Best Mobile Automation Testing Tools Shortlist
Here’s the shortlist of the best mobile automation testing tools that I’ll review in this article:
Mobile automation testing tools help you find bugs quickly and easily run multiple tests with minimal human intervention. They enable you to save time and get more done with fewer resources. Your team needs a good mobile automation testing solution to accelerate testing and validate products faster.
There are numerous tools on the market and selecting the best options for your team can be overwhelming and time consuming. To help you choose the best software, I’ve compiled a list of the 10 best mobile automation testing tools.
What Are Mobile Automation Testing Tools?
Mobile automation testing tools are designed to help you to automate mobile testing processes. Instead of planning, writing, executing, and managing mobile testing manually, they come with automation capabilities that allow you to implement testing processes with minimal manual or human involvement. Mobile test automation solutions streamline the testing process, reduce testing time, and minimize the chances of human errors during test execution.
Overviews Of The 10 Best Mobile Automation Testing Tools
In this section, I’ll take you through a brief description of each mobile automation testing solution. Read on to learn each tool’s best use case, outstanding features, and pros and cons.
Mobot
Best mobile automation testing tool with a no-code setup
Mobot is a mobile app testing platform that leverages the use of mechanical robots to automate the testing and quality assurance process. They offer a no-code setup and the ability to test on over 200 physical devices, including iOS and Android, simultaneously.
Why I picked Mobot: I included Mobot in this list because I really like how they've simplified the test plan process. Instead of writing out a detailed test plan or relying on coding, all you need to do is record a video of the tests you want to run on your mobile app, then upload it through Mobot's self-serve test plan tool. Next, Mobot will guide you to select the specific devices you want to test on, and specify any other relevant details. Mobot then converts these details into an automated test using their software in tandem with mechanical robots. Once finalized, Mobot will run the tests you selected and record all the results, data, and reports within their platform for you to easily digest.
Mobot Standout Features and Integrations
The biggest standout feature for me is the real device testing. You can test your app on actual devices, not just emulators. This gives you a much more accurate idea of how your app is going to perform in the real world. Plus, you can run tests on up to 200 devices simultaneously, which is a huge time-saver.
Another feature that I really appreciate is the side-by-side visual validation. This lets you compare screenshots of your app from different test runs, so you can easily spot any visual bugs. It's a simple idea, but it's an incredibly effective way to compare test results visually. Their actionable test results also help you easily drill into pass or fail flags and bug notes in a side-by-side format too.
Integrations are available with Slack, Jira, and TestRail.
Pros
- Condenses 5-days of human-powered testing into 1-day of automated testing
- Each client receives a Customer Success Manager (CSM) to assist throughout the process
- No-code setup saves a lot of time
Cons
- Limited software integrations
- Users cannot initiate tests independently - must coordinate through your Customer Success Manager instead
Selendroid
Best mobile automation testing tool for native and hybrid Android apps
Selendroid is a test automation solution that lets you test Android native and hybrid apps and the mobile web. The tool can be used on emulators and real devices.
Why I picked Selendroid: In addition to testing native and hybrid Android apps, Selendroid lets you test the mobile web using a built-in Android driver webview app. You can scale your mobile testing and implement parallel testing by integrating Selendroid into the Selenium Grid as a node. The tool can be extended at runtime using your own extensions. Its extensibility gives you the flexibility to automate tests with minimal limitations.
Selendroid Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features: Selendroid can work with multiple Android devices concurrently. You can use it to automate tests on multiple emulators or physical devices. Other exceptional features include support for hot plugging of hardware devices, a built-in inspector for streamlining test case creation, and advanced user interactions API.
Integrations include Selenium Grid, Maven, Gradle, Appium, Jenkins, and Jira.
Pros
- Available for free
- Easy to use
- Automate tests on multiple devices concurrently
Cons
- More responsive customer support needed
- Test execution speed is low at times
MonkeyRunner
Best for running unit test suites
MonkeyRunner is a mobile automation testing software for Android developers designed to enable you to run unit test suites. It also helps you test your apps and devices at the functional and framework level.
Why I picked MonkeyRunner: It offers an app and device testing framework that lets you run functional and regression testing. With MonkeyRunner, you can run automated functional testing of an Android app and visualize the test results as screenshots.
The tool’s regression testing feature allows you to validate app stability. MonkeyRunner lets you test your app’s stability by running it and evaluating the app’s output screenshots against a set of standard screenshots. The conformities or discrepancies tell you how stable your app is.
MonkeyRunner Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include multiple device control and extensible automation. MonkeyRunner provides multiple device control, allowing you to implement one or more test suites across multiple devices or emulators. The tool is very extensible; you can boost test automation by extending MonkeyRunner with plugins. This gives you the flexibility to run tests with little or no limitations.
Integrations: The tool allows you to integrate with Android development tools.
Pros
- It’s open source
- Flexible functional UI testing
- Extensible by plugins
Cons
- Mastering the tool takes time
- Documentation needs to be improved
Frank
Best for testing iOS apps using Cucumber
Frank, also known as Testing With Frank, allows you to run reliable iOS and Mac tests with Cucumber. With Frank, you can author tests using Cucumber and run them against your iOS application.
Why I picked Frank: I added Frank to my list because it provides an easy way to visualize the app you’re testing. It has a powerful app inspector (Symbiote) that helps you get comprehensive information on your running app.
Another thing I like about this tool is that it’s easy to set up. You can set your iOS app up for Frank tests in less than 10 minutes.
Additionally, there is an active community of helpful people so you can easily get help or have your questions answered by more experienced users.
Frank Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features: Frank lets you take a video record of your test runs, enabling you to visualize your app in action. The tool gives you the flexibility to execute tests anywhere, both on the simulator and iOS devices. It streamlines the testing process by letting you integrate with CI so you can run tests across various phases of development.
Integrations: Frank integrates with CI solutions. It also integrates with Cucumber and other iOS app development tools.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Test on both emulators and physical devices
- Great user community
Cons
- More support options would be welcome
- Limited customization
UFT Mobile
Best for providing a centralized lab of real mobile devices and emulators
UFT Mobile offers mobile app testing capabilities that enable you to validate every aspect of your mobile experience from any location. It empowers you to develop, debug, test, monitor, and optimize your products from remote locations.
Why I picked UFT Mobile: I selected UFT Mobile because it gives you access to a wide variety of devices. It allows you to run your tests on the OpenText fleet of public devices. Another exciting thing they offer is that you get to pay only for what you use so you can scale up or down your test runs according to your needs. And you don’t have to pay for the resources you’re not actually using.
UFT Mobile Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features: UFT Mobile gives you remote access to its testing facilities. The centralized digital devices lab and management gateway enables you to test every aspect of your app’s features from any location. In addition to standard mobile automation testing features, the software offers production monitoring, which helps users analyze the availability and performance of their products.
Integrations: UFT Mobile integrates with open-source testing tools, such as Appium and Selenium. Other popular integrations include Genymotion and UFT One.
Pros
- Friendly pricing model
- Access to many devices
- Implement tests from anywhere
Cons
- Users complain of occasional glitches or hanging
- More integrations required
UI Automator
Best for cross-app functional UI testing
UI Automator enables Android developers to write automated tests for mobile applications. This UI test automation framework is best for implementing cross-app functional UI testing across systems and installed applications.
Why I picked UI Automator: The tool lets you run cross-app UI testing across systems and installed apps. This capability helps you rely on one tool for testing both systems and installed applications. It streamlines the testing process and enables you to minimize the complexity of managing multiple mobile automation testing tools.
It’s a UI testing framework, which comes with APIs that allow you to interact with visible elements on a device, regardless of which activity is in focus. UI Automator lets you execute operations like opening the Settings menu or the app launcher in a test device. It’s suitable for writing opaque box-style automated tests — an approach in which the test code doesn’t rely on internal implementation details of the target app.
UI Automator Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include an API for accessing device state and APIs that support cross-app UI testing (UI Automator APIs). The software provides an API that lets you retrieve state information and implement operations on the device on which the target app is running.
UI Automator APIs allow you to create tests without the need to know about the implementation details of the target app. These APIs can help you to capture and manipulate user interface elements across multiple applications.
Integrations: UI Automator lets you integrate with Android development tools.
Pros
- Available for free
- Comprehensive guides
- Support for cross-app UI testing
Cons
- Long user support response time
- Steep learning curve
Calabash
Best for automated functional testing for Android using Cucumber
Calabash is a BDD framework for iOS and Android and an open-source mobile app testing tool. The software provides automated functional testing capabilities for Android using Cucumber.
Why I picked Calabash: I selected Calabash because it’s an open-source project that provides automated testing technology for Android and iOS native and hybrid applications. The tool helps you cut down the cost of building your product by giving you access to industry-standard testing capabilities for free.
Calabash Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features: Calabash helps you implement automated functional testing using Cucumber. Integration with Cucumber enables you to streamline and optimize the testing process. The documentation is well-organized and split into sections. As a result, you can get started with Calabash quickly by simply browsing through the documentation.
Integrations include Cucumber, Appium, Sauce Labs, CircleCI, Xamarin, Test Cloud, Jenkins, Slack, and Travis CI.
Pros
- Easy to get started
- Available for free
- Good documentation
Cons
- Some configurations are complex
- More content is required on the product website
MonkeyTalk
Best for testing native and hybrid iOS and Android applications
MonkeyTalk is a top mobile automation testing software for iOS and Android application testing. Its community edition is available for free, while the professional package is commercial.
Why I picked MonkeyTalk: The software provides mobile testing capabilities for validating native and hybrid mobile products. MonkeyTalk is suitable for functional testing and regression testing. The tool can be used for smartphones and tablets, and their emulators.
MonkeyTalk enables you to record and playback tests. This approach streamlines the testing process and helps you boost the effectiveness of your mobile testing efforts.
MonkeyTalk Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features: MonkeyTalk lets you use tests (code) written for an iOS platform for an Android platform. This exceptional capability saves you the time and cost of writing different test scripts for iOS and Android environments. It allows you to modify tests so you can make changes according to your needs. In addition, the tool comes with management features for keeping track of your test runs.
Integrations: It lets you integrate with other tools and mobile development platforms, such as XCode and Android Studio.
Pros
- You can modify tests
- Test management capabilities
- Freemium version available
Cons
- Long user support response time
- Not enough MonkeyTalk tutorials
SeeTest
Best for iOS and Android mobile web testing
SeeTest is a testing platform that provides mobile app testing capabilities that help you accelerate release cycles and increase quality. It allows you to perform automation testing for both Android and iOS applications.
Why I picked SeeTest: The software has outstanding test reporting capabilities. SeeTest provides a detailed report for every test run. The reports come in the form of a diagrammatic representation of all recent test runs, featuring passed and failed tests in the form of graphs and pie charts. For instance, for every test that failed, you get an explanation of the reason it failed.
SeeTest Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features: SeeTest allows you to perform mobile tests using emulators. It supports running tests using emulators in place of Android devices and iOS simulators. SeeTest Automation supports many testing frameworks, such as UFT, TestComplete, RFT, and JUnit. As a result, the test you write in the studio can run in your regular testing environment. All you need to do is export the code of the test and integrate it into your target testing environment.
Integrations include TestComplete, Selenium, UFT, RFT, and Jenkins. It supports programming languages such as C#, Python, and Perl.
Pros
- Run multiples tests in parallel
- Detailed reporting
- Compatibility with other testing frameworks
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- The product website is difficult to browse
Espresso
Best tool for running Android UI tests
Espresso is an automated testing solution for Android developers. It's designed to help developers effectively write neat, concise, and reliable UI tests.
Why I picked Espresso: It provides the tooling you need to write simple, concise, and reliable Android UI tests. Espresso offers a customizable core API that is small, predictable, and easy to learn. You can customize the core API to suit your preferences. Another exciting thing about the software is that its tests run very fast. With Espresso, you can save testing time and get more done cost effectively.
Espresso Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features: It comes with synchronization capabilities, which offer you more reliable and dependable test results. The tool lets you execute test cases speedily. It allows you to leave your waits, syncs, sleeps, and polls behind while it manipulates and asserts on the app UI when it’s at rest.
Integrations include JUnit, Android Test Orchestrator, Dagger, Mockito, and Gradle.
Pros
- Fast execution of test cases
- Easy to get started
- Reliable test results
Cons
- More customizations needed
- More product information required
The 10 Best Mobile Automation Testing Tools Summary
Tool | Free Option | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mobot Best mobile automation testing tool with a no-code setup | 30-day free trial | $1,500/month/action (tap, swipe, click, etc.) | Visit Website |
2 | Selendroid Best mobile automation testing tool for native and hybrid Android apps | Not available | Open source and free | Visit Website |
3 | MonkeyRunner Best for running unit test suites | Not available | Open source and free | Visit Website |
4 | Frank Best for testing iOS apps using Cucumber | Not available | Free to use | Visit Website |
5 | UFT Mobile Best for providing a centralized lab of real mobile devices and emulators | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
6 | UI Automator Best for cross-app functional UI testing | Not available | Free to use | Visit Website |
7 | Calabash Best for automated functional testing for Android using Cucumber | Not available | Free to use | Visit Website |
8 | MonkeyTalk Best for testing native and hybrid iOS and Android applications | 60-day free trial | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
9 | SeeTest Best for iOS and Android mobile web testing | Free trial available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
10 | Espresso Best tool for running Android UI tests | Not available | Free to use | Visit Website |
Other Options
Here are a few good options that didn’t make the best mobile automation testing tools list:
- EarlGrey
Best for native iOS UI automation testing
- TestComplete Mobile
Best for automating your mobile GUI tests on real devices
- XCUITest
Best for iOS developers
- Testsigma
Best for building end-to-end tests for mobile apps with English scripts
- Autify
Best for cross-browser testing of mobile products
- Eggplant
Best for AI-powered drag-and-drop test automation
- Ranorex
Best low-code/codeless automation solution for building functional UI test automation
- NightwatchJS
Best mobile software testing tool for validating native iOS and Android apps
- CircleCI
Best mobile automation testing software for DevOps professionals
- Robotium
Best for test automation of native and hybrid Android applications
Selection Criteria For Mobile Automation Testing Tools
Here’s a summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best mobile automation testing tools for this article:
Core Functionality
The core functionalities I considered include:
- Intelligent automation
- Streamlined test creation and execution
- Cross-platform capabilities
- Support for multiple types of testing
- Test management and monitoring capabilities
Key Features
I prioritized tools that come with key features of mobile test automation tools. Some of the major features I considered are:
- Performance testing: A feature that lets you test the quality or capability of your software. It helps you ascertain how your product will respond or behave under a certain workload.
- Parallel testing: This capability allows you to automate the same tests concurrently in multiple environments — real device combinations and browser configurations.
- Functional testing: A feature that helps you validate the basic functionalities of your software against a set of predetermined standards.
- UI testing: Also known as GUI testing, UI testing empowers you to validate your product’s graphical user interface to ensure it meets its requirements or specifications.
- Security testing: It focuses on evaluating the security of your application. The goal of this feature is to uncover vulnerabilities or loopholes in software before intruders exploit them.
- Continuous testing: This feature is included in mobile automation testing solutions to enable continuous testing throughout the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC).
Usability
I evaluated many tools and picked mobile automation testing products that offer great user experience. Each tool I recommended comes with an intuitive user interface, customizable features, comprehensive documentation, online tutorials, and user support.
Software Integrations
I selected tools that integrate with other software development and QA solutions. With integration, you can connect your favorite tools to the mobile automation system. This helps you streamline your workflows, share resources seamlessly, and get things done faster without the complexity of jumping from one software to another.
Pricing
I considered value for money. While some of the tools are free, others come with premium offers. That said, they have flexible pricing models. There are multiple pricing options, allowing you to choose the tool and package that suit your needs.
People Also Ask
Here are some popular questions people are asking about mobile automation testing tools:
What are the benefits of mobile automation testing tools?
Who uses mobile automation testing tools?
How do you automate mobile automation testing?
Other Testing Software
If you want to learn more about software testing, check out the following reviews.
- Best Mobile Application Testing Tools
- Best Continuous Testing Tools
- Best Automation Testing Tools
- Best Test Management Tools
Final Thoughts
No matter what your mobile testing needs are, there is a mobile automation testing solution that is right for your use case. With the list above, you can find the best mobile test automation software for your project and create a more efficient testing experience.
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