We now have a mobile app for everything. Whether it’s social media, shopping, productivity or fitness, there’s a visible surge in the number of mobile apps and their users. In this article, get to know the best automation tools for mobile testing.
Mobile test automation is a sort of automated software testing that evaluates the usability, functionality, and performance of mobile applications. It is typically composed of mobile devices that have both hardware and software components, a mobile device’s hardware and software modules are both tested.
Simform (as of 2019) stated that an average user has at least 40 apps installed on their phones, while millennials have around 67 apps. So, there’s a solid reason why mobile app testing is a crucial step in any app development process. To ensure our users get a seamless experience across any device — we perform mobile testing automation.
However, the world is divided between Android and iOS users; Statcounter’s research shows that globally there are 72.48% Android users and 26. 91% iOS users.
Crafting mobile apps that are compatible with different devices requires some serious mobile testing because users consume apps on various devices with various versions of Android. That’s where mobile app automation testing comes into the picture. A hero, automation testing tools can make our lives easier for all intents and purposes.
While it significantly reduces errors and feedback cycles, automation tools offer a faster time to the market because it accelerates several testing manifolds.
Several automation testing tools support parallel test execution, and automation is of immense value if you’re working with multiple data sets.
At Testsigma, we’ve got an automated mobile testing tool that has over 2,000 devices for you to perform tests on real devices. We’ll give you more details and a comprehensive mobile app automation testing tools list.
Mobile testing tools are software applications specifically designed to evaluate and ensure the quality, functionality, and user experience of your mobile apps across diverse devices and operating systems.
Mobile app competition is fierce. To automate, you need the right tool.
Ask these questions to find it.
App types: Are you conquering native, hybrid, or web apps? Each demands specialized artillery.
Testing scope: Do you focus on functionality, performance, or security? Choose a tool that wields the right ammunition.
Team expertise: Are you a seasoned squad of code ninjas or a ragtag bunch of rookies? Pick a tool that matches your skill level.
OS wars: Will you be testing across Android, iOS, or both? Ensure your tool is a platform-agnostic diplomat.
Device diversity: From budget phones to flagship beasts, your tool should embrace the device ecosystem.
Real vs. virtual: Do you need real devices' raw power or emulators' convenience? Choose a tool that offers both options.
Scripting language: Does your team speak Appium, Espresso, or anything else? Find a tool that speaks their language.
Reporting and analytics: Can your tool track your victories and analyze your losses? Data is your ultimate war chest.
Integrations: Does your tool match your CI/CD pipeline and other development tools? Teamwork makes the dream work.
Open-source vs commercial: Free tools offer flexibility, but premium options often pack more firepower.
Licensing and pricing models: Per-user, per-device, or subscription? Choose a model that fits your war chest size.
Support and training: Will you have backup when the testing gets tricky? Sturdy support is worth its weight in gold.
Hands-on experience: Dive into a free trial or demo to see if the tool feels right in your hand.
Community feedback: Consult online reviews and forums to hear from fellow warriors about their experiences.
Compare and contrast: Don't settle for the first option! Weigh your choices carefully and choose the tool that best suits your needs.
Testers, remember: The right automation tool is your secret weapon. Choose your tools wisely and conquer the mobile testing battlefield to deliver flawless apps for your mobile app empire!
Testsigma's mobile app testing tool offers exceptional versatility and supports testing on various versions of Android and iOS. Writing test cases is a breeze with Testsigma as you can use simple English language constructs. This allows you to write a single test script in plain English and run it on any device, regardless of its operating system or browser. You can save significant time and effort required for testing across multiple devices.
Testsigma provides a built-in test lab with access to over 3000 real devices and browsers hosted on high-availability cloud servers. This enables you to easily test your mobile apps on different operating systems, versions, and screen sizes.
Additionally, Testsigma's mobile testing features include visual testing, ensuring pixel-perfect UI across different devices and platforms. The visual testing feature captures screenshots and compares them with baseline images, quickly identifying any UI issues.
You can also do geolocation testing, multi-device user journey testing, and data-driven testing with Testsigma.
There are native integrations with popular CI/CD tools like Jenkins, Bamboo, and TeamCity, enabling continuous testing and fast feedback cycles.
Appium is one of the most preferred testing tools, especially by the open-source community. Used for testing both Android and iOS apps, this tool follows WebDriver protocol and the best part is the tool can support any framework, tools, and practices of your choice.
It also supports the testing of native, hybrid, and mobile web apps across various programming languages like Java, Ruby, C#, Javascript, PHP, Python. Being open-source, it also has a rich community!
Appium boasts of an easy set-up process, the tool also gives us the flexibility to reuse the source code within the Android and iOS ecosystem. It’s a cross-platform tool and comes with a GUI wrapper around the Appium server that lets us download it for pretty much every platform.
Unlike Appium, Testsigma enables you to automate mobile web testing without code. Start testing for free. Try the tool free for 21 days.
MonkeyRunner is a sought-out testing tool because it’s great for functional testing, regression testing, and offers multiple device control for Android apps. Perfect for running tests at functional levels and for unit test suites, we can write the test scripts in Python.
In fact, MonkeyRunner makes use of Jython — a Python implementation that uses Java, which in turn lets the MonkeyRunner API interact with the Android framework. Interestingly enough, this tool is capable of running tests and comparing its output screenshots with a set of screenshots that intend to be correct.
Make your website look great on every browser with Testsigma. Try the tool free for 21 days.
Selendroid is quite a versatile open-source automation testing tool for Android. If you’ve performed tests on Selenium, you might be aware of its cross-browser testing capabilities. Just like that, Selendroid can run tests on multiple devices simultaneously. Great for performing native and hybrid mobile tests, this tool supports both real devices and emulators.
Selendroid comes with an inbuilt inspector tool that can inspect UI elements for both current and outdated Android versions. Besides, it follows the same concept for both native and hybrid apps.
Selendroid doesn’t offer integration with CI/CD tools. Testsigma has in-built integration with Jenkins that helps set up CI/CD easier than ever. Try this now for free in the 21-day trial.
Yet another open-source automation testing tool, Robotium is perhaps the most flexible testing tool for Android. Although it has limitations like the inability to manage multiple activities and painfully slow test execution performance, it supports all versions (and even sub-versions) of Android. Known for its seamless integration with IDE, Robotium lets you write black-box test cases independently, for Android apps.
Designed by Google for Android, Espresso lets you write solid and reliable Android UI tests. This open-source tool is easy to adapt and offers the flexibility to customise as per the developer’s need. The tool can handle automatic syncing of apps and tests; most developers find Espresso effective because of its simple API and scope for flexibility.
Espresso can be a complex tool for novice users but with Testsigma, testers can write tests in simple English. No coding knowledge is required. Try the tool now for free.
UI Automator is great for Android testing because it allows writing test cases without fully knowing the implementation details of the apps. Google has expanded it and it can interact with various Android apps. If our users consume apps on older versions of Android, this tool can support them.
For instance, we can test apps on devices starting from Android version 4.1. This tool also offers a UI Automator Viewer option that lets us scan and study UI components on mobile devices. Works wonders for developers to create concrete test cases.
UI Automator doesn’t come with in-built integration with CI/CD tools. Testsigma does. Makes bug fixes faster with Testsigma. Try it for free in the 21-day trial.
So far, we’ve been discussing tools great for Android testing only. So, here’s Frank — a framework that only supports iOS app testing. Since it’s an open-source tool, it offers a great community, rich with nerds.
While the tests can be written in Cucumber, the framework seamlessly integrates JSON with Cucumber. What makes this tool more powerful is its Symbiote feature which includes an app inspector that gives in-depth information on running apps. Besides, it supports Continuous Integration and can handle multiple tests on devices and simulators.
Ranorex offers end-to-end testing for mobile, web, and desktop apps; it supports both Android and iOS testing. This codeless automation tool allows us to test apps with a data-driven testing approach and supports technologies like .NET, C#, HTML5, Java, etc. Apt for both beginners and experienced developers, this GUI test automation framework can be integrated with DevOps tools too.
Developed and maintained by Google, EarlGrey is an iOS mobile app testing framework that offers features like Synchronization, Visibility Checks, and User-Like Interaction. Often preferred due to its synchronization, this feature lets us track different sources/states that can affect the app’s performance. For instance, the app’s UI, network glitches, and anything else which can be fixed on the go.
Great for functional testing and regression testing, MonkeyTalk is an automation testing framework for Android and iOS apps. If we’ve written code for iOS, the tool lets us use it for Android too. With easy-to-comprehend scripts, MonkeyTalk is perfect for beginners. Besides, we can also write HTML and XML reports and the tool supports testing on both emulators and devices.
For any errors or crashes that occur, MonkeyTalk takes screenshots and lets us record and gives us the flexibility to manipulate and manage the tests for effective results.
Based on the requirement, you can choose a tool. Testsigma’s automated mobile app testing tool is one of the most preferred automation tools for mobile testing because of its unique features. Plus, we’re offering a 21-day product trial that testers and developers can leverage to test, adapt, and launch apps into the market.
If you’re in search of a simple, scalable mobile test automation solution, try Testsigma for free or book a free, personalized demo.