In the DevOps era, test automation is essential to accelerate the release of high-performance, bug-free software, and of course, automation will be impossible without the right automated functionaltesting tools.
Nevertheless, there are a multitude of testing tools available on the market, it is not easy to choose the best tool for your needs.
In this article, we will explore the key considerations for choosing the best automated functional testing tool in 2023.
1. Define the test requirements for your project
The key questions you need to answer first are:
- What are you trying to automate?
- What results do you want to achieve?
- What is your existing infrastructure (development environment, programming language, testing framework)
2. Search for tools on the market that meet your needs
Once you have defined your testing needs, the next step is to research the various automated functional testing tools available on the market and analyze the pros and cons of each.
Researching the various tools will allow you to understand their functionality, capabilities and limitations.
Popular tools in 2023 include:
- Selenium
- Playwright
- Cypress
- Appium
- TestComplete
- Katalon
- Mr Suricate
- Ranorex
- Leapwork
- Tricentis
- LambdaTest
Compare the key features of each test tool
Each automated functional testing tool has its own advantages and disadvantages.
For example, Selenium is an open-source testing tool that is ultra-flexible, but very technical to understand and use.
On the other hand, the Katalon solution, built on the Selenium and Appium frameworks, is considerably easier to use, but the tool is limited in its scripting capabilities and device support.
Key attributes to consider:
Reporting capabilities
The success of an automated functional testing tool depends on your ability to identify what needs to be fixed as soon as possible.
Therefore, it is important to review all the features of the reports supported by a tool.
The tool you use should produce detailed and accurate reports, and it is even better if the report is customizable.
Ease of use
When choosing an automated testing tool in 2023, the importance of ease of use depends on the skills of your team.
But even if your team consists of technical profiles who know how to code, the tool must be intuitive and easy to navigate to facilitate the use of the tool.
With or without code ("no code")?
Why opt for a no code automated testing tool?
Save time: No-codeautomation tests take less time. The team can spend more time on other high-value topics.
Cost-effectiveness: By reducing the time and effort required to perform tests, costs are significantly reduced.
Avoid human error: A no-code testing tool is less prone to defects than tests scripted manually by a developer.
Suitable for non-technical profiles: Non-technical low-code solutions offer companies an alternative to recruiting expensive profiles and long delivery times.
Versatility: No-code testing tools are easier to modify and adapt to test cases, making them more versatile.
Flexibility
Even if a tool is suitable for a specific project today, it must be flexible enough to support multiple testing frameworks, operating systems and devices.
This will ensure that the tool can be used for various types of tests and can adapt to changing needs.
Technical support, community and maintenance requirements
Support and maintenance are critical factors to consider when choosing an automated functional testing tool.
Vendor shall provide adequate support and maintenance services, including bug fixes and updates.
A clear and complete documentation must also be at your disposal in order to be as autonomous as possible.
Similarly, a strong community around an automated testing solution can help the team adopt a tool more quickly and avoid many obstacles.
Price
The price depends on the type of tool. There are 3 types of automation tools:
1. Commercial
Commercial test automation solutions are developed by for-profit software companies.
Therefore, they are generally only available on a fee basis.
As a customer, you may be able to take advantage of a free trial version that is only available for a limited period of time or has limited functionality, but to use the full solution, you must purchase a license.
It can be a lifetime license or a monthly/quarterly/annual subscription.
*One advantage of commercial automated testing solutions is that they have a sales team that can explain how the solution will work in your particular case during a demo.
2. Open-source
Open source automation testing tools are developed by the community and for the community, and are distributed free of charge without any conditions.
This type of automation tool is a popular choice for organizations that don't have a large budget to spend on setting up the automation process but have the technical profiles (which are expensive in general...) to learn and integrate the tool into the CI/CD to make it fully fit the project needs.
3. Customized tool
For some projects, the available tools may never be able to do the job.
This usually occurs when the automation process, environment or scope of testing is too different from most industry standard procedures.
The sensible solution in these situations is to develop custom automation tools based on the project requirements.
Needless to say, this solution requires an expert level understanding of coding in addition to the already high automation skills of the team.
3. Make an informed decision based on your project
When choosing an automation tool, the best strategy is to make a choice based on the specifics of the project.
The decision to select a test automation tool is something that should ideally be made jointly by the project stakeholders. This may include the customer representatives, the project manager and the QA manager.
To avoid potential difficulties, each participant will need to have the technical and business knowledge to make an informed decision.
Mr Suricate | French leader in no-code automated testing
The no code testing tool from Mr Suricate no code testing tool allows you to re(take) control of your applications and detect bugs in real time on your websites, mobile apps and APIs by reproducing your user paths at regular intervals.
