Mobile applications have become an essential part of everyone’s lives. Increasing competition, has pushed companies to act quickly with development and operations. Getting that app ‘right’ in the first place and performing optimally on different device configurations is a task that should be considered way before a mobile app is published. This is where Mobile Testing Tools come into place.
State of Mobile Testing Tools
Allied Market Research report depicts the global mobile application market size was valued at $106.27 billion in 2018, and projected to reach $407.31 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 18.4% from 2019 to 2026. Market for Mobile Testing Tools is also increasing at a similar pace.
Also, 92% of total time of mobile phone users goes in using mobile apps and among this 92%, 44% of time users spent on social and communication apps alone. Hence, there is no second thought in mentioning that the mobile application testing process needs now more attention than ever! It holds extreme importance, especially in today’s scenario of unstable economic environment where companies are struggling to provide high quality applications with limited resources. This further leads to need of mobile application testing tools.
When a suitable mobile application testing set up is paired with the continuous integration phase, it results in quicker problem resolutions and shorter time to market. However, to build the perfect testing set up for your mobile application development process, it is important to leverage apt technologies and tools and therefore you need a strong team of mentors which proven experience in quality engineering methodologies.
In this article, we will talk about today’s leading mobile testing tools that can help organizations to ensure their testing strategy meets Business needs.
Our List of Mobile Testing Tools
Mobile testing is a crucial practice for successful mobile application development. However, its complexity makes it essential for testing teams to use the right tools. Here are a few mobile testing tools that can help you to meet your objectives:
Appium
Appium is a test automation framework. It can be used with native, mobile and hybrid web applications. The concept behind Appium is that an SDK or recompilation of the application shouldn’t be required for testing native applications. It is based on the belief that you should be allowed to use the test practices, tools, and frameworks that you prefer.
Some salient features of Appium that help it stand out among the mobile testing tools are:
- It is an open-source tool
- It uses the WebDriver protocol to drive iOS, Windows, and Android applications
- It uses vendor-provided automation frameworks
- It has a client-server architecture
- Its server is written in Node.js
Selendroid
Selendroid is Selenium’s test automation framework for native and hybrid Android applications. You can use Selendroid to write tests with Selenium 2 client API. It can be used on real devices and emulators as well as be integrated into the Selenium Grid as a node for scaling and parallel testing.
Selendroid's position among mobile testing tools is solidified by its user-centric features:
- It is entirely compatible with the JSON wire protocol
- It uses its Advanced User Interactions API to support gestures
- You can test the mobile web as well by using the inbuilt Android driver web view app
- Different locator types can find the UI elements
- The concept behind automating native and hybrid applications is the same
- It can interact with different android devices simultaneously
- It supports hardware devices’ hot plugging
- It offers multiple android target API support
- You can extend it at runtime using your own extensions
- Its inbuilt “Inspector” simplifies the test case development
Ubertesters
Ubertesters is among the smart mobile testing tools that allows you to organize, control, execute and monitor your QA process and the mobile beta testing process of your application in real-time. It is an all-in-one platform with several features to accelerate the testing process while lowering costs. It can be set up quickly and allows the teams to have end-end control over their QA process.
Some salient features of Ubertesters are:
- It allows in-app bug editing, reporting, marking and user feedback
- It supports multiple platforms
- It allows real-time monitoring and management of teams and processes
- It supports over-the-air (OTA) app distribution
- You can assign and test all requirements
- It provides the benefit of custom logging
- It provides complete support to all development methodologies
- It allows you to integrate the application with external bug tracking systems
BrowserStack
BrowserStack offers two types of mobile testing tools– App Automate and App Live.
BrowserStack App Automate allows testers to test hybrid and native mobile applications by using the Appium automation framework. Testers can test these applications at scale on a variety of Android and iOS devices.
Some salient features of BrowserStack App Automate are:
- Applications can be tested on over 2000 real iOS and Android devices.
- Native device features can be tested.
- It allows effortless integration with testing frameworks.
- Apps can be tested in internal development and staging environments
- Parallel test execution on BrowserStack Cloud reduces build times by more than 10x.
- Device logs, test logs, screenshots and video recordings of every test enable testers to debug apps instantly.
- All gestures can be easily automated
- It is SOC 2 compliant
BrowserStack App Live is interactive mobile app testing that allows testers to test instantly on a variety of iOS and android devices on the cloud. With interactive mobile app testing for teams, quality can be achieved through collaboration at any time as the entire team has access to the latest updated mobile and tablet devices.
As next generation cloud based mobile testing tools, BrowserStack App Live has a wide range of advantages:
- It offers instant access to real device cloud
- Testers can choose from multiple app testing workflows
- Testing of published apps is possible
- Testers can test localized versions of their apps
- Native device features can be tested
- Apps can be tested on internal development and staging environments with the help of the local testing feature
- Testing of applications in real world network connections is possible
- Stacktrace and real time device logs enable testers to find and fix bugs instantly
- Interactions with your mobile application on remote device through gestures can be done
- It is SOC2 compliant
TestComplete
TestComplete is a mobile UI automation testing tool by SmartBear. It can run UI tests on mobile devices locally as well as in the cloud. You can use TestComplete to connect with your local Appium server as well as gain access to the latest devices on a public or private cloud.
Some salient features of TestComplete that put it on the list of top mobile testing tools are:
- Single mobile test can be run across multiple devices.
- Automated UI tests with the use of codeless Record and Replay or keyword driven tests can be built
- Property based visual recognition powered by artificial intelligence enables testers to identify dynamic UI elements accurately.
- Single laboratory for managing objects
- Different sets of input data can be used to run automated UI tests to increase coverage and ease maintenance.
- Automated test reports and analysis are available.
- Leverage keyword driven testing framework to separate objects, actions, test steps and data
- Automated UI tests can be reused
- Continuous testing can be accelerated by integrating TestComplete into DevOps ecosystem
- Cross browser and cross device testing are available
- It facilitates parallel testing
- Gherkin syntax test cases can be converted into automated UI functional tests and maintained without any additional integrations
Apptim
Apptim leads mobile performance testing tools that enable mobile QA teams to validate the UX and performance of their iOS and Android apps automatically. It allows testers to test their mobile apps completely with minimal efforts.
Some salient features of Apptim that differentiate it from other Mobile Testing tools are:
- It provides access to a mobile performance dashboard for your team that shows power consumption data, app render times, device resource usage, etc.
- Testers can compare performances from different test sessions
- It reduces the cost of fixing performance issues by 3x by allowing testers to find and fix these issues ahead of the go live.
- It can be integrated with any Continuous Integration pipeline seamlessly.
- It has a user-friendly interface
Kobiton
Kobiton is one the mobile testing tools that provide testers with a seamless testing experience. It works with iOS as well as android and allows testers to start testing within minutes. It has a wide range of unique features that make it one of the most sought-after testing tools. Kobiton enables testers to implement mobile automation with Selenium and Appium frameworks, while supporting parallel automation execution. With SOC2, SOC3 and HIPAA compliant data centers, Kobiton leverages APP-Ray’s security technology using which testers can scan and analyze their mobile applications for potential security problems and breaches.
Some salient features of Kobiton are:
- Testing real devices at any time
- Testers can run a device lab with cloud based as well as on premise devices
- It enables testers to do instant “health checks” on applications across multiple devices regularly
- Testers can perform all gestures on real devices
- Exceptional responsiveness and performance
- Fast starting, booting, and loading speeds
- Its device lab management allows testers to create a customized local test cloud
- It allows scaling of your testing capacity
- Rich test logs with centralized testing activity that testers can share across teams
- Convenient access to device logs
- Consolidated test platform for web, native and hybrid mobile apps
TestProject
TestProject is an end-to-end test automation platform for mobile, web and API testing. It offers both cloud and offline testing capabilities making it one of the preferred mobile testing tools in the industry. Testers can create and deploy tests conveniently, as well as debug and release solutions quickly.
Some salient features of TestProject are:
- Capture real time activity for both iOS and Android applications with TestProject’s Mobile Test Recorder powered by artificial intelligence
- It offers hybrid cloud repository for management dashboards and collaboration options
- For offline mode, it allows testers to save tests locally and to connect to Git account
- It allows test customization with the help of its Addons library that has 3000+ pre-built automation actions
- Testers can plug in their existing Appium or Selenium scripts to enhance their tests
- Gain a thorough understanding of your tests with the help of TestProject’s Executive Test Reports.
Katalon Studio
Katalon studio is one of the highly effective and robust mobile testing tools from Katalon to leverage for testing your mobile application. Testers can test native, hybrid and mobile web applications with Katalon Studio. With the aim to improve accessibility and flexibility for its users, Katalon Studio offers a vast variety of features for simplifying the testing process.
Some salient features of Katalon Studio are:
- It has a simple setup that is bundled with pre-built keywords and components for a quick start to your project.
- It has a powerful object spying utility
- It is compliant to Appium
- It allows optimal cross functional testing and cross environment execution
- It supports cloud based mobile platform integration
- It allows testing through real devices and emulators
- It supports both Android and iOS
Experitest
Experitest is a mobile application testing tool that gives access to more than 2,000 real mobile devices & web browsers. It creates & executes hundreds of manual or automated tests in parallel on 1,000+ real iOS & Android devices in the cloud.
Some features that make Experitest choicest among the mobile application testing tools are:
- It provides a simple visual interface with device reflection and test recorder to allow creation of Appium tests directly from testers’ IDE
- It offers advanced analytics to detect and resolve bugs quickly
- It allows real time debugging of mobile applications
- It facilitates seamless integrations
- Tests can be written in any programming language, such as Java, Ruby, C#, Python, etc.
- It allows instant real device accessibility
- It supports both manual and automated interactions with devices
- It allows usage of network tunnels to test applications in their development and staging environments
Mobile Testing Tools - Way Forward
Mobile testing is an exciting yet a complex task. It is crucial to test your mobile applications to ensure they work smoothly without a lot of bugs. No mobile application is built perfectly, and there is always room for improvement. Mobile testing helps you to build the most effective, competent, and bug-free mobile applications. Repeated rounds of testing can uncover several loopholes for you which would have otherwise gone unnoticed.
However, proceeding with the process of mobile testing can be challenging. Mere mobile testing tools cannot just mitigate obstacles you might face.
It is essential for you to be aware of your requirements before investing into mobile testing tools, as each tool has its own unique features and capabilities. Figuring out what you need and aligning your choices of mobile testing tools will help you to leverage the most apt tools.
A trustworthy technology partner will help you in laying down a strategic Mobile test automation roadmap and can ensure timely deployment of quality products. Please feel free to get in touch with our team and allow us to smoothen your Mobile Test Automation Journey! Write to us at info@qentelli.com
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