Consider the following: You go to the Apple Store to pick up the latest iPhone. You get home and turn it on, only to find that the screen is defective, the buttons aren’t working, and every one of the built-in apps is glitching. Thanks to QA tools, this is an extremely unlikely scenario. Before the iPhone reaches your hands, both its hardware and software have been tested repeatedly by a Quality Assurance (QA) team. 

QA tools play an important role in our day-to-day functioning. When a product gets made, it needs to pass through a series of tests to meet Quality Assurance standards. From the time your alarm wakes you up to driving to work to watching your favorite shows at the end of the day, QA tools help create a safe and seamless user experience. QA teams work hard to make sure the products you buy are high-quality, functional, and consistent in their usability. 

So what are QA tools? The answer varies depending on the industry, but when it comes to software testing, QA tools play an important role in helping developers test their code, locate bugs, and confirm that their software works as intended. QA tools typically include:

  • Automated testing software
  • Code review tools
  • Bug tracking tools
  • Testing frameworks
  • Performance monitoring

     

 With QA tools, QA testers can help prevent crashes, data loss, and usability errors from software. Read on for a breakdown of our favorite QA tools for testing automation in 2023.

Table of Contents

Set up automated QA testing with Ghost Inspector

Our 14 day free trial gives you and your team full access. Create tests in minutes. No credit card required.

Top 7 QA Tools for Software Testing

1. Ghost Inspector

Ghost Inspector is a web-based, no-code/low-code automated testing and monitoring tool that helps developers and QA testers manage the overall performance of their websites and web apps. With Ghost Inspector, you can create and run automated web tests by navigating through your user interface and recording user interactions in-browser. Create test cases automatically through interaction with your website or web app—test buttons, forms, accessibility, usability, and more. You can also utilize Ghost Inspector’s user-friendly test recorder and drag-and-drop features for easy test building and editing. 

Ghost Inspector QA Tools

Ghost Inspector also features more advanced testing tools for experienced coders, including Javascript support and CI tie-ins. It’s an ideal addition for QA teams that collaborate with differing expertise. Because Ghost Inspector allows users to create and maintain tests without requiring coding ability, adding this tool to your QA testing strategy allows for testing equity amongst your testers and developers.

Ghost Inspector Features

See below for a breakdown of what Ghost Inspector has to offer developers and QA testers.

  • No-code test automation
  • Intuitive interface and expansive usability for QA novices and experts
  • Test recorder and drag-and-drop test editing features
  • Complete end-to-end testing capabilities
  • Support for complex scenarios with smart logic
  • Unlimited parallel testing
  • Visual testing
  • Responsiveness testing
  • Geolocation testing: available for 16 regions globally
  • Reusable test sequences that can be easily imported and exported
  • Easy accessibility testing
  • Integrations with platforms like GitHub, Jenkins, Slack, Jira, and more.
  • API and plugins for additional flexibility
  • Customer support, live demos, advanced documentation
  • Advanced features like Javascript support, CI integration, data-driven testing, and more

Pricing

  • $109/mo – 10,000 test runs/mo, 5 team members
  • $225/mo – 30,000 test runs/mo, 15 team members
  • $449/mo – 100,000 test runs/mo, 40 team members
  • Enterprise – contact for details

2. Selenium 

Selenium is a powerful, open-source framework that provides developers with a variety of tools and libraries for web browser automation. Developers can write test scripts with programming languages like Java, Python, or JavaScript with the ability to customize test steps and manage complex test cases. Selenium also integrates with numerous other tools, testing frameworks, and reporting software.

Selenium QA tools

It’s important to note that in order to work with Selenium, users must have a solid understanding of how to work with programming languages. Additionally, QA teams are required to download a driver for each browser being tested on, so the setup and initial costs to get started with Selenium may be prohibitive. But Selenium does integrate with no-code test automation software like Ghost Inspector for QA teams looking for a combination of powerful programming ability and user-friendly test processes. And not only is Selenium free to use, but it’s also one of the most flexible, multifaceted automation testing QA tools on the market.

Selenium Features

Check out Selenium’s highlights below:

  • Free open-source software for continuous testing
  • Cross-browser capabilities: versatile web-browser support includes Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Edge
  • Portability: works with multiple operating systems like Mac, Windows, Linux, and UNIX
  • Multiple third-party testing framework integrations, including Selenium-Grid, SauceLabs, JUnit, NUnit, and more
  • Multi-language compatibility for ease of use no matter your chosen program language
  • Parallel testing capabilities
  • Highly available resources, documentation, and video content from an active developer and tester community
  • Extensive APIs, plugins, and extensions for flexible usage

Pricing

FREE

3. Watir

Watir, which stands for Web Application Testing in Ruby, is an open-source Ruby library that simplifies the process of writing test automation scripts in Ruby for developers and QA specialists. Watir allows users to automate functional testing, regression testing, and browser compatibility testing for web applications. With its cross-browser support and numerous integrations with other Ruby testing frameworks, Watir is lauded for its simplicity, flexibility, and overall ease of use as an automation testing tool. 

Watir Quality Assurance testing

Watir Features

Check out Watir’s highlights below:

  • Easy-to-use open source Ruby library for test automation
  • Simple but powerful API
  • Intuitive syntax
  • Test recorder
  • Cross-browser capabilities: supports web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Opera
  • Automate any web app that works in-browser with Ruby
  • Easy integration with other testing frameworks, libraries, and cloud testing tools in Ruby
  • Extensive community support for questions and troubleshooting

Pricing

FREE

4. Tuskr

Tuskr is a comprehensive, cloud-based test management software that helps QA teams to streamline their testing efforts and boost overall productivity. With its user-friendly dashboard and bulk upload feature, it’s easy to incorporate Tuskr into your QA team’s test case management strategy. Tuskr allows QA teams to write and run test cases using their WYSIWYG editor while monitoring performance and progress from tests and testers alike. 

Tuskr QA testing

Although Tuskr is not a no-code testing solution, its simple integrations with Zapier and Integromat allow for no-code integrations and webhooks with thousands of other web apps. With its affordability and features in comparison to other test management software, Tuskr stands out in 2023 as one of the highest value QA tools on the market. 

Tuskr Features

Check out Tuskr’s highlights below:

  • Powerful, cloud-based test management tool
  • Record and run QA tests
  • Easy, intuitive interface 
  • Numerous integrations, including Jira, GitHub, Zapier, and Integromat
  • Easy-use WYSIWYG editor 
  • Import spreadsheets and bulk edit test cases for efficiency
  • Highly cost-effective options – generous FREE plan and $5 per user starting plan
  • Progress monitoring dashboards and reports available

Pricing

  • FREE plan – 5 users/mo, 5 projects/mo, 1K test cases/mo
  • Team $9/user monthly – 5 users min, 50 projects/mo, 50K test cases/mo
  • Business $15/user monthly – 5 users min, 100 projects/mo, 100K test cases/mo
  • Enterprise $29/user monthly – 5 users min, 250 projects/mo, 250K test cases/mo

5. Katalon Studio

Katalon Studio provides QA testers and developers with user-friendly, low-code QA tools for automating web, mobile, API, and desktop application testing. Although Katalon Studio only supports one testing language (Groovy), its intuitive UI, cross-browser testing support, and multi-platform usability makes it an ideal choice for busy QA teams. 

Katalon Studio QA testing

By allowing its users to test with built-in keywords and project templates, Katalon Studio simplifies the testing process for those with less high-powered coding skills. Plus, the software offers numerous third-party integrations, parallel test execution capabilities, and detailed reporting and analytics. For users of Selenium and Appium, Katalon Studio is an ideal addition to these two frameworks, providing additional functionality and features for testing teams. 

Katalon Studio Features

  • Cross-platform support for browsers and operating systems with support for web, mobile, and desktop applications 
  • Test recording, debugging, and management
  • Intuitive and user-friendly IDE 
  • Versatile, keyword-driven, end-to-end testing capabilities
  • Headless testing
  • API testing
  • Parallel testing
  • CI and CD integration
  • Built-in reporting feature with easy export to PDF, HTML, Excel, and CSV
  • Large number of integrations, including DevOps, Gitlabs, and Slack

Pricing

  • FREE plan – basic automation testing for small teams, up to 2K in monthly results
  • Premium plan – $25/mo, suitable for larger teams
  • Enterprise plan – custom pricing

6. Autify

Autify is a no-code/low-code testing solution that empowers QA teams to build and run tests, regardless of coding ability. This software helps democratize the testing process by employing a test recorder and drag-and-drop testing interface for building data-driven tests. Not only does it support both cross-browser and cross-platform testing, but it also features an AI-powered self healing QA tool that helps streamline test maintenance further. 

Autify QA tools

Autify also provides detailed test reporting, including logs and screenshots for test runs, so QA teams can track testing issues as they arise. With its intuitive UI and compatibility with a library of third-party tools, Autify speeds up the testing process and ensures that maintenance is less of a headache. 

Autify Features

  • No-code test automation
  • AI-powered test maintenance
  • Cross-browser testing, supports Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
  • Supports custom Javascript 
  • Parallel testing
  • Email testing
  • API testing
  • Supports integrations with CI/CD tools and business applications like CircleCI, Webhook, TestRail, Jenkins, and Slack
  • Detailed reports, tracking, and analytics

Pricing

Detailed pricing unavailable online. Contact Autify for pricing details. 

7. TestRail

TestRail is a versatile, all-in-one test management software that helps QA teams to stay organized while tracking and managing their software testing efforts. With its strong API, numerous integrations, and library of plugins and extensions, TestRail is an ideal tool for test case management and test execution. Plus, its intuitive interface makes it easy for QA teams to boost their collaborative measures and ensure that every team member is on the same page. QA testers can sort and prioritize test cases with criteria like modules, functionalities, and features.

TestRail QA testing

 TestRail also provides users with email notifications with reminders for upcoming or missed tests, as well as with scheduling updates and test plan changes. TestRail is utilized by over 10,000 QA teams and is purported to save “up to 3 hours per QA team member weekly,” according to a whopping 84% of their customer base. TestRail boasts a high-profile clientele list, including NASA, Adobe, Paypal, Amazon, Sony, and Ford. 

TestRail Features

  • Robust test case management QA tools for manual and automated testing
  • Extensive integration capabilities with systems like Jira, Bugzilla, and Redmine
  • Powerful API
  • User-friendly interface with flexible customization tools
  • Intuitive progression tracking
  • Comprehensive reporting, insights, and monitoring 

Pricing

  • Professional Cloud – $37/mo per user or $408/year per user
  • Enterprise Cloud – $826/year per user

Conclusion

As you traverse the ever-changing landscape of software testing, it’s important to invest in QA tools that match your organization’s needs, goals, and price point. Whether you’re targeting test automation, test management, bug tracking, performance monitoring, or all of the above, these seven tools were chosen based on their usability, cost-efficiency, versatility, and user satisfaction. By leveraging these powerful QA tools, you can refine your testing efforts, boost team collaboration, and tackle your roadmap faster than the competition.

If you’re looking to add a robust, no-code, end-to-end test automation tool to your arsenal, Ghost Inspector is an ideal test automation tool for small and large businesses alike. Easily create and maintain web tests with or without coding ability and equip your QA team with automated web testing tools that will boost their productivity significantly.

Set up automated QA testing with Ghost Inspector

Our 14-day free trial gives you and your team full access.
Create tests in minutes. No credit card required.

The 7 Best QA Tools for Software Testing in 2023

QA Tools

Consider the following: You go to the Apple Store to pick up the latest iPhone. You get home and turn it on, only to find that the screen is defective, the buttons aren’t working, and every one of the built-in apps is glitching. Thanks to QA tools, this is an extremely unlikely scenario. Before the […]

Why Automation Testing is Essential for Effective Quality Assurance

Automation Testing

We recently wrote a post about Test Automation Best Practices, but we think this topic deserves a deeper dive for those who might be curious about the basics of automation testing, how it can transform your QA process, and how to get started with a tool like Ghost Inspector. Let’s start by understanding what it […]

The 7 Best UI Testing Tools for Testing Automation

UI Testing Tools

Usability is critical for the success of any website or app. To make sure your web-based project is bug-free, you need to run UI tests, many of which can—and should—be automated. Doing so lets you detect issues like bugs, slow loading times, or poor responsiveness so you can fix them before they make a bad […]

CSS Selector Cheat Sheet: Strategies for Automated Browser Testing

CSS Selectors Cheat Sheet

“Change breaks the brittle.” — Jan Houtema I love this quote, though I’m not quite sure if “Jan Houtema” is a real person. It may be a Paul Graham pseudonym… But in any case, yes, change breaks brittle things and one of the challenges of automated browser testing is to mitigate that effect as much as possible while you […]

9 Test Automation Best Practices

Test automation best practices

Automated testing entails much more than simply creating tests and enabling them. A “set it and forget it” approach won’t get you very far with automated tests — particularly automated browser tests, which interact with the ever changing frontend of your application or website. The true workload ultimately comes with the maintenance and evolution of your […]

Announcing our Jira integration

Overview Jira is one of the most popular task management products available today, and for good reason: it’s been around for a long time. The team at Atlassian is constantly working to improve the way users can utilize their software, but for a long time if you wanted to integrate with Jira as a developer, […]

Upcoming Feature Changes — Q1 2022

These updates will be deployed on Monday Feburary 14th, 2022 Here at Ghost Inspector, we’re continually rolling out changes that we think make our customer’s lives better. Occasionally that means undoing some bit of logic we created or allowed in the past in order to move the product in a direction that makes it more […]

Webinar: WordPress Witchcraft – How to Test Your CMS

WordPress is a powerful tool for building great websites

This webinar took place on October 28th, 2021. Watch the full video recording below. WordPress is a powerful tool for building great websites, but all great websites need great testing too. Join our founder, Justin Klemm, as he walks us through the best practices for QA testing WordPress websites. He’ll also take us on a tour of […]

Spooktacular Customer Appreciation Month

Spooktacular Customer Appreciation Month

With a name like Ghost Inspector, you know we take Halloween seriously. This year we’re finally embracing our spooky spirits and celebrating in style, welcome to our first annual SPOOKTACULAR CUSTOMER APPRECATION MONTH! Customer Spotlights Follow us on our social media channels every Friday through the month of October as we conjure up some of […]

Webinar: Back to Basics with Ghost Inspector

This webinar took place on September 23rd, 2021. Watch the full video recording below. School is in session so we think it’s a great time for a beginners’ webinar. Join our Senior Operations & Strategy Manager Renata Santillan as she guides us through creating tests with Ghost Inspector and how to use our checking email feature. […]