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App testing is a must in the mobile app development process. Without testing, developers will have to publish their apps on app stores and wait for the feedback from end-users – which is almost like jumping from a plane without a parachute.
Just like monitoring the performance of apps while users engage with them – known as application performance monitoring (APM) and with the help of APM tools – testing your apps is critical to uncover overlooked errors, compatibility issues and more.
App testing is a continuous process that starts before the app is published and is performed each time the app gets an update. This is made possible by mobile testing tools.
In this article, we’ll discuss the best mobile app testing tools in the industry – for both Android and iOS – to help you choose one with confidence.
Top 25 Mobile Testing Tools
1. Appium
If you ask around for the best mobile testing tools, the majority of mobile app developers would suggest you take a look at Appium. It’s an open-source test automation framework and is ideal for native, hybrid, and mobile web applications.
The same API can be used for cross-platform app testing, and you don’t have to worry about modifying the app source code as it can run on devices, emulators, and simulators. On smartphones, it can control browsers like Safari, Chrome and other in-built browsers of Android.
Key Benefits
- It supports numerous languages, including Ruby, Java, Node, PHP, and Python.
- It is easy to set up on multiple platforms.
- It can be easily integrated with numerous third-party tools.
2. TestComplete
TestComplete is one of the best automated mobile testing tools that let you create, maintain, and execute app UI design tests for web and mobile applications. Using this tool, you can test both native and hybrid apps, and it also allows you to write tests manually in its Code Editor.
It is an AI-integrated automation testing tool and supports multiple programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, and VBScript. Using this tool, you can run UI tests on smartphones, emulators, and virtual machines.
Key Benefits
- You don’t have to jailbreak your testing device for testing.
- There are options for both script and script-less test generation.
- It can accurately identify dynamic UI elements with the help of AI-powered and property-based visual recognition technologies.
3. Monkey Talk
Monkey Talk is an open-source mobile app testing tool that automates functional interactive tests for both iOS and Android applications. The tool is user-friendly and doesn’t mandate you to have a solid understanding of scripting or programming.
For continuous integration, Monkey Talk offers in-built support for Hudson and Jenkins. The tool is easy to set up and learn and can handle all the tasks performed by other mobile application testing tools, including smoke tests and tough data-driven tests.
Key Benefits
- It automatically takes screenshots when errors occur.
- Suitable for native, hybrid, and web applications.
- You can create HTML and XML reports using this tool.
4. Kobiton
Kobiton is one of the best cloud-based mobile testing tools that let you run automated and manual tests on real devices. It is built on top of the Appium framework and gives you excellent support for GPS simulations, orientation, multi-touch gestures, camera, and device connection management.
With Kobiton, you can run instant application health checkups in more than 350 devices and get actionable insights to improve the user experience (UX) of the app. Kobiton is one of the few mobile app testing tools that let you try it out with a free trial requiring no credit card.
Key Benefits
- It has a centralized data log and testing history for seamless collaboration.
- For faster identification of errors, activity logs, screenshots, and metadata are automatically generated.
- You can test across multiple devices without modifying the script.
5. Robot Framework
Robot Framework is an open-source and one of the best mobile dev testing tools that allow you to test mobile and web applications. It has a keyword-driven test automation framework and supports cross-platform app testing.
It has an enormous ecosystem of standard and external test libraries and is specially designed to run acceptance level testings, acceptance test-driven development (ATDD) and robotic process automation (RPA).
Key Benefits
- It can integrate with multiple tools for building, editing, and running tests.
- It is free to use and requires no licensing.
- Reports and logs can be generated in both HTML and XML format.
6. Katalon
Katalon may top the list of best mobile automation testing tools as more than 65,000 companies already have adopted it as their testing solution. It is one among the top-rated automation mobile testing tools that are based on the Appium and Selenium frameworks.
Katalon can seamlessly integrate with commonly used third-party tools such as Jenkins, Jira, Git, Lambda Test, and Sauces Lab. If you’re a beginner in mobile app development and testing, then Katalon is ideal as it offers a set of comprehensive documentation, tutorials and support.
Key Benefits
- It offers codeless testing for mobile and web applications and APIs.
- It doesn’t have a steep learning curve as Appium or Selenium.
- It is one among the remote mobile testing tools that let you test apps locally and on custom cloud-based devices.
7. TestProject
TestProject is a pioneer of cloud-based and free mobile testing tools. It is a community-powered test automation platform and doesn’t require any complicated setup or configuration to start with.
The tool requires no coding skills and offers detailed reporting dashboards. The platform is ideal for web, mobile, and API testing and also has an AI-powered test recording feature. You can also create and reuse addons and share with your team and TestProject community.
Key Benefits
- Seamless integration with CI/CD workflow.
- Advanced built-in recording capabilities.
- It’s completely free.
8. Selendroid
Selendroid is an open-source test automation framework and one among the leading Android testing tools for native and hybrid Android applications. It comes with robust UI testing and recording features and is compatible with a wide variety of hardware devices.
Selendroid also comes with a unique tool called Inspector, which is useful for checking mobile app design. The framework supports older versions of the Android operating system, has a click recording feature, and can be fully integrated with Selenium Grid for parallel testing.
Key Benefits
- It can simultaneously interact with multiple emulators and Android devices.
- This tool is fully compatible with the JSON wire protocol.
- You don’t have to modify the app source code for automation.
9. Espresso
Espresso can be considered as the top Google mobile testing tools. It offers APIs for writing user interface tests to simulate user interactions within an application. It is easy to set up and supports all Android instrumentation.
As Google created it, it is integrated with Android Studio and will probably be known to the majority of Android mobile app developers. Even though it is a platform-specific solution, it has a simple and flexible API.
Key Benefits
- It allows you to manually create tests using Java and Kotlin.
- You can run UI tests on both emulators and real devices.
- Espresso Test Recorder lets you record your tests.
10. Eggplant
Eggplant is considered as one of the most advanced mobile performance testing tools. It is a commercial automation testing tool used for both Android and iOS applications. Along with UI automation, it is used for image-based testing, network testing, and cross-browser testing, to name a few.
Eggplant interacts with systems just the way a user would and doesn’t require any plugins to function. It has a controlled recording mode, and test cases can be executed from the command line without any human supervision.
Key Benefits
- It offers a wide range of tools for different kinds of testing from functional to load testing.
- You don’t even have to make a single change in the source code to test the application.
- Its instruments can work with external tools in a common environment and on their own.
11. Robotium
Image Credit: thesunflowerlab.com
Robotium is one of the most widely used Android mobile testing tools that can handle multiple Android devices in parallel. It is open-source and supports Java as the primary programming language.
It is also used for automated black-box testing for Android apps and can create scenarios for functional testing of multiple actions. Robotium has an extensive library of unit tests, and creating robust test cases takes little time.
Key Benefits
- It offers automated synchronization.
- It is equally suitable for apps with APK files or source codes available.
- It has a fast case execution and can integrate with Maven and Ant.
12. iOS-Driver
iOS-Driver, as the name suggests, is one among the commonly used iOS mobile testing tools for iOS native and hybrid applications. Testers don’t have to jailbreak their device to use this tool, nor do they have to change the app source code.
iOS-Driver can also be used as a Selenium Grid Node and so can be used to run multiple tests in parallel. This will notably shorten the time taken for GUI tests. Although some of its recent versions can run on devices, it runs more efficiently on emulators.
Key Benefits
- Testers don’t have to load any additional applications for testing an app.
- It implements the JSON wire protocol.
- As it integrates with Selenium Grid, you can reuse your existing web automation infrastructure.
13. Xamarin.UITest
Xamarin.UITest is one of the leading mobile UI testing tools useful for creating UI acceptance tests. It is a testing framework that can work for both iOS and Android applications. If your app is built with Xamarin.Forms, then this tool is an ideal choice.
The tests initiated by Xamarin.UITest can interact with the user interface, just like how a typical user would. They can input tests, tap buttons, and perform gestures such as swipes.
Key Benefits
- It seamlessly integrates with Xamarin.Android and Xamarin.iOS projects.
- It can easily integrate with other Microsoft Visual Studio products.
- It supports cross-platform testing.
14. Ranorex
Ranorex, also known as Ranorex Studio, is one of the top rated mobile testing tools used by more than 4,000 companies worldwide. It is ideal for testing mobile and web applications and is a straightforward choice for beginners who are accustomed to no-code app builders.
Ranorex has a click-and-go interface and offers detailed summary reports. There is also an option for video reporting to see what happened in a test run. The tool also provides dynamic ID support and has an easy installation process.
Key Benefits
- It can run multiple cross-device tests in parallel.
- You can test on real devices without jailbreaking.
- It offers helpful wizards and reusable code modules.
15. Squish
Squish by FrogLogic is a mobile testing tool that completely eradicates the challenges and limitations of test automation. It has dedicated features for testing native as well as mobile web applications.
You don’t have to jailbreak the testing devices to get started with Squish. You can run tests on emulators as well as on real devices without tweaking them. It also offers IoT testing and even has additional features for testing in the cloud.
Key Benefits
- It offers advanced gesture support.
- It provides automated GUI testing.
- You can perform multi-app and multi-device tests.
16. KIF
KeepItFunctional (KIF) is a mobile application testing tool purely designed for iOS automated testing. It can automatically integrate with Xcode tools and supports the majority of iOS versions.
KIF is easy to learn, and its automation can effortlessly imitate user behaviour. It is open-source and is primarily used to test the UI of applications. KIF accesses UI elements using their accessibility labels and has outstanding support for gestures.
Key Benefits
- It uses Objective-C, and so, iOS developers will find it more manageable.
- It has an impressive command line.
- You can integrate test cases on iPhone and iPad simulators.
17. EarlGrey
EarlGrey is another UI automation test framework, exclusive for native iOS apps, that lets you write clear and concise tests. You can integrate it with Xcode and can run tests directly from it or from xcodebuild.
EarlGrey automatically tracks changes in the user interface, network requests, and in other important queues. This synchronization feature ensures the app’s UI is in a steady state before each test is performed – thereby increasing the stability of tests.
Key Benefits
- You can write tests using Objective-C or Swift.
- You can manually implement custom timings.
18. 21lab
21 is a sophisticated and one of the top mobile testing tools that integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their system. It is a fully-fledged software as a service (SaaS) and so doesn’t require any installation to execute tests.
21 comes with a 14-day free trial, and its pre-integrated devices let you start testing within minutes. It also has a one-click bug reporting system that includes videos, logs, and screenshots.
Key Benefits
- You can create automated UI and functional tests in just five minutes.
- It offers access to a wide range of devices.
- It provides an algorithm locators system for stable results across multiple frameworks.
19. Calabash
Calabash is one of the best and free automated mobile testing tools that work for both Android and iOS native apps. It is open-source and supports writing code with Cucumber.
Calabash mobile testing tools also support gestures and scrolling. With the help of Xamarin Test Cloud, Calabash lets you validate multiple form factors, original equipment manufacturer customizations, OS versions, and hardware specifications.
Key Benefits
- You can run the test cases on more than a thousand devices.
- It supports parallel case execution.
- It supports programming languages such as C#, Java, and Ruby.
20. Perfecto
Perfecto is another cloud-based mobile testing tool that supports mobile and web applications testing. It supports large-scale remote testing and offers a wide range of testing platform integration.
Perfecto lets you test on real devices, emulators, and simulators without the hassle of device maintenance. It also offers enterprise-grade security and the ability to run up to 10K test executions a day.
Key Benefits
- It has numerous collaboration features like screen-sharing while testing.
- It supports real-user simulators.
- It supports open-source, free, and commercial platforms.
21. Test IO
Test IO is a SaaS platform designed explicitly for crowd testing. Unlike the majority of mobile automation testing tools discussed in this article, Test IO offers testing of mobile apps by human testers using real devices.
To test your app, you need to upload your app to Test IO or share the website URL with them. After that, your application will be securely distributed among trusted and interested testers around the world.
Key Benefits
- It can easily integrate with Github, Asana, and Jira.
- Humans, in real-world conditions, will test your app across multiple platforms and devices.
- You can get the initial test results within an hour.
22. Apptim
Apptim is one of the best iOS and Android mobile performance testing tools. It allows you to analyse apps and uncover performance bottlenecks before an app goes live.
Apptim is ideal for troubleshooting app exceptions and crashes, and you can get the first results in five minutes or lesser. It’s free to use, and after each test session, you can generate reports regarding bugs and performance metrics.
Key Benefits
- It measures rendering time, power consumption, and resource usage.
- You can compare the results of different test sessions to see the difference in performance while tweaking features.
- Easily integrate with JIRA.
23. Applause
Applause is a mobile testing service company with more than 200,000 human testers. It is one of the most widely adopted mobile security testing tools and is compatible with Android as well as iOS.
It supports numerous kinds of testing, including load, network, localization, usability, and functional testing. It is also a mobile analytics tool and also offers mobile sentiment analysis.
Key Benefits
- It is a 360-degree app quality tool.
- It combines in-the-wild testing services and automation.
- It offers low-code or no-code automation.
24. Ubertesters
Ubdertesters is a mobile application testing platform, specifically designed for executing and controlling mobile beta testing. It is an open-source tool that contains bug editing and marking reporting.
It is one of the cost-effective mobile QA testing tools and is easy to install. It supports both the dominant operating systems – iOS and Android.
Key Benefits
- You can hire testers to test your app in real-world conditions.
- It offers video recording of test sessions.
- It has a feature called App Project Manager to control all aspects of the testing process.
25. MonkeyRunner
MonkeyRunner is a mobile automation testing tool that can control multiple devices at a time. It offers an API to write programs to control real-devices or emulators.
The application tests are written using Python, and the tool can be used for regression testing as well. A notable setback of this tool is that the tests need to be tweaked each time the user interface of the application is changed.
Key Benefits
- It can be used for automated functional testing.
- You don’t have to modify the source code to run automated tests.
- It is free to use.
Conclusion
For developers, insights from apps are crucial to craft a better user experience. Although mobile testing tools can give developers a glimpse into how the app will look and feel for a typical user, there are app analytics tools that allow creators to monitor the performance of their apps, real-time.
Mobile app testing can be a tricky task, especially if you’re planning to do it manually. But it doesn’t always have to be that way, as the majority of tools discussed in this article support automation.
That being said, the best mobile testing tool is subjective and depends on your team, their expertise, your app development budget, and your expectations from the tool. As quality assurance is critical for your app’s success, app creators can’t afford to stay away from app testing tools.
Related Sources to Read:
–When to Consider Mobile App Development for Your Business
–Why Mobile Apps Are Important for Your Business
–Factors to Consider When Hiring a Mobile App Development Company
–Mobile App Development Cost Estimate in Malaysia
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