The Best Software Testing Tools Compared

Software Testing Tools Definition: What are Software Testing Tools?

Software testing tools (SW testing tools) are used to ensure that software products function as intended or look as expected. They are primarily used by software developers, specialized testers and quality assurance teams.

These applications focus on a specific testing purpose or combine tools for different testing requirements. They can be used throughout the entire software development cycle to check all details of a program: from individual code units to modules to entire software applications.

By using effective software test programs, you can ensure that the applications you develop meet all relevant specifications and requirements, provide an excellent user experience and/or do not carry any serious operational risks.

Why should companies perform testing with software tools?

Different software has long been used to control industrial processes and other operational procedures and to make them more efficient. With the triumph of the personal computer, software helpers increasingly penetrated the private sector. Today, "everyone" has a smartphone in their pocket, which can contain software that provides some support for almost any everyday phase. The software market continues to grow and the programs are becoming more complex.

In the past, applications had to be completely manually tested before use. Even then, this was associated with a considerable amount of effort. Today, purely manual testing is unthinkable. Tests with and by real people are still extremely important. However, it is practically impossible to inspect every detail of a modern application, which consists of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or even more lines of code, by hand.

Software testing tools reliably and highly efficiently provide the solution here. They are an important economic factor for development companies. A properly tested software product guarantees reliability, safety and high performance, which in turn leads to time savings, cost efficiency and customer satisfaction, among other things.

First and foremost, testing tools naturally ensure that programs work correctly. The more complex the applications become and the more - possibly critical - tasks they have to perform, the more difficult this task becomes and the more important its successful completion is. After all, if software has errors that do not become obvious at an early stage, it can become very expensive or even dangerous for developer companies or their customers.

Software errors can cause tremendous financial and even human losses. The following are some of the most devastating past examples:

• In April 2015, the Bloomberg Terminal in London crashed due to a software error, affecting more than 300,000 traders in the financial markets. The government was forced to delay a £3 billion debt sale.
• Nissan recalled more than one million vehicles due to a software fault in the airbag sensor systems. Two accidents were reported that were traced back to this error.
• Starbucks was forced to close about 60 percent of its stores in the U.S. and Canada because of a software error in its cash register system. In one store, there was even free coffee because transactions couldn't be processed.
• Some of Amazon's third-party sellers had to find that their product prices were drastically reduced due to a software error. They had to take high losses.
• On April 26, 1994, a China Airlines Airbus A300 crashed due to a software error, killing 264 people.
• In May 1996, a software error resulted in $920 million being credited to the bank accounts of 823 customers of a large U.S. bank.

How do tests with software tools work?

How software testing tools work depends first and foremost on their basic area of application. At the base, there are testing tools for functional and non-functional tests.

Functional tests refer to the review of the execution of individual features of software or their work as a whole in view of the project requirements. This testing primarily takes place in the backend. Non-functional tests assess the performance, user-friendliness, reliability and/or security of programs. The focus here is less on the technology itself and more on the end-user experience in the frontend.

The following types of software testing tools or corresponding functions are particularly common.

• Unit Testing Tools: Unit testing tools help ensure that individual modules or code units function as intended. Unit tests are the most basic element of software testing.
• Integration Testing Tools: Integration testing tools are designed to find errors that occur when different modules or programs are combined.
• Regression Testing: Regression testing determines whether new code or features added to the software impair existing functionality.
• Performance Testing Tools: Performance testing tools, also known as load testing, evaluate the performance of software under various loads. Here, scaling for more users and larger amounts of data is often simulated.
• Bug Tracking Tools: Bug tracking tools help in finding bugs in the testing phase and in recording bug fixes.
• Automated Testing Tools: Automated software testing tools assist in preparing and conducting automated tests and in tracking and submitting the results. They can fall into the category of functional as well as non-functional tests.
• Cross-Browser Testing Tools: Cross-browser testing tools evaluate how well an application works in different browsers, devices and/or on different platforms.
• Security Testing Tools: Security testing tools look for vulnerabilities in software that could be exploited by criminals.
• UI Testing Tools: UI testing tools assess the user interface of a software to ensure that it provides an excellent experience.

Automated software testing tools vs. manual SW testing tools Software testing can be completely automated or manually performed. However, "manual testing" does not mean that no testing software is used. Here, software testers also carry out test cases in special programs or using frameworks, but they do not use automation tools. With automated tests, the testers usually write scripts that are then run automatically. Both methods of software testing have their own advantages and typically find different types of errors.

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Software Testing Tools?

Software testing tools are very important helpers for any kind of developer company. By using such tools, respective companies can centrally benefit from enormous efficiency, more customer satisfaction, increased security and significant cost savings.

• Efficiency: Software must function reliably and offer good usability before it can go on the market. Otherwise, they fail their intended purpose, possibly even pose dangers and/or are not used willingly. They can ultimately not be successfully marketed. Polished software tests can prevent such negative developments. To perform corresponding checks completely manually would cost a lot of time and money. On the other hand, with software testing tools or automated testing tools, it is efficient all round.
• Quality Assurance: Nobody likes to encounter functional problems in their software - especially not in a program for which perhaps a lot of money was spent. Software test tools help to minimize these problems. Customers get ideally comprehensively optimally functioning solutions.
• Customer Satisfaction: The stability of software contributes significantly to attracting and retaining customers. The more reliably a program works, the more likely it is that buyers will come back and even recommend the products of the respective brand. Software test software helps companies to develop quality programs that turn customers into repeat buyers and even into true advocates of their brand.
• Cost Savings: Hotfixes and prompt software updates after the release of a product are costly in terms of both working hours and resource requirements. Software testing tools help to minimize the need for reworking, so that teams can concentrate on new projects instead of correcting old ones. It is also very cost-effective that developers can carry out initial checks relatively quickly and easily in the individual phases of the development process using specific testing tools.
• Improved Safety: Especially with software that supports critical processes or works with sensitive data, it can become downright dangerous if it does not work correctly. In the worst case, large sums of money or even human lives are at stake. The same applies to susceptibility to cybercrime. This constitutes a significant threat to large and small companies - and software vulnerabilities are a key target for such criminals. Software test tools ensure that applications are free from functional or security-related errors that could be dangerous to capital and/or people.

Despite these clear advantages, software testing tools can also have certain disadvantages or cause problems. The most common difficulties are summarized below.

• Unrealistic expectations of the tool: Unrealistic expectations form one of the biggest problems in the use of testing tools. This applies not only to software testing, but also in the area of web testing tools or web application testing tools. The tools are and remain just programs. They are not self-runners and need to be operated correctly to achieve good successes. It is important that interested parties and eventual purchasers have a clear view of what such a tool can and cannot do. Otherwise, a lot of money might be wasted.
• Underestimation of the efforts for introduction: The introduction of new software is always a challenge. After purchasing a testing tool, it should ideally be used by relevant employees as quickly as possible. But even experienced professionals usually have certain problems. New applications bring new or changed processes. It can take some time until everything runs smoothly, during which the team might not function as usual and work pile up. This should definitely be kept in mind by buyers of such software.
• Processes depend (too) much on testing tools: Since the use of software testing tools can ensure that errors are reliably found, developers start relying heavily on the technical helpers. This can mean that in the end more needs to be reworked than would be the case without the tool. A high-quality testing tool can do a lot, but can never replace the human intelligence that is necessary for planning and developing programs from scratch. If work is only done for the tool and in the end it assesses whether the tasks and the product have been successfully done (because the result works), the quality suffers. Comprehensive, high-quality software solutions can only be guaranteed by motivated, thinking and comprehensively looking at the development process developers.

Find the Top Testing Tools: How do you choose a suitable software testing tool?

The mere number of variations or areas of application that software testing tools can have leaves no doubt that choosing the right solution is a certain challenge. Of course, one should first look at the basic need and then research in the relevant segment. It can be very helpful to keep the following look-out-fors in mind.

• The skills to use the tool optimally: The use of testing tools, especially that of automated code testing tools, can be technically very complex. Especially with open source software, testers must have sufficient programming skills to write and execute, for example, test scripts. Test tools that do not require coding for operation are an alternative. But they often also prove to be more expensive and less powerful.
• The budget for the testing tool: Testing tools can – especially if they take a lot of work off the user's hands - be quite expensive. In the long run they should always offer a positive ROI. This should be kept in mind when budgeting.
• The necessary features: The requirements do differ from team to team or from application focus to application focus. However, there are some key factors you should always consider when choosing a suitable tool. These include the supported platforms, the types of applications to be tested, the relevant programming languages, the integration functions and the reporting functionality.
• The ability to integrate: Like most modern business software, testing tools are usually part of a larger process – in this case, software development. To achieve maximum benefit here, they need to work with other process-critical programs. As a result, when choosing a test tool for software, you should ensure that it fits optimally into the perhaps established program architecture.
• The question of technical support: Paid tools or their developer companies should provide their customers with prompt support for all technical questions. As with all other software-supported processes, questions and problems always arise during software testing. Some of these can only be solved by a professional. You should inform yourself whether a quick, uncomplicated and ideally free support is guaranteed. Open source software usually does not offer customer service. Here, you should look for a large and active user community that offers help.

What do test tools for software cost?

Open source software testing tools can usually be used completely free of charge. They are the first choice for many testers with programming skills, as they are freely accessible and can be flexibly adapted to advanced test cases.

Paid tools are usually distributed through subscriptions. Users must purchase a license to use the respective software. Compared to open source software, this type of tool usually has more pre-configured features and a customer service. Corresponding solutions are available in a very wide price range - depending on the range of functions - between about ten and 500 euros monthly or even beyond.

Custom frameworks are used when individual open source software or a commercial test tool does not meet the respective requirements. The tailor-made software, depending on the application area and functionality, can quickly become very expensive. Five-figure amounts are not uncommon here. However, in most testing contexts, an open-source software or a paid tool "off the shelf" does the job very confidently.