Top 5 Best Automated Software Testing Tools for 2024

Introduction

To deliver successful products and services at the pace demanded by today's digital economy, software developers can't afford to rely on anything less than the latest software development practices. According to the most recent edition of the World Quality Report, test automation, the use of special software to control the execution of tests, is helping organizations speed up their decision making to deliver better products in a shorter time.

Best automated software testing tools

The increased reliance on test automation has resulted in the emergence of a large number of automated software testing tools, making it difficult to decide which of them are the best. To help you with your automation efforts, we have created this list of the top 5 best automated software testing tools based on our own experience and that of others.

1. Playwright

Playwright, an open-source framework by Microsoft, is designed for automating tests of modern web applications. It supports multiple browsers, including Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit, through a single API and offers native support for various programming languages like JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, and C#. Playwright includes advanced features such as browser contexts, network interception, and headless testing (running tests without a graphical interface), making it well-suited for testing complex web apps.

What sets Playwright apart is its ease of use; it automatically handles common timing issues by waiting for elements to be actionable (e.g., visible, enabled) before interacting with them. This reduces test flakiness caused by page loads and dynamic content.

Key features:

• Auto-wait mechanism: Playwright automatically waits for elements to be ready (visible, enabled) before interacting with them.
• Cross-browser support: It supports Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit (Safari), enabling testing on different browser engines.
• Browser contexts: Isolated browser sessions (contexts) can be created within the same instance, helping in parallelization and session-specific testing.
• Multi-tab and frame support: The tool has the ability to handle multiple tabs, frames, and windows seamlessly.
• Mobile emulation: Playwright is capable of simulating mobile devices, replicating aspects like their geolocation, screen dimensions, and other device-specific features.
• Accessibility testing: It provides tools to assess the accessibility of web applications, ensuring they can be used effectively by individuals with disabilities.
• Screenshots & video recording: The tool captures screenshots of test failures and records test runs for easy debugging.

Advantages:

• Fast setup and easy to use: Playwright is easy to set up and maintain.
• Parallel testing: It supports parallel testing across browser contexts, improving test speed.
• Supports multiple languages: It works with JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, C#, and Java, making it suitable for diverse teams.
• API testing: Playwright also supports API testing.

Limitations:

• Limited mobile emulation: While it supports mobile emulation via Chromium and WebKit, it is not as comprehensive as some other testing frameworks tailored for mobile.
• Smaller community compared to other popular frameworks: Being newer, Playwright has a smaller ecosystem and community, which may affect finding community-driven resources and plugins.
• Lack of desktop testing: Playwright lacks native support for desktop application testing. Teams requiring desktop automation would need to use additional tools, adding complexity to their testing setup.

Pricing

free

Types of tests supported by Playwright:

• E2E testing: You can use Playwright when your goal is to simulate a user’s journey through an application.
• Cross-browser testing: Playwright is particularly useful for ensuring that the application works as expected across different browsers like Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit. You can also test on various devices and viewport sizes, which is crucial for responsive design validation.
• UI testing: Playwright can verify the presence and state of UI elements, checking that components are displayed correctly and interact as intended.
• Performance testing: It's not as comprehensive as dedicated performance testing tools, Playwright allows you to measure page load times, detect console errors, and monitor network traffic.
• Visual regression testing: It can be used along with a chosen visual testing tool.
• Accessibility testing: Playwright can also support the accessibility testing process.
• Localization and internationalization testing: Playwright can help you ensure your application behaves correctly in different languages and regional settings.

When to choose:

• Cross-browser compatibility: If you need to ensure that your web application works consistently across multiple browsers (Chromium, Firefox, and Safari), Playwright’s unified API is a perfect choice.
• Parallel test execution: If your project requires fast test execution across different browsers or environments, Playwright’s support for parallel testing and isolated browser contexts helps improve speed and efficiency.
• Multi-language support: If your team uses different programming languages (e.g., JavaScript, Python, or C#), Playwright provides a consistent testing experience across all these languages, making it a versatile tool for diverse teams.
• API and network testing: Playwright's ability to handle API testing and simulate network conditions makes it a great choice when you need to verify both frontend and backend interactions in your web applications.

Our SET team about Playwright:

We chose Playwright for the project because it best met our requirements. We needed to test a web application across multiple browsers with a focus on performance. Additionally, it works well for API testing, so we didn’t have to add a new tool to the project and could reuse what we already have. - Jonasz Karafioł, Software Engineer in Test at Brainhub

2. Cypress

Cypress is a modern, open-source end-to-end testing framework designed for testing web applications. Built specifically for JavaScript, it offers fast setup, ease of use, and high reliability. Running directly in the browser, Cypress provides real-time feedback on test execution, enhancing the developer experience with features like time-travel debugging, automatic waiting, and powerful assertions.

Its user-friendly interface includes an interactive test runner with real-time reloading, making Cypress ideal for front-end applications - especially those built with frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js.

Key features:

• Automatic waiting: Cypress automatically waits for elements to load or be actionable without explicit waits.
• Screenshots & video recording: Captures screenshots of test failures and records test runs for easy debugging. 
• Detailed assertions library: Integrates with Chai, Sinon, and jQuery-like assertions for expressive testing.

Advantages:

• Fast setup and easy to use: Cypress is simple to install and has minimal configuration requirements, making it quick to get started.
• Rich developer experience: Cypress’s user-friendly interface and detailed logging offer a seamless development and testing experience.
• Real-time testing: Provides live reloading of tests and real-time feedback in the browser, improving developer productivity.

Limitations:

• Limited browser support: Only supports Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge) and Firefox. It does support Safari (WebKit) experimentally. 
• No native mobile testing: Cypress is designed for desktop web apps and lacks support for mobile emulation or native mobile testing.
• Runs in same process as app: Cypress runs in the same process as the app, limiting its ability to automate scenarios like multi-tab testing, browser interactions, and cross-origin iframes.
• JavaScript/TypeScript only: It only supports JavaScript and TypeScript, limiting its use for teams that need multi-language support.

Pricing:

• Free/open source: Cypress is open-source and free to use for most projects.
• Paid plans for cloud features: Cypress offers paid plans via Cypress Dashboard for features like test parallelization, automatic retries, enhanced reporting, and GitHub integration. Pricing is based on the features you choose and the size of your team.

Types of tests supported by Cypress:

1. End-to-end testing: Cypress is primarily used to automate end-to-end testing, where you can test complete user workflows.
2. Integration testing: With Cypress, you can test how components work together within the UI.
3. UI testing: You can check that UI elements are visible, clickable, and styled as expected.
4. API testing: Cypress can handle API requests directly, which makes it useful for testing backend services.
5. Unit testing: The tool can also support unit tests for individual functions or components within the UI.
6. Functional testing: You can test specific features or functionality within the application.
7. Regression testing: You can automatically re-run existing test suites after updates or deployments to confirm that all previously working functionality remains intact.
8. Cross-browser testing: Cypress now supports multiple browsers including Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
9. Acceptance testing: The tools is excellent for acceptance testing, especially with its real-time reloading, intuitive API, and seamless debugging for web applications.
10. Visual testing: Cypress can support visual testing through integrations with other tools.

When to choose:

• Front-end testing: Choose Cypress if you're primarily testing front-end web applications, especially if you're using modern JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js.
• Fast test development: If you want to get started quickly with minimal setup, Cypress’s simple installation and built-in tooling make it a great choice.
• Tight integration with JavaScript/TypeScript: If your team is primarily JavaScript/TypeScript-focused, Cypress is a natural fit with strong support for these languages and deep integration with the DOM and browser.

Insights from our SET team about Cypress:

​​In the beginning, we had one QA and many developers, so implementing Cypress was straightforward since it's based on JavaScript, which the developers are already familiar with. This allows them to update and maintain the tests themselves when the QA is unavailable. Cypress has a large community, making it easy to implement a wide range of solutions. It's also a single tool for both E2E and component testing, and we use it for both types of tests. - Maciej Wolak, Software Engineer in Test at Brainhub

3. Selenium

Selenium is a widely used, open-source frameworks for automated testing of web applications. Developed in 2004, it has become the standard for browser-based automation, enabling testers to write scripts that simulate user interactions.

Supporting multiple programming languages - such as Java, Python, C#, Ruby, and JavaScript - Selenium is highly versatile and works across all major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.). It’s ideal for functional, regression, and load testing.

Built on the WebDriver architecture, Selenium directly communicates with browsers for precise control and automation. Its flexibility, extensive community support, and integrations make it a top choice for complex, large-scale web applications, though it requires more setup compared to newer frameworks like Cypress and Playwright.

Key features:

• Selenium WebDriver: It's a core component that interacts directly with the web browser to control it programmatically. It provides a more robust and flexible approach to automate web applications compared to its predecessor, Selenium RC. WebDriver supports testing dynamic web applications and allows for handling pop-ups, alerts, and multiple browser windows or tabs.
• Selenium Grid: It allows for parallel test execution across multiple machines and browsers. This feature significantly reduces test execution time by distributing tests across different environments simultaneously.
• Support for multiple testing frameworks: Selenium can be integrated with various testing frameworks like JUnit, TestNG, NUnit, PyTest, and RSpec. This integration helps structure and manage test cases, reports, and assertions effectively.

Advantages:

• Community and ecosystem: As a mature tool, Selenium has an extensive community, a vast library of plugins, and rich documentation, making it easier to find resources and troubleshooting help.
• Support for mobile testing: Can be integrated with tools like Appium for testing mobile apps, in addition to web applications.
• Multi-language flexibility: Selenium supports a variety of programming languages like Java, C#, Python, Ruby, JavaScript, and Kotlin. This allows testers to write scripts in a language they are familiar with, increasing flexibility and ease of adoption.
• Flexibility in test environment setup: Selenium can be integrated into almost any test environment, allowing tests to run on local machines, on-premises servers, cloud-based services, or even containers.

Limitations:

• Steep learning curve: Selenium can be more complex to set up and use compared to modern testing frameworks like Cypress or Playwright, especially for beginners.
• Waits needs to be configured: In contrast to other modern solutions, Selenium requires configuring an auto-wait mechanism.
• Slower test execution: Test execution in Selenium can be slower than newer frameworks like Cypress or Playwright, particularly in headless mode or when running tests sequentially.

Pricing:

free

Types of tests supported by Selenium:

• End-to-end (E2E) testing:
• Cross-browser testing
• UI testing
• Functional testing process
• Regression testing process
• Performance testing
• Smoke testing
• API testing
• Behaviour-driven development testing processes

When to choose:

• Enterprise-level applications: Selenium is ideal for large-scale applications that require extensive browser compatibility and integration with external services, frameworks, or CI/CD pipelines.
• Mobile web testing: When combined with Appium, Selenium is an excellent option for teams looking to automate both web and mobile testing within a unified framework.
• Language flexibility: If your team is diverse in its language preferences (e.g., Java, Python, C#), Selenium’s multi-language support makes it a strong choice.

4. Appium

Appium is an open-source automation framework designed for testing mobile applications. It supports automation for native, mobile web, and hybrid apps on Android, iOS, and Windows platforms.

Appium extends the WebDriver protocol - commonly used in tools like Selenium - to mobile environments, allowing developers to write tests in languages such as Java, Python, C#, Ruby, and JavaScript. These tests can run across multiple devices and operating systems without needing modifications for each platform.

Appium wraps native automation frameworks (Android's UIAutomator2 and Espresso, and iOS's XCUITest) into a unified API. This approach enables flexible, cross-platform mobile testing and doesn’t require any changes to the app's codebase, making it ideal for black-box testing.

Key features:

• Cross-platform support: Appium supports Android, iOS, and Windows applications, allowing you to write tests that run on multiple platforms with minimal changes.
• Native, hybrid, and web testing: Appium can automate native mobile apps, mobile web apps, and hybrid applications (a mix of both web and native components).
• No app modification required: Appium does not require any changes to the mobile app’s code, preserving its integrity and making it suitable for real-world scenarios.

Advantages:

• No app code changes needed: Unlike some mobile testing frameworks, Appium does not require any modifications to the mobile app’s code, making it ideal for black-box testing.
• Native device interaction: Provides access to real device functionalities like camera, geolocation, and other hardware features, essential for testing native apps.
• Reuse of Selenium knowledge: Developers with experience in Selenium can easily transition to Appium, leveraging their existing knowledge for mobile testing.
• True cross-platform automation: This automation testing tool enables the same test scripts to run on both iOS and Android with minimal changes.

Limitations:

• Setup complexity: Appium can be challenging to set up initially, especially when configuring different device environments (emulators, real devices, etc.) and dealing with platform-specific configurations.
• Flakiness of tests: Mobile environments, with various devices, operating systems, and network conditions, can sometimes lead to flaky or unreliable tests, especially if the scripts are not properly designed.
• Limited gesture support: Complex gestures like multi-touch, swipe, or pinch can sometimes be difficult to automate reliably across all platforms and devices.

Pricing:

free

What types of tests are supported by Appium:

• End to end testing (E2E) process
• Cross-platform testing process
• UI testing process
• Functional testing automation
• Regression testing
• Performance testing
• Compatibility testing
• Gesture testing
• Hybrid app testing
• Network simulation testing

When to choose:

• Cross-platform mobile testing: Appium is an ideal choice when you need to test mobile applications across multiple platforms (Android, iOS, Windows) using the same codebase.
• Multi-language test development: Choose Appium if your team uses a range of programming languages like Java, Python, or JavaScript, as it supports a broad set of languages.
• Existing Selenium experience: If your team is familiar with Selenium and needs to extend its testing capabilities to mobile platforms, Appium’s WebDriver-based API allows for an easy transition.

5. Detox

Detox is an open-source end-to-end (E2E) testing framework specifically designed for React Native mobile applications. Unlike other mobile testing tools like Appium or WebdriverIO, Detox focuses on stability and reliability by synchronizing test execution with the app’s lifecycle. This approach ensures accurate simulation of user interactions on both iOS and Android without needing manual waits or sleeps.

Detox runs tests directly on mobile simulators or real devices, offering fast execution and stable results. It integrates smoothly with CI/CD pipelines and supports popular testing frameworks such as Mocha and Jest.

Key features:

• React Native focused: Built specifically for testing React Native applications, providing a tailored experience for React Native developers.
• Cross-platform support: Supports both Android and iOS testing, allowing a single test suite to be used for both platforms.
• Synchronization mechanism: Automatically synchronizes with the app’s lifecycle, eliminating the need for manual waits or timeouts.

Advantages:

• Parallel testing: Supports running tests in parallel, significantly speeding up test execution times on multiple devices or simulators.
• Integration with CI/CD: Detox integrates well with CI/CD tools, enabling automated mobile testing within continuous integration environments.
• Robust debugging tools: The framework’s built-in logging and recording features make it easier to debug failed tests.

Limitations:

• React Native focused: Detox is specifically designed for React Native apps, making it less useful for native or hybrid mobile apps not built on React Native.
• Limited browser testing: Unlike frameworks like WebdriverIO or Playwright, Detox does not support browser-based automation, restricting its use to mobile app testing.
• Setup complexity: Setting up Detox, especially for iOS testing, can be more complex than other mobile testing frameworks.

Pricing:

free

What types of testing are supported by Detox:

• E2E (End to end) testing: Detox waits for all asynchronous operations to complete before proceeding, which reduces flakiness and ensures reliable test execution.
• UI testing
• Functional testing
• Regression testing
• Interaction testing
• Cross-platform testing
• Network simulation testing
• Device interaction testing
• Smoke testing

When to choose:

• React Native applications: Choose Detox if you are developing a React Native mobile app and need a stable, efficient testing tool specifically designed for this platform.
• Fast, reliable mobile testing: If you need quick and reliable mobile tests without manual synchronization issues, Detox's lifecycle synchronization is ideal for achieving robust test execution.
• Detailed debugging needs: Choose Detox if detailed logs, screenshots, and video recordings are essential to your testing and debugging process.

Insights from our SET team about Detox:

We chose Detox for E2E testing because it works seamlessly with React Native projects managed by Expo and enables cross-platform testing using Node.js tools. It is flexible, allowing full CI customization and control over the memory state of emulators and simulators. We also use firebase-admin in tests to manage data, ensuring consistency and control over the backend. Other frameworks are less flexible with plugins, while Detox offers better integration and configuration. - Wojciech Hnatiuk, Software Engineer in Test at Brainhub

How to choose the best automation testing tool?

Choosing the best automation testing tool is critical to the success of your testing strategy and can significantly impact the quality and efficiency of your software development process. Here’s a guide to help you make the right choice:

1. Define your testing requirements

1. Determine if your application is web-based, mobile, desktop, API-driven, etc. Some tools specialize in certain types of applications.
2. Consider the programming languages, frameworks, and platforms used in your project.
3. Identify the types of tests you need to automate (e.g., functional, regression, performance, load, security).

2. Evaluate automated testing tools compatibility

1. Ensure the tool supports the operating systems, browsers, and devices used by your application.
2. The tool should integrate well with your CI/CD pipeline for continuous testing.
3. Check if the tool can integrate with other tools you use, such as bug tracking systems, test management tools, and version control systems.

3. Ease of use and learning curve

1. Consider the technical expertise of your team. Tools with a higher learning curve may require more training.
2. A tool with a user-friendly interface can make it easier to write, execute, and maintain tests.

4. Cost and licensing

1. Consider the cost of the tool, including licensing fees, training costs, and the potential need for additional resources.
2. Evaluate whether an open-source tool or a commercial solution best fits your budget and requirements.

5. Test reporting and analytics

1. The tool should provide detailed and customizable reports that help you understand test results and trends.
2. Advanced analytics features can provide insights into test coverage, defect trends, and more.

6. Performance and reliability

1. The tool should be able to execute tests quickly and efficiently, especially in a CI/CD environment.
2. The tool must be reliable and consistent in its performance to avoid false positives or negatives.

How to choose the right tool for test automation - Quick checklist

When you need cross-browser compatibility, choose:

• Playwright for a unified API across Chromium, Firefox, and Safari with minimal configuration.
• Selenium if you need to support multiple browsers, including Internet Explorer, with extensive cross-browser flexibility.

When you need fast setup and real-time feedback for front-end testing, choose:

• Cypress for its easy installation, automatic waiting, and interactive browser interface ideal for front-end web apps.
• Playwright if you need fast test setup with modern web applications and support for headless testing.

When your team uses multiple programming languages, choose:

• Selenium for flexibility in Java, Python, C#, Ruby, and JavaScript, making it suitable for diverse development teams.
• Appium if you need multi-language support specifically for mobile testing.
• Playwright if you need to support JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, and C#, especially for teams transitioning to modern testing frameworks.

When you need cross-platform mobile testing, choose:

• Appium to test Android, iOS, and Windows mobile apps using the same test scripts across all platforms.
• Detox if you're working with React Native and need reliable cross-platform testing for both Android and iOS.

When you want to automate native mobile app features without code modifications, choose:

• Appium for black-box testing on mobile devices that allows access to features like GPS, camera, and other hardware without altering the app code.

When you’re developing in React Native and need lifecycle synchronization, choose:

• Detox to benefit from automatic synchronization with the app’s execution lifecycle, ensuring stable and accurate testing.

When your testing requires integration with a CI/CD pipeline, choose:

• Detox for React Native applications with CI/CD compatibility for continuous testing.
• Selenium for enterprise-level projects that need seamless CI/CD integration for web applications.

When you need visual testing capabilities, choose:

• Playwright with integrations like Percy or Applitools for cross-browser visual regression testing.
• Cypress if you need visual testing for front-end applications, using tools like Percy or Applitools for screenshot comparisons.

When you want to perform UI testing on web applications with complex interactions, choose:

• Cypress for its easy debugging and rich developer experience focused on front-end testing.
• Selenium for large-scale web applications where more extensive browser compatibility and advanced UI interactions are required.
• Playwright if you want to simulate network conditions, intercept requests, mock responses, and test front-end interactions alongside backend API calls.

When you want parallel test execution to speed up testing, choose:

• Playwright for efficient parallel execution using isolated browser contexts within the same session, helping reduce test runtime.

When you want reliable end-to-end testing for mobile apps on both simulators and real devices, choose:

• Appium for a robust tool that supports native, hybrid, and web mobile apps across real devices and emulators.
• Detox if you’re working with React Native and need fast, stable tests directly on mobile simulators and real devices.

When you need reliable headless testing, choose:

• Playwright if you need to run tests in a headless environment, especially for CI/CD pipelines, with stable performance on Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit.

Open-source vs commercial automation testing tools

Open-source might be the better option if you need customization. However, if your team values support and advanced features, investing in a commercial tool could provide greater long-term benefits. Let's take a closer look at that comparison:

Open-source automation testing tools

Advantages

• Open-source automation testing tools are generally free, making them ideal for startups or small teams with tight budgets.
• They offer flexibility, allowing you to modify the source code to suit unique or complex testing needs.
• Popular open-source tools also have large, active communities that provide shared knowledge, tutorials, plugins, and troubleshooting help, as well as ongoing updates and improvements.

Drawbacks:

• Although community support is a valuable resource, official support is often limited or unavailable.
• For critical issues, you may need to rely on community forums, which may not always provide timely solutions.
• You’re also responsible for maintaining the automation testing tool, including updates, bug fixes, and integrations with other tools—tasks that can be resource-intensive, especially for smaller teams.

Commercial automation testing tools

Advantages:

• Commercial automation testing tools usually offer professional support with customer service, regular updates, and patches - essential for quick, efficient issue resolution.
• They often come with advanced features like robust reporting, analytics, and integrations with other enterprise software, reducing the need for extra tools or custom development.
• Many are designed to scale with an organization, providing enterprise-grade solutions capable of handling large projects, complex test environments, and extensive test case management.

Drawbacks:

• The main drawback of commercial automation testing tools is their cost. Licensing fees can be high, especially for large teams, and some tools charge extra for add-ons or premium features.
• While they offer customization options, these tools are generally less flexible than open-source alternatives and may be limited by the vendor’s roadmap.
• Additionally, they often include a wide range of features you might not need, which can make the tool more complex, slow down your testing process, and require additional training.

Examples of tools:

TestComplete by SmartBear:

• A versatile tool for functional UI testing on desktop, web, and mobile applications with support for multiple scripting languages.

Ranorex Studio:

• An all-in-one solution for desktop, web, and mobile test automation, known for its ease of use, even for beginners, and strong object recognition capabilities.

UFT One (Unified Functional Testing) by Micro Focus:

• Formerly known as HP QTP, UFT One supports automated functional testing for various application types, including web, desktop, and API testing.

Telerik Test Studio:

• A GUI-based automated testing tool for web and desktop applications, offering a user-friendly interface for creating and executing functional, performance, and load tests.

Tricentis Tosca:

• A continuous testing platform that automates end-to-end testing across web, mobile, and enterprise applications, known for its model-based test automation and low-code interface.

When to choose open-source automated testing tools:

• You have a technically proficient team that can handle tool customization and maintenance.
• Your budget is limited or you want to avoid ongoing licensing costs.
• You need a highly flexible solution that can be tailored to your specific requirements.
• You prefer the freedom to modify and integrate the tool as needed.

When to choose commercial automated testing tools:

• You require robust support and quick resolution of issues.
• Your team values ease of use and a shorter learning curve.
• You are working in a large or complex environment where scalability and comprehensive features are critical.

Conclusion

Automation testing has matured significantly since the days of SQA, Mercury, and Segue. Modern automated software testing tools are versatile, polished, and more than able to support any sound testing strategy. When selecting an automated software testing tool, it's important not to let a tool's popularity and the hype around it influence the decision-making process.