Comparing Top 4 Cross-Browser Testing Frameworks

By aditiarora 3 years ago

Testing the browser compatibility of an application is critical for every business; it ensures that the web app offers the same experience to all its users. Cross browser testing is the prominent method of checking whether an application is compatible across multiple browsers or not. But, it’s the biggest pain for software testers when it comes to performing cross-browser testing. Besides, you cannot rely on traditional methods anymore for cross browser testing, as it consumes a lot of time, effort, resources, and cost.

With the developments in technology, it has become easier for testers to perform cross browser testing with automation. But again, the biggest obstacle here is choosing the best cross browser testing framework. There is no doubt that automation has made it pretty simple to perform cross browser testing, but it has also brought a few challenges to the testers – deciding on an automation framework is the biggest one.

Considering the increasing number of automated cross browser testing frameworks available in the market, it has become challenging for QAs to select the best framework for their testing needs. So, how can you decide which framework is best suited for your testing requirements?

In this article, we will compare four automated cross browser testing frameworks that you can opt for in 2021.

1. Selenium

When it comes to open-source automation testing frameworks, there is no comparison of Selenium. It is the leading cross-browser testing framework in the market that works with almost every programming language. And it’s not just a single utility; it’s a combination of four different tools that make it stand out – Selenium IDE, WebDriver, RC, and Grid. Besides, it is entirely W3C compliant and offers functional testing of web applications with record and playback functionality.

Features

  • A portable cross browser testing framework popular among developers and testers
  • Integrated with record and playback feature in the Selenium IDE that enables authoring tests without any programming knowledge
  • Supports almost every programming language, including C#, Java, Python, PHP, Ruby, Perl, JavaScript, etc.
  • Ideal for all leading OS and browsers, such as Android, Linux, Windows, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, etc.
  • Offers parallel test execution of test cases to reduce the time and improve test efficiency
  • Easy integration with multiple testing frameworks like TestNG, Ant, Maven, and many others
  • It doesn’t require server installation, as test scripts can interact directly with the browsers

Limitations

Even being a widely used testing framework in the market, there are some limitations to Selenium.

  • Require expertise of team members and multiple resources for management
  • Require higher maintenance and difficult to scale with your business growth
  • Less secure as compared to a cloud-based framework or testing lab
  • Offers less visibility to the users in terms of testing through reporting

All-in-all, Selenium is still the number one choice of testers when it comes to choosing open-source cross browser testing framework.

2. LambdaTest

LambdaTest is a cloud-based automation testing platform that allows you to perform cross browser testing across a combination of more than 2000 browsers, operating systems, and devices. The integrated Selenium Grid on the cloud makes LambdaTest a preferred choice of testers. Whether you want to perform manual testing or automated testing, LambdaTest gives you the freedom to perform both in one place. For example, if you want to execute real-time cross browser testing, visual testing, or live interactive testing, you can use the manual approach. However, if you want to perform automated cross browser testing, it allows you to run automated selenium scripts on LambdaTest scalable cloud grid.

Features

  • Offers unlimited cross browser testing in multiple platforms in real-time
  • Ideal for executing automated cross browser testing, responsive testing, or screenshot testing
  • Generate automated screenshots for web pages or web apps across all combinations as per your requirements
  • Integrated with record and playback feature with the facility to share reports with your team members
  • Offers easy integration with multiple bug testing tools to help you manage and track bugs quickly
  • Support testing of locally hosted and privately hosted web pages testing with the Tunnel feature
  • Available as Chrome and WordPress extension to test web pages quickly
  • Comes with integrated utility LT Browser, which can be utilized to test your web app across mobile devices and browsers
  • Get constant support from a team of experts to help you execute tests accurately

Limitations

Although it is an excellent framework for cross browser testing with all the functionalities and convenience, its pricing is the only drawback. LambdaTest is available at a $15/month price, which is worth it when you get an all-inclusive tool.

3. Browserstack

Browserstack is one of the oldest cross browser testing tools in the market, which has maintained quite a reputation yet. It enables you to test your web app across more than 1200 browsers on a cloud platform. Being a cloud-based framework, it also doesn’t require any installation on your system. You can even test your web app across Android and iOS real devices with Browserstack. Moreover, it comes with pre-installed developer tools that allow you to debug your code easily while testing.

Features

  • An ideal framework for testing both web apps and native mobile apps
  • Analyze how a web app performs in various locations with GPS and IP geolocation using secure and private IPs
  • Test your web app across a wide range of screen resolutions up to 2048×1536
  • Generate unlimited screenshots on mobile and desktop browsers while performing cross browser testing with one click
  • Support testing of locally hosted and privately hosted web pages on your system or servers
  • Comes with preloaded RIA software, such as Java, Flash, Acrobat, Shockwave, Silverlight, QuickTime, etc.
  • Allow you to set up a comprehensive test environment by supporting Active Directory, Proxies, and Firewalls
  • Get dedicated support for all your testing requirements

Limitations

There is no doubt that Browserstack is a multi-feature testing framework that offers everything you need to perform cross-browser testing. But it’s not so pocket-friendly. The pricing for Browserstack starts at $29/month for the basic plan, which increases with the upgraded features. Some other drawbacks of the framework are:

  • Response time is not very good as compared to a locally hosted Virtual Machine
  • Resizing of the screen to test the responsiveness is not much user-friendly
  • Crashes multiple times due to glitches

Even if you neglect the above drawbacks, Browserstack is still too costly for cross browser testing.

4. CrossBrowser Testing by SmartBear

The cloud-based testing frameworks are ruling the industry, and there is no going back. CrossBrowser Testing by SmartBear is another cloud-based testing framework that allows you to test your web app compatibility across multiple devices and browsers with both manual and automated approaches. It gives you access to more than 1500 browsers, OS, and devices to perform cross browser testing across mobile and desktop devices. Another competitive advantage of CrossBrowser Testing is its integrity with browser extensions and developers’ tools like Chrome Dev Tools and Firebug, which allows you to debug front-end errors.

Features

  • Enables you to run single or parallel and regression tests from a single platform
  • Offers inclusive access to developer tools and extensions like Chrome Dev tools and Firebug
  • Offers a scalable Selenium online grid that is capable of running Selenium and Appium scripts on real browsers and devices
  • It comes with the screenshot facility for visual UI testing with unlimited storage
  • Codeless record and replay functionality to record your testing procedures and review them
  • Easy integration with CI tools like Jenkins, which enable faster parallel testing for agile teams

Limitations

CrossBrowser Testing is incredibly cheaper than Browserstack and LambdaTest, but the features are limited, and there are speed issues as well. Besides, it is still more expensive for small testing requirements as compared to LambdaTest. For example, if you need to test your web app across specific browsers, spending $15/month is not a wise option.

All-in-All

Choosing a cross browser testing framework could be tricky if your testing requirements vary from project to project. However, if you’ve already listed your testing requirements, selecting one becomes a little less problematic. In this article, we have compared four different cross browser testing frameworks based on their features and drawbacks to help you make your selection easier. We hope this information will help you select the ideal testing framework for your requirements. And if you like us to add any other tool in the comparison, let’s know in the comments.