Testing is a key phase of the Software Development Life Cycle(SDLC). Testing can be broadly categorized into Blackbox Testing and White box testing.
The Whitebox testing mainly focuses on the code path, logic, and actual implementation, using unit-level or component-level testing. On the other hand, black box testing is carried out considering the user workflows in mind. Blackbox testing is carried out at the feature level or application level.
Black box testing can be done with or without any tools. However, the black box testing tools make the testing process more streamlined and help to discover more bugs.
Table Of Contents
What is Blackbox testing?
Blackbox testing is a type of testing, that is performed without any knowledge of system internals. Black box testing is performed considering the end-user journey. The tester thinks like an end user and performs workflow testing.
Types of Blackbox testing
Black box testing can be further divided into
Manual Testing: Tester uses the predefined test case lists from the repository and performs the action on the application.
Automation Testing: The Tester writes the automation code/actions and the automation script will take care of the execution of test cases and feedback on the result.
Best Black Box Testing Tools
Both manual and automation black box testing can use tools. There are various tools available in the market. Most of the tools are dedicated to automation testing. However, there are tools that are exclusively made for manual testing. Let’s discuss in detail the top tools for Black box testing.
Note: The below tools are not sorted by rank.
Testsigma
Testsigma is an AI-based tool for black box testing. It provides automation capability without writing the code. Testsigma is widely used by many organizations, as anyone can automate the testing scenarios. It is trending in the best low-code automation tool.
Features of Testsigma
- It is a codeless automation tool
- It supports both Blackbox testing for web, mobile and desktop applications and API testing
- SaaS tool, no installation or setup required
- Granular reporting helps to debug even for novice users
- Support Continues testing integration
- Supports third-party plugins such as Jenkins, Azure DevOps, CicleCI, etc.
- Supports responsive testing
- Supports compatibility testing with 3000+ real devices
- Testsigma provides 24/7 dedicated support to resolve your issues
Cons
- It doesn’t support manual testing
Selenium
Selenium comes with different flavors, such as Selenium IDE and Selenium Webdriver. Selenium IDE is a record and playback tool whereas Selenium Webriver is script-based automation tool. Selenium is the most widely used tool for cross browser automation.
Features of Selenium Blackbox Testing Tool
- Selenium is an open source tool
- Supports multiple languages such as Java, C#, Python, Javascript, Ruby
- Supports multiple browsers such as Safari, Firefox, and Chromium-based browsers.
- Selenium is platform independent; works on MacOS, Linux and Windows
- It has good community support and documentation
- Selenium is easy to learn
- Supports customization via code
Cons
- Selenium requires technical expertise, one needs to learn coding to use it.
- Setting up the Selenium framework is challenging as reporting and logging are not built in.
- Selenium uses Webdriver as a middleware, which is troublesome, and often tests are flaky
- Selenium doesn’t support manual testing.
- Doesn’t have in-built reporting.
Playwright
The Playwright is an open-source tool maintained by Microsoft. Playwright was launched in 2020 it has rapidly gained popularity. The playwright can be used for functional testing or black box testing. The Playwright is a relatively new tool to market and still evolving.
Features of Playwright Blackbox Testing Tool
- Playwright is an open-source tool
- It supports C#, Python, NodeJS, Java programming languages
- Playwright can be used in any operating systems
- Playwright comes with a test recorder that helps novice users perform record and playback
- The tool supports both Blackbox testing and API testing
- The playwright can be used with the modern web application that uses AJAX calls and updates data dynamically
- It comes with inbuilt reporting of HTML, JSON, etc
- Supports multiple browsers
Cons
- Playwright requires a programming language skillset
- Learning code is required to use the Playwright’s commands
- Playwright doesn’t have a reporting dashboard it only provides HTML reports as a file
- The playwright community is still growing so help might be limited.
Cypress
Cypress comes in different flavors. Cypress Core is open source and free to use however if you need extended features like a dashboard you need to pay the subscription fees. Cypress is the most widely used tool for automating tests for angular-based applications.
Features of Cypress Testing Tool
- Cypress is an open-source tool
- It supports multiple browsers like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Electron browsers
- Cypress’s interface-based test runner is helpful for beginners
- Cypress has auto waiting and mocking features, which help to reduce the manual code.
- It supports various operating systems like Windows, MacOS, and Linux
- Cypress video recorder and automatic snapshots help in debugging
Cons
- Cypress doesn’t support record and playback option, you need to write code in Javascript
- Cypress doesn’t support HTML reporting
- It supports only one language which is javascript
- Handling edge case scenarios like iFrame, new window, and shadow doms are difficult in Cypress
- Cypress coding requires expert-level knowledge. It might be difficult for beginners to use
WebdriverIO
WebdriverIO is an open-source black box testing tool. WebdriverIO is built on top of selenium hence it supports all native selenium features. In addition to that it integrates many unique features such as reporting, and easy configuration for cross-browser testing, parallel testing, etc.
Features of WebdriverIO
- It supports real device testing with minimal configurations
- Automatic waiting helps to reduce the manual wait mechanisms in code
- It is an open-source tool and community-driven
- It supports both black box testing and component testing
- Easy to integrate third-party libraries
Cons
- It is based on Selenium, so any limitation with Selenium still exists
- There is no dedicated support team, you need to rely on the community to resolve the issues
- Cannot be used for manual testing
- It supports only Javascript/Typescript programming language
TestComplete
Testcomplete is a proprietary black box testing tool by Smartbear. Since it is a proprietary tool you need to pay for licensing. Testcomplete can handle medium to complex applications. It supports VB scripting and C# scripting.
Features
- It has an AI-based object recognition engine that makes tester life easy.
- It supports data-driven and keyword-driven testing
- Comes with its own user interface; makes it easier to script
- Supports automatic reporting
- Supports multiple architecture keyword-driven, hybrid, etc
- Supports continuous testing and can be easily integrated with DevOps pipelines
- Supports both BDD and TDD framework
- It has a dedicated support team to resolve your issues
- It supports both Desktop and Web applications
Cons
- The tool is heavy and might require good infrastructure to run tests
- Though it supports record and playback at times, it is not reliable
- The licensing incurs additional costs, small scale organizations may not be able to invest
- Requires learning, as Testcomplete has its own commands and it is different from open source tools.
Katalon Studio
Katalon is a suite of tools, under the suite, it offers many apps such as automation tools, test ops, run time engines, and analytic tools. It comes with a free and priced version. It is a low-code tool developed by the Katalon Inc.
Features of Katalon Automation Tool
- It offers a variety of apps under one suite
- Supports both web, mobile, desktop, and API testing
- Supports integration to many cloud-based tools such as BrowserStack, Saucelabs, AppDynamics, etc.
- It can also be used as a test management tool
- Supports low code automation
Cons
- The features of the free version are limited, and one needs to purchase a priced version to adopt enterprise level.
- The application integrates everything, and feels heavy at times; the application becomes laggy
- It supports only groovy and JAVA.
- Though it supports low code automation, you need to have programming language skills
Appium
Appium is a widely used black box automation testing tool for mobile. It is an open-source tool. Appium framework can be easily hooked into your Selenium-based framework and the framework can be enabled both mobile and desktop.
Features of Appium
- It is an open-source tool, hence it is free
- it supports multiple programming languages such as Java, Objective-C, and JavaScript with Node. js, PHP, Python, Ruby, C#, Clojure and Perl
- Appium supports both Native and hybrid mobile applications
- It supports automation on physical devices and also supports emulators and simulator
- Appium does not have any dependency on mobile devices.
Cons
- Appium supports only mobile platforms, desktop platforms are not supported
- Support for hybrid mobile apps is limited.
- It only supports Android version 4.2 or higher
IBM Rational Functional Tester
IBM Rational Functional Tester is developed by IBM, it is a proprietary tool. It supports GUI and data-driven functional and regression testing. This tool is most suitable for large and complex application which has a lot of third-party dependancy and complex data flows.
Features of IBM RFT
- It supports .Net, Java, Siebel, SAP, terminal emulator-based applications, and PowerBuilder applications
- A dedicated support team to handle your issues
- Object inspector is a great plus, it helps to locate any type of object and perform an action on it
- It is extendable and customizable
- It supports API testing
Cons
- It is not a free tool, it is a license-heavy tool
- Not suitable for start-ups with simple applications
- Complex architecture and setup
- Performance issues are observed more often
- The execution is slow compared to other tools
Ranorex
The Ranorex is a proprietary tool by Ranorex GmbH. The Ranorex supports UI-based functional tests, making your regression tests smoother. The tool also supports Desktop, Mobile, Web, and Designing your automation framework.
Features of Ranorex
- Supports automating tests for desktop, web, and mobile
- Integrates with DevOps tools such as Jenkins, CircleCI, etc.
- It helps in test design.
- The tool can be integrated with Jira, Testrail, and other SDLC management tools
- It supports low code and no code automation.
- A dedicated technical support team to resolve issues
Cons
- Setting up an application requires sound technical knowledge
- It is not open source hence you need to spend on a license
- Programming language support is limited
- Lack of community support
- Users might find difficulty in automating edge-case scenarios
- Updates are not frequent
Black box testing often referred to as end-to-end testing, helps to test the application or feature as a whole. This is a must-have testing before moving to production as it covers a lot of user-facing issues.
Black box testing can be carried out using a manual approach or an automated way. In earlier days automation required skilled resources however with the recent development, automation can be done using plain English language. Tools like Testsigma don’t require any programming skills or technical knowledge. The tool is most favorable to manual testers who can directly jump into automation with their limited skill sets. Furthermore, the no-code tool is a win-win tool as an organization doesn’t need to spend money on upskilling their resources.