Test Collab is a test board instrument for manual and automation testing. It provides a singular platform for agile testing, customer user rights management, creating configurable test plans, JIRA integration, and test scheduling.
QAs can use TestCollab to add projects, define test cases and suites, build test plans, assign and run tests and evaluate results.
The tool enables better productivity and test coverage through no-code test automation, as well as a REST API for custom requirements.
Features:
- Optimized for agile development and testing.
- Carries robust, up-to-date features for collaboration.
- Allows reusing of test steps, test cases and test suites.
- Offers custom fields.
- Extensive, detailed dashboards as well as reports that track test progress in real-time.
- Allows relocation of data from other test case management tools.
- Allows test designing in XML, CSV and Excel.
- Offers a requirements traceability matrix, dashboards, test case and test plan managers.
Closing Thoughts: Provides a user-friendly UI so users can create new suites in bulk using CSV. However, there is inadequate support for Behavior-Driven Tests.
11. Leapwork
Leapwork doesn’t just automate tests but also helps organize the entire process. Users can track automation flows across several projects. The interface is easy to follow, even without a tech-savvy mind.
In particular, Leapwork lets users build reusable sub-flows. These flows convert parts of the automation pipeline into visual flowcharts that apply across test suites and teams. Creating these flows reduces the amount of test maintenance.
Features:
- Supports remote execution of automation flows. Users can set up remote environments, agents and robots.
- Works with different environments – Selenium Grid, BrowserStack, etc.
- Comes with scheduling features that automate test execution in a certain order.
- Provides detailed reports on test flows – testers can see which steps succeeded, which failed, and the cause.
- Provides visual dashboards – see test performance metrics, number of passed and failed tests, and environment status.
- Quick learning curve, even for non-technical users.
- Provides a GUI-based Windows platform that allows for no-code testing.
- Industry-best technical support with a responsive support team.
Closing Thoughts: Leapwork simplifies complex test automation with its visual approach, making it accessible for non-technical users. It offers strong features like reusable sub-flows and flexible locator strategies, but automating the repeated re-running of failed tests can be challenging.
12. Zap Test
ZAPTEST is used for automating web, desktop, mobile, API and LOAD applications. Users get access to unlimited testing, as well as a full-time “Certified Expert”.
Features:
- Offers 1SCRIPT implementation and parallel testing on web, mobile and desktop applications on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android platforms – all from one test script.
- Provides a code-less option for test creation, helping non-technical users.
- Comes with an in-built calculator that visualizes automation ROI, so teams can know if they are getting their money’s worth with the tool.
- Offers a cloud device hosting management program to manage access and testing anywhere at any time.
- Offers complete control over UI automation with any API or framework required.
- The website claims to generate up to 10X testing ROI existing software testing and RPS tools – ones that testers may already be using.
Closing Thoughts: Allows testing on different platforms. Users can develop test cases for multi-step automation tests. However, there are quite a few scalability issues reported.
13. Web Load
This load testing tool helps with stress and performance testing on web applications. It helps simulate real-life user actions, even for complex systems and pipelines.
WebLOAD works with Microsoft Windows and Linux. The tool combines scalability, stability and performance into a singular process for better software delivery.
The tool simulates thousands of users’ activity on web pages and returns analytics data on the site’s behavior.
Features:
- Monitors metrics across different system components: servers, application servers, database, network, load-balancer, firewall, etc.
- Carries an IDE comprising tools for parameterization, correlation, response validation, debugging, messaging, and native JavaScript.
- Can run test scripts dynamically, even if devs are using different virtual clients.
- Does not support AJAX-based applications.
- Its PMM collects server-side performance data during test execution. This provides additional insights into why bugs occur.
Closing Thoughts: Highly responsive response times from the support team. However, the documentation, demos and tutorials could use improvement.
14. ExperiTest (now Digital.ai)
This scalable testing tool helps verify the performance of web and mobile applications. It serves to increase test coverage and assist teams with making data-backed technical decisions. Teams can use ExperiTest to build automation scripts for functional, performance and accessibility tests.
It stands out for robust cross-browser testing capabilities, along with access to more than 2000 real devices. Users can leverage ExpertiTest’s public APIs for running tests, managing devices and software and user permission.
Features:
- Comes with an IDE plug-in for easy inspection of elements.
- Allows integration with existing dev tools, IDEs, test frameworks and CI environments.
- Allows parallel testing on multiple devices and browsers.
- Provides data-driven analytic insights
- Enables accessibility testing (voiceover talkback and recordings)
- Self-healing tests are empowered by AI.
- Facilitate test case generation via the use of generative AI. No coding skills required.
Closing Thoughts: Makes it easy to take screenshots, record videos and test location. It, however, comes with a complicated licensing system.
15. TestComplete
TestComplete helps to automate tests for desktop, web and mobile apps. It supports Windows, WPF, .Net, Delphi, Visual C++, and Java as well as web applications and services.
The tool combines AI with a set of rich, relevant features for test automation. For example, tests are self-healing, which minimizes manual test maintenance.
Features:
- Native support for Behavior Driven Development (BDD).
- Allows scriptless testing via its Record and Replay feature.
- Supports a long list of programming languages for scripting.
- Enables integration with defect tracking tools like Jira and Bugzilla.
- Lets testers isolate test steps, objects, actions and data, thanks to the in-built keyboard-driven testing framework.
- Allows the creation of functional UI tests without any programming language.
- Allows easy handling of complex actions via point-and-click actions.
Closing Thoughts: Easy to record test cases and playback for future tests/projects. No code scripting is possible. However, the tool can crash when editing and running scripts multiple times.
16. Soap UI
SoapUI is primarily used for functional testing (SOAP and REST testing). This open-source tool helps to quickly create automated functional, regression and load tests.
Features:
- Lets you build code-free tests via drag-and-drop options.
- Lets you track test flows step-by-step with the ReadyAPI Test Debugging. The interface makes it easy to follow test flow, variables, properties, requests, context, etc.
- Makes it easy to build data-driven tests in ReadyAPI. Testers can read and loop test data from external sources – Excel, XML, JDBC, and Files.
Closing Thoughts: Simple UI that can be immediately used by new users. Test cases can be written and automated using SOAP UI in XML format, making data-driven testing possible. Testers must, however, write scripts in Groovy. This isn’t possible for folks with no coding experience. The tool also provides inefficient reporting of test runs.
17. Tricentis
Tricentis offers AI-augmented QA services for smarter testing, faster release and lower costs. It is tailored for devs and testers so that they can simplify end-to-end testing by automating most tasks.
It offers multiple toolsets – Tricentis Testim and Tricentis Tosca – and QTest for excellent test management.
Features:
- Reduces manual effort by automating codeless test cycles.
- The QTest integration will enable streamlined and structured test management & project workflow.
- Allows scaling of test automation across diverse teams, application types, and IT architectures.
- Codeless options for non-technical business users and testers.
- Leverages advanced machine learning engines for better testing.
- Tricentis Tosca uses a model-based approach to testing, instead of risk-based strategies. Technical details, test case logic and test data are saved in isolation and combined when the tests are run.
- Tricentis Tosca leverages a risk-based test design that suggests the best test cases and assigns a “risk contribution” to each case.
Closing Thoughts: Provides great tools for tracking and managing day-to-day activities. Great security features. The standby time is too short. Users have to keep logging in or refreshing their browsers.
18. Bugzilla
Bugzilla is an open-source tool for tracking bugs, issues and anomalies in a testing project. It helps devs and testers stay on top of existing problems in the software under test.
The platform is designed for recording essential details and a knowledge bank that can be used for all projects in perpetuity.
Features:
- Provides advanced searching capabilities.
- Users can configure email notifications for bug status changes.
- Showcases the complete bug change history.
- Allows tracking of bug dependency, and even graphically represents the same.
- Comes with an integrated, product-based and granular security schema.
- Provides complete security audits.
- Supports Web, XML, E-Mail and console interfaces.
- Supports a stable RDBMS (Rational Database Management System) back end.
- Supports a localized web user interface.
Closing Thoughts: Provides APIs for building custom dashboards. Users can perform saved searches and reporting based on data. But, the UI is clunky and can be slow. It isn’t totally intuitive and can be difficult to manage, depending on the project’s nature.
19. Ranorex Studio
Ranorex Studio enables test automation for web, desktop and mobile applications. Its main feature is an IDE, equipped with features to help devs create, run and manage tests. They can write, edit and implement automated tests.
The IDE is also equipped with features for code completion, debugging and version control – ideal for building complex tests.
The tool is known for its intuitive interface and extensive documentation.
Features:
- Offers many tutorials and training resources, and a dedicated support team.
- Easy learning curve.
- Comes with unique object recognition capabilities that simplify the automation of UI actions – drag-and-drop. Makes tests more reliable and easier to maintain.
- Allows testers to record UI action and automatically generate test code to match the same.
- Recorded tests can be run on different platforms – desktop, web and mobile apps, different OSes and browsers.
Closing Thoughts: Comes with a highly intuitive interface that allows codeless automation. Excellent integration capabilities and good support for cross-platform testing. The tool has a steep learning curve. Cloud support and integration options are also somewhat limited.
20. HeadSpin
HeadSpin serves to test and debug web, mobile, audio and video software on real devices across 90+ different global locations. Testers can verify app behavior in real user conditions. They can control apps remotely from their desktop or mobile workstation without any SDK or local support.
Features:
- Extensive analytics features that show detailed insights into software performance and issues with user experience.
- Access to a global device cloud with real devices for broad coverage and real testing conditions.
- AI-powered diagnostic capabilities for smart troubleshooting. This helps identify performance issues quickly and efficiently.
Closing Thoughts: Active support from the product team. But the tool’s pricing makes it ideal for high-budget projects.
What Are the Must-Have Features of a Website Testing Tool?
1. Cross-Browser Testing: The tool of choice must support website testing on a range of different browsers as well as browser versions for each. Ensure that you have access to the latest as well as older versions, to cover all users’ preferences.
2. Cross-Platform Testing: Does the website work equally well on Windows, Mac and Linux? It certainly should, and your website testing tool should provide you access to real OSes on real devices.
3. Real Device Cloud: Nothing matches real user conditions. The ideal website testing tool comes with a real device cloud so that you can run tests on real browsers, devices and OSes.
4. Test on dev environment: The tool should allow QAs to write test scripts in different frameworks for testing sites locally, whether on a local host server or a staging website. BrowserStack achieves this via Local Testing.
5. Supports Manual and Automation Testing: The tool should support manual and automated testing. Remember that no matter how sophisticated machines get, they cannot replace human perception, discernment and judgment.
6. Visual testing capabilities: Visual testing verifies that the app’s visual elements – colors, images, fonts, and layouts – are displayed correctly and consistently across different devices, operating systems, and browsers. Your testing tool should facilitate it via automated scripts.
How to Choose the Best Website Testing Tool?
Choosing the best website testing tool involves finding one that meets your specific project needs and team preferences. Consider what types of tests you need to run and how extensive the test coverage should be. Evaluate the device, browser, and OS combinations required for your testing. Additionally, determine how many parallel tests are necessary to maximize productivity.
Once you’ve answered those questions, consider the following parameters:
- Look for Browser and Device Compatibility: Does the tool provide and support the devices, browsers and OSes required for testing? Your app needs to be compatible with the target audience’s preferred hardware and software environments, and it’s the tool’s job to provide resources for the same.
- Ease of Use: The tool should be easy to pick up. Teams cannot afford to deal with a steep learning curve, as it would cause unnecessary project delays. Opt for an intuitive tool with a self-explanatory interface.
- Test Coverage and Environments: The tool of choice should be able to design and implement enough tests to achieve sufficient test coverage of the app. Additionally, the tool should provide access to the necessary test environments.
- Automation Capabilities: The tool should have significant automation capabilities; testers should be able to automate all repetitive tasks and test steps on real devices and platforms
To understand the different criteria in depth check out our guide on how to select a cross-browser testing tool.
Which Website Testing Tool Should You Choose?
If you scan through the list above, you’ll see that most tools have some unique feature that helps them stand out. Perhaps you’re looking for excellent automation capabilities, access to a real device cloud, or industry-best reporting mechanisms. Depending on your team or project requirements, the ideal tool will change. This complexity can be easily addressed, by choosing a tool that covers all facets of testing.
BrowserStack covers manual, automated, visual, low-code and other essential forms of testing. It supports all relevant frameworks and integrations, while also providing thousands of real browsers, devices and OSes on-demand.
Let’s say you want manual testing, use Live. If you want automated testing, use Automate/Automate TurboScale. If you cannot write code but want to run tests anyway, use the Low Code testing tool. If you want to check the veracity of visual website components, use Percy, and so on.
BrowserStack also has built-in mechanisms for accessibility testing, a necessity in today’s software market. You can also use advanced test observability, easily scale tests with a couple of clicks and even use Test University to help train your team on BrowserStack’s offerings.
Consider having a look at this BrowserStack Demo. Sample the workings of each product, and you’ll immediately gauge its applicability to your team, organization and project requirements.