Top 10 Open Source Automation Tools | Pros & Cons | Why Use Open Source Automation Tools?
Automation is everybody’s choice in the current generation because it saves time and effort. It is regarding as one of the highly popular careers for freshers in the present era of software engineering. There are plenty of open source test automation tools available in the market. Therefore, it is essential for users to explore before finalizing on a precise tool to work on.
Why Use Open source automation tools
Easy to switch
Switching between tools gives a huge amount of advantage for people to enjoy saving time and efficiency. As present-day testers have more than a couple of options, it will be easier to switch between open-source automation tools based on the requirements.
Lesser hardware costs
Most of the current day Automation testing tools come with easy to use options to integrate before testing. Some of the testers prefer using Linux along with open source automation tools because it is easy to integrate from time to time. Test automation tools enable to enjoy easy usability because of lesser hardware costs.
High-quality software
There is a huge automation testing tools list available online, that can be used to test different kinds of apps easily. The high-quality software allows people to complete the process without affecting the performance of the application. Hence, software testing is recommended to be done using any of the best open source automation tools in the market.
No Vendor Lock-in
A lot of organizations come across hassles while dealing with vendor lock-ins by using premium tools. Some of the paid tools lack in portability and customization of software. Therefore, test cases are well done using an open-source test automation tool to reduce wasting time and productivity.
Integrated Management
A lot of mobile testing professionals prefer using integrated management options. Only a certain number of open source automation tools gives an opportunity to enjoy integrated management because of the technologies used. They use technologies like web-based enterprise management and CIM or Common information model to enjoy the process.
Simple License Management
Open source tools come with a specialty, where users do not have to spend money while downloading and using. There is no need to worry about licenses because every tool comes for free of cost. A paid tool may end giving more options sometimes, but takes a lot of time in dealing with hassles.
Lower software costs
Not every time, you end up finding completely free access to testing frameworks. It is essential to have more than a couple of tools, which does the job based on the necessity. A set of open source automation tools gives room for testers to save money easily. Apart from documentation, there should not be any more expenses expected while testing.
Abundant support
The logic of support is all about users utilizing the open-source automation tools. There are plenty of programming languages in the market, which are used by various professionals. The support is generally offered by fellow users with the help of the community. People using free test platforms will be a part of the community to assist budding testers all the time.
Scaling and consolidating
it is easy to scale and consolidate in free tools compared to paid tools because of various reasons. Open source acceptance testing tools come with lesser options because it is easy to complete the work. It is easy to enable your company to scale up and find better growth options in less time.
Top 10 open source automation tools with Pros and Cons
Selenium
Selenium is the best automation open-source test automation tools in the market. Needless to say that there is no alternative for the tool in terms of performance and efficiency. The tool offers flexible compatibility with plenty of programming languages available in the market.
Therefore, it is called as the best open source automation tool to use on web applications and mobile applications. It is easy to use the tool because the Selenium web driver is designed to work along with other tools.
Pros and Cons of Selenium
Pros
- Effective test scripts for Regression Testing
- User-friendly
- Quick results
Cons
- Not many
Robotium
The tool pretends to be an open-source test automation framework because of the huge demand. It mainly used to perform android UI or User interface testing.
The tool has gained a lot of popularity because it supports gray box UI testing. Robotium also works well with system testing and user acceptance testing because it helps in supporting both native and hybrid-based android apps.
Pros and Cons of Robotium
Pros
- Supports multiple platforms
- Integrated with native and hybrid-based apps
- Effective test automation framework
Cons
- Not much suitable for web apps
Watir
There is a huge demand for mobile automation testing because of obvious reasons. But, there is an equal amount of demand for web automation testing as well. There are few specific tools, which are designed to suit only web automation testing. Watir (pronounced as water) has gained a lot of attention because of its exclusive features suitable for web automation testing.
Pros and Cons of Watir
Pros
- Simple automated tests
- Adaptable and readable interface
- Exclusive web application testing platform
Cons
- Not suitable for mobile app testing
Cucumber
Automating acceptance testing is a crucial factor for every tester because of obvious reasons. So, it is necessary to choose the right app without compromising on other features. Cucumber is the only tool, which works based on behavioural driven development. The tool comes with cross platform OS support and compatibility, which enables support to other programming languages like Java, .net and Ruby.
Pros and Cons of Cucumber
Pros
- Extensive support in acceptance testing
- Supports multiple programming languages
- works based on behavioral driven development
Cons
- Not many
Canoo WebTest
One more exclusive web app automation tool to support web app testers. The tool comes with a lot of options to offer complete support to professionals while working. The simple and faster tool is widely used for reporting objectives. Canoo is used along with other tools because it does not offer support with java script.
Pros and Cons of Canoo Web Test
Pros
- Exclusive web app automation
- Easy to use
- Provides quick results
Cons
- No support on javascript
Appium
Mobile apps are increasing in the market because of extensive demand from customers. Hence, it is essential for every business to focus on building both websites and mobile apps. Appium is one of the most popular open source test automation framework to execute the testing effectively.
Pros and Cons of Appium
Pros
- Exclusively used for Mobile apps
- Built on Client or server architecture
- Supports both IOS and Android
Cons
- No user-friendly options
JMeter
JMeter is a popular tool, which is seen using in most of the organisations for various purposes. The web based test is generally performed before launching the application. JMeter is highly used while performing load testing of web applications. Hence, it is recommended to use along with other apps to enjoy efficiency from time to time.
Pros and Cons of JMeter
Pros
- Dynamic Reporting
- Powerful test IDE options
- Supports multiple applications
Cons
- Not User-friendly
WatiN
Every tool comes with a unique set of features to attract audiences from time to time. There are multiple scripting languages used by developers because it helps in bringing the required features. WatiN or Web application Testing in .Net is primarily used to test features in internet explorer and mozilla firefox. The advanced set of options in the tool supports UI and functional web app testing effectively.
Pros and Cons of WatiN
Pros
- Suits Internet Explorer and Mozilla firefox testing
- Supports UI and Functional web app testing
- Easy to use interface
Cons
- Not many
Sikuli
Sikuli is a unique tool compared with other tools in the world. The concept of image recognition is used well in the tool to enhance the testers comfortability. The tool gives an option for people to enjoy image recognition because it helps them to enjoy the ability of automation. It automates everything visible on the screen and saves a lot of time for testers.
Pros and Cons of Sikuli
Pros
- Image recognition feature
- Quick results
- Quick bug reproduction
Cons
- Not useful in all parameters
Katalon Studio
One of the widely used open cross platform open source automation tools in the world. Katalon studio is a free mobile and web test automation tools. The JIRA integration is an additional benefit for testers because it helps in saving ample amount of time. Katalon studio is one of the best testing automation tools because it helps in creating and run tests quickly.
Pros and Cons of Katalon Studio
Pros
- Effective organization of data
- JIRA Integration
- Easy to use
Cons
- Not many
Conclusion
There are tons and tons of automation tools for testing available. it is up to you to pick your tools because it saves time and effort while performing testing. There are various desktop applications, which requires a specific set of tools to complete the activity.
The above top 10 automation testing tools gives the basic idea in terms of functionality. Therefore, finding the right combination of tools gives a wide range of benefits while using.
TestingGenez is a reputed testing firm, which is working towards testing the automated processes for a long time now. We offer testing services in various platforms and for multiple objectives. Contact us to know more about our previous works and achievements.