{"id":334,"date":"2023-08-11T22:10:48","date_gmt":"2023-08-11T22:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rainforestqa.com\/automated-front-end-testing\/"},"modified":"2025-03-17T19:02:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T19:02:44","slug":"automated-front-end-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automated-front-end-testing","title":{"rendered":"The top 9 tools for automated front-end testing in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Front-end testing is a form of black box software testing in that it requires no behind-the-scenes understanding of how a software application works. It\u2019s solely concerned with evaluating the user experience of an app.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A <\/strong><strong>front-end test<\/strong><strong> is only effective if it tests both the functionality <\/strong><strong><em>and<\/em><\/strong><strong> visual appearance of an app, <\/strong>where \u201cappearance\u201d includes things like the layout of a page and the size, shape, color, and legibility of visual elements like buttons, form fields, and text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s why: even if an app is functioning properly, end-users won\u2019t be able to interact with it if visual elements are misconfigured or obscured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, even if clicking on a button produces the expected results (i.e., correct functionality), a user won\u2019t be able to find or interact with the button if it\u2019s accidentally rendered off-screen, obscured by a popup, or mis-colored to match the background (i.e., incorrect visual appearance).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For software teams constrained by time-consuming manual testing, automating front-end testing can speed up the release process while protecting against bugs and other user experience issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The problem with most automated <\/strong><strong>front-end testing tools<\/strong><strong> is that they focus on functionality and neglect the visual appearance of the <\/strong><strong>user interface<\/strong><strong> (UI).<\/strong> By default, they don\u2019t evaluate the layout, colors, fonts, or other visual aspects of your app\u2019s UI. They require extra configuration and work to perform even rudimentary visual validation (alternatively known as \u201cvisual regression testing\u201d or \u201cUI testing\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that in mind, in this piece, I\u2019m going to list some of the most popular tools for front-end test automation and describe their respective benefits and limitations based on our team\u2019s experience with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am, of course, a bit biased because I\u2019m the most familiar with our tool, Rainforest QA. But every tool, including ours, comes with tradeoffs, and I\u2019m going to identify those tradeoffs so you can make an informed decision for your team\u2019s front-end testing needs.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"highlight-block_9271f6b5c3d5d80d33a367a26b81ef93\" class=\"highlight\">\r\n    <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/talk-to-sales\">Talk to us<\/a> about setting up a Rainforest account and see how easy it is to create automated front-end tests with no code.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automated-front-end-testing\/#The_problem_with_most_automated_front-end_testing_tools\" >The problem with most automated front-end testing tools<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automated-front-end-testing\/#Rainforest_QA\" >Rainforest QA<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automated-front-end-testing\/#Cypress\" >Cypress<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automated-front-end-testing\/#Selenium\" >Selenium<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automated-front-end-testing\/#TestComplete\" >TestComplete<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automated-front-end-testing\/#Katalon\" >Katalon<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automated-front-end-testing\/#Ranorex_Studio\" >Ranorex Studio<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automated-front-end-testing\/#Squish\" >Squish<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automated-front-end-testing\/#PhantomCSS\" >PhantomCSS<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automated-front-end-testing\/#Applitools\" >Applitools<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automated-front-end-testing\/#Choosing_the_right_automated_front-end_testing_tool_for_your_specific_needs\" >Choosing the right automated front-end testing tool for your specific needs&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_problem_with_most_automated_front-end_testing_tools\"><\/span><strong>The problem with most automated <\/strong><strong>front-end testing tools<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Focusing on functional testing, not visual testing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite positioning themselves as solutions for front-end testing,<strong> most automated testing tools are primarily designed to test functionality, not visual appearance. <\/strong>By default, they interact with the HTML, CSS and other code <em>behind<\/em> what happens on the screen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These tools use \u201clocators\u201d like an element ID, XPath, or CSS class to identify and interact with elements in an app. As long as a locator is found and its corresponding element is functional, test steps referencing that locator will pass \u2014 regardless of the visual appearance of the UI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These tools <em>can <\/em>make visual validations, but they don\u2019t happen by default. <strong>All of these tools require taking extra steps for each one of the elements or screens you want to visually validate.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ranorex-add-visual-validation-step-c.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ranorex-add-visual-validation-step-c.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1583\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Adding visual validation of a single app element in Ranorex Studio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of these tools \u2014 like Cypress and Selenium \u2014 don\u2019t even include the functionality to evaluate the visual layer of an app\u2019s UI. They require installation and configuration of 3rd-party add-ons. Once you\u2019ve installed one of these add-ons (like Applitools, covered at the end of this post), you <em>still<\/em> need to code extra steps every time you want to do a visual validation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another issue is that even a slight change to an element\u2019s locator (e.g., changing the name of an element ID as a result of feature updates) can cause the corresponding tests to fail <em>even if the functionality and visual appearance of the element remains changed. <\/em>This brittleness <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/QualityAssurance\/comments\/kyxdtr\/senior_and_qa_leaders_how_do_you_manage_the\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">is common<\/a> to test methods using locators and requires time-consuming test maintenance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>These limitations are particularly painful for startups who want to ship code, fast, and don\u2019t have the time and resources to learn and operate complex tools.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rainforest_QA\"><\/span><strong>Rainforest QA<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-1\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-1\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-1\"><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rainforest-logo-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"40\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1574\" \/><\/center><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><center><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><center><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\u2705 Functional and visual regression testing by default<br \/>\n\u2705 AI-powered image testing \u2014 ignores small differences that a person wouldn&#8217;t notice or care about<br \/>\n\u2705 No-code and intuitive \u2014 get started right away with no training or special skills<br \/>\n\u2705 AI-accelerated test maintenance \u2014 the AI automatically updates tests to reflect intended changes to your app<br \/>\n\u2705 All-in-one  \u2014 everything you need, including cloud-based virtual machines to run tests<br \/>\n\u2705 Can test anything that appears on screen, inside or outside the browser<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\u274c No automated testing of native mobile apps <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<p>Rainforest QA is an all-in-one, no-code platform for front-end test automation. <strong>It\u2019s<\/strong> <strong>the only tool that tests both the appearance and functionality of your app\u2019s front end, by default.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Anyone can start using Rainforest right away without training<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cNo-code\u201d doesn\u2019t always mean \u201ceasy to use.\u201d <\/strong>Consider other test automation tools \u2014 particularly record-and-playback tools \u2014 that might not require any code when <em>creating<\/em> a test, but do require learning complex workflows and memorizing proprietary terminology and other minutiae to understand and edit tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This makes many tools daunting and\/or impractical for startup teams who want to adopt automated testing. We want Rainforest to be the easiest upgrade path to automated testing when your team is ready to start replacing manual testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>That\u2019s why we\u2019ve designed Rainforest to be both no-code <\/strong><strong><em>and <\/em><\/strong><strong>intuitive, so anyone can start using it right away without any special skills or training.<\/strong> With Rainforest, you don\u2019t need to hire any expensive, specialized headcount to start implementing test automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Creating a typical test step consists of selecting an action (e.g., <em>click<\/em>, <em>fill<\/em>, or <em>scroll<\/em>) and then drawing a box around the visual aspect of your app (e.g., a button, form field, or text) to receive that action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/add-a-step-click-a-button-webflow-aug-11-23.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"617\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/add-a-step-click-a-button-webflow-aug-11-23.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1586\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Creating a test step in Rainforest takes just a few seconds. Rainforest previews a live version of your web app running on a Windows 10 virtual machine. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Test steps are in plain English, so they\u2019re easy to interpret and update.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"728\" height=\"722\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rainforest-steps-in-plain-english.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1820\" style=\"width:500px;height:undefinedpx\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rainforest-steps-in-plain-english.jpg 728w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rainforest-steps-in-plain-english-300x298.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rainforest-steps-in-plain-english-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Functional and visual validation by default<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike other automated testing tools, Rainforest never looks at any code to test your app \u2014 <strong>its proprietary automation locates elements on the screen based on visual appearance, just like a <\/strong><strong>real user<\/strong><strong> would.<\/strong> It also interacts with elements on the screen via the UI, just like a real user would.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Almost every step in an automated Rainforest test performs true front-end testing, by default.<\/strong> It gives you the confidence that your app\u2019s functionality and UI are <em>both<\/em> working as expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/test-results-video-webflow-signup-aut-11-23.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"617\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/test-results-video-webflow-signup-aut-11-23.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1587\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A recording of an automated Rainforest test creating an account in Webflow. Rainforest interacts with the UI of your app just like a real user would.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the unique benefits of a software testing approach that identifies elements based on appearance rather than locators is that <strong>Rainforest can identify and interact with anything that appears on a screen. <\/strong>While it specializes in web application testing, it\u2019s not just limited to testing one type of app at a time like locator-based tools are.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That means Rainforest can interact with web apps, web browser controls, desktop apps, files saved to the system, and more. That makes it useful for testing scenarios that most other test automation solutions can\u2019t handle. For example, Rainforest can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>download a file from a website, open the file from the computer\u2019s file system, and verify the file\u2019s contents;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>install a browser extension and interact with the extension in the browser\u2019s toolbar; or<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>download a desktop app from a website, install the app, and interact with the app.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/test-anywhere-on-screen-install-brave-aug-11-23.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"585\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/test-anywhere-on-screen-install-brave-aug-11-23.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1588\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A recording of a Rainforest test downloading and installing Brave browser. Rainforest can interact with anything that appears on the screen of one of its Windows 10 virtual machines. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Please note: Rainforest is optimized for automated testing of web apps, not native mobile apps, so if the latter is your use case, you\u2019re better off with one of the other specialized tools on this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Intelligent image matching powered by AI<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re writing tests in Rainforest, you can indicate whether you\u2019d like the automation to look for exact image matches when running tests, or to use the default, AI-powered <a href=\"https:\/\/help.rainforestqa.com\/docs\/image-matching-mode-choices-in-the-visual-editor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Intelligent matching mode<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During test execution, Intelligent mode will ignore small differences between the image it\u2019s looking for and what it finds on the screen \u2014 small differences that a human tester wouldn\u2019t notice or care about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This approach helps avoid test brittleness and needless test maintenance that\u2019d otherwise arise when your team inevitably makes minor adjustments to the UI of your app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/intelligent-mode-examples.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"741\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/intelligent-mode-examples-1024x741.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/intelligent-mode-examples-1024x741.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/intelligent-mode-examples-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/intelligent-mode-examples-768x556.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/intelligent-mode-examples.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rainforest&#8217;s Intelligent mode will ignore minor image differences that a human wouldn&#8217;t notice or care about. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Rainforest is an all-in-one platform<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For many automated testing tools (including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/free-test-automation-tools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">open source testing solutions<\/a> like Selenium and the non-cloud version of Cypress), if you want to run tests on anything other than your local machine, you\u2019ll need to separately provision the necessary hardware. (Which is why \u201ctesting grids\u201d like BrowserStack and SauceLabs exist.) Selenium doesn\u2019t even include a way to report on test results without adding extensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>By default, Rainforest includes everything you need to implement automated <\/strong><strong>front-end testing<\/strong><strong> without provisioning any other products or services.<\/strong> It includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A proprietary no-code automation framework for creating and maintaining end-to-end tests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A cloud of virtual machines (VMs) running multiple versions of Microsoft Windows, macOS, and the most popular browsers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Test results featuring video recordings, plain-English test steps for easily reproducing bugs, HTTP logs, and browser logs for debugging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Integrations with email, Slack, and MS Teams for notifications and with JIRA for automatically generating tickets for bugs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Test scheduling plus an API, CLI, CircleCI Orb, and GitHub Action for integrating with any release process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div id=\"highlight-block_2a5bf9b819e66102c2038114c26ea7e7\" class=\"highlight\">\r\n    <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/talk-to-sales\">Talk to us<\/a> about getting a demo of Rainforest QA on your web app.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cypress\"><\/span><strong>Cypress<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-6\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-6\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-1\"><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/cypress-logo-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"175\" height=\"71\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1556\" \/><\/center><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><center><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><center><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\u2705 Designed for front-end developers \u2014 tests are coded in JavaScript<br \/>\n\u2705 Runs tests as fast as a browser can render<br \/>\n\u2705 Modify testing conditions with control over server, API, and network responses<br \/>\n\u2705 Has native access to web apps \u2014 no need to set arbitrary waits for elements to appear<br \/>\n\u2705 Offers both an open source version and a free premium plan<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\u274c Requires JavaScript coding skills to use \u2014 low-code options are limited<br \/>\n\u274c Requires a plugin to do visual verifications<br \/>\n\u274c Only tests within Firefox and Chromium browsers<br \/>\n\u274c Doesn\u2019t support running tests in multiple browsers or browser tabs<br \/>\n\u274c\u00a0Doesn\u2019t support conditional testing, except for 100% server-side rendered apps<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<p>Cypress is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/web-application-automated-testing-tools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">test automation framework designed for web app testing<\/a>. If you\u2019re interested in front-end testing of desktop or native mobile applications, it\u2019s not the solution for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s popular among front-end developers who have to maintain automated web tests because its test scripts are written in JavaScript and run really fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because creating, maintaining, and running Cypress test scripts requires coding, it\u2019s not a good option for teams who don\u2019t want (expensive) developers and\/or QA engineers managing the automated test suite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Cypress<\/strong><strong> is a <\/strong><strong>functional testing tool<\/strong><strong>, so it doesn\u2019t natively support <\/strong><strong>visual regression testing<\/strong><strong>. <\/strong>It requires an open-source plugin or a premium add-on like Applitools to validate the visual appearance of app interfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-call-added-to-cypress-script.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"601\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-call-added-to-cypress-script-1024x601.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1590\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-call-added-to-cypress-script-1024x601.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-call-added-to-cypress-script-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-call-added-to-cypress-script-768x451.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-call-added-to-cypress-script.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Calls to Applitools added to a Cypress test script<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of the add-on you choose, you have to add code to your Cypress tests every time you want to verify the appearance of an app screen or element.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cypress has another couple of notable limitations worth mentioning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For cross-browser testing, it only supports Firefox and Chromium browsers like Chrome and Edge. It won\u2019t run tests on Safari or Internet Explorer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It doesn\u2019t support tests that run across multiple browsers or browser tabs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Selenium\"><\/span><strong>Selenium<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-5\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-5\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-1\"><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Selenium_logo-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"49\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1550\" \/><\/center><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><center><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><center><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\u2705\u00a0Supports all the major browsers<br \/>\n\u2705 It\u2019s open source, so there are many add-ons to extend its functionality<br \/>\n\u2705 Is powerful enough to handle most test cases<br \/>\n\u2705 Can handle conditional operations, like if-then-else<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\u274c Need to know a programming language to create and maintain anything but simple tests<br \/>\n\u274c With power comes complexity \u2014 writing and maintaining tests is time-consuming<br \/>\n\u274c Doesn\u2019t include test reporting, management, or infrastructure without configuring add-ons<br \/>\n\u274c Requires a plugin to do visual verifications<br \/>\n\u274c Tests tend to be flaky due to mis-timed events and changes to element locators<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<p>Selenium is an open source testing framework that automates browsers. It supports automation of all the popular browsers and its tests can be scripted in popular languages like Java, C#, PHP, Python, Perl, and Ruby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s free to use but comes with the not-so-hidden cost of hiring QA engineers to maintain your Selenium test suite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure, there\u2019s a Selenium component, Selenium IDE, that can record a user\u2019s actions in a web browser to create a Selenium test script without coding. But Selenium IDE is only useful for creating rather simple tests. So if you\u2019re interested in advanced codeless options for creating Selenium Webdriver tests, many other test automation tools \u2014 including Katalon and Ranorex Studio from this list \u2014 are built on top of Selenium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Like <\/strong><strong>Cypress<\/strong><strong>, <\/strong><strong>Selenium<\/strong><strong> doesn\u2019t offer out-of-the-box <\/strong><strong>visual regression testing<\/strong><strong>.<\/strong> It\u2019s only job is to automate browsers. For everything else, you need to add and configure a plugin or add-on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Selenium is a powerful tool \u2014 given the right combination of plugins and programming, it can handle most test cases, including conditional situations that require \u201cif, then\u201d logic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But with power comes complexity. Selenium doesn\u2019t just require programming skills to use \u2014 it\u2019s notorious for how much time is required to create and maintain test scripts. <strong>It can be a good fit for larger organizations with complex products and QA engineering teams, but it\u2019s a terrible fit for scrappy, fast-moving startups.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"TestComplete\"><\/span><strong>TestComplete<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-8\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-8\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-1\"><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/testcomplete-logo-small.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"37\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1565\" \/><\/center><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><center><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><center><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\u2705 Can test web, Windows desktop, and native mobile apps<br \/>\n\u2705 Can identify app elements based on locators, text content (via OCR), or visual appearance<br \/>\n\u2705 Offers a 14-day free trial<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\u274c The UI is complex and requires training and familiarity to use<br \/>\n\u274c Visual validation tests only pass exact matches, so tests are brittle<br \/>\n\u274c Doesn\u2019t include testing infrastructure \u2014 you provision the hardware and\/or virtual machines<br \/>\n\u274c Starts at $3,046 to test one type of app (web, desktop, or mobile) on more than one physical machine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<p>TestComplete is one of a number of \u201crecord and replay\u201d (or \u201crecord and playback\u201d) test automation tools on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Its central feature is a desktop application that can record a user\u2019s interactions with an app and turn those interactions into a test script. Alternatively, technical users can script tests using one of the supported programming languages: JavaScript, Python, VBScript, Jscript, DelphiScript, C#, or C+.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>TestComplete is an example of a \u201clow-code\u201d tool that combines no-code and code-first options. TestComplete and other low-code, record-and-replay tools present themselves as solutions for both technical and non-technical users who want to create automated tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But these record-and-replay tools tend to have complex functionality and user interfaces that require meaningful training and trial-and-error to use successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, <strong>TestComplete is among the most complex and difficult record-and-replay tools to learn.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/testcomplete-ui.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"527\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/testcomplete-ui-1024x527.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1591\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/testcomplete-ui-1024x527.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/testcomplete-ui-300x154.png 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/testcomplete-ui-768x395.png 768w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/testcomplete-ui-1536x790.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/testcomplete-ui.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For example,<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/support.smartbear.com\/testcomplete\/docs\/testing-with\/object-identification\/image-based\/tutorial.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>check out the many, unintuitive steps required<\/strong><\/a><strong> to do a single visual validation within a TestComplete test.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you\u2019ll see in these steps, TestComplete doesn\u2019t do visual validations by default. Nor do the other recording tools. <strong>Every time you want to verify the appearance of your app\u2019s UI, you have to go through the process of setting up a checkpoint.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The complexity of steps involved in setting up a checkpoint varies by tool. Regardless, it\u2019s additional, time-consuming work required for front-end testing with these tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In TestComplete, the algorithm for testing for visual regressions isn&#8217;t sophisticated:<\/strong> it compares an image of your app\u2019s UI captured during a test against a baseline image set previously by a user. If the images don\u2019t exactly match \u2014 pixel-for-pixel \u2014 the test step will fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Which means your team will spend more time than necessary investigating test failures and going through the (complex) steps of updating baseline images in your test suit.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Katalon\"><\/span><strong>Katalon<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-9\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-9\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-1\"><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/katalon-logo-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"47\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1568\" \/><\/center><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><center><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><center><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\u2705 Can test web, Windows desktop, and native mobile apps<br \/>\n\u2705 Performs both end-to-end and API testing<br \/>\n\u2705 Flexible visual validation based on pixels (exact match), layout, or text content<br \/>\n\u2705 Offers a free trial and a free plan (limited to one local machine)<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\u274c The UI is complex and requires training and familiarity to use<br \/>\n\u274c Pay extra to get features like cloud-based testing infrastructure, CI\/CD integration, test scheduling, parallel testing, and advanced test results<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<p>Katalon, like TestComplete, is a low-code, record-and-replay test automation tool. It\u2019s somewhat complex (though not as much as TestComplete) and requires the creation of checkpoints every time you want to validate the appearance of your app\u2019s UI in your front-end tests. Technical users can script tests in Groovy or JAVA and can perform API testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/katalon-ui-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/katalon-ui-1024x550.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1592\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/katalon-ui-1024x550.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/katalon-ui-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/katalon-ui-768x412.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/katalon-ui-1536x824.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/katalon-ui-2048x1099.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/katalon-ui-scaled.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Unlike TestComplete, Katalon offers image-matching algorithms that can accommodate expected or minor changes in your app\u2019s UI.<\/strong> While setting up checkpoints to validate visuals still requires configuration, these flexible image-matching algorithms will\u200c help you avoid wasting time on \u201cfalse positive\u201d failed tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Specifically, you can set Katalon to validate visuals based on exact (pixel-for-pixel) match, layout match, or just text (content) match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>One of the downsides particular to Katalon is that it\u2019s a bit like an airline: it\u2019ll charge you for every non-essential feature.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to add Katalon tests to your CI\/CD pipeline? Pay extra. Want to schedule your tests or run them in parallel? Pay extra. Want to run your tests on Katalon\u2019s cloud of devices instead of having to provision your own devices? Extra!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ranorex_Studio\"><\/span><strong>Ranorex Studio<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-7\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-7\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-1\"><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ranorex-logo-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"57\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1559\" \/><\/center><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><center><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><center><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\u2705 Can test web, Windows desktop, and native mobile apps<br \/>\n\u2705 Offers a free trial<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\u274c The UI is complex and requires training and familiarity to use<br \/>\n\u274c Visual validation tests only pass exact matches, so tests are brittle<br \/>\n\u274c The UI is complex and requires training and familiarity to use<br \/>\n\u274c Doesn\u2019t include testing infrastructure \u2014 you provision the hardware and\/or virtual machines<br \/>\n\u274c Expensive: one license is $3,950<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<p>Ranorex is another record-and-replay tool that allows you to create test scripts with a no-code recorder or with a programming language (though it\u2019s limited to just C# and VB.NET).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like other record-and-replay solutions, Ranorex is a bit complex and requires the creation of a checkpoint in your tests every time you want to validate the appearance of your UI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ranorex-ui.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"607\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ranorex-ui-1024x607.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1593\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ranorex-ui-1024x607.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ranorex-ui-300x178.png 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ranorex-ui-768x455.png 768w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ranorex-ui-1536x911.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ranorex-ui-2048x1214.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ranorex-ui.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ranorex suffers from one of the same shortcomings as TestComplete: <strong>a checkpoint that captures an image from a tested app will only pass if the image <\/strong><strong><em>exactly<\/em><\/strong><strong> matches a baseline image. <\/strong>So its image checkpoints can be quite brittle and prompt false-positive test failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Squish\"><\/span><strong>Squish<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-3\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-3\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-1\"><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/squish_logo-small.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"69\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1536\" \/><\/center><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><center><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><center><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\u2705 Can test web, Windows desktop, and native mobile apps<br \/>\n\u2705 For testers with technical skills, supports different scripting languages: Python, Perl, JavaScript, Ruby, and Tcl<br \/>\n\u2705 Offers a free trial<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\u274c Recording functionality creates test scripts in code, which require technical skills for interpretation and maintenance<br \/>\n\u274c The UI is complex and requires training and familiarity to use<br \/>\n\u274c Users can manually set the tolerance of image-matching algorithms, creating unreliable visual validation tests <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<p>Squish is the final record-and-replay tool on the list. You can create tests with its recorder or one of its supported scripting languages: Python, Perl, JavaScript, Ruby, or Tcl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike other record-and-playback tools, Squish saves recorded tests into one of its supported programming languages.<strong> You can <em>create<\/em> basic tests without using code, but interpreting or maintaining those tests requires a technical person with knowledge of the relevant language.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/squish-UI.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"544\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/squish-UI-1024x544.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/squish-UI-1024x544.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/squish-UI-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/squish-UI-768x408.png 768w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/squish-UI.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>By default, Squish is yet another record-and-playback tool that compares test images against baseline images on a pixel-for-pixel, exact-match basis. Squish knows that approach can be too strict, leading to incorrectly-failed tests when there are only slight changes to the appearance of an app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So they introduced the ability to manually set the \u201ctolerance\u201d threshold of the matching algorithm for every tested image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"805\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/squish-image-matching-tolerance.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1594\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/squish-image-matching-tolerance.png 805w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/squish-image-matching-tolerance-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/squish-image-matching-tolerance-768x418.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 805px) 100vw, 805px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Controls for adjusting the image-matching threshold in Squish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But there\u2019s no such thing as a \u201ccorrect\u201d matching threshold. <strong>Set the matching tolerance too low and Squish will incorrectly pass false matches; set it too high and Squish will incorrectly fail matches where there are barely-noticeable differences between the test and baseline images.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"PhantomCSS\"><\/span><strong>PhantomCSS<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-4\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-4\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-1\"><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/phantomcss-logo2-small.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"26\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1543\" \/><\/center><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><center><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><center><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\u2705 Free and open source<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\u274c Still available, but no longer maintained<br \/>\n\u274c Only supports JavaScript test scripting<br \/>\n\u274c Does visual regression testing, not functional testing<br \/>\n\u274c Visual validation tests only pass exact matches, so tests are brittle<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<p>PhantomCSS is unlike the other front-end testing tools on the list: <strong>it does visual validation (i.e., visual regression) testing, but no <\/strong><strong>functional testing<\/strong><strong> at all.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PhantomCSS only tests web apps. It\u2019s an open source Node.js tool that runs a headless browser to visit web pages and take screenshots of an entire page or just particular elements. PhantomCSS compares captured images against baseline images (captured during the first test run) and fails a test if the images don\u2019t 100% match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"863\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/phantomcss-code-1024x863.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1595\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/phantomcss-code-1024x863.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/phantomcss-code-300x253.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/phantomcss-code-768x648.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/phantomcss-code.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Test steps in a PhantomCSS script<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When a test fails, PhantomCSS saves screenshots highlighting the differences between the tested and baseline images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PhantomCSS will only pass a test if the tested image is identical to the baseline image.<\/strong> Even minor changes to the appearance or layout of an app will cause PhantomCSS tests to fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, it\u2019s a free, open-source tool. If you\u2019re a JavaScript developer working on a web app, it could be a straightforward solution for testing for visual regressions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Applitools\"><\/span><strong>Applitools<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-2\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-2\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-1\"><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools_logo-small.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"37\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1532\" \/><\/center><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><center><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><center><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\u2705 Adds visual validation to 20+ testing tools and frameworks<br \/>\n\u2705 Offers flexible image-matching algorithms<br \/>\n\u2705 Groups similar bugs together for easier test maintenance<br \/>\n\u2705 Offers a free plan<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\u274c Is simply an add-on \u2014 requires a separate, supported tool to run tests<br \/>\n\u274c Adding visual validation to tests requires specialized knowledge. Even in low-code tools, it&#8217;s not intuitive.<br \/>\n\u274c No self-serve paid plans \u2014 you have to talk to Sales<br \/>\n\u274c Pricing is not transparent <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike the other tools on this list, Applitools isn\u2019t an end-to-end testing solution (although Applitools Ltd. now owns Preflight, a recorder-based tool for automating web testing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Applitools is an add-on that allows other end-to-end testing tools to add visual validation steps to their tests. <\/strong>It works or integrates with over 20+ testing frameworks and tools, including a handful of the ones listed here: Selenium, Cypress, Katalon, and Ranorex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After some initial configuration, adding a call to the Applitools API in Cypress or Selenium is relatively straightforward for someone with technical skills. (Though whoever is managing your tests will need to call Applitools <em>every time<\/em> a new screen or page in your app needs to be validated).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-called-by-selenium-java.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"487\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-called-by-selenium-java-1024x487.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1596\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-called-by-selenium-java-1024x487.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-called-by-selenium-java-300x143.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-called-by-selenium-java-768x366.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-called-by-selenium-java.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Arguments added to a Selenium test written in Java to perform visual validations with Applitools<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/support.ranorex.com\/help\/latest\/interfaces-connectivity\/applitools-eyes-integration\/create-tests\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Using Applitools with Ranorex<\/strong><\/a> <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.katalon.com\/docs\/create-tests\/test-objects\/web-test-objects\/manage-web-test-objects-in-katalon-studio\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>or Katalon<\/strong><\/a><strong> doesn\u2019t require code, but it\u2019s still an unintuitive process that requires familiarity with the complexities of these tools.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a test calls Applitools, it takes a screenshot of the full page specified in the test. (With additional configuration, Applitools can also do visual validation of regions or specific elements.) Applitools compares the screenshot with a baseline image (captured during the first run of the test) and fails the test step when the images don\u2019t match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The platform is quite flexible in that you can choose from one of four different image-matching algorithms and can create masks to ignore or apply different algorithms to certain regions of the screen. One of their matching algorithms (\u201cStrict\u201d) is similar to Rainforest\u2019s Intelligent mode in that it uses AI to ignore differences that a human wouldn\u2019t notice or care about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-image-compare.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"501\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-image-compare-1024x501.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1597\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-image-compare-1024x501.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-image-compare-300x147.png 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-image-compare-768x376.png 768w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-image-compare-1536x752.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-image-compare-2048x1002.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/applitools-image-compare.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Comparing a baseline image with a test image in Applitools<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Applitools plans also include cloud-based testing grids on which to run tests from open-source testing frameworks. They add self-healing to these tests using the visual layer when locators fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Choosing_the_right_automated_front-end_testing_tool_for_your_specific_needs\"><\/span><strong>Choosing the right automated front-end testing tool for your specific needs&nbsp;<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If your team already has QA engineers on staff who have the time and resources to invest in learning complex testing tools that require additional configuration every time a screen or app element needs to be visually validated, then many of the tools on this list could suit your needs. It\u2019s just a matter of considering their respective pros and cons, including pricing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But if you\u2019re looking for an automated front-end testing solution for your fast-moving startup, you want a tool that\u2019s not going to eat up a lot of your team\u2019s time and money as you create, run, and maintain tests.<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because Rainforest is both no-code and intuitive, anyone can start using it right away. And, unlike other testing tools, it evaluates both app functionality and UI appearance <em>by default<\/em>, so you don\u2019t have to put any extra work into your testing process to validate every important visual aspect of your app. And you\u2019ll have the confidence that your app is operating as expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/talk-to-sales\">Talk to us<\/a> about setting up a plan that fits your specific QA needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most automated front-end testing tools focus on functionality and neglect the layout of the user interface.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-test-automation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2909,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334\/revisions\/2909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}