In 2020, gross spending for consumer mobile apps worldwide was more than 140 billion dollars. With remote working becoming the new normal, this number will only go up.
Ensuring that these apps work perfectly has now become paramount. Mobile app testing ensures that the apps work seamlessly, making sure that the users have the best experience while operating them.
Mobile app testing has changed a lot after the advent of automation. Automation allows users to create a CI/CD pipeline for faster deployment. This process is made easier with the help of mobile automation testing tools.
Automation tools allow you to create tests expediently and efficiently. There are multiple automation tools in the market for mobile app testing. Choosing the right one can become a burdensome task.
Let’s look at some of the benefits that automation testing tools provide during mobile application testing.
Benefits of Automation Testing Tools for Mobile Apps
- Reduced Testing Time
Manual testing of mobile applications requires a lot of time and effort on the part of the tester. Automation testing tools allow testers to run multiple tests in a short duration. With tools such as Appium, testers can improve their efficiency and accuracy. Automation testing tools also allow you to save tests and re-run them whenever you make a change in the functionality of an app. This efficiency, accuracy, and ability to run tests repeatedly allow developers to add features to the app without increasing the time-to-market of the application.
- Reduced Costs
Automation testing tools are exhaustive in their functioning; they reduce the number of bugs substantially. The cost of getting rid of bugs increases as the development cycle moves on. Getting rid of a bug post-deployment is 100 times more expensive than getting rid of it during the development phase. Not only is it more expensive to get rid of bugs post-deployment, launching an app that is bugged can tarnish the name of your brand, increase the probability of uninstalls and poor customer reviews.
Automation testing tools ensure that majority of these bugs get removed during the development phase. In a nutshell, automation testing tools ensure that you save money while developing as well as maintain the goodwill that you’ve built in the market.
- Create an Effective Strategy
Tools such as TestProject reduce errors that may arise due to human neglect. But automation testing tools alone aren’t sufficient to provide you with a bug-free app. As an automated test might fail due to several issues, at that time, it is necessary to validate tests manually. Creating an effective strategy that contains both manual testing and automated testing refines the app and makes the entire process easier.
- Speed up App Deployment
Everyone wants to shorten their software development life cycle (SDLC). Automation testing tools allow you to do that as well as to reduce the downtime of your app by allowing faster deployment. Faster app deployment also allows you to update your apps on a routine basis, allowing you to deliver top-grade apps in almost no time.
Now that we know why automation testing tools are so significant. Let’s learn what features make them best suited to your requirements.
Important Features of an Automation Testing Tool for Mobile Apps
Listed below are some of the indispensable features that an automation testing tool should have for successful mobile testing:
- Get tools that can create tests for different OS- Mobiles can be vastly divided into two OS: apple and android. Get a tool that can reuse code to create tests for both operating systems. This function will save time and effort on the part of the tester.
- Get tools with programming interface for script-modifications– These tools allow testers to make modifications in user-scenario and testing.
- Get a tool that supports multiple scripting languages- Having a tool that supports multiple languages increases the number of options you have while creating a test. This feature allows your testing teams to use languages they’re already comfortable with.
- Get tools that offer script-less test creation- With these tools, you can create tests speedily without having any programming skills.
Now that you know the features that you have to look for in a free automation tool for mobile testing. Let’s look at the best tools that the market has to offer.
Preferred Automation Tools for Mobile Apps
- TestProject
TestProject is one of the best free automation tools in the market. With the help of TestProject, you can create and execute tests for mobile app testing. This tool allows you to test both native and hybrid mobile apps on emulators and devices. TestProject is an intuitive tool, and it supports collaboration with other software such as Selenium and Appium to ameliorate the quality of your tests. creation in multiple languages. It’s a good tool for newbie testers as it doesn’t require any coding skills. TestProject also offers community support, allowing you to share and reuse addons.
- Selenium
Selenium is the most popular open-source tool that helps you in your mobile testing efforts. Selenium can be integrated with JIRA which allows you to track bugs directly. Although Selenium is very easy to use, you can also find detailed documentation to understand how it works on their website. Selenium allows you to measure differences in performance after an update by comparing two different test sessions. Adding to that a tester can assess the performance of native apps while running them on real devices.
- Appium
Appium is an Open-Source tool for automation of native, mobile, and web as well as hybrid apps on iOS and Android platforms. This tool supports multiple languages including Ruby, Java, PHP, Node, Python. It can be synchronized with the testing framework TestNG, enabling UIAutomator to produce informative and detailed reports. Appium uses standard mobile automation APIs, which allows you to test without recompiling or modifying your app. Appium also allows integration with other tools with the help of Java.
Conclusion
Mobile app testing has become easier after the advent of automation, but automation technology itself is very intricate. To harness the full potential of this technology, you need the assistance of the correct automation tools.
To choose the best free tool for mobile testing you need to inspect the features and benefits of these tools. Features such as the number of languages that it supports, the capability of creating tests for different OS, a programming interface for script-modifications, script-less test creation, and many more.
Choose a tool that helps your testing team rather than making their life more difficult. Appium, TestProject, and Selenium are some of the best open-source tools available in the market. You can weigh the pros and cons of all these tools to decide which one is most suitable for your requirements.
If you found this article insightful and want to further improve your mobile testing efforts then read our blog on how to improve the mobile app testing process.