Top Mobile Test Automation Tools for Efficient App Testing: Features and Cons

There are multiple mobile testing tools in the market. We have cherry-picked the best three automation testing tools for mobile apps. 

After 2020, gross spending for consumer mobile apps in the US surmounted to more than 140 billion dollars. With remote working becoming the new normal, this number will only go up.

Ensuring that these apps work perfectly has now become paramount. Mobile app testing ensures that the apps work seamlessly, making sure that the users have the best experience while operating them.

 

 

Mobile app testing has changed a lot after the advent of automation. Automation allows users to create a CI/CD pipeline for faster deployment. This process is made easier with the help of mobile automation testing tools.

 

Automation tools allow you to create tests expediently and efficiently. There are multiple automation tools in the market for mobile app testing. Choosing the right one can become a burdensome task.

 

Important Features of an Automation Testing Tool for Mobile Apps

 

Listed below are some of the indispensable features that an automation testing tool should have for successful mobile testing:  

1. Get Tools that can Create Tests for different OS

Mobiles can be vastly divided into two OS: apple and android. Get a tool that can reuse code to create tests for both operating systems. This function will save time and effort on the part of the tester. 

2. Get Tools with Programming Interface for Script-Modifications

These tools allow testers to make modifications in user-scenario and testing. 

3. Get a Tool that Supports Multiple Scripting Languages

Having a tool that supports multiple languages increases the number of options you have while creating a test. This feature allows your testing teams to use languages they're already comfortable with.

4. Get Tools that Offer Script-less Test Creation

With these tools, you can create tests speedily without having any programming skills.

 

Now that you know the features that you have to look for in a free automation tool for any mobile app testing. Let's look at the best tools that the market has to offer.

1. TestProject

TestProject is one of the best free automation tools in the market. With the help of TestProject, you can create and execute tests for mobile app testing. This tool allows you to test both native and hybrid mobile apps on emulators and devices. Let's discuss some of the benefits of TestProject:

Features:

1. TestProject is an intuitive tool, and it supports collaboration with other software such as Selenium and Appium to ameliorate the quality of your tests.
2. It supports the creation of Tests in multiple languages.
3. It's a good tool for newbie testers as it doesn't require any coding skills. 
4. TestProject also offers community support, allowing you to share and reuse addons.

2. Appium

Appium is an Open-Source tool for the automation of native, mobile, and web as well as hybrid apps on iOS and Android platforms. This tool supports multiple languages including Ruby, Java, PHP, Node, Python. Some advantages of using Appium are:

Features:

1. It can be synchronized with the testing framework TestNG.
2. Enabling UIAutomator to produce informative and detailed reports. 
3. Appium uses standard mobile automation APIs, which allow you to test without recompiling or modifying your app. 
4. Appium also allows integration with other tools with the help of Java.

Cons:

1. Can be difficult to set up and configure
2. Requires knowledge of programming and automation frameworks to use effectively
3. May have compatibility issues with some devices and operating systems

3. Selendroid (Selenium based Tool)

Selendroid is the most popular open-source tool that helps you in your mobile testing efforts which is developed over Selenium. Selendroid can be integrated with JIRA which allows you to track bugs directly. Although Selendroid is very easy to use, you can also find detailed documentation to understand how it works on their website.

Selendroid allows you to measure differences in performance after an update by comparing two different test sessions. Adding to that a tester can assess the performance of native apps while running them on real devices.

Features:

1. Supports both iOS and Android platforms
2. Supports multiple programming languages such as Java, Python, and Ruby
3. Provides a range of testing frameworks such as TestNG and JUnit
4. Can be used to test both native and hybrid mobile applications
5. Provides an intuitive user interface that enables developers to write and execute test scripts easily

Cons:

1. Can be difficult to set up and configure
2. Requires knowledge of programming and automation frameworks to use effectively
3. May have compatibility issues with some devices and operating systems

4. Calabash

Calabash is an open-source mobile automation framework that is used for automation testing of Android and iOS native and hybrid applications. Some of the highlights of the Calabash Mobile version are:

Features:

1. Supports both iOS and Android platforms
2. Provides an easy-to-use interface that enables developers to write and execute test scripts quickly
3. Can be used to test both native and hybrid mobile applications
4. Provides a range of testing frameworks such as Cucumber and RSpec
5. It's a BDD (Behavior Driven Development) based automation framework.
6. It uses Cucumber for the BDD approach for writing tests.

Cons:

1. May have compatibility issues with some devices and operating systems
2. Limited community support compared to other mobile test automation tools

5. Robotium

Robotium is an open-source test framework used for writing automation tests for Android Mobile Apps.

Features:

1. Tests both native and hybrid apps.
2. Simple to write test cases. 
3. Tests written using Robotium are robust.
4. Test case execution is fast.
5. It can be integrated with Maven, Gradle or Ant to run tests as part of Continuous Integration.
6. Robotium Recorder allows you to record your tests in minutes and it's also available for Android Studio.

Cons:

1. Limited support for iOS platform testing
2. Limited community support compared to other mobile test automation tools

6. Katalon Studio

Katalon Studio is a mobile test automation tool that is designed to automate native, hybrid, and mobile web applications. It supports both iOS and Android platforms and can be used to test applications on both simulators and real devices. Katalon Studio provides an easy-to-use interface that enables developers to write and execute test scripts quickly.

Features:

1. Supports both iOS and Android platforms
2. Provides an easy-to-use interface that enables developers to write and execute test scripts quickly
3. Provides a range of testing frameworks such as TestNG and JUnit
4. Can be used to test both native, hybrid, and mobile web applications

Cons:

1. Limited support for advanced testing scenarios compared to other mobile test automation tools
2. May have compatibility issues with some devices and operating systems

7. Xamarin Test Cloud

Xamarin Test Cloud is a cloud-based mobile test automation tool that supports both Android and iOS platforms. It allows developers to test their mobile applications on multiple real devices in the cloud, reducing the need for physical devices. Xamarin Test Cloud provides a range of testing frameworks such as NUnit and MSTest, making it a versatile tool for mobile app testing.

Features:

1. Xamarin Test Cloud provides an intuitive user interface that enables developers to write and execute test scripts easily. 
2. It provides detailed reports that can be used to track defects and monitor the application's performance. 
3. Xamarin Test Cloud integrates with popular test management tools such as JIRA and TFS, making it easy to manage test cases and track defects.

8. Perfecto Mobile

Perfecto Mobile is a cloud-based mobile test automation tool that supports both Android and iOS platforms. It allows developers to test their mobile applications on multiple real devices in the cloud, reducing the need for physical devices. Perfecto Mobile provides a range of testing frameworks such as TestNG and JUnit, making it a versatile tool for mobile app testing.

Features:

1. Perfecto Mobile provides an intuitive user interface that enables developers to write and execute test scripts easily. 
2. It provides detailed reports that can be used to track defects and monitor the application's performance.

 

Conclusion

Mobile app testing has become easier after the advent of automation, but automation technology itself is very intricate. To harness the full potential of this technology, you need the assistance of the correct mobile app testing company.

 

To choose the best free tool for mobile testing you need to inspect the features and benefits of these tools. Features such as the number of languages that it supports, the capability of creating tests for different OS, a programming interface for script modifications, script-less test creation, and many more.

 

Choose a tool that helps your testing team rather than making their life more difficult. Appium, TestProject, and Selenium are some of the best open-source tools available in the market. You can weigh the pros and cons of all these tools to decide which one is most suitable for your requirements.

 

Guest Author

Noah Jonas

A passionate tech-consultant and research blogger, Noah Jonas works for a leading QA and software testing company based in New York.