Comparison Between Top Mobile Test Automation Tools

As you iterate on your app and add features and code to it, the effort needed to test your app will increase. Eventually, you will reach a point where you need to find a more efficient process for creating, executing, and reporting on your test cases. Mobile test automation tools help you increase your testers’ productivity and increase your code coverage.

There are many mobile test automation tools available in the market and new ones are being released every day. Choosing the right tool for you can be tricky and this post will try to make it a little easier.

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TestComplete is a powerful test automation tool from SmartBear that supports mobile, web, and desktop application testing. It uses an object recognition engine in combination with AI-powered visual recognition to identify UI elements in your app.

Tests can be created using its record and replay features or can be written with JavaScript, Jscript, C+, C#, Python, DelphiScript or VBScript. TestComplete also supports BDD and Gherkin syntax, allowing you to convert feature files to UI tests. It also allows you to record multi-touch gestures that you can then play in any of your tests.

TestComplete integrates with a lot of task management, version control, and CI tools, including Jenkins, JIRA, and GitHub. It also offers a REST API that you can use to integrate your tools

Pros

• Record and replay feature for creating tests
• Native BDD support

Cons

• Only runs on Windows machines.

Pricing

• TestComplete prices start at €2458 for the node-locked mobile test automation module. Visit their pricing page to build a custom plan and see how much it will cost.

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Tricentis Tosca is a comprehensive test automation tool that supports mobile native, hybrid, and web app testing. It uses the Appium framework in combination with their model-based test automation to create tests.

You can create tests using their simple drag and drop creator or use JavaScript to write your tests. Tests are reusable and Tricentis Tosca also provides access to several device clouds where you can rent access to devices to run your test on.

Tosca provides decent test reporting and analytics that allows you to see how your tests perform. The tool also integrates with many tools for CI and task management and offers a REST API that you can use to integrate your own tools.

Pros

• A wide range of testing types supported, including UI, API, and load testing.

Cons

• Only runs on Windows

Pricing

• Contact Tricentis for a price quote

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Ranorex offers an all-in-one environment for test automation, supporting mobile, web, and desktop apps. It supports a huge number of platforms, languages, and technologies enabling it to work with almost any testing project.

Tests can be easily created with Ranorex Spy object recognition engine which tracks your app’s UI elements or you can code them entirely in C# or VB.NET. You can also use the Ranorex Recorder to record tests and edit their steps. Tests you create are reusable across platforms making it a great choice for end-to-end testing.

Ranorex has powerful reporting and analytics features allowing you to see exactly how your tests are doing and jump directly to any failed step. It also integrates with many tools for CI, task management, and source control as well as providing a REST API that you can use.

Pros

• Record and replay for test creation
• Powerful reporting
• Light and dark theme

Cons

• Only runs on Windows

Pricing

• €2290 for the premium node-locked version perpetual license.
• €3990 for the premium floating version perpetual license.
• €5190 for the premium floating version perpetual license with enterprise support.
• €690 for the additional endpoint add-on.

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Katalon Studio is a relatively new player in the field but does offer an impressive, feature-packed, free solution. It is an all-in-one codeless automation testing solution built on top of Selenium and supports all types of testing (Web, API, mobile, and Desktop) on multiple OS and platforms such as Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Katalon offers AI-backed features for test creation, like Smart Xpath Generator for automatic generation and selection of Xpath. For test execution, Katalon Studio provides Smart Wait to pause the process pending the stability of the website before continuing.

Katalon integrates with various cloud-based and CI/CD tools, along with a rich library of plugins, offering a lot of flexibility to optimize your test cases between codeless tools. It also supports intelligent execution and analytics, giving you a holistic view of your project from start to finish.

Pros

• Free!
• Powerful Record and Playback feature for test creation.
• Supports BDD Cucumber for easy test creation by non-technical members.
• Centralized analytics dashboard and reports.
• Built-in and custom keywords to transfer keywords in the test project.

Cons

• Only supports Java and Groovy.

Pricing

• Katalon Studio is free to use but offers a marketplace for plugins that can be free or paid.

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Appium Studio is a tool developed by Experitest to facilitate the creation of automated tests for mobile applications. It is based upon the Appium framework and uses advanced object identification to understand your app’s structure and write tests for it.

You can import your existing Appium test scripts and tests created by Appium Studio can be run by any tool. You can also easily modify and reuse test scripts across your projects. And with plugins for IntelliJ and Eclipse, you can start writing test cases right from your IDE.

Appium Studio’s integrations are limited to CI tools and that too through the IntelliJ or Eclipse IDE plugins.

Pros

• Simple yet powerful free tool.
• Access to SeeTest’s device cloud on paid plans.

Cons

• Limited integrations

Pricing

• Appium Studio is free for up to two users without the ability to test on remote devices.
• The enterprise plan unlocks remote testing for unlimited users and you have to contact Experitest for a quote.
• Appium Studio is also available through Experitest’s device cloud solution, SeeTest, on the automate plan which costs $249/month.

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TestProject is a mobile test automation tool for mobile and web apps and has a great focus on the power of community.

You can create tests using TestProject’s test recorder or leverage the community developed add-ons that provide you with ready-made steps that you can use. AI automatically inspects and analyzes your apps and suggests add-ons from the community that will enhance your testing process. Tests can be edited and reused for maintenance or for creating new testing scenarios.

TestProject also includes a great analytics and reporting module that creates beautiful dashboards to show you the status of your tests. It integrates with only a few tools out of the box but offers a rich REST API that you can use to build your own integrations.

Pros

• Record and replay for test creation
• Community-driven repository of readymade coded actions or “add-ons”

Cons

• None to mention.

Pricing

• TestProject is free for up to 5 agents and two projects with 500MBs of storage and limited API access. An agent is an instance of TestProject client installed on a single device.
• $8/agent/month for unlimited projects, 2GB of storage per agent, and full API access.