In today’s digital age, web applications are accessed by various devices and browsers. Ensuring your website or application works seamlessly across different browsers is crucial for providing a consistent and satisfying user experience. This is where cross-browser testing tools come into play.
Cross-browser testing tools are software applications that help developers, and QA testers verify the compatibility of their web applications across multiple browsers and operating systems. These tools simulate various browser environments, allowing you to test your website’s functionality, performance, and design on different platforms.
One benefit of cross-browser testing tools is identifying and fixing browser-specific issues before your website goes live. By testing your application on popular browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer, you can ensure that it functions correctly and appears as intended for users regardless of their preferred browser.
The following article will help to throw light on the 7 most important tools in the year 2023 that are used for performing Cross Browser Testing. Understanding the features of the tool will help in the process of selecting proper tools and getting started with cross-browser testing. Let start by understanding cross-browser testing.
What is Cross Browser Testing?
Cross-browser testing refers to the process of evaluating a website or web application’s compatibility and performance across various web browsers and platforms. It ensures that the website functions correctly and looks consistent for users, regardless of the browser they use. Essentially, it involves testing how a website behaves and appears on popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer, as well as different operating systems like Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. By conducting cross-browser testing, developers can detect and address any issues or inconsistencies specific to different browsers, guaranteeing a seamless and satisfying user experience across the board.
What are Cross-Browser Testing Tools?
Cross Browser Testing tools are software applications to test your software applications and check their compatibility across different browsers, versions, and OS. These tools help you save time and effort by automating the testing process. Instead of manually performing tests on each browser and platform combination, these tools allow you to run tests simultaneously on multiple browsers. This significantly speeds up the testing phase and enables you to detect and address any inconsistencies or bugs more efficiently.
7 Most Popular Cross-Browser Testing Tool
Here are some important cross-browser tools which can be leveraged to software testing and cross-browser compatibility.
LambdaTest
- Comprehensive Browser and OS Support: It is a cloud-based cross-browser testing platform that allows access to the large farm of OS, browsers, and versions. It helps us to test software applications across different browsers and OS in real time.
- Cloud-Based Testing: It offers a real device cloud where you can perform the test in the cloud without any complex infrastructure. You can have a seamless test environment and test your software application from anywhere.
- Real-Time Testing and Screenshot Capture: LambdaTest enables real-time testing, providing instant feedback on how your website or application performs across various browsers. It also allows you to capture screenshots, which can be helpful for visual comparisons.
- Integration and Collaboration: Using LambdaTest for cross-browser testing, you can have access to various automation testing tools like Selenium, Cypress, and Playwright, which also helps in automation testing.
- Scalability and Flexible Pricing: LambdaTest offers scalability to accommodate testing needs of all sizes, from individual developers to large-scale enterprise projects. It provides flexible pricing plans, allowing you to choose a plan that suits your requirements and budget.
Selenium
- Open-Source and Flexible: Selenium is an open-source tool that supports multiple programming languages like Java, Python, and C#. It offers flexibility in automating browser testing according to your specific needs.
- Browser Compatibility Assurance: With Selenium, you can create tests that simulate user interactions, ensuring your website or web application functions correctly across different browsers. It helps verify browser compatibility and maintains a consistent user experience.
- Wide Browser Support: Selenium supports popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer, making it suitable for testing across a broad range of browser environments.
- Customization and Extensibility: Selenium provides a rich set of tools and APIs that allow you to customize and extend your test cases. You can design comprehensive tests that cover various scenarios, adapting them to your project requirements.
- Integration and Scalability: Selenium seamlessly integrates with popular testing frameworks and continuous integration tools, enabling smooth integration into your development workflow. It offers scalability to handle both small-scale and large-scale testing projects effectively.
Trincentis Testim
- Low-Code Tool with a Modern Interface: Testim offers a low-code approach with an intuitive user interface (UI). This makes it easier for both technical and non-technical users to work with the tool effectively.
- Chrome-Based Extension for Test Creation: Tests are primarily created using Chrome-based extensions that record user actions. This allows testers to capture and replicate real user interactions easily.
- Visual Editor for Test Editing: Testim provides a visual editor where you can edit and rearrange test steps according to your requirements. This flexibility enables testers to customize their tests for optimal coverage.
- Reusable Groups for Test Efficiency: Testim allows the creation of reusable groups, which can be shared across multiple tests. This promotes efficiency and reduces redundancy in test creation.
- Integration with Continuous Integration (CI) Systems: Testim seamlessly integrates with major CI systems, allowing you to initiate cross-browser testing either through the built-in scheduler or as part of CI actions. This integration streamlines the testing process and ensures compatibility across different browsers.
Autify
- Reliable Cross-Browser Testing: Autify provides a stable platform for developers, testers, and designers to create automated tests for websites and applications. These tests can be executed in real-time across multiple browsers simultaneously, allowing for the identification of compatibility issues.
- Automated Error Detection: Autify incorporates powerful AI algorithms that excel in detecting errors in product designs. By taking snapshots of the website under different browsers, Autify compares them to identify any differences. This helps catch layout issues, response times, load times, and errors, ensuring a smooth user experience.
- Integration with Popular Tools: Autify offers seamless integration with various popular tools, including Slack, Bitrise, GitHub, CircleCI, and Jenkins. This facilitates smooth collaboration and allows teams to incorporate cross-browser testing seamlessly into their existing workflows.
- Visual and Cognitive Testing: Autify supports visual and cognitive testing, enabling users to assess the appearance, layout, and behavior of their websites across different browsers. This ensures that the visual elements and user interactions are consistent and functioning as intended.
- Free Trial and User-Friendly Experience: Autify offers a 14-day free trial, allowing users to explore its features and benefits before committing. The tool also provides a user-friendly experience, making it easier for teams to quickly create automated tests and detect errors without extensive technical expertise.
Mabl
- Cross-Browser Test Automation: Mabl is designed to simplify cross-browser testing. It allows users to automate tests across multiple browsers, ensuring consistent functionality and appearance for websites and applications.
- Comprehensive Test Output Visualization: Mabl provides excellent test output visualization, making it easy for users to analyze test results and identify any issues or errors. This visual representation helps teams understand the status of their tests and prioritize necessary fixes.
- Performance Regression Tracking: With Mabl, users can track the performance regression of websites and applications. It monitors the speed and other response metrics, allowing teams to identify any performance-related issues and ensure optimal user experience.
- Network Spike and Platform Performance Monitoring: Mabl includes a browser plug-in that keeps track of network spikes and monitors the performance of various platforms. This helps identify any potential bottlenecks or performance issues that may impact the overall user experience.
- Seamless Integration with Popular Platforms: Mabl integrates smoothly with popular platforms such as Jenkins, Slack, Bamboo, and Azure DevOps. This allows teams to incorporate Mabl into their existing development and testing workflows, enhancing collaboration and streamlining the testing process.
TestGrid
- Local and Privately Hosted Website Testing: TestGrid allows you to test websites that are hosted locally or privately, ensuring a smooth and error-free launch.
- Comprehensive Support for Latest Services: TestGrid keeps up with the latest technologies and services in 2023, providing extensive support to meet the evolving needs of testers and developers.
- No-Code Automation: TestGrid simplifies test automation by offering a user-friendly interface that doesn’t require extensive coding knowledge. It generates code for popular automation frameworks like Selenium and Appium.
- Performance Testing and Bug Detection: With TestGrid, you can conduct performance testing to assess and improve the performance of your website across different browsers. It helps in detecting and resolving bugs to deliver a seamless user experience.
- Seamless Integration and Continuous Testing: TestGrid seamlessly integrates with popular project management and collaboration tools such as JIRA, Slack, and Asana. It also supports integration with your preferred CI/CD tools, allowing you to incorporate continuous testing throughout your development process.
Browserling
- Web-Based Application: Browserling is a web-based tool, eliminating the need for installing any additional software or applications. You can access it directly through your browser, making it convenient and hassle-free.
- User-Friendly Interface: With its simple and clean interface, Browserling is incredibly easy to use. The intuitive design ensures a smooth testing experience, allowing front-end testing to be conducted effortlessly.
- Ideal for Start-ups and Freelancers: Browserling is highly regarded as one of the best browser testing tools for start-ups and freelance website developers. Its affordability and effectiveness make it a popular choice for those looking to test their websites across different browsers.
- Live Testing with Installed Browsers: Browserling offers live testing functionality, enabling software developers and testers to test their websites and applications within different browsers installed on their computers. This allows for accurate and real-time testing.
- Responsive Testing and Screenshots: Browserling allows you to test the responsiveness of your websites, ensuring they adapt well to different devices and screen sizes. It also provides the ability to take screenshots, making it easy to share results and collaborate with your team virtually.
Conclusion
Cross-browser testing is crucial if you want to ensure the compatibility of your newly designed website or application across different browsers. It simplifies the testing process and saves you from the hassle of manual testing. With the advancements in AI and automation, cross-browser testing has become more efficient and reliable. Numerous cross-browser testing tools are available online, so choosing the right tool that aligns with your specific requirements is essential. Take the time to evaluate the features of different tools and select the one that best suits your needs. Doing so can ensure a smooth browsing experience for your users across various browsers.