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We presume writing and compiling software programs is easy. But it's not.
When I ran my first code, multiple red lines, syntactical errors, and inaccurate output were cramped in my console window.
My first altercation with developing an application intrigued me to learn about test automation in detail. As a former developer, I know how important test automation is to assess the impact of software code before it goes to a live project.
Over the years, I've interacted with multiple software testers and learned the potential challenges, such as platform incompatibility, time constraints, lack of testing expertise, and bug reproduction, that can negatively impact end-user experience.
These challenges led me to evaluate and analyze 40+ automation testing tools that debug, test, and assess the impact of software output before it goes into production. Out of these tools, I narrowed my list to the top 7 best automation testing tools that can reduce developers' stress and anxiety and lead to production efficiency.
In addition to my own analysis, these tools are ranked top leaders in G2 based on their core features, such as end-to-end UI and UX automation, pre-scripting tools, and cross-platform testing. These features have helped them gain a good reputation among software developers and become top choices in the market.
*These best automation testing tools are top-rated in their category, according to G2 Grid Reports. I've also added their monthly or annual pricing to make comparisons easier for you.
Had I used automation testing back in my programming days, I wouldn't be neck deep into creating erroneous code and re-declaring software functions to repair the output. As it wasn't possible to keep a watch over every line of the programming logic, I now understand how automation testing is monumental in making these tedious tasks simpler.
Simply put, an automation testing program tests the functionality of all software codes with pre-scripting services before they are pushed to the live production stack. It is a key step in developing accurate applications as it creates various test scenarios and gives test feedback at the end of each test. With automation testing tools, I succeeded in running multiple iterative test loops to fasten the debugging process and improve code usability.
Besides console programs, I could run test automation for various platforms and hardware devices and automate the CI/CD workflow to build a robust application. Other tests included API testing, load testing, browser testing and acceptance testing that evaluate if the code will work in an environment or not.
Once I set a test design and type, I sat back and started the automation. From nitpicking my runtime errors to giving a real-life test simulation, it eased the quality assurance process without much manual intervention.
I spent weeks trying and analyzing various automation testing tools to the best of my ability across various operating systems. I also used AI to narrow down features, pros and cons, and real-time reviews to give a correct picture of each automation testing tool. Further, I also referred to the proprietary G2 score for each of these tools and other additional parameters like customer sentiments, ease of use, ease of budget, ease of admin, and market presence to establish the authority of all these individual tools and mentioned real-user reviews for your informed decision-making.
While I ran test automation for debugging, developers have a whole set of responsibilities. Not only are they required to debug written code, but they also control various applications for front-end and back-end synchronization. While some test automation services eased my worries, I experimented with more technical and developer-focused features that would improve business efficiency.
Having these basic functionalities for testing will be helpful if you are looking to invest in a test automation system for the long run. No software from this list would increase your workload or create a problematic scenario of wrong test output for your teams.
As I was on a hiatus from writing code, I became a little hesitant to put together this list initially, thinking I might not know enough. But, surprisingly, as I created tests myself, I got a good idea of which potential services will benefit your IT and dev teams.
The list below contains genuine user reviews from the automation testing tools category on G2. It's important to note that vendors offering a free trial are also considered free in this context.
To be included in this category, a solution must:
*This data was pulled from G2 in 2025. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity.
I started my test automation journey with Keysight Eggplant, which provided pre-built scripting and AI-based test automation as part of its automation suite.
I found the tool extremely user-friendly and easy to navigate when running tests for my code. This was especially true when I wrote UI tests for my web and mobile applications to check compatibility across different devices. One thing that stood out was its image-based automation, which recognized the visuals in my code and tested whether they worked on the front-end interface.
Instead of relying solely on code, Keysight Eggplant let me automate visual elements to test graphical user interfaces and dynamic content. I could parse the project files with built-in optical character recognition (OCR) capability, which pulled text from image code and verified its authenticity.
Keysight Eggplant offered more versatility and agility as I could launch and test my code in multiple studios and environments. It's not just for web apps; I can use it for various platforms. Whether I am testing mobile apps, browsers, desktop software, or even complex enterprise systems, the tests run smoothly.
It also provides a wide range of scripting languages, such as C++, Python, or JavaScript, that can be used to run tests on any platform or operating system.
That said, there are a few areas where I felt the platform still requires external human assistance. First off, the pricing is a bit steep as testing tools are designed for large-scale network architectures for enterprises. If you are certain that you have a diverse development workflow and rigorous testing procedure, it becomes a good choice. But if that isn't the case, this would lead to a budget overhaul.
While the core features are intuitive, a few are extremely technical, and I had to refer to their support documentation to better understand them.
But here is the thing: the customer service team was responsive, and that led to the quick resolution of my queries, which made my testing process even smoother and quicker.
"Eggplant is a great tool for UI automation. It's so easy to learn and use. The customer support team is definitely on another level, so proactive and supportive. We use it for UI automation on multiple devices, hence making it an extensive and game-changing automation platform.
This has reduced testing time and cut down some extra operations cost."
- Keysight Eggplant Review, Brondon F.
"The GUI window isn't editable. DAI test captures, and stuff doesn't work. The executable license is only command-line driven; it would be very nice to have a GUI to pull up and schedule a test through, pass required parameters, etc. OR even allow the user to create a GUI window that is costume to the script being called to allow the user to configure and schedule a test for that script through it. FIX the handbook so that it is searchable again! it was great, and then they broke it, and now it's terrible."
- Keysight Eggplant, jessica h.
Structure, design, and write tests in different app programming languages for your network database architecture and improve production efficiency.
The UiPath Platform offered core user interface and graphical testing to double verify each visual and text element and assess the accuracy of the backend code.
It also offered drag-and-drop elements with the main notebook interface, which attached new scripts and functions with each source code as I designed multiple automation workflows. I am not a hardcore coder, so having a visual workflow designer that is intuitive and user-friendly made automation way less intimidating.
I was impressed by UiPath's natural language processing (NLP) capabilities and AI integrations. These features derived the context and helped set test conditions to satisfy every application's end-user demands, which eased the data quality assurance and production workflows.
I used UiPath's automated scripts to create a variety of tests across different platforms. Each iterative loop was executed without any lag or error. Plus, bot scheduling and bot performance analytics further reduced the scope of compilation errors and bug reproduction.
I also appreciated the learning resources. UI Path Academy contained a treasure trove of tutorials and certifications. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced user, there is something for everyone.
Of course, no platform is perfect, and UI Path does face its own challenges. For starters, the automation campaigns should not be left unattended, as there is a possibility of a test mix-up.
Further, the licensing costs won't be acceptable to a brand that works on a tight software budget. Another hurdle I faced was the coding requirements for more complex workflows. While the drag-and-drop tools are fantastic, there are times when you need to declare objects or new functions to execute the test in the same app development language.
It was hard to get through to customer service teams and resolve escalations. While there is a ton of documentation available, getting help for very specific issues can be frustrating. It takes a great deal of time to go through technical documentation and figure a way out.
"The Best thing I like about Uipath is its comprehensive approach to automation, making it a powerful tool for technical and non-technical users. It also has advanced capabilities, allowing users to automate everything from simple to complex tasks. Its drag-and-drop interface in Uipath studio makes it accessible to users without programming backgrounds."
- The UIPath Platform Review, Siddharth s K.
"Building blocks have their downsides, in some complex scenarios is hard to use "Out of the box" solutions or they become difficult to personalize pushing devs to bring personalized code solutions, while an experienced developer could be able to easily find workarounds, jr devs and citizen devs may struggle and feel limited."
- The UiPath Platform Review, Edwin B.
Explore a hassle-free way to develop a system or browser application with free low-code development platforms and pour life into your brand by being an online market mover.
BrowserStack offered a unique end-to-end test lifecycle framework and a variety of test cases to control the impact of test feedback and list persistent errors in the program.
I loved that BrowserStack offered various test types and QA coverage to launch tests for native desktop and mobile applications in various environments. I am not talking about test emulators or simulators that don't exhibit an application's workings. With BrowserStack, I could test and simulate software's runtime behavior and impact before pushing it into a production environment.
It is also incredible how they have covered over 3000 device-browser combinations. Whether I need to check my app on a legacy browser or mobile operating system, BrowserStack has me covered.
I also loved the platform's user intuitiveness. All I had to do was log in, pick a device-browser combination, and build my test scenarios. Plus, it integrates seamlessly with tools like Selenium, Appium, Cypress, and even CI/CD pipelines to auto-sync the product testing workflows with the live tech stack.
Speed is another huge plus. I could set and automate various test designs for various parts of the code in a pre-determined manner without touching the automation or attending it once it's active.
Speaking of downsides, I could feel the emotions of a noncoder because the platform was just too technical to operate. While the platform's functionality is solid, the test descriptions for various front-end and back-end programs can confuse you a little. It's easy for collaboration, continuous integration, and continuous software delivery, but even the user interface can use some love.
While the integrations are great, I've encountered issues, particularly with GitHub, which was a little technical for software library and package integration. Sometimes, the platform can feel a bit slow as well, especially during peak usage times.
If you work in a team, BrowserStacks subscriptions might feel overtly priced and restrictive. They don't offer multi-user access for small teams unless you are willing to pay a higher tier plan.
"Honestly, BrowserStack is like having a full-blown device lab in your pocket without the clutter. The fact that I can test on dozens of devices - old iPhones, shiny new Androids, whatever the latest Chrome or Safari version is - without leaving my desk is a game-changer. I also love that it’s all in the cloud, so no clunky software installs. For someone juggling too many projects, it’s a huge time saver. Plus, their live testing is super slick - just hop in, pick a device/browser combo, and boom, you’re testing like a pro. It’s also helped me look smarter in meetings, which, let’s face it, we all need sometimes."
- BrowserStack Review, Dallas C.
"We can do almost everything with BrowserStack in UI testing. However, it does not have support for API testing, Automation, or Manual. It should include some features for testing of APIs as well."
- BrowserStack Review, Ankit Singh P.
If you are struggling to establish a robust testing and QA process, prepare to hire the right software developer to control and deploy accurate custom test expertise.
Test IO promises to deliver a one-stop automation and validation workflow, mostly because it offers centralized test data management and test designs for both coders and non-coders.
When I started using Test IO, the first thing that struck me was how intuitive and user-friendly the platform felt. It is designed to simplify testing workflows for busy teams, making it almost effortless to dive into test creation and management without going through a steep learning curve.
What sets Test IO apart for me is its crowd-testing ability for responsiveness on cross-functional platforms. The platform connected my project to a vast network of testers so I could get real-time feedback from developers and testers in diverse environments and markets.
I loved the iterative test recording and feedback feature, which enabled me to control the application's outcome across multiple operating systems, devices, and cloud servers.
Setting up tests was simple: I had to pre-set test conditions, identify selectors, and run unattended automation. They include customizable and robust integration tools, so I am not stuck building tests from scratch.
Plus, Test IO's integration with platforms like Jira and GitHub helps streamline workflows by allowing me to track bugs and manage tasks without jumping on multiple platforms.
There are a few areas where Test IO could have been better. While it's fantastic for straightforward test setups, I've noticed that the platform can feel a bit limited when trying to create highly tailored or highly niche test scenarios.
Additionally, I did experience performance hiccups, such as sluggish response times while setting test scripts or navigating through the dashboard.
With so many functions and features packed into the platform, it is easy to miss out on some advanced features or test nuances unless you go out of your way for them.
Subscription-wise, Test IO offered a range of plans tailored to diverse backgrounds. As someone who likes a straightforward upgrade path, I'd appreciate a more user-friendly and transparent subscription process for companies and individuals.
All in all, Test IO is designed to simplify your testing and QA workflows while ensuring that your testing domain is covered and simplifies your development setups for developers and testers.
"The entire process of using Test IO was incredibly user-friendly, and as a product owner, I felt supported by the Test.io team every step of the way. As a small team, we have limited resources, but Test.io made it easy to set up tests and push the results along to our developers while also saving one of the most valuable resources: my time."
- TestIO Review, Kate W.
"There is a low ability to customize the testing process to be super specific; it forces you to make your tests a specific way, which is useful for reusability and understanding, but not helpful when you have a complex or specific process it isn't capable of."
- Test IO Review, William G.
LambdaTest provides specialized data structure and node management features for object-oriented languages like C++, Python, and Java to reduce compilation hassles for developers.
Lambda Test has been a real game changer because it is so easy to implement tests for web browser compatibility. With Lambda Test, I could test cross-platform compatibility for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or even older versions of Internet Explorer.
Even though I was new to testing, I could jump right in and execute my software code with ease and automate the entire process with pre-defined test scripts. Features like a live-testing dashboard made it simple to switch between different browsers and devices seamlessly.
LambdaTest is also integrated with Selenium, Cypress, and Playwrite to execute complex tests like acceptance testing and visual simulation for user interfaces across different platforms. It also saved me a lot of time by running regression tests and managing the application's behavior.
However, I encountered some system downtime and sluggish interface issues. During peak hours, the system was a bit unresponsive and frequently lagged during automation.
Waiting for a test to load is frustrating if you work on a tight deadline. While the automation features were solid, I wish they were more advanced. Adding capabilities like visual regression or image recognition with AI could have made the system a bit better.
Overall, LambdaTest is a perfect solution for non-coders who foray into the world of software testing, and it was convenient, easy to understand, and deploy for me and my production teams.
"I appreciate LambdaTest’s feature set for desktop testing, including Responsive Testing, Network Throttling, Screenshot Testing, and IP Geolocation, which make cross-browser testing straightforward and efficient. The Ease of Use and Developer Tools are great for quickly debugging issues, and the Ease of Integration with tools like Selenium adds to its versatility. The responsive Customer Support is also a huge plus, addressing questions and issues promptly."
- Lambda Test Review, Apoorva M.
"The initial configuration can be a bit challenging to understand. It took me some time to navigate the setup process, but once that hurdle was cleared, the rest of the experience was smooth."
- Lambda Test Review, Bruno C.
Find the right web browser environment to execute and launch new web applications, eliminate screen or backend inconsistencies, and provide an uninterrupted user experience.
I found the Katalon Platform offered a centralized testing dashboard for running test campaigns for different systems and web applications. It also scrutinized code with AI-augmented quality management to optimize end-user experience with less effort.
Katalon Platform made product testing and software debugging easy to understand with drag-and-drop test automation. It also offered built-in spy and record functionalities, which enabled me to monitor every function, thread, and object declaration during testing.
While it's packed with tools you'd expect from a premium automation platform, specific technical features stood out to me. Capturing UI elements was effortless, even when I had to test dynamic web components and responsive graphical user interfaces for my web and mobile applications.
One feature that impressed me was Katalon's data-driven testing capability. By connecting with external data sources like Excel and databases, I could run tests on the same test scenarios without having to rewrite anything.
Katalon Platform also gave me complete test coverage with its keyword-driven framework. It came with pre-built keywords that made common tasks like clicking elements, verifying text, or managing pop-ups easy during automation campaigns.
In addition, I managed to automate test workflows across web, mobile, API, and desktop applications.
That said, I did encounter some roadblocks during setting automation. Integrating Katalon with some open-based tools required extra effort, which hindered my experience.
There were frequent issues configuring and deploying Katalon's Runtime Engine (KRE) via the command-line interface. While this feature was great for executing CI/CD pipelines, it may skew your overall organizational budget.
Additionally, I did notice some performance sluggishness throughout the testing process. Scrolling through test cases or loading expensive projects felt a little slow, which could be frustrating. It would have been great to get a thorugh test summary at the end, which was not the case.
Overall, I feel like Katalon offered everything in one place: data-driven testing, test reports, and API support. However, more thoroughness and attentiveness throughout the automation process would be nice to bring in more agility and robust ability.
"One tool does it all! WebUI, API (SOAP/REST), Native, Mobile, parallel executions, multi-browser, Git interoperability, Eclipse integrated data environment (IDE), etc. Support is great, too. I love that it supports all levels of users, from quick recording/playback and keywords to experienced developers who need everything. I've used Katalon every day for the past three years and it's head and shoulders over its competition... and I've been developing test automation for 33 years, so I know what I'm saying here!"
- Katalon Review, Graham E.
"The downside of Katalon is, you have to pay for a license if you need to do CI/CD integration, Visual testing, Unlimited Analytical results on TestOps (plugin to show execution result)."
- Katalon Platform Review, Monish p.
Selenium remains the most popular automation testing tool for web applications, while Appium continues to be in demand for mobile testing in 2025.
There can’t be a testing tool that works better than the other. Selenium is better for cross-browser testing and extensive community support, while Playwright excels in faster execution, modern browsing support, and built-in features like auto-waiting to execute software tests seamlessly.
Currently, Keysight Eggplant and UiPath platforms are two leading tools in the automation testing tools category on G2 for powerful native GUI testing across mobile and web applications.
You can integrate automation testing tools into your CI/CD pipeline by configuring the test execution in pipeline stages (Jenkins, GitHub stages) using CLI commands or scripts. Ensure that software libraries are integrated with the testing campaigns and that test results are captured via the plugins you set.
Dynamic elements are handled using strategies like XPath, which contains and starts with functions, HTML and CSS selectors with partial matching, and waiting mechanisms like explicit waits. Tools like Selenium also support custom selectors that extract and test visual elements.
The best automation testing software for web applications includes Cypress for modern front-end apps, TestComplete for ease of use, Katalon Studio for comprehensive features, and Pupeteer for unattended Chrome Testing.
Whether it is a web or mobile development process, I figured that DevOps teams and software testers need to factor in network infrastructure demands, internet connectivity, and the nature of the datasets integrated with their live code to get a clearer picture of which automation testing platform suits them.
As I went through and implemented these software tests on my code, I realized that the real IT and DevOps workflows are much more complex and diverse. While software developers are concerned with optimizing the software testing workflows, taking a step back and evaluating all parameters would help you make an informed decision.
Feeling overwhelmed when choosing the correct software procedure for your brand? I'd urge you to refer to this honest analysis of the 10 best text editors in 2025 to become a pro at software programming.
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