Automated testing plays an essential role in quality software development, helping to ensure the stability, performance and reliability of websites and applications.
In this article, we'll compare three automated testing platforms: Mr Suricate Serenity BDD and Pingdom.
Each of these platforms has its own unique approach to test automation. Let's take a closer look.
Mr Suricate - french leader in no-code automated testing
The no-code solution for automated cross-browser & cross-device testing from Mr Suricate no-code solution lets you easily test applications and websites across different browsers, operating systems and mobile platforms.
It stands out for its ease of use, with an intuitive interface that makes it accessible even to testers with little or no coding experience.
The platform enables anyone to create automated functional test scripts, run them on different browsers, and analyze the detailed results.
Key benefits of Mr Suricate
✅ All-in-one solution
Thanks to its extensive testing capabilities Mr Suricate offers complete coverage, enabling detection of potential bugs in web, mobile application, API, accessibility, SEO, visual or performance aspects.
✅ No-code solution - Test editor with recorder and pre-coded Google Blockly actions
Its no-code approach, based on pre-established templates, saves time when creating tests.
✅ Widget-based dashboards with advanced custom alerts
Users of Mr Suricate users can create customized dashboards using widgets specific to their needs.
Thanks to the alert system, testers are immediately informed when a test fails, exceeds a predefined threshold or when undesirable behavior is detected.
✅ Dedicated Customer Success Manager + live chat support
Mr Suricate offers personalized support and assistance from A to Z in using the platform.
✅ Reversibility plan available for open source platforms (Selenium, Playwright)
This allows users to benefit from the advantages of proprietary technology, while at the same time offering the possibility of leveraging popular frameworks for greater flexibility.
✅ Fixed price each month
A fixed price every month guarantees transparency and predictability of costs.
The disadvantages of Mr Suricate
❌ Customization limitations
Although Mr Suricate offers a simplified approach to test creation, this may limit the customization of highly advanced test scenarios for more experienced testers looking for additional functionality.
❌ "Fat client" tests are not supported
Mr Suricate allows you to carry out exhaustive tests on web applications, but other aspects of the system are not taken into account. For example, tests related to network infrastructure or applications not accessible via the web are not taken into account.
However, a VPN gateway is an alternative solution for getting around this limitation.
Serenity BDD - streamlining and clarifying acceptance testing
Serenity BDD is an open source library that enables testers to write high-quality automated acceptance and regression tests, and benefit from illustrated and narrative test reports that document every key aspect of the application.
The platform makes automated testing more flexible and easier to follow, as teams can link tests to requirements to see which parts of the application have been tested, and track project progress with less ambiguity.
Key benefits of Serenity BDD
✅ Open source solution
Serenity BDD is an open source project, offering greater flexibility since anyone can access the source code and customize it to meet their specific needs (adding new features, integrating with other tools, workflow integration, etc.).
Disadvantages of Serenity BDD
❌ Virtual machines and launchers to install and maintain for industrialization
Installing and maintaining virtual machines and launchers adds complexity and consumes resources. What's more, it requires advanced technical skills and considerable time for ongoing management.
❌ Web & APIs only (not all-in-one)
The platform only supports web and API testing. For mobile testing, you will need to install and update libraries and add-ons.
❌ Code knowledge required
Requires technical knowledge to create test scripts and adapt the platform to your needs.
❌ Basic report, no alerting
There is no alert system outside the reports, which can delay detection of critical problems.
❌ No additional customer service
The platform itself does not offer customer service. However, there are several online resources that can be used as a roadmap.
For more help, there are premium training packages offered by a consulting company launched by Serenity BDD lead developer John Ferguson Smart.
Pingdom - simplified web monitoring
Pingdom helps companies guarantee the web customer experience with actionable, real-time information on site performance.
The solution combines synthetic and real-user monitoring, providing complete production visibility when it comes to bottlenecks.
Monitoring possibilities with Pingdom :
Availability monitoring: avoid downtime and be alerted as soon as a site is unavailable.
Page speed monitoring: enables you to make more informed optimization decisions by providing the size and loading time of each element.
Real user monitoring: helps filter by geography, device or browser when real users encounter a problem.
Key benefits of Pingdom
✅ Script recorder available
A script recorder simplifies the creation of performance tests. However, it lacks support for conditional steps, which can limit flexibility in complex scenarios.
✅ Intuitive dashboards
Pingdom offers dashboards for visualizing test data, making it easy to analyze and monitor performance.
Live maps and advanced filtering settings give a better understanding of site performance according to browser, device and location.
✅ Fixed price each month
Pingdom offers a fixed monthly price that can be modified as required; the price of monitoring increases with the number of SMS alerts required.
Pingdom's disadvantages
❌ Performance monitoring in production only
Pingdom only offers performance monitoring for production environments, making it unusable in development.
❌ Limited customer support
There is a way to contact the support team in the event of a problem. However, there are no customer success managers at Pingdom to help you use the platform.
❌ Proprietary technology and no reversibility plan (open source)
Uses proprietary technology with no possibility of reverting to an open source solution, limiting flexibility and independence for users.
In conclusion, which one to choose?
With the different features and capabilities when comparing Mr Suricate, Serenity BDD and Pingdom, it's essential to carefully consider project needs and team strengths before making a decision.
Key points to remember:
- Mr Suricate stands out for its no-code approach, all-in-one solution and dedicated customer support, making it an excellent choice for companies looking for a complete, easy-to-use solution.
- Serenity BDD is ideal for technical developers looking to speed up deliveries and better understand whether test results match requirements.
- Pingdom is perfectly suited to companies that want to gain visibility into how end-users interact with a website or web application, so they can identify and solve problems before they become costly.
Test Mr Suricate | a cross-browser, cross-device automated test solution
The great added value of Mr Suricate is to combine its SaaS solution with a quality service, enabling a non-IT specialist to become a tester in less than a month.
With Mr Suricateyou don't need to know how to code or spend a fortune to make sure your users have a smooth and bug-free browsing experience, no matter how they access it!
