What are different Software Testing Tools?

Software Testing tools refer to verifying the software product or application. Many software tools are available in the market based on their advantages and disadvantages. This article listed the top 15 Software testing tools that verify the product and whether it meets the specific requirements and also check the software application’s quality, errors and performance.

What are Testing Tools?

Testing tools are used for testing and verifying the software for the betterment of the software. It is a tool that supports defect logging, test analysis, and test execution.

Testing tools are specialized software applications designed to evaluate the functionality, performance, and security of other software or systems. These tools are integral to the software development process, enabling developers to verify that their code meets the specified requirements and behaves as expected under various conditions. 

Testing tools cover a range of testing types, including unit testing, integration testing, visual testing, and accessibility testing. Each tool is specialized to handle different aspects of testing, providing detailed diagnostics and helping to streamline the development process.

Why do you need Testing Tools?

Testing tools are crucial for verifying whether a software functions as expected and maintaining high software quality and reliability. Manual Testing is labour-intensive and prone to errors, making it inefficient for large-scale software projects. 

On the other hand, testing tools:

• Automate repetitive tasks
• Ensure consistent test coverage  
• Can simulate real user conditions 

This capability is crucial for identifying potential breakdowns and bottlenecks before software goes live. By detecting issues early in the development cycle, testing tools help:

• Reduce the cost of fixing bugs 
• Enhance user satisfaction 
• Ensure that software meets all safety and compliance requirements

Factors to consider when choosing a Software Testing Tool

Here are the core Factors you should consider when choosing a testing tool:

• Cost: The most critical factors when choosing a testing tool are budget, cost, and end-user requirements. Depending on the size of your team or your usage choice, you need to opt for a solution. 
• Compatibility: Your testing tools should efficiently run and execute test cases on different cross-browser platforms, and it will save time from running test cases on different platforms manually.
• Ease of use: Select a user-friendly testing tool. Otherwise, your test process will be time-consuming and you will need to put extra effort into getting accustomed to the tool.
• Technical support: The testing tools vendor should provide all possible technical support for their users. A good testing tool should have features like- FAQs, live chat, phone calls, email support, an online user guide, product documentation, help desk ticket, and more.
• Community support: A software tester must join a community to meet people with the same profession. It’s helpful for independent testers to know trending software testing tools and techniques.

Top Software Testing Tools

Here is a list of the top 19 Software Testing Tools:

1. BrowserStack Automate
2. Selenium
3. BugBug
4. Cypress
5. Nightwatch.js
6. Mailtrap
7. Appium
8. Espresso
9. Percy
10. JUnit
11. WebdriverIO
12. Cucumber
13. Test Management
14. Puppeteer
15. Playwright
16. SoapUI
17. Apache JMeter
18. TestNG
19. Accessibility

Let’s go through the important software testing tools in detail and understand their advantages and disadvantages which will help you decide which one to use.

1. BrowserStack Automate

BrowserStack Automate is a web testing product that helps to run application tests on all desktop browsers and over 3000 real mobile devices. On a cloud-based infrastructure, the teams run the automated Cypress, Puppeteer, Playwright and Selenium tests. Other latest BrowserStack software test tools include the Automate Turboscale, Test Management, Accessibility Testing, and Test Observability to ensure that you have an end-to-end solution for all your software testing needs. 

Prerequisites for BrowserStack

Following are the Steps for using BrowserStack:

• Sign up in BrowserStack.
• The testing environment needs to be Set up.
• Choose the browser and device of your choice to test the software.
• Run the tests.

Advantages

• Real-time testing is possible in BrowserStack on cloud-based infrastructure.
• In this video, recordings and screenshots of the test runs are taken automatically.
• Visual testing is possible in BrowserStack.
• It also saves time and reduces costs associated with testing the software.

Disadvantages

• As BrowserStack is a real device cloud it requires a proper internet connection.

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2. Selenium

Selenium was developed by Jason Huggins in 2004, which is an open source Web User Interface automation used for testing software. Selenium is deployed on Linux, Macintosh, Windows and Solaris.

Prerequisites for Selenium

To get started with selenium automation some of the dependencies are required to install:

• Java (JDK)
• Eclipse Packages
• Selenium Clients and WebDriver Language Bindings 
• Configure Selenium in Eclipse

Advantages

• Selenium supports automation across different platforms and browsers.
• Users can automate their tests using Selenium and it doesn’t require any new language to be learned before using it.
• By integrating with the Selenium Grid it also supports parallel test executions.
• They are used for functional test automation and integrated with tools like Docker, Maven, TestNG, JUnit and Jenkins.

Disadvantages

• Selenium is unable to integrate continuous testing or insprint automation.
• It has a high initial cost and is difficult to use without technical support.

BrowserStack Automate allows you to integrate Selenium test suites and run tests on multiple real devices.

3. BugBug

BugBug is a web app testing tool focused on test automation. Unlike conventional testing tools, it is crafted to serve both technical and non-technical users. It offers an intuitive interface that allows for the creation, editing, and execution of tests without requiring coding knowledge. 

One of its standout features is the test recorder, which provides users with an easy method to automate test scenarios for web apps.

Prerequisites for BugBug:

• Install Google Chrome. BugBug relies on Chrome plugins for test creation and execution.
• Create a free BugBug account.

Advantages of BugBug:

• It offers unlimited tests, local test runs, and suites, allowing for testing without restriction.
• Features intelligent wait times that adapt dynamically, reducing flaky tests and false negatives.
• Supports using an email inbox (bugbug-inbox.com) during test recording for registration/confirmation.
• The recorder enables the use of built-in variables (e.g., generating random numbers/strings) to fill out form fields.
• Integrates with Github, Gitlab, Bitbucket pipelines, Jenkins.

Disadvantages of BugBug:

• BugBug is a tool designed for web app and website testing. If you need mobile and cross-browser testing, you must find a more suitable option.

4. Cypress

Cypress is an open source frontend software testing tool that is used to test web apps. It is used for testing Javascript and the web components which run in a browser. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Prerequisites for Cypress

To get started with Cypress automation the users need to install the below-mentioned systems:

• Windows 7 
• Linux Ubuntu 
• MacOS 

Advantages

• Cypress supports the modern web technologies that are used in the industries.
• It supports cross-browser testing and allows developers to debug tests in real time and fix the issues quickly.
• It provides fast and easy testing, running the tests directly on the browsers.

Disadvantages

• Cypress doesn’t support testing on mobile.
• A plugin needs to be installed in Cypress to upload and download any file.
• It doesn’t support multi-tab testing.

BrowserStack helps to run Cypress across different browsers.

5. Nightwatch.js

Nightwatch.js is an automated software testing framework which is powered by Node.js. It is an open-source tool that performs end-to-end testing on web applications.

Prerequisites for Nightwatch.js

To get started with Nightwatch.js the users need to install:

• Node.js
• Node Package Manager (npm)

Advantages

• Nightwatch.js has low code maintenance and better performance.
• To build a BDD setup it allows third-party integration with Cucumber.
• The clean syntax helps to write tests easily.
• It includes its own library and testing frameworks.

Disadvantages

• As it consists of its own testing frameworks it doesn’t provide choices for unit test frameworks.
• There is no support available in BDD style syntax.

6. Mailtrap by Railsware

Mailtrap Email Testing enables the inspection and debugging of emails in staging, development, and QA environments without spamming recipients. It tests the email templates’ HTML and CSS compatibility with popular mailbox providers, analyzing Spam Scores and checking IP blacklists.

Additionally, you can automate testing flows with Mailtrap’s Email Testing API. It provides actionable, in-depth analytics with unique monitoring capabilities to control your email infrastructure and quickly troubleshoot unexpected issues.

Prerequisites for Mailtrap

• Select your integration from 20+ code samples or copy SMTP credentials
• Paste the configuration to your project
• Run your email sending code to receive a message in your inbox

Advantages

• Cover code with tests to run automated checks via Testing API
• Verify different email aspects, debug sending script and HTML template
• Compare revised emails with previous versions
• Access in-depth analytics and monitoring capabilities.
• Receive weekly critical alerts and get 24/7 support from email deliverability experts.

Disadvantages

• It strips out <script> tags for security reasons
• It renders emails similarly to browsers

7. Appium

Appium is an open-source software testing tool that permits testing of hybrid applications, native applications and mobile web apps. It is a freely available automation framework that allows the QAs to conduct automated app testing in Windows, android and iOS.

Prerequisites for Appium

To get started with Appium the users need to install the following system which is mentioned below:

• Java (JDK)
• Eclipse IDE
• Android Studio
• Selenium Server JAR file
• Appium Desktop Client

Advantages

• Appium is free of cost as it is an open-source automation testing tool.
• It supports Chrome web browsers, native, hybrid and web applications.
• It runs on both Android and iOS and also allows the use of the Robot framework.

Disadvantages

• The test execution of Appium is very slow.
• Switching from web apps to mobile apps is not possible in Appium.
• In iOS devices testing needs an active paid Apple developer account.

BrowserStack App Automate allows you to test hybrid and native mobile apps in Appium.

8. Espresso

Espresso is an Android app testing framework for User Interface testing. Google developed it to help users write automation test cases for UI testing. It also allows black box testing.

Prerequisites for Espresso

To get started with Espresso the developers need to install the latest version of the following system which are mentioned below:

• Java (JDK)
• Android Studio
• Android SDK
• Gradle Build Tool

Advantages

• Espresso can only test the user interfaces.
• It doesn’t support the two programming languages- Kotlin and Java.
• The iOS automation testing in mobile apps cannot be performed in Espresso.

9. Percy

BrowserStack Percy is a visual testing tool that automates the comparison of visual outputs, such as screenshots, against a known good set of images. This tool is pivotal for ensuring that changes in code do not inadvertently affect the visual layout and user interface of web applications.

Prerequisites for Percy

• A BrowserStack account.
• Understanding of visual regression testing
• Knowing how to set up baselines for visual comparison of website or app

Advantages

• Automatically detects visual changes, preventing unwanted UI modifications.
• Integrates with CI/CD pipelines and version control systems to streamline workflows.
• Ensures high-fidelity visual testing to catch even the smallest discrepancies.

Disadvantages

• Scope limited to visual testing and does not cover functional testing aspects.

10. JUnit

JUnit is a testing tool framework used by the Java programmers to write and implement unit testing in Java which has to be re-executed every time new code is added to the previous code.

Prerequisites for JUnit

To get started with JUnit the developers need to install:

• Java (JDK)
• Eclipse IDE

Advantages

• JUnit is an open-source framework used for writing code faster and also it increases the quality of the code.
• Test runners are provided for running tests.
• For testing the expected results you can use JUnit assertions.

Disadvantages

• JUnit cannot create the HTML reports of the test cases and in this large test suites are not possible.
• JUnit does not do dependency testing.
• Group testing is also not possible in JUnit. 

11. WebdriverIO

WebdriverIO is a testing framework that is used for testing native mobile and web applications written in Javascript and NodeJS. They provide a set of plugins that create a robust test suite.

Prerequisites for WebdriverIO

To get started with WebdriverIO the developers need to install the latest version of the following systems:

• Node.js
• Node Package Manager (npm)
• Git Bash

Advantages

• Javascript developers use WebdriverIO to automate modern web applications.
• They have capabilities of remote test execution.

Disadvantages

• The debugging of the test is difficult.
• The language support is limited in webdriver.io.

12. Cucumber

Cucumber is an open-source software testing tool which tests the applications in a behaviour-driven development (BDD). It is a tool written in Ruby. It supports different programming languages like Java and groovy.

Prerequisites for Cucumber

To get started with Cucumber the developers need to install the latest version of the following systems:

• Java (JDK)
• Eclipse IDE

Advantages

• The plugins in Cucumber are faster than the other testing tools.
• Test scripts can be written without having a deep knowledge of coding languages.
• The code in cucumber can be reused.

Disadvantages

• The syntax used in cucumber is complex for beginners.
• Cucumber is slow in running the tests.

13. Test Management

BrowserStack Test Management is a highly regarded tool that enhances the testing process by efficiently handling both manual and automated test cases.

It streamlines the setup, management, and monitoring of test cases, providing integrated workflows and easy-to-use dashboards for immediate insight into software quality.

Prerequisites for Test Management

• A BrowserStack account.
• Familiarity with QA processes and testing frameworks.
• Integration setups for CI/CD pipelines if needed.

Advantages

• Manages all test cases, both manual and automated, from a single platform.
• Utilizes tags and folders for quick access and organization.
• Links seamlessly with Jira and various CI/CD tools for enhanced workflow.
• Effortlessly transfers test data from other tools.

Disadvantages

• Requires a stable and fast internet connection to operate efficiently. 

14. Puppeteer

Puppeteer is an automation tool which provides a high-level API to control headless Chromium or Chrome over the DevTools Protocol. It is a Node library which is used for automating Chrome browsers to the website tests. 

Prerequisites for Puppeteer

To get started with Puppeteer the users need to install the following systems mentioned below:

• Node.js
• Google Chrome

Advantages

• Puppeteer offers a headless mode.
• Puppeteer has a faster execution speed.
• It supports both mobile and web automation.

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Disadvantages

• They only support the latest version of browsers.
• They have limited cross-browser testing in Puppeteer.

Puppeteer tests run on BrowserStack using the client-server architecture to execute tests on real devices and browsers.

15. Playwright

Playwright is a powerful automation framework which allows end-to-end testing for modern website applications. The developers who already knew Javascript it easy for them to use Playwright.

Prerequisites for Playwright

To get started with Playwright the developers need to install the following systems:

• Node.js 16+
• Windows 10+, Windows Server 2016+

Advantages

• Playwright supports end-to-end testing.
• They also support multi tabs and browser windows.
• It is developer-friendly due to multiple debugging options.

Disadvantages

• Playwright doesn’t support mobile apps and no support is provided for IE11.
• Not much community support is provided as it is new to the market.

Users of BrowserStack can now run the Playwright tests on all the Android devices.

16. SoapUI

SoapUI is an open source free testing tool which is used for testing web services like soap web services and HTTP-based services. With the help of SoapUI developers, they easily write, integrate and automate API tests.

Prerequisites for SoapUI

To get started with SoapUI the users need to install:

• Java (JDK)

Advantages

• SoapUI supports all standard protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, SOAP, WSDL, and JDBC.
• They have a user-friendly Graphical Interface.
• The cost is less in SoapUI as compared to other tools.
• It can also create mocks for testers to test real apps.

Disadvantages

• The security testing in SoapUI requires some enhancement.
• To request dual tasks and big data time takes a bit longer than other tools.

17. Apache JMeter

Apache JMeter is an open-source testing tool which is used for the testing of web applications. It is designed to measure performance and to test functional behaviour.

Prerequisites for Apache JMeter

To get started with Apache JMeter the developers need to install the latest version of mentioned systems:

• Java (JDK)
• Operating System (OS)

Advantages

• Apache JMeter is used in Robust reporting and analysis which allows testers to create tables, graphs and other visual representations.
• The graphical interface is user-friendly in Apache JMeter.
• It works on different platforms such as Windows, macOS and so on.

Disadvantages

• Apache JMeter does not support requests for Javascript and AJAX.
• It cannot test complex applications which use dynamic content.

18. TestNG

TestNG is a parallel testing tool used to support testing integrated classes and separates compile-time test code from the run time. It supports dependent testing, load testing and parallel testing.

Prerequisites for TestNG

To get started with TestNG the developers need to install the following systems:

• Java (JDK)

Advantages

• In TestNG parallel testing, load testing and dependent testing are possible.
• It allows the grouping of the test methods into test groups.
• TestNG supports data-driven testing using the Data providers.

Disadvantages

• A lot of time is consumed to set up TestNG.

19. Accessibility Testing

BrowserStack Accessibility Testing tool enables developers to evaluate the accessibility of their web applications against standard compliance benchmarks like WCAG and ADA. This tool automates the process of identifying and resolving accessibility issues, which is crucial for creating inclusive web experiences.

Prerequisites for Accessibility Testing

• A BrowserStack account.
• Basic knowledge of web development and accessibility standards (WCAG, ADA).
• An understanding of the legal requirements for accessibility in your region.

Advantages

• Helps ensure that websites meet international and regional accessibility standards.
• Quickly identifies a wide range of accessibility issues without manual testing.
• Offers comprehensive reports that highlight issues and provide recommendations for fixes.
• Easily integrates with development workflows to assess accessibility in real-time during the development process.

Disadvantages

• Primarily supports accessibility testing only and does not cover functional testing aspects.

Conclusion

Choosing the right testing tool depends on the specific requirements of the project, the budget, and the technical expertise of the team. Employing the most apt testing tool effectively can lead to higher quality products, improved user satisfaction, and a stronger competitive edge in the market.