When presented with many options, we get lost. A saturated market lets everyone find their perfect tool. But it always comes after tedious typing, scrolling, reading, comparing, and staring at the wall.
To save your time and sanity and let you focus on QA services, we’ve prepared a list of the best cross-browser testing tools providing critical information only: main features and limitations. Look through each software, and if something catches your attention – explore more via links to official web pages.
BrowserStack
BrowserStack has a free trial. It lasts for 30 minutes. You can perform cross-browser testing for websites and web apps, which includes 1 minute per device. The trial also provides 100 screenshots and responsive tests.
Features
- Test on 3000+ real browsers and devices.
- Test across iPhones & iPads (iOS 3 to 16) and Google, OnePlus, Motorola, Xiaomi, Huawei, and Samsung phones & tabs (running Android 4.4 through 13.0).
- Access local dev environments.
- Purpose-built for teams.
- Cross-browser visual testing with features like team access, notifications, and comments.
- Cross-browser testing with Selenium to ensure that web apps look and function alike irrespective of the browser that it is accessed from.
- Cross-browser testing using WebdriverIO.
Limitations
- Some users have reported issues with the speed of the tool.
- The tool may not be suitable for testing complex web applications.
- Non-configurable time-out limits.
BitBar
BitBar offers a 14-day free trial.
Features
- Allows to test applications across the latest and most popular real browsers and devices.
- Provides out-of-the-box parallel execution, which can help speed up the testing process.
- Supports both Appium and Robotium.
- Offers integrations with AlertSite, Gradle, Jenkins, Slack, Zephyr, and more.
- Lets you replicate real-world scenarios by simulating network conditions, such as different levels of latency and bandwidth, to assess how an app performs in various environments.
- Enables you to compare screenshots across different devices and browsers to identify visual inconsistencies or layout issues that may arise due to rendering disparity.
Limitations
- The tool is primarily designed for native mobile app testing, not web applications.
- Occasional UI bugs.
- Dependencies can be an issue.
Virtuoso
Virtuoso also has a 14-day free trial.
Features
- Uses artificial intelligence to automate end-to-end (E2E) testing on any browser, operating system (OS), or device.
- Allows to build functional tests with natural language programming, integrated API testing, and visual regression tests to get complete, codeless, E2E test coverage.
- Provides a scalable solution that meets testing needs and aids team expansion.
- Supports different browsers (with different versions) like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, and Opera.
- Supports parallel execution.
Limitations
- Has a learning curve.
- Lacking customization (e.g., not being able to create user journeys, share checkpoints across goals, or have predefined extensions).
- Could use some UI and reporting improvements.
TestGrid
TestGrid has a freemium plan – 200 mins/month for one user.
Features
- Offers codeless and AI-powered cross-browser testing, allowing you to perform tests on a combination of over 1000 real browsers and OSs.
- Provides an integrated cross-browser testing solution, letting you test a website’s appearance on different browsers.
- Offers automation capabilities, enabling you to automate the cross-browser testing process.
- Has a comprehensive guide for cross-browser testing, helping you understand all features and how to analyze and select the right browsers for your testing needs.
Limitations
- Troubleshooting may take some time.
- The auto-heal feature needs some fine-tuning.
- UI touch-ups would help with the user-friendliness.
Browsershots
Browsershots is a completely free, unlimited cross-browser testing tool.
Features
- The tool is lightweight and straightforward.
- It is open-source.
- Provides the ability to test websites on various OSs, allowing you to see how the sites are displayed across different environments.
- Can be used to automate the process of taking screenshots on multiple browsers and OSs, reducing the need for manual testing.
- You can scale the screen size down to see how the website responds on mobile devices.
- You can choose specific browsers, versions, screen resolutions, color depths, and other settings to customize the testing parameters to your needs.
Limitations
- Presents static screenshots and doesn’t offer the capability to interact with the website or test functionality like form submissions, AJAX requests, or dynamic content.
- Primarily focuses on capturing screenshots, which might not be sufficient for thoroughly testing complex web apps that require interaction and functionality verification.
- Depending on the demand for the service, there might be delays in getting screenshots due to the queue of pending requests.
- Might not support the latest browser versions or have a wide range of browser options compared to some modern cross-browser testing platforms.
- Since Browsershots generates screenshots, it doesn’t provide real-time testing or instant feedback on how a website behaves.
- The tool might be limited in terms of server resources, leading to slower processing times during peak usage.
Selenium
Selenium is another free tool. But it also has infrastructure/extra service costs.
Features
- An open-source tool that automates web browsers.
- Cross-browser testing in Selenium enables rapid, repeatable web-app testing.
- Provides a single interface that lets you write test scripts in desired programming languages.
- Allows developers and QA engineers to automate the testing of web apps across different browsers and platforms.
- Provides access to a Cloud Selenium Grid of 3000+ desktop browsers and real mobile devices.
Limitations
- Requires programming skills.
- May take time to set up and configure the tool.
- May not be the best choice for non-technical users or those who prefer a codeless testing approach.
LambdaTest
LambdaTest presents a free plan. It consists of 1 parallel test, 10 screenshot tests/month, 10 responsive tests/month, and 3 native app testing sessions on emulators or simulators.
Features
- LambdaTest offers both manual and automated cross-browser testing capabilities.
- Provides access to a cloud-based Selenium Grid for automated testing.
- Supports over 2,000 browsers, OSs, and device emulators.
- Offers integrations with tools like Jenkins, TestRail, and Slack.
Limitations
- There might be a learning curve when getting acquainted with LambdaTest’s interface, setup, and integration with automation frameworks.
- LambdaTest is a cloud-based solution, so an internet connection is required to access and use the platform. Offline testing or testing under restricted network conditions might not be fully supported.
Sauce Labs
Sauce Labs has a free option that offers 2000 credits/week. Credits function like a currency you spend on testing activities. They replenish over time.
Features
- Supports manual and automated cross-browser testing on popular browsers.
- Provides access to a cloud-based Selenium Grid for automated testing.
- Offers live (manual) testing on real devices and thousands of browser/OS configurations.
- Provides video recordings of entire tests and screenshots.
- Offers integrations with popular tools like Jenkins, Slack, and TestRail.
- Has integrated developer tools and debugging capabilities, allowing you to inspect and diagnose elements in different browsers.
- The platform integrates seamlessly with popular continuous integration (CI) and continuous deployment (CD) tools, enabling automated testing as part of the development pipeline.
Limitations
- The platform’s availability and performance depend on the service provider. Any downtime or disruptions on their end could affect testing schedules. Occasional outages have been noted by some users.
- Sluggish performance due to the reliance on the cloud.
- Could provide more customization options.
Katalon Studio
Katalon Studio has a free plan. You can run mobile, desktop, web, and API test automation.
Features
- Supports manual and automated cross-browser testing on most browsers.
- Provides access to a cloud-based Selenium Grid for automated testing.
- Offers integrations with popular tools like JIRA, Jenkins, and Git.
- Presents a keyword-driven approach to test automation, making it suitable for users with varying levels of technical expertise.
- The platform provides a record-and-playback feature that enables you to record interactions with the app and generate automated test scripts.
- Includes a test object repository for storing and managing web elements and objects, streamlining test script maintenance.
Limitations
- For more complex testing scenarios, users might find certain limitations in advanced customization compared to other dedicated testing tools.
- For very large-scale projects or highly complex applications, users might encounter performance and scalability challenges.
- Has a smaller community, so queries might take longer to resolve.
Ranorex Studio
Ranorex Studio presents a 14-day free trial.
Features
- Supports cross-browser testing on different OSs like Windows, Linux, and Mac.
- Provides access to a cloud-based Selenium Grid for automated testing.
- Works with different browsers (with different versions) like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, and Opera.
- Offers integrations with tools such as Jenkins, TestRail, and Slack.
- Supports both web and mobile app testing, providing a versatile solution for testing on multiple platforms.
- Has a scriptless test automation option, allowing you to create and maintain automated tests using a graphical user interface without extensive programming knowledge.
- Employs visual recognition technology to identify and interact with user interface elements, even if the underlying technology changes.
Limitations
- Limited programming language support (C# and Vb.net only).
- No direct MacOS support.
- User queries tend to take some time to resolve.
To Sum Up
Free browser compatibility testing tools (or their versions) are a great way to learn. You can upgrade your skills and decide whether to continue your cooperation with a particular software. But don’t be quick to judge freemiums and trials. They may lack advanced features, not cover the latest browser versions, accurately simulate real-world performance, or be intentionally better than paid extensions.
Making the right choice is about research and intuition. For the former, we recommend G2, Clutch.co, TrustRadius, Gartner, Capterra, and SourceForge. And checking in with QA Madness’ blog wouldn’t hurt either.
Best of luck with your search.