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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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A Comparison of Automated Testing Tools

According to the Test Automation Landscape in 2020 Report, nearly 90% of the interviewees have reported uses of automation testing, where 70% of them have been using it for over a year. This in turn has raised the need in choosing and using the right set of test automation tools. 

Given a large range of automated testing tool choices along with their own unique strengths and drawbacks, let’s learn how to identify the right automation tool for your project with this qualitative comparison of Katalon Studio to other popular automated testing toolsets in the market.

OVERVIEW OF 4 AUTOMATED TESTING TOOLS

Katalon Studio is an automated testing platform that offers a comprehensive set of features to implement full automated testing solutions for Web, API, and Mobile. Built on top of the open-source Selenium and Appium frameworks, Katalon Studio allows teams to get started with test automation quickly by reducing the effort and expertise required for learning and integrating these frameworks for automated testing needs.

Start Automation Testing with Katalon Studio for free 

Selenium is perhaps the most popular automation framework that consists of many tools and plugins for Web application testing. Selenium is known for its powerful capability to support performance testing of Web applications. Selenium is a popular choice in the open-source test automation space, partly due to its large and active development and user community. However, its steep learning curve is a drawback that hinders many teams’ productivity.

Read A Deep Dive into Selenium, Its Alternative Solution for 2022

Unified Functional Testing (UFT), formerly QuickTest Professional (QTP), is probably the most popular commercial tool for functional test automation. UFT offers a comprehensive set of features that can cover most functional automated testing needs on the desktop, mobile and Web platforms.

TestComplete is also a commercial integrated platform for desktop, mobile and Web application testing. Like UFT, TestComplete offers a number of key test automation features such as keyword-driven and data-driven testing, cross-browser testing, API testing and CI integrations. This tool supports a number of languages including JavaScript, Python, VBScript, JScript, DelphiScript, C++Script, and C#Script for writing test scripts.

COMPARISON OF THE AUTOMATED TESTING TOOLS

The table below provides a comparison of the tools based on the key features of software automation.  

FeaturesKatalon StudioSeleniumUFTTestComplete
Test development platformCross-platformCross-platformWindowsWindows
Application under testWindows desktop, Web, Mobile apps, API/Web servicesWeb appsWindows desktop, Web, Mobile apps, API/Web servicesWindows desktop, Web, Mobile apps, API/Web services
Scripting languagesJava/GroovyJava, C#, Perl, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, PHPVBScriptJavaScript, Python, VBScript, JScript, Delphi, C++ and C#
Programming skillsNot required. Recommended for advanced test scriptsAdvanced skills needed to integrate various toolsNot required. Recommended for advanced test scriptsNot required. Recommended for advanced test scripts
Learning curvesMediumHighMediumMedium
Ease of installation and useEasy to set up and runRequire installing and integrating various toolsEasy to set up and runEasy to set up and run
Script creation timeQuickSlowQuickQuick
Object storage and maintenanceBuilt-in object repository, XPath, object re-identificationXPath, UI MapsBuilt-in object repository, smart object detection and correctionBuilt-in object repository, detecting common objects
Image-based testingBuilt-in supportRequire installing additional librariesBuilt-in support, image-based object recognitionBuilt-in support
DevOps/ALM integrationsMany No (require additional libraries)ManyMany
Continuous integrationsPopular CI tools (e.g. Jenkins, Teamcity)Various CI tools (e.g. Jenkins, Cruise Control)Various CI tools (e.g. Jenkins, HP Quality Center)Various CI tools (e.g. Jenkins, HP Quality Center)
Test AnalyticsKatalon TestOpsNoNoNo
Product supportCommunity, Business support service, Dedicated staffOpen-source communityDedicated staff, CommunityDedicated staff, Community
License typeProprietaryOpen-source (Apache 2.0)ProprietaryProprietary
CostFreemiumFreeLicense and maintenance feesLicense and maintenance fees

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

The comparison table above mainly focus on the common features of an automated testing tool. The following presents another perspective by picking and comparing key strengths and limitations of the tools.

ToolsStrengthsLimitations
Katalon Studio
  • No licensing and maintenance fees required (paid dedicated support services is available if needed).
  • Integrating necessary frameworks and features for quick test cases creation and execution.
  • Built on top of the Selenium framework but eliminating the need for advanced programming skills required for Selenium.
  • Emerging solution with a quickly growing community.
  • Feature set is still evolving.
  • Lack of choices for scripting languages: only Java/Groovy is supported.
Selenium
  • Open source, no licensing and maintenance fees.
  • Large and active development and user community to keep pace with software technologies.
  • Open for integration with other tools and frameworks to enhance its capability
  • Testing teams need to have good programming skills and experience to set up and integrate Selenium with other tools and frameworks.
  • New teams need to invest time upfront for setup and integration.
  • Slow support from the community.
UFT
  • Mature, comprehensive automated testing features integrated into a single system.
  • Dedicated user support plus an established large user community.
  • Requiring only basic programming skills to get started with test creation and execution.
  • Costly solution: license and maintenance fees are considerably high.
  • Possible high costs for upgrades and additional modules.
  • Supporting only VBScript.
TestComplete
  • Mature, comprehensive automated testing features integrated into a single system.
  • Many scripting languages to choose from.
  • Only basic programming skills needed.
  • Like UFT, considerable licensing and maintenance fees needed for TestComplete.
  • Additional fees for extra modules and add-ons.

The Perfect Automation Testing Tool: There Isn’t One.

There is no one-size-fits-all tool for automated testing. It is highly recommended that testers evaluate various tools in order to select what would best meet their automated testing needs. 

Programming languages and technologies used to develop software continue to evolve, as do the automated testing tools, making cost a significant factor in tool selection. Commercial vendors often charge for tool upgrades, which can be substantial if your software uses emerging and frequently changing technologies. 

Open source and non-commercial tools, on the other hand, do not incur additional charges but require effort and expertise for integrating new upgrades. It is difficult to find the support and expertise needed for integrating various tools and frameworks into open-source solutions. 

Emerging tools that integrate with open-source frameworks, like Katalon, offer a viable alternative to both commercial and open-source automated testing solutions. 

 

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