It’s hard to know who to trust for automated testing tools. With so many options, deciding which one will fit your specific needs can be tough.
That’s why we’re breaking down the top tools in the industry, their advantages and disadvantages, the tests they’re used for, their price points, and more. We’ll also share user reviews and give you our recommendations to help you find the perfect fit for your business needs.
Ready to see where each tool excels — and where some fall short? Let’s get into it.
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Best automated testing tools for web applications
You’ve got plenty of options for automation testing tools out there. Let’s review each one and determine which fits your specific needs best.
1. Ghost Inspector
Ghost Inspector helps you test websites and web apps easily. It’s an industry leader known for being user-friendly and covering a range of testing needs with powerful features. With simple, no-code functionality, outstanding support, and continuous integration with GitHub, Jenkins, and other CI tools, it stands out as a universally well-respected solution.
What It Supports
Testing Types: Ghost Inspector verifies that your website is working properly by testing the user interface and doing visual and regression tests. It also supports continuous integration testing and functional testing with a focus on the end-user experience.
Browsers and Testing Options: You can run tests on major browsers like Chrome and Firefox, both in real-time and in automated background modes. It can run several tests at once at no extra cost. Its UI testing is an especially important offering since UI quality matters to visitors. In fact, 94% of the reasons people give for trusting or distrusting a website are based on the UI.
Ease of Use
For Everyone: Whether your coding skills are extensive or developing, Ghost Inspector is easy to pick up, thanks to its simple interface and codeless testing capability. It offers drag-and-drop test creation alongside other options for those who prefer to use their programming skills.
Help and Community: There are plenty of guides and extensive documentation, plus a friendly community for sharing tips. Users mention that the team is quick and helpful, especially regarding technical support. Ghost Inspector’s engineers even step in to answer questions in more detail! Plus, you can see plenty of examples of how to use it, like this one on acceptance testing.
Cost
Plans vary to fit different needs and budgets. Unlike pay-to-play platforms, Ghost Inspector offers a free 14-day trial that doesn’t ask for your credit card. Pricing depends on how many tests and runs you need, but it starts at $109 a month for key features.
User Reviews
People praise its straightforward setup and powerful testing features, especially for catching visual bugs and automating your testing easily.
Its G2 score is 4.6, with users especially happy about the support team’s responsiveness and the tool’s reliability.
2. Selenium
Selenium is a robust, open-source automated testing tool favored for testing web applications across different browsers.
What It Supports
Ideal for tech-savvy users, it supports various testing types, including functional and regression tests, with both live and headless options.
Cost
While free, its complexity may require additional resources for setup and use. Lacking an intuitive interface, its use depends on your knowledge of programming languages like JavaScript and Ruby.
User Reviews
Selenium’s G2 score of 4.5 speaks to the quality of the product, although some users find it outdated and difficult to use.
3. Cypress
Cypress is a modern QA automation tool designed for web applications. It stands out for its real-time testing capabilities and developer-friendly approach. It integrates directly into your development workflow, offering fast, reliable tests, despite its cost and inconsistent performance.
What It Supports
Primarily focused on end-to-end testing, with some limitations in browser support, mainly optimized for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. It does not support parallel testing natively.
Costs
Has both free and paid plans, starting at $75 a month.
User Reviews
Users seem to like its documentation and ease of setup, although some find its performance inconsistent and dislike its pricing model.
4. BrowserStack
BrowserStack enables cross-browser testing on real devices, ensuring your website or app works well on any browser or device. It’s known for its wide range of device and browser coverage.
What It Supports
BrowserStack supports various tests, including automated, live, and interactive testing across numerous browsers and devices. However, parallel testing adds an additional cost.
Costs
BrowserStack’s pricing model is fairly complex. For example, its test automation tool starts at $129 a month, but if you want to integrate accessibility testing into the functional testing, it’ll be $459. The high price tag for accessibility testing is a shame, as a 2022 study shows that only 3% of all websites are fully accessible to people with disabilities.
User Reviews
BrowserStack generally receives high marks on G2 — scoring just below Ghost Inspector with a 4.5. However, some users report that it feels outdated or unwieldy.
5. Katalon
Katalon (or Katalon Studio) is an all-in-one automated testing tool that supports web testing, API testing, mobile testing, and desktop testing. It is popular for its versatility and ease of use.
What It Supports
Wide testing support with no significant browser or device limitations. Offers both no-code and low-code options for those who don’t know programming languages.
Costs
Offers a free version and various paid plans, with its least expensive platform plan starting at $208 a month.
User Reviews
G2 users appreciate its comprehensive testing capabilities and ease of use, with a strong overall rating of 4.5, just below Ghost Inspector.
6. Sauce Labs
Sauce Labs provides cloud-based testing for web and mobile applications. It’s favored for its secure, scalable testing environment and extensive browser/device coverage.
What It Supports
Extensive test types, including automated and manual testing, are supported with strong cross-browser compatibility. Offers parallel testing capabilities.
Costs
Pricing is tiered, starting with a basic plan and scaling up to enterprise-level solutions. If you want automation, it’ll start at $199. Running tests in parallel increases the price significantly — if you want two, it’ll double the price to $399.
User Reviews
SauceLabs’ reviews score a notch below many of the others on this list, with a total of 4.3 on G2. Even generally positive reviews tend to note its high cost and inconsistent support.
7. LambdaTest
LambdaTest specializes in cross-browser testing, offering cloud-based infrastructure for testing web applications across various browsers and devices.
What It Supports
Supports a wide array of testing types, including automated, live, and visual testing, and has strong browser compatibility.
Costs
Free tier available; paid plans start at $15/month for additional features and concurrency.
User Reviews
Stays in line with most of these tools with a 4.5 on G2. Poor reviews note that for certain use cases, documentation is insufficient, and there could be support for more real device testing.
8. Mabl
Mabl is a cloud-based platform designed for easy, automated testing workflows. These testing workflows can apply across the entire development lifecycle. It emphasizes integration into CI/CD workflows and offers AI-powered insights to improve test outcomes over time.
What It Supports
Mabl supports end-to-end testing for web applications and has some capabilities for API testing. Focused on Chrome and Firefox.
Costs
Pricing is based on usage, although it is opaque, whereas others on this list tend to be more open. Even very positive reviews report difficulties with the pricing model.
User Reviews
Its G2 score of 4.4 reflects general satisfaction with its ease of setup and maintenance despite reports of random crashes.
9. TestComplete
TestComplete by SmartBear is a versatile testing platform that supports desktop, web, and mobile application testing. It is known for its robust record and playback feature, allowing for the automation of complex scenarios.
What It Supports
TestComplete offers wide-ranging testing support, including UI, functional, and regression testing, without significant limitations on browsers or devices. It also supports both live and headless modes for efficient test execution.
Costs
The pricing model begins at over $1,800 per year for the basic desktop testing plan. Scaling up is based on the range of testing needs and the number of concurrent tests.
User Reviews
On G2, TestComplete scores below the best options on this list, with a 4.2 overall. Users highlight its flexibility and the depth of testing features. Many reviews note pricing, slow execution, and instability as factors holding it back.
10. Perfecto
Perfecto by Perforce provides a cloud-based platform for web, mobile, and IoT software testing, emphasizing continuous testing at scale. It’s one of the most popular automated mobile testing tools.
What It Supports
Supports a range of automated and manual testing types across multiple browsers, devices, and frameworks.
Costs
Pricing starts at $125 for test automation and follows a tiered model based on the number of users, parallel tests, and features required. It can be less expensive for manual testers.
User Reviews
Users rate Perfecto fairly well on G2, giving it a 4.4 for its extensive device lab and reliable testing capabilities. Criticisms often point to its price and the complexity of the initial setup for new users.
11. Testim
Testim claims to leverage artificial intelligence to speed up the creation, execution, and maintenance of QA tests with its automated testing tool. It’s designed for teams seeking fast, reliable testing solutions that can adapt to changing applications.
What It Supports
It focuses on web application testing and strongly supports custom web components and dynamic applications. Testim offers both headless and parallel testing to expedite the testing process.
Costs
Testim offers a free trial and opaque pricing with paid plans. It appears likely that the model changes based on the number of tests and parallel executions needed.
User Reviews
Testim only has two reviews on G2, so what users generally like or dislike is unknown. The one positive review notes the benefits of test automation but highlights that Testim also has limited integrations and some issues with debugging. Interestingly, neither review mentions how it applies artificial intelligence in its product.
12. Tricentis Tosca
Tricentis Tosca is an end-to-end testing suite designed to make QA easier with its automated testing tools.
What It Supports
Offers extensive API, web, mobile, and desktop application testing support without notable limitations on testing environments. It’s well-regarded for its model-based test automation and continuous testing capabilities.
Costs
Pricing details are available upon request, with costs typically based on the scale of deployment and the specific modules required.
User Reviews
Users praise Tosca for its comprehensive test coverage and integration capabilities. However, its G2 score of 4.2 isn’t especially high, possibly due to its low compatibility with popular operating systems like Mac and Linux — and its high cost.
13. UseTrace
UseTrace is an automation testing tool that simplifies the creation, execution, and management of tests.
What It Supports
UseTrace specializes in end-to-end testing for web applications. It offers cross-browser support with a few popular browsers but has limitations on more niche or less popular ones.
Costs
UseTrace’s pricing model is less transparent, with few details about it available.
User Reviews
Unfortunately, UseTrace doesn’t appear to be a very popular automation testing tool — it doesn’t actually have a G2 page. It also lacks reviews on similar sites like Capterra.
14. Ranorex Studio
Ranorex Studio is a comprehensive test automation framework for desktop, web, and mobile apps. It’s celebrated for its detailed recording features and broad technology support.
What It Supports
Ranorex supports a wide array of types of testing, including UI, functional, regression, and data-driven testing for its automated testing tools.
Costs
This automation framework’s pricing isn’t available on its website, although third-party reports on G2 claim that it starts at around $3,950 for a perpetual license, with optional maintenance fees for updates and support.
User Reviews
Ranorex Studio holds a G2 score of 4.2, with users appreciating its flexibility and the depth of testing features. However, even positive reviews note a steep learning curve and occasional issues with iOS testing.
15. Uptime Robot
Uptime Robot focuses on website monitoring, specifically uptime, downtime, and performance testing. It’s designed to provide real-time alerts and detailed reports on the health of your websites.
What It Supports
While not a traditional automation testing tool, it complements such tools by ensuring constant monitoring of web application availability and performance.
Costs
It offers a free plan for basic monitoring, with premium plans starting at $7 per month, adding more monitors, faster check intervals, and additional features.
User Reviews
Users rate Uptime Robot a high 4.6 on G2, praising its reliability and simplicity. It’s considered an essential tool for web admins and developers who need to ensure their sites are always up and running. However, it doesn’t cover all the testing that tools like Ghost Inspector do, such as UI and accessibility testing.
16. Endtest
Endtest is a cloud-based platform that provides codeless test automation solutions for web applications, perfect for people who don’t know any relevant programming languages.
What It Supports
Endtest offers comprehensive testing capabilities, including functional, regression, and database testing.
Costs
Pricing is based on a subscription model, with monthly plans starting at $175. Each plan includes unlimited test executions, one parallel slot, and access to additional features.
User Reviews
Endtest holds a G2 score of 4.7, with users commending its user-friendly interface and powerful test automation capabilities. Some reviews mention challenges with more complex test scenarios and the need for more advanced customization options.
The right automated software testing tool for you
As you can see, there are plenty of available testing tools to consider. But if you’re looking for a platform with unmatched usability, great user support, and the ability to run parallel tests without worry, one stands out: Ghost Inspector.
For a code-free, worry-free QA experience, Ghost Inspector is the leading choice for end-to-end and browser test automation.
If you want to find out why, you can start a free, 14-day trial of the software without putting down any credit card or payment information. In just two steps, create your first test right here. Additionally, if you’d like a guided walkthrough of its features, feel free to Book A Demo with our team.
Build codeless automation tests in minutes
with Ghost Inspector
Our 14 day free trial gives you and your team full access. No credit card required.
