A Complete List of Mobile Application Testing Tools

The acceptance of automation in the software testing industry is a testament to the advantages that come along with it. Not only does automation save copious amounts of time but also removes the scope for errors caused by human factors. A wide range of tools is available today to help testers automate their test scripts. Choosing the correct testing tool for your applications is imperative to the success of the project. In this blog, I will be writing on the top 10 mobile testing tools, that you could use for a successful application testing engagement

The following tools have been in discussed in this blog:

1. TestComplete
2. Kobiton
3. Calabash
4. Appium
5. Monkey Talk
6. EarlGrey
7. Testdroid
8. Appium Studio
9. Robotium
10. Experitest

Just in case you’re interested in pursuing a career in automation testing, check out edureka’s Automation Testing Course.

Choosing the Right Tool

Before we start discussing the tool, let’s go over the key factors a testing team should keep in mind before choosing a particular tool for testing an application.

• Any one tool may not be sufficient to test various features of an application.
• Rigorous research must be put into the software product that is going to be tested.
• Functionalities that will go through automation testing must be clearly chalked out before the beginning of the testing phase.
• Backup tools must be kept ready, just in case a certain tool fails to deliver.
• The chosen testing tool must be discussed with the involved team and other third parties involved in the project.

These are a few points every testing team should be considering before choosing a particular tool.

Let’s begin discussing the top tools being used in the mobile application testing industry.

TestComplete

TestComplete is a UI automation testing tool that is developed by SmartBear. SmartBear has been named as a leader in the Gartner magic quadrant for software test automation. TestComplete allows you to create, maintain and execute test scripts for desktop, web and mobile applications. With TestComplete, you can increase test coverage and ensure you ship high-quality, battle-tested software.

Tool Features

• Works for both, iOS and Android applications.
• Easily create keyword-driven test scripts that can be recorded on one device and then executed over multiple devices.
• Save time creating and maintaining tests by accurately identifying dynamic UI elements using property-based and AI-powered visual recognition.
• Get real-time information on the progress and status of your desktop, web, or mobile UI tests from a single interface.

Kobiton

Kobiton markets itself as a mobile experience platform, rather than a mobile testing platform. This is because Kobiton provides a seamless experience to testers by furnishing the process of testing. Whether you need on-demand access to real devices, an instant health-check across 350+ devices or you’re implementing a full enterprise device lab, Kobiton has you covered. The fact that Kobtion works on iOS and Android both, is just icing on the cake.

Tool Features

• Centralized testing logs for increased collaboration between different teams involved in the testing process.
• Access to latest devices through the cloud labs for more efficient testing.
• Includes support for Appium.
• Instant health-check for any application. This is done by automatically running tests on real-devices and get actionable recommendations to improve the user experience across all devices.

Calabash

Calabash is an open source automation testing tool that works on both iOS and Android (native apps only). The tool allows you to write and execute automated acceptance tests for mobile applications. Not only is it open source, but also free of cost. Calabash is developed and maintained by Xamarin.

Tool features

• Calabash comes with separate automation libraries for iOS and Android.
• It consists of libraries that allow test-code to programmatically interact with native and hybrid apps.
• Calabash supports the cucumber framework, which allows testers to express the behaviour of an application using simple English. This makes it easier for people unfamiliar with coding to understand an application.
• Calabash comes with access to the Xamarin cloud service, which is loaded with over 1000+ devices to test your application.

Appium

Appium is an open source automation testing tool developed by Sauce Labs. It is also freely distributed by them. Appium markets itself as a one-stop solution for everything related to mobile application testing. Whether you’re developing a hybrid, native or web-based application; Appium can be used to test the application. And the best part about Appium is that it is cross-platform and works on Mac, Windows and an array of Linux distributions.

Tool Features

• Any web driver compatible language can be used to write test scripts (C/Java/Python).
• Easy to set up on multiple platforms.
• Appium can test applications without needing to recompile them or having access to the codebase.
• Can be integrated with various frameworks and other tools.

Monkey Talk

Monkey Talk is an open source testing tool that can be used to test iOS and Android apps both. The tool comprises of thee segments – the IDE, the scripts and the operator. It is simple to set up and easy to learn. Regardless of its simplicity, Monkey Talk can handle everything, from little smoke tests to the tough data-driven test suits for native, hybrid and web-based apps.

Tool Features

• It automates functional interactive tests for Android and iOS apps.
• It does not require any solid programming or scripting knowledge.
• Both XML and HTML reports can be created with this device, it likewise catches screen capture when error or failure happens.
• For the purpose of continuous integration, Monkey Talk also has inbuilt support for Jenkins and Hudson

EarlGrey

EarlGrey is an automation testing framework for native iOS applications. It is developed and maintained by Google. At this moment, EarlGrey 2.0 is being currently distributed and has some major changes compared to EarlGrey 1.0. EarlGrey 2.0 allows you to write clear, concise tests in Objective-C / Swift and enables out of process interactions with XCUITest.

Tool Features

• Synchronization: From run to run, EarlGrey 2.0 ensures that you will get the same result in your tests, by making sure that the application is idle. It does so by automatically tracking UI changes, network requests, and various queues. EarlGrey 2.0 also allows you to manually implement custom timings.
• White-box: EarlGrey 2.0 allows you to query the application under test from your tests.
• Native Development: As with EarlGrey 1.0, you can use EarlGrey 2.0 natively with Xcode. You can run tests directly from Xcode or xcodebuild. Please note that EarlGrey 2.0 uses a UI Testing Target and not a Unit Testing Target like EarlGrey 1.0.

Testdroid

Testdroid has one focus, and that is to save costs behind application improvement. Other than that, Testdroid also strives to provide a seamless experience for a development and testing team by allowing applications to be tested against various hardware configurations. It enables remote manual access to more than 300 genuine gadgets running Android before an application is propelled. Testdroid is the quickest way to publicize your application while also decreasing operational and other peripheral costs.

Tools Features

• It helps in the Agile development and testing of mobile applications.
• Reduce operational and unpredictable costs.
• Improve application rating and every day dynamic clients.

Appium Studio

Appium Studio is an IDE created by Experitest, designed for mobile test automation development and execution using the AppiumSelenium WebDriver API. It is a commercially enhanced version of Appium desktop, a tool we previously discussed in this list. It addresses the core challenges faced by a tester while using Appium for testing applications. Appium Studio allows organizations to release high-quality mobile apps in considerably lesser amounts of time.

Tool Features

• Easily compose or record tests utilizing a gadget reflection, Object Spy and extraordinary XPath.
• Cover more utility cases on any gadget and with any application write (local, web, native and hybrid).
• Well-ordered reports produced along with screen captures and recordings.
• Test on privately associated cell phones or on gadgets facilitated at Experitest SaaS Digital Assurance Lab.

Robotium

Since I included an iOS-only application (EarlGrey) the list wouldn’t be fair without an Android only application. Thus, we have Robotium, an open source android application testing tool. It supports the testing of native and hybrid applications. Robotium has found widespread use in the case of automated black box testing. It uses JavaScript to prepare and execute test scripts.  

Tool Features

• Robotium can handle multiple android activities in parallel.
• Powerful test scripts can be created in minimal time, without having a deep knowledge of the project.
• Synchronize easily with Ant or Maven to run tests as part of continuous integration.
• It is possible to run test cases on applications that are pre-installed.

Experitest

Experitest is one of the names commonly found when researching mobile application testing platforms. The tool allows a tester to continuously test a wide range of mobile applications (local, web or hybrid) over a substantial choice of programs. It also completely coordinates with industry open source postures, for example, Appium, Selenium, etc.

Tool Features

• Create Appium tests with ease directly from your IDE.
• Enjoy real-time interaction and live debugging.
• Accelerate mobile testing cycles and increase the quality of your releases.
• Integrate with your CI/CD tools and workflow.

With this, we have reached the end of this mobile testing tools list. I hope you guys had fun learning about these nifty tools that have found widespread acceptance in the mobile application testing industry.  If you would like to pursue a career in mobile application testing, please check out edureka’s Appium Certification Training Course.  The course comes with live instructor-led sessions, along with 24×7 support for all your queries related to the course.

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