TestComplete vs Selenium

TestComplete vs Selenium – Which One Should You Choose?

It is seen that a lot of Quality Assurance professionals are relying heavily on Automated testing software so as to reduce the risk of human error in complex and repetitive tasks. While technology hasn’t really eradicated the use of human effort completely, it is an interesting fact to notice how well this software has been integrated into a system.
There are only a handful of performance testing software suites such as Selenium that can boast of its huge support community or successful open source platform. Intuitive design, cross-browser application, and acceptance of multiple scripting languages certainly make it look like the ideal choice for a budding software engineer. TestComplete automation tool is another intuitive performance testing software that offers almost everything that Selenium has, even more.
Choosing the correct testing software tool is crucial and it could affect the overall performance of your company. Even though both the software are similar, there are certain inconsistencies that may prove critical and that is exactly what this article is going to be about.

Comparison of TestComplete vs Selenium

If you have already made your decision in choosing an automated testing software instead of manual testing, have a look at our automation tool comparison between TestComplete vs Selenium before diving deep into the specifics.

 Feature-based comparison

TestComplete Vs Selenium In-Depth Comparision

Selenium is the most classic automation testing choice with an open source platform and cross-platform compatibility. One of the best features of Selenium is the Selenium IDE a prototyping plug-in that can be used to record your testings and use it for future reference. The TestComplete tool can compile codeless tests for applications based on the web as well as desktop & mobile applications with minimum skills.
Both the software testing tools have its pros and cons which we will be discussing in the following section.

Pros of Using Selenium

• Since its inception in early 2004, Selenium has received huge support and its community is forever growing. You will find numerous blogs and forums on every problem you face.
• One of the biggest features offered by Selenium is the cross-browser compatibility. Along with that, it supports scripting in several programming languages.
• One can perform simultaneous tests on a single machine at a time. It also allows you to run several tests on several browsers on several machines at a time, hence significantly reducing Testing time and increasing efficiency.
• Apium is an open source tool that has the same API of Selenium web driver. You can use your Selenium skills along with Apium to perform tests on mobile applications.
• With Selenium, you can be certain about the efficiency of running any browser application as intended.
• Selenium has paved a better path for Quality Assurance as it takes out the manual methods.

Cons of Using Selenium

• Selenium will need a professional engineer who is technically sound to write its web driver scripts. The learning curve is steep and hence the software cannot be entrusted to less skilled people in your team.
• A major drawback with Selenium looking at TestComplete vs Selenium is that it does not check if the images are displayed or not. One has to check them manually.
• For Selenium to run efficiently it needs to connect with several third-party frameworks from the beginning itself.
• There are sometimes minor issues with testing and seldom slow performance testing happens due to the use of Java.

Pros of Using TestComplete

• Unlike Selenium, TestComplete tool is comparatively easier to get hold of and beginners can easily learn how to use the software. This is made possible by a built-in editor that allows any programming language used to edit or modify parameters or to change test order.
• You are even allowed to customize the script manually if you are not satisfied by the editor tool.
• TestComplete automation tool is a commercial software testing tool and unlike Selenium where you have to go through hundreds of blogs to find a solution, you are empowered with timely updates and high levels of customer support and product maintenance. They have complete documentation of the product to make it easier to find solutions to problems.
• One major area where Selenium lacks expertise or rather a commitment is the cross-platform testing ability. It can only perform tests for browser-based applications (and mobile applications using Apium). The TestComplete tool, on the other hand, can perform tests on browsers, Windows desktops, and mobiles.
• The Record and Playback feature is a blessing to the less technically sound members of your team as they certainly benefit using this feature.
• Project suite structures are easy to organize and group into functional tests so that they can be reused in several case Tests.

Cons of Using TestComplete

• You cannot test Mac applications. Even if you want to test iOS applications on a Mac device you will have to use a virtualizing software. Alternatively, you can still use Windows to test iOS applications.
• In order to make some tests run on several browsers, one has to manually change some of the TestComplete tool features.
• The values added in the Environment Manager are sometimes not retained.
• Other minor discomforts are defects in dynamic web applications, dropdowns not captured correctly and, no accessibility defined for Xpaths.

The EndNote

Now that we’ve been through the major differences and the pros & cons of TestComplete vs Selenium, we hope that we were successful in clearing the picture of exactly what you wanted. Selenium has a lot of competitors in the industry still it is considered as one of the best in the business. You can even choose Selenium IDE if you possess less programming knowledge and just want a prototyping tool. When you ignore the cost and get past it, TestComplete automation tool has the potential to be the favorite choice of your less skilled employees. You just have to know the essentials and choose the right product.

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