Choosing the Best Open Source Test Automation

Tool for You

So you’re trying to decide which open source test automation tool

to use…

Which Tool is Best?

05/02/2023 3© 2016, Perfecto Mobile Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

SELENIUM APPIUM CALABASH ESPRESSO XCTEST UI

When looking at today’s open-source mobile test automation landscape, there are five highly-adopted test frameworks.

We have summarized each approach to help you decide which makes the most sense for you.

Each tool has advantages for your mobile and web testing depending on your needs.

While reading, consider which of the functions you need most for your own test automation purposes.

Making the DecisionA Comparison

Click the table for a more detailed analysis

of each test automation tool:

The next slides offer a breakdown of each

tool

Selenium

• The best choice for web test automation teams testing for responsive web design or stand-alone web sites• Less suitable for developing unit

testing, making this framework less appealing for developers• Its core test reports are not highly

informative and lack unique mobile related insights

Appium

• Best suited for QA teams testing the functionality of native, mobile web and mobile hybrid apps across iOS and Android• Less suitable for developers who wish

to develop and perform unit testing• Appium reports are a bit limited from

a debugging and fast feedback loop perspective, and do not include videos, network logs and key vitals information

Calaba.sh

• Designed for organizations that work in behavior-driven development workflows• Offers an easy path to both develop

and test features in parallel, all in an easy user-flow based language• Appealing for both dev and QA

practitioners• Provides solid insights and reports to

both dev and QA teams

Expresso & XCTest UI

05/02/2023 8© 2016, Perfecto Mobile Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

ESPRESSO XCTEST UI

• Both are designed for target users• Espresso is for Android and XCTestUI is for iOS• Both tools are fully integrated into development IDEs such as

Android Studio/Xcode, and offer very easy-to-develop techniques, including test recorders

• Fully maintained by Google and Apple, which assures they always support the latest OS features so developers can stay ahead of the market and test accordingly

• Support both unit testing types and functional UI testing• Both are app-context only, which limits their abilities to test for

user condition scenarios

Things to Consider

• What are your application use cases? What level of complexity needs to be tested?• Heavy UI elements?• Environment dependencies (Networks, GPS, camera)?• What OS versions and API levels should be supported?

• Does the app support multiple platforms? Mobile (iOS/Android)? Web?• Would your apps benefit from user condition testing?

When choosing a test automation tool

If you heed these considerations, you’re more likely to see long-term success with your automated testing

than if you dive into a framework without understanding the implications.

Making the DecisionA Comparison

Review this table again to locate the tool that offers the capabilities you need the most.

For more information about automation test frameworks,

visit perfectomobile.com