Top UI Testing Tools

What Is Automated UI Testing?

Automated web UI testing is another way to shift left quality validation within a development team's workflow. As with any automated process, it should be run without human intervention. Various test scripts run various tests, which result in a pass or fail result. From there, development teams can tackle bug fixes and other software changes. Any development team interested in improving workflow and shortening release cycles should consider automated UI tests. Although manual testing will always be used in the development, automated testing ensures a higher quality minimum baseline.

Furthermore, it lowers costs, ensures actionable results, and simplifies the entire review process. Writing UI test scripts can be time-consuming, especially when the work is pushed to the front of the cycle. However, the hard work pays off in the long run; however, UI scripts are inherently brittle. The majority of testing is done with Selenium test scripts, which can be written in various languages, including Java, Python, and C#.

UI Testing Tools

Mabl

mabl takes a unique approach to UI testing, focusing on journeys rather than tests. You log in to their website, create a journey through your application, and that's all there is to it. They don't provide you with a test case or anything to work on. They will then allow you to run that test regularly and receive results indicating its successful execution.

Pros: 

Recommends smart locators (though this is somewhat obscured to the user)

• The self-healing feature performs admirably.

• SaaS solution; simple to use and get started.

• A scalable pricing model

Cons:

• When recording journeys, it does not use the page object model.

• It has its framework, and the test scripts cannot be imported or exported.

• While CI integrations are available, the solution cannot be directly integrated into your existing framework.

• If something does not work as expected, it is tough to obtain "code" to configure or manipulate a SaaS-only solution; there is no on-premise deployment and no ability to access an application that is not available on the public internet.

• There is no built-in support for BDD.

TestComplete

TestComplete is a graphical user interface (GUI) test automation tool that tests every desktop, web, and mobile application and is used by technical and non-technical users. 

Key Characteristics:

• Code or codeless test creation: use record and playback or script in a modern language of your choice.

• Special object recognition identifies complex objects using machine learning and AI.

• Support for enterprise application testing, including SAP, Oracle EBS, and Salesforce.

• For continuous testing and delivery, run functional UI tests in parallel in the cloud or on your local machine.

• Integrates tightly with your ecosystem's tools, such as CI/CD and test management, to provide a complete testing lifecycle.

Functionize

Functionize has all of the features you'd expect from a complete web UI testing tool, but with some additional advancements in locator strategy, such as an autonomous testing pitch, where tests can be created simply by using the application. This is all done through their proprietary framework.

Pros:

• Excellent visual representation of test flow

• Multiple locators are recommended for elements.

• Has the ability to heal itself

• A different approach to traditional BB (using proprietary NLP). If you want to do traditional BDD, this could be a disadvantage (i.e., Cucumber)

Cons:

• It does not make use of the page object model.

• Framework that is vendor-locked

• There is no import/export of test scripts.

Ranorex Studio 

Ranorex Studio is a commercial Windows GUI test automation tool used by over 4000 businesses worldwide to test desktop, web, and mobile applications. It is simple for beginners, with a codeless interface and helpful wizards, but powerful for automation experts, with a full IDE. 

Key Characteristics:

• Reliable object identification, even for web elements with dynamic IDs, is one of the features.

• Customizable test report with video of test execution. Shareable object repositories and reusable code modules allow faster test creation and less maintenance.

• Test results can be customized. With a built-in Selenium Webdriver, you can run tests in parallel or distribute them on a Selenium Grid.

• Integrates with Jira, Jenkins, TestRail, Git, Travis CI, and other tools.

 Maveryx 

Maveryx is a test automation tool for functional, regression, data-driven, and graphical user interface (GUI) testing, primarily for Java and Android applications. Maveryx captures snapshots of the running application's user interface to identify UI elements to test automatically.

It is a commercial and open-source tool with interfaces and plugin architecture to support custom controls. It is a cross-platform application that can run as a standalone application or as an Eclipse plugin.

Pros: 

• The main advantage of Maveryx is that it saves you and your team a lot of time, which can be used for other things like increasing test coverage or ensuring the quality of the web and desktop application under test.

• Maveryx recognizes UI changes in the application automatically, so maintenance is minimal.

Cons: 

• A basic understanding of Java is required to use Maveryx to its full potential.

Perfecto

Perfecto is a codeless Selenium test automation platform with AI technology and unique visual modeling that allows for faster test creation and execution while reducing test maintenance overhead.

Pros:

• Makes use of the page object model (but only in their generated tests)

• Smart locators, also known as "smart bindings," are recommended.

• Their intelligent binding technology includes self-healing.

• A built-in scheduler enables users to run test flows on a regular basis over time.

Cons:

 It makes use of a proprietary framework.

• Test scripts cannot be imported or exported.

• It is not directly compatible with your existing framework (CI integrations are available as plugins)

• BDD is supported by Project Quantum, a third-party implementation.