In the competitive landscape, every QA and manager aims to deliver a top-notch product without compromising quality and a given timeline. 

To save time and improve efficiency, automation testing tools are more efficient than manual testing.  Not that you should completely rule out manual testing; software automation testing tools automate repetitive test cases,  detect issues instantly, and remove ambiguities. 

It’s a step ahead of manual testing and saves a ton of energy and resources, allowing no or very little room for errors. 

So now, let’s start with the top automation testing tools available to ease your testing journey!

We have mentioned both commercial and open-source test automation solutions in the list below. However, almost all licensed products come with a free trial version that allows you to try out the tools before determining which one is ideal for your needs.

What are Automation Testing Tools?

Automated testing tools enable software testers and QA to prepare test cases for repetitive tasks or any complex task and automate the testing process. Automation tools reduce the reliance on human testing and save time on tests that take longer with manual testing processes.

They enable tests to run without human interaction, facilitating 24/7 code testing and accelerating the overall development process.

When choosing a tool, consider the following questions:

1. Desired Features: What specific features do you need?
2. Script Maintenance and Asset Reusability: How easy is it to maintain scripts and reuse test assets?
3. Intended Users: Who will use the tool – developers or QA teams?
4. Budget Constraints: What is your team’s financial plan for this tool?
5. Integration Capabilities: Is the tool compatible with CI/CD pipelines or existing toolchains?
6. Technical Support Resources: Will you get assistance with technical challenges?

Read Also: Scriptless Test Automation – The Complete Beginner’s Guide

Benefits of Automated Testing Tools: 

Here are the major advantages of using automation tools in testing: 

1. Accelerated Testing Process

Automation tools significantly speed up the testing process compared to manual testing, where testers often spend considerable time setting up manual test cases. By automating repetitive tasks, these tools not only enhance efficiency but also enable faster feedback loops, allowing teams to respond quickly to issues.

2. Improved Reliability and Consistency

Automation contributes to the overall reliability and consistency of testing efforts. Pre-defined scripts ensure that tests are executed uniformly across different environments, reducing the risk of human error and providing more dependable results.

3. Effective Regression Testing

Automation testing tools excel in regression testing, which is crucial for ensuring that changes in new releases do not adversely affect existing functionalities. Testers can run automated regression tests consistently, maintaining high quality throughout the product lifecycle.

4. Enhanced Test Coverage

Compared to manual testing, automated testing tools improve the overall coverage of the software testing process. They can efficiently handle a variety of scenarios, inputs, and edge cases that may be impractical to cover through manual testing, ensuring a more comprehensive evaluation of the software.

5. Robust Reporting and Analytics

Automated tools are adept at generating detailed reports and analytics. They provide a comprehensive summary of test results, including pass/fail statuses, logs of test executions, and documentation of any encountered errors or anomalies. This data is invaluable for making informed decisions and improving future testing efforts. This version maintains your original points while enhancing clarity and flow. Let me know if you need any further adjustments or additional information!

For more best practices on automation testing, read our article: Best Practices for Automation Testing

Best Automation Testing Tools (with feature highlights)

#01 TestGrid

TestGrid is an end-to-end software automated testing tool that leverages AI & ML to perform scriptless testing. This automation testing tool provides one platform for executing various test cases and performing tests for software and web applications of all types. 

TestGrid powers a visual validation capability to test for the UI & UX of your mobile apps and web apps without adding external SDKs to the projects. Using these functional capabilities, testers have the flexibility to automate functional, performance, visual, and compatibility testing.

Key features:

• It leverages real devices and browsers to perform tests and create automated test cases.
• TestGrid covers every aspect of scriptless testing, recording and playback to capture app interactions in an automated manner. 
• It provides an on-premise setup to perform automated tests with access to real devices, servers and hardware at the physical location. 
• Testers can write test cases in various formats, such as English, BDD, CSV and paste them into the TestGrid portal to generate the best use case. 
• Streamlines the current workflow by integrating seamlessly with tools like JIRA and Slack and other popular CI/CD pipelines. 

Pricing: 

• Freemium: Free forever (200 minutes/2 minute sessions)
• Manual/Scriptless Automation: $25/mo (5 users, 1 parallel test)
• End-to-End Automation: $99/mo (5 users, 1 parallel test)
• Private Dedicated: $30/mo (5 users, 1 dedicated device)
• Enterprise: Contact sales

#02 ACCELQ

ACCELQ is another cloud-based, codeless test automation technology that automates API Testing, web and mobile testing. The AI capabilities enable the testers to write and create test cases with zero coding.

The AI capabilities enable the testers to write and create test cases with zero coding. 

Additionally, ACCELQ caters to a wide range of industries including healthcare, insurance, travel and more. 

Key features:

• Integrates seamlessly with tools like Jira, TFS, Jenkins, Bamboo and other CI/CD tools. 
• Generate test cases on automation based on the business semantics using predictive analysis and data flows.
• When a new change is made, ACCELQ runs a self-healing automation test to detect the changes automatically and update them with new attributes to make sure the functions do not fail. 
• Parallel test execution allows for faster testing and improved efficiency, especially for large environments. 

Pricing:

ACCELQ offers a free plan and custom pricing options for different testing; web, mobile, API and manual testing. you can check out their pricing page for detailed information.

#3 Global App Testing

Global App Testing is a crowd-testing solution that offers various services combining automated and manual testing to help you detect and fix app bugs. Their community of over 90,000 testers across 190+ countries enables GAT to use more than 60,000 real devices and perform tests for you while delivering results in 6-48 hours. With GAT, you can dispatch test cases and exploratory tests to your target market. 

Key features:

Real-World Testing – Provides comprehensive testing on different real-world devices and software environments.

Bug reproduction – Helps you validate and create detailed reports on existing bugs, making it easier to get test case results and streamline your fixing process.

Cross-Platform Testing – Provides comprehensive testing across websites, web applications, and mobile applications (iOS and Android).

API and webhooks – Offers a simple integration of your CI with our API, CLI, and Webhooks for efficient automation.

PM Integrations – Easily sync with popular project management tools of your wish, such as Jira, GitHub, TestRail, and more.

Comprehensive Reporting – Receive detailed reports, including graphical and video representations, to help you identify areas for improvement.

Security measures – GAT employs various security protocols to ensure compliance with GDPR and ISO27001 regulations, which address digital laws and standards.

Pricing:

Global App Testing offers a demo, while the pricing is available on request and depends on your specific needs.

#04 Avo Assure

Avo Assure is a technology-agnostic, intelligent test automation system that provides over 90% automation coverage with a zero-code methodology.

This no-code testing tool allows both business and technical users to test across various platforms, including ERP applications, web, mobile, desktop, mainframes, etc.

Key features:

• To improve test execution, testers can run distributed testing, which enables them to run tests on multiple machines. 
• The intelligent test maintenance updates the test cases when changes in the software are made. 
• It leverages the coverage analysis to pinpoint the areas of code that require a thorough examination and testing of the codes and pinpoint the areas that need improvement, 
• Avo integrates with various workflow and pipeline tools including Jira, Sauce Labs, ALM, TFS, Jenkins, QTest, and other SDLC and CI systems.
• Allows automated tests to be performed for SAP Hybrid, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Salesforce.

Pricing:

Avo Assure does not have a free plan. It offers two pricing options; Starter (1-5 users) and Enterprise plan (5+ users). However, the pricing is quote-based.

#05 Katalon Studio

Katalon Studio is one of the best automation software testing tools powered by artificial intelligence. It offers holistic testing capabilities for web, mobile, API, and desktop applications. It consists of a comprehensive set of functionality, including the ability to record actions, create test cases, generate test scripts, execute tests, report findings, and integrate with various other tools throughout the software development lifecycle.

Key features:

• It offers an easy no-code testing environment that records and playback test cases and leverages the pre-built templates for testing. 
• Testers can generate test scripts using the AI prompts and explain the existing code with a click. 
• Offers native integrations with CI/CD ecosystem and tools like Jira, GitLab, Jenkins, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, etc.
• Keyword-driven test scripting to create and execute test scenarios. 
• Smart reporting gives instant feedback on codes, providing real-time tracking for debugging. 

Pricing:

Katalon Studio offers a 30-day free trial with access to web, mobile and desktop app testing. 

After the free plan, it has two pricing options with monthly and yearly subscriptions. 

• Premium plan ($167/month billed yearly, or $208/month)
• Ultimate plan (Custom pricing)

#06 Selenium

Selenium is one of the most popular automation testing frameworks, founded in 2004. This open-source automation framework enables testers and developers to seamlessly test and interact with the web apps. 

Its wide adoption is attributed to its open-source nature, which offers customizable testing in different languages and browsers. You can create powerful browser-centered automation test scripts with Selenium that are scalable across multiple settings.

Key features:

• Selenium can run on various operating systems including Windows, Mac and Linux and various browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari to ensure a smooth user experience. 
• It supports a range of programming languages, such as Java, Python, JavaScript, C#, and Ruby, so testers can choose from any language they’re comfortable with. 
• They have an active community that provides access to extensive documentation, videos and forums for troubleshooting and learning. 
• Selenium integrates with a range of CI/CD tools and other testing frameworks (TestNG for reporting), for instance.
• Selenium helps create scripts useful for rapid bug reproduction, regression testing, and exploratory testing.

Pricing:
Completely free to use. 

#07 BugBug

BugBug is a user-friendly, codeless test automation platform that simplifies the process of creating, managing, and executing automated tests for web applications. Designed to make testing accessible to users of all skill levels, BugBug focuses on ease of use and efficiency, providing a streamlined approach to automated testing without requiring extensive coding knowledge.

Key Features:

• Users can create automated tests using a record and replay interface, eliminating the need for coding.
• Supports running multiple tests simultaneously, reducing the overall time required for test 
• BugBug integrates with CI/CD pipelines and notification systems like Slack, facilitating smoother workflows.
• BugBug prioritizes creating selectors based on data-testid attributes, as they are the most stable.
• Users can add new steps to tests at any point, offering flexibility for expanding and fixing tests.
• BugBug supports using an email inbox (bugbug-inbox.com) during test recording if a random email address is needed, such as for registration confirmation.
• Built-in and custom JavaScript variables(e.g., generating random numbers/strings) can be used for filling form fields.

Pricing: 

• 0 $ – Freemium Plan
• 99 $ – Pro Plan
• Custom – Parallel Plan

#08 Appium

Appium is an open-source test automation tool that is specifically built for testing native, hybrid mobile web applications. Appium specializes in UI test automation that tests real scenarios of actual UI and mimics real-world use cases. 

Over the last few years, it has grown in popularity and stability as one of the top mobile automated testing solutions for its license-free nature and flexible approach. 

Key features:

• Supports various programming languages like Java, C#, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, PHP, Perl. 
•  It allows testing on real devices, simulators and emulators. 
• It has an active and wealthy community of testers and developers, which contributes to the tool’s knowledgebase, documentation and video tutorial libraries. 
• Appium offers a single codebase for testing iOS and Android apps to waste time and effort in writing different test scripts. 
• Integrates with other testing frameworks and various CI/CD tools. 

Pricing: Free to use

#09 Perfecto

Perfecto is an recognized name in web and mobile application automation testing tools. This automation tool is perfect for conducting continuous testing flawlessly across various devices, operating systems, and browsers.

Key features:

• Intuitive user interface with drag-and-drop capabilities to execute and create test cases quickly. 
• Works for advanced use cases like biometric authentication, network virtualization, cloud SMS and email, image injection and more.   
• Gives access to distributed and private labs that use real devices, browsers, operating systems and ensure that the resources are not shared.
• Intelligent reporting and monitoring that keeps track of successes and failures and also offers actionable devices to mitigate risks. 
• It offers integration with other CI/CD tools and testing frameworks like Selenium, Espresso, Cypress, and more. 

Pricing:

Perfecto provides a 14-day free trial to test all the features for free. The lowest plan starts at $99/month.

However, the annual subscription can save you up to 30%. 

The pricing plans are as follows: 

• Live manual testing costs $83/month billed annually. 
• Automate plan costs $125/month billed annually 
• Scriptless testing (custom-based)
• Enterprise plan (custom-based)  

#10 LambdaTest

The most excellent automated testing solution for desktop and web applications is LambdaTest. With LambdaTest, you can perform manual and automatic cross-browser testing in your preferred languages, such as Java, Python, or Javascript, on a combination of 2000+ desktop and mobile browsers.

Key Features:

• Auto-healing feature recovers the software from critical or unexpected failures caused during product updates or flaky tests. 
•  Tests cross-device and cross-browser compatibility of mobile and web apps on 3000+ real desktop and mobile devices.
• Testers can also test for Geo-Targeting, Geo-Blocking, and Geo-Location in over 27 countries, including India, Japan, Canada, the United States, Germany, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
• Integrates with over 120 tools including Shopify, WordPress, Selenium, Slack, Clickup and more. 
• Automatically captures the full-page screenshots of iOS and mobile apps, browsers, and operating systems to detect issues without needing physical labs.

Pricing:

LambdaTest offers a range of pricing plans, from a free tier to enterprise-level subscriptions. Prices are based on the features you need and the number of parallel tests required. For custom plans, contact LambdaTest directly.

#11 Keysight’s Eggplant

Eggplant DAI (Digital Automation Intelligence) from Keysight is a licensed toolset geared primarily at application and GUI testing.

Eggplant DAI’s AI-driven test automation for functional, usability and performance testing is available to testers. It also gives data on user and business-related indicators used to assess the quality of a release and its influence on the end user.

Key features: 

• It uses an image-based approach rather than an object-based approach, which allows testers to automate tests on different platforms and technologies using a single script. 
• It gives data on user and business-related indicators used to assess the quality of a release and its influence on the end user.
• Integrates with various tools in Eggplant framework to boost testing capabilities. 
• Eggplant automated screenshot capture and compared it with previous versions to ensure the accuracy of UI elements and translated content. 
• Both cloud-based and on-premise versions give testers flexibility to perform the tests as required.

Pricing:

Offers a 30-day demo. 

The pricing is available on request.

#12 Apache JMeter

Apache JMeter is another open-source automation testing tool that’s designed for automated performance testing and GUI testing to check for performance under certain conditions. Unit testing and minimal functional testing are also possible with this tool.

The main function of JMeter is to test for the maximum number of users who send requests at a specific time and visualize the results in a chart. 

Key features: 

• Creates certain test cases using recording and playback features. 
• Supports a wide range of application servers and protocols including Web, SOAP, FTP, TCP, LDAP, SOAP, MOM, Mail Protocols and shell scripts. 
• Integrates with third-party frameworks and popular CI/CD tools. 
• Robust test IDE that allows quicker test plan recording, building and debugging. 

Pricing:

Complete free to use.  

#13 QMetry Automation Studio

QMetry Automation Studio is on our list of top automation testing tools because of its GenAI testing capabilities, which include versatile features like intelligent search, automated test case generation, and flaky test case detection.

The studio allows a comprehensive automation plan with scripted automation, while scriptless automation solutions enable manual teams to shift into automation effortlessly.

Key features:

• The AI-enabled platform combines test management, test automation, and quality analytics into a single suite.
• Integrates with popular platforms like Jira and Azure DevOps, and various automation frameworks, version control systems and various device clouds. 
• Detailed custom reporting and analytics that lets testing teams to track and analyze their results. 
• Enables BDD testing that ensures the efficient creation of test cases by individuals with no technical expertise. 
• Parallel execution of test cases to manage multiple versions and keep log of the changes simultaneously. 

Pricing:

Qmetry provides a 15-day free trial. However, the pricing for testing automation is available on request. 

#14 IBM Rational Functional Tester (RFT)

IBM RFT is designed primarily for automated functional, regression, GUI, and data-driven testing. This automation testing framework supports various application testing including web-based, .Net, Java, Siebel, SAP, terminal emulator-based applications, and PowerBuilder. 

Key features:

• Integrates with DevOps Test Hub to improve collaboration and share functional tests with team members. 
• Testers can write test scripts by combining recorded user action with intelligent script maintenance and customization. 
• It leverages various data set types to test for the same series of user actions and its usability.  
• Its automated testing is based on script assurance technology, which significantly enhances testing productivity and makes script maintenance a breeze

#15 TestComplete

TestComplete is among the most popular functional automation testing tools that cater to a wide range of testing, including desktop, web, mobile and more. This software testing tool stands out for its flexibility in choosing between the code-less and code-based testing approaches. 

Key features:

• Testers can use record & play capability or write scripts in programming languages such as Python, VBScript, JAVAScript, etc. 
• TestComplete supports a wide range of applications, including.Net, native and hybrid iOS, and Android apps, as well as regression, parallel, and cross-browser testing.
• AI & Machine learning for advanced object recognition that results in more reliable and accurate results 
• Compatible with enterprise applications such as  Oracle EBS, and Salesforce.
• Integrates with various CI/CD software, pipeline tools, test management systems, issue tracking, and version control solutions to provide holistic solutions for SDLC. 

Pricing: TestComplete offers a 14-day free trial with access to 500+ remote environments. 

The three pricing options are available:

• TestComplete Base costs $1,940 for fixed and $3,875 for floating plans.
• TestComplete Pro costs $3,015 for fixed and $6,029 for floating plans.
• TestComplete Advanced costs $7,079 one-time.

#16 Ranorex Studio

Ranorex Studio, an all-in-one tool for desktop, online, and mobile application testing, is used by over 4,000 enterprises worldwide. This solution makes into our top tools for automation testing because of its low-code/ no code interface with a complete IDE. 

Key features:

• Shareable and re-usable object repositories and code modules that can cut test maintenance costs. 
• Supports programming languages such as VB.Net, Java and C##. 
• Integrates seamlessly with various tools like  Jira, Jenkins, TestRail, and other DevOps tools
• Parallel test execution capability to enhance cross-browser testing functionality. 
• Flexibility to automate tests remotely or locally on virtual or real machines.  

Pricing

Ranorex has three pricing options, each of which are available on request. 

• Studio plan
• Enterprise plan 
• Runtime plan

#17 Cucumber

Cucumber is a free, open-source tool based on the BDD principle (Behaviour-driven development). It’s used to automate acceptance testing by executing the examples that best describe the application’s behaviour.

Cucumber, because of its BDD acceptance, has 40+ million open-source downloads and is most popular among web app testers. 

Key features:

• Support various programming languages such as Java, Python and Rail. 
• It provides you with a single, live document that includes both specification and test documentation.
• Write understandable tests with no prior technical or coding knowledge. 
• Integrates with workflow tools like JIRA, Slack, Zephyr and other automation tools like TestComplete. 

Pricing:

Cucumber has a free license and it is the best option for small teams. 

#18 testRigor

testRigor is one of the advanced automation testing tools that uses genAI to write and execute test cases. Write test cases in plain simple English and the tool will translate your instructions into a sophisticated set of instructions. 

Thus, testRigor uses the no-code approach to perform tests like web apps, mobile apps, desktop apps, email tests, and 2FA tests. 

Key features: 

• Real-time reporting and analytics that provide feedback on tests 
• Supports testing on 3,000+ combinations of browsers and devices on multiple operating systems
• Parallel execution that performs test on multiple devices simultaneously
• Integrates with CI/CD pipeline tools and other test management systems. 
• Ability to run test cases and perform automated tests under 30 minutes. 

Pricing:

testRigor offers three pricing options; 

• An open-source plan 
• Private plan at $900/month with a 14-day free trial.
• Enterprise plan with custom pricing 

#19 Cypress

Cypress is a modern, open-source end-to-end testing framework that makes it easy to write, run, and debug tests for web applications. It is popular for its detailed documentation and vast library of frameworks. 

Cypress offers a cloud-based platform called Cypress Cloud that allows teams to run their tests in the cloud on a scalable infrastructure. Cypress Cloud provides features like parallel test execution, automatic waiting, and visual debugging to help teams ship high-quality software faster.

Key features: 

• Real-time support as the applications are being built, offering immediate feedback and agile testing. 
• Quickly generate test snapshots right from the command log. 
• Provides comprehensive and detailed documentation that provides guidance on how to use the tool. 
• Integrates seamlessly with popular CI/CD tools. 
• Click & Record each user action with the application and generate feedback

Pricing:

Cypress offers both free and paid plans. The free plan includes basic features like running tests locally and accessing the Cypress dashboard. The paid plans offer additional features like parallel execution, test analytics, and integration with Cypress Cloud. Pricing varies based on the number of parallel executions and other factors.

Cypress Pricing Overview

Cypress Open-Source App

• Free: Available for local use (MIT license)
• No limitations or restrictions

Cypress Cloud Plans

• Free Trial: 14 day trial for testing on real browsers.
• Paid Plans: Starting at $75/month for small teams, with additional features for larger teams.

#20 Postman

Postman is one of the best automation tools for testing the API development lifecycle. It is used by over 30 million developers for its flexibility to write various test cases including functional, integration and regression tests. 

Using rigorous testing, API developers and testers can speed up their API development lifecycle efficiently. 

Key features:

• Integrates with popular CI/CD and pipeline tools like Azure, BigPanda, DropBox, BitBucket and more. 
• Eases collaboration and sharing on APIs to enable seamless integration and simplify workflow. 
• Provides a unique environment for mocking APIs that lets developers simulate the responses before implementation. 
• Supports various HTML methods and RAML formats. 

Pricing:

Postman offers three pricing options: 

• Basic plan costs $19/user/month 
• Professional plan costs $39/user/month
• Enterprise plan  

Conclusion:

This ends our list of software automation testing tools in 2024. Some of these tools require a license, while others are free to use.

Yes, the tool you choose will always be determined by your needs, but we hope that the following list of test automation tools will assist you in making your decision.

However, if you are still in the dilemma of which automation testing tools will be the right fit for you, then we will highly recommend you to start with TestGrid.

Why? We have designed it keeping all possible software testing usage in mind and can guarantee that you will never require any other automation testing tools once you will start using TestGrid.

Click here to learn more about TestGrid.io. To read more articles, visit our blog section.

FAQs: