Top 10 GUI Testing Tools In Software Testing
A web page contains many graphical elements. Years ago, only functionalities were the main focus, but today, graphical elements have become as important as anything else in web development. These elements give the users a unique visual appearance that keeps them glued to the application and helps them remember it in the future. Hence, GUIs impact a web application, and testing GUIs is crucial.
GUI testing ensures that the application's graphical user interface works as expected. It inspects application elements like buttons, icons, checkboxes, colors, menus, and windows. Before understanding GUI testing tools in software testing, let’s see a few benefits of GUI testing and when you should automate it.
- Focusing on testing the graphical user interface improves the product’s quality.
- You can uncover problems immediately by going to the application’s most minute corners and checking for functional or UI bugs.
- With GUI testing, you can test from a user’s perspective, which is critical as a tester.
- Spot the errors before deployment to save post-production bug costs.
How to Choose a GUI Testing Tool
Choosing the right GUI testing tool is crucial for ensuring effective testing of your application’s user interface. Consider these key factors when selecting a tool:
- Check the tool supports your application’s environments, including different operating systems, browsers, and devices.
- Choose a tool with an intuitive interface that developers and testers can use easily.
- Opt for a tool that seamlessly fits your existing development and testing processes.
- Select a tool that allows tailored test scripts and accommodates complex testing scenarios.
- Verify the tool offers record-and-playback features to automate test creation and create scripts.
- Ensure the tools are compatible with CI/CD tools for seamless integration into your development pipeline.
- Consider tools backed by strong support resources and a helpful community.
10 Best GUI Testing Tools
1. ACCELQ
ACCELQ is the most powerful AI-driven test automation platform. This platform can seamlessly automate web, mobile, desktop, API, backend, and packaged app testing in a codeless approach. ACCELQ can automate all aspects of the quality lifecycle, from test design to execution. It can automate test design to maximize test coverage and reusability. The platform offers seamless integration in a unified view of the quality lifecycle. Using ACCELQ, developing products is simple and fast yet flexible for GUI application testing needs.
Features:
- A no-code automation testing platform achieves end-to-end validations with UI, API, mobile, and desktop in the same flow.
- ACCELQ can automate all web/UI technologies – React, Angular, Vue, and Flutter.
- An AI-powered natural language automation coupled with a next-gen recorder helps your team to automate fast.
- The platform ensures a design-first approach with built-in modularity, so custom frameworks are unnecessary.
- ACCELQ easily extends to support newer technology and custom controls without coding complexities.
- Universe-driven visual test design keeps business focus while generating an application blueprint.
- ACCELQ supports model UI, and data flows to maximize test coverage with auto-test generation.
- This platform supports out-of-the-box composite controls in UI frameworks such as Kendo, Bootstrap, Google MD, and many more.
- Supports CI/CD tools integration for seamless test automation integration, redefining traceability with a connected test repository.
- ACCELQ enables in-sprint automation with industry-first virtualized abstraction for functional testing.
- Powerful and intelligent element capture technology creates robust automation.
- Test asset management & inbuilt traceability with requirements are supported.
- Test runs can be scheduled by CI workflow.
- ACCELQ can perform cross-browser and platform executions on-premise and in the cloud. Parallel executions are supported for fast turnarounds.
- Dynamic live results view with actionable reports to trigger reruns.
- Self-healing test automation reduces maintenance and speeds ROI.
Pros & Cons of ACCELQ
- Supports GUI automation testing in the same end-to-end flow
- The codeless platform with a consistent extension interface
- Model UI maximizes test coverage with auto-test generation
- No cons
2. Selenium
Selenium is a user interface testing tool that supports many browsers. Version 4.26.0 of Selenium focuses on improving compatibility, updating dependencies, enhancing internal logging, and providing broader WebDriver capabilities with the following features.
Features:
- This tool can write GUI test scripts in Java, JavaScript, .NET, Python, and Ruby.
- It supports testing across browsers for consistent functionality and GUI for applications.
- Integrates with continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) tools to automate application testing.
- Grid enables parallel execution of tests on browsers and operating systems to reduce time when handling large test suites.
- Tests can be debugged by testers with IDE features like breakpoints and pausing on exceptions.
Pros & Cons of Selenium
- Supports scripting in Python, Java, and JavaScript
- Compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browsers
- Open source with learning resources
- Mobile and desktop GUI test automation are not supported
- Requires coding skills to write and maintain test scripts
- Complex initial setup for beginners
3. Cypress
Cypress can create tests for modern web applications. This front-end testing tool debugs web apps visually and automatically runs them in continuous integration builds.
Features:
- A rich UI visually shows you the command execution, network requests, page loads, or URL changes.
- Flaky test management discovers and diagnoses unreliable tests.
- Integrates with continuous integration tools like GitLab to see test results directly on every push or pull request.
- Automatic snapshots and videos of a full test spec run can make you understand why the test failed.
- Run-level reports provide detailed reports of accessibility issues found in test runs.
Pros & Cons of Cypress
- Plugins maintain consistent application appearance after changes
- Visualize UI test coverage to prevent regressions
- Run tests locally or in CI pipelines on Firefox and Chrome browsers
- Cannot drive two browsers simultaneously
- JavaScript is only supported for creating test cases
- Safari and IE browsers are not supported
4. Playwright
Playwright enables end-to-end testing for modern web apps. It is a GUI testing tool that supports web applications and allows cross-browser testing.
Features:
- Modern rendering engines, including Chromium, WebKit, and Firefox, are supported.
- Configures test retry strategy, captures execution trace, videos, and screenshots to eliminate test flakes.
- Selectors of this tool pierce shadow DOM and allow the seamless entry of frames.
- The inspector inspects the page, generates selectors, steps through the test execution, and explores execution logs.
- Trace of this tool contains test execution screencast, live DOM snapshots, action explorer, test source, and more.
Pros & Cons of Playwright
- Tests across Windows, Linux, and macOS, locally or on CI
- Create user-specific test scenarios and run them on your server
- Record actions to generate tests in any language
- Limited support for non-web applications
- Mobile platform support is limited
- Steep learning curve for beginners
5. Eggplant
Eggplant is a GUI test automation tool. Users can create automated functionality tests and debug to focus on the apps’ GUI performance instead of manually checking the functionality of applications.
Features:
- This tool uses image recognition to see the display screen from the user’s point of view.
- Optical character recognition (OCR) validates an application’s visual aspects, ensuring that the GUI appears and functions correctly.
- Supports testing across devices, platforms, operating systems, and GUI layers to deliver complete test coverage.
- The CI/CD pipeline is accelerated by continuous integration adapters.
- This tool provides real-time application performance results and user experience to identify and resolve issues.
Pros & Cons of Eggplant
- Leverages image processing for GUI testing on any application
- Supports test scripting in any programming language
- Integrated IDE detects UI and other issues
- Advanced features take time to master
- High cost for a small team
- Requires third-party tools for UI snapshot comparisons
6. Katalon Studio
Katalon Studio is an automated testing IDE built upon the Selenium framework that enables you to create and execute tests across diverse applications. This IDE can create tests with low-code, full-code scripting, or AI.
Features:
- Various locators are supported to find UI elements.
- A rich set of Windows built-in keywords simplifies certain test steps and extends testing capabilities.
- The record Windows action feature helps to record test actions, inspect running app objects, and present them in a tree view.
- The spy Windows feature allows you to analyze, explore, and capture all running app objects and add them to the object repositories.
- This IDE generates detailed reports for thorough test analysis.
Pros & Cons of Katalon Studio
- Coding is not required
- Detailed GUI testing capabilities for apps
- Seamless CI/CD integration enables continuous testing
- Limited advanced scripting
- GUI performance testing needs improvement
- Limited testing customization
7. UiPath
UiPath is a GUI testing tool. It enables users to build and automate tests across platforms for online business apps and services.
Features:
- Automate UI elements to expand the range of automation opportunities.
- Create integrations for all processes: UI robots to API and more.
- Drag-and-drop activities libraries with pre-built templates and AI components in UiPath Studio are supported.
- Design and deploy automation that runs in any environment, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
Pros & Cons of UiPath
- User-friendly interface enables rapid automation development
- Accelerate UI automations with pre-built components and templates
- Simplify workflows with a unified design canvas
- Low code layout is difficult to parse
- Set-up and cloud deployment needs enhancement
- High cost for small enterprises
8. Webdriver IO
WebdriverIO is a progressive automation framework designed to automate mobile and web applications. It simplifies the app interaction and offers a set of plugins to create a stable test suite.
Features:
- This versatile framework performs complete E2E and component testing on browsers.
- The feature-rich framework integrates with various built-in and community plugins for advanced testing scenarios.
- Cross-browser automation is supported through WebDriver, and WebDriver Bidi ensures consistent GUI validation across browsers.
- Testrunner has a command-line interface for a powerful configuration utility that helps testers create a test setup within a minute.
Pros & Cons of Webdriver IO
- Highly configurable with plugins for complex GUI tests
- Supports cross-browser and mobile testing for versatile GUI needs
- Documentation to guide all level testers
- JavaScript expertise is required
- Large GUI test suites need extra configuration for optimization
- Deep learning curve for teams with limited automation experience
9. Tricentis Tosca
Tricentis Tosca optimizes and accelerates end-to-end testing of the entire digital landscape. Its codeless approach accelerates innovation across your enterprise by removing GUI testing bottlenecks and the risks of product releases.
Features:
- Model-based test automation builds resilient automated GUI tests through a unique approach that separates an application’s technical information from the automation model.
- Test data management can automatically create and provision on-demand stateful data for even the most complex scenarios.
- Scales GUI testing to run tests in parallel across distributed environments and virtual machines.
- An automation recording assistant frees business users from manual testing of their day-to-day activities, which later converts into automated test cases.
- Rapidly creates mobile tests and uses them as building blocks for end-to-end test scenarios on iOS and Android devices.
Pros & Cons of Tricentis Tosca
- Vision AI streamlines complex GUI test automation
- Model-based testing ensures seamless application integration
- Easily integrates with third-party CI/CD tools
- The UI is complex and takes time to learn
- Complicated setup
- High cost
10. TestComplete
TestComplete has an intelligent object repository and support for numerous controls to ensure GUI tests are scalable and easy to maintain. This tool automates functional UI tests for any application.
Features:
- Keyword-driven tests easily create automated UI tests.
- Run automated desktop, mobile, or web UI tests with different input data sets to increase test coverage.
- This platform can store object information from automated GUI tests in one central object repository, save it locally, or share it across teams.
- Integrates into the DevOps ecosystem to accelerate continuous testing
- Get real-time information on the UI test progress from a single interface and connect with bug-tracking tools for instant feedback.
Pros & Cons of TestComplete
- Automate tests to boost coverage and catch bugs early
- Integrate with CI/CD tools for faster continuous testing
- Centralized object repository for automated GUI tests
- Steep learning curve for beginners
- Performance lags during large-scale GUI tests
- High licensing costs make it less accessible for smaller teams
Conclusion
The GUI of an application is the first thing a user sees before interacting with the functionality. An organization and developers must make it foolproof so the user does not identify any issues. It can only be achieved using GUI testing through a solid testing tool. We have covered top GUI testing tools that allow automation to speed up the process and eliminate manual work. All these tools are popular and offer different things for a tester. For instance, some offer codeless, and author tests in English, while others excel in record-and-replay.
These are not listed as priorities, and there is no one software to recommend. Whatever suits you and your requirements is best for you. Yet, ACCELQ can be considered a choice as it offers a no-code test automation platform on the cloud. It facilitates continuous UI and API elements testing in modern applications, enabling early detection of performance issues. ACCELQ can automatically generate optimized UI and API test cases for performance monitoring.
Are you looking for the right tools to elevate your GUI testing? Connect with our experts for tailored solutions in application testing. Contact us today!
Chaithanya M N
Content Writer
A curious individual who is eager to learn and loves to share her knowledge using simple conversational writing skills. While her calling is technology and reading up on marketing updates, she also finds time to pursue her interests in philosophy, dance and music.
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