Cross-Browser Testing Tools for Web Apps: Ensuring Top-Level Security and Reputation

Laymen will keep doubting the need for cross-browser testing tools. They believe that testing web apps against different browsers is a waste of money if the code is correctly written by developers, who cost them an arm and a leg. But we know that blunders happen, and even code written by top-notch engineers demands refinement by a scrupulous QA team. Of course, if your aim is to bestow the opportunity to enjoy your web app on Chrome users only, skip this article alltogether. For all the rest who wish to reach a diverse audience with a variety of browser preferences, we’ve prepared this guide on the best testing tools and their new silver bullet – codeless automation testing.

By the way, pay attention here: we’re exploring the peculiarities of cross-browser and not cross-platform testing tools. Quite often, programs combine both of these types of testing because the behavior of an app inside a browser can be predetermined by the type of an operating system and its version. Still, there is a difference. Cross-browser testing concerns Safari, Firefox, Edge, and other browsers, while cross-platform testing checks how an app works across different operating systems: iOS, Android, Windows, and others.

The Essence and Goals of Cross-Browser Testing

An average user gives a web page 5 seconds to load and leaves it ruthlessly afterwards. Indeed, don’t we all become bad-tempered children in the online world, demanding apps to work flawlessly and throwing mental tantrums every time they don’t respond the way we expect? That’s why we can’t even try to eschew QA practices that ensure the impeccable online experience of our clients, and cross-browser testing plays a huge role here. It includes the assessments of the following elements of an app across different browsers and their versions:

• functionality;
• design and graphical user interface;
• responsiveness;
• accessibility.

After careful evaluation of each of the points, you will be able to unlock the following advantages for your web app:

Sublime User Experience and Performance

The main aim of cross-browser testing is to make sure your app works consistently and doesn’t change its functionality in different browsers. If a user can’t interact with your website on Safari, they probably won’t download another browser to use your app and will simply find another more convenient product.

Security

Web-browser testing tools are frequently used to detect vulnerabilities and potential security breaches in various browsers. This will help to strengthen the weakest aspects of your app.

Reputation

Leveraging a cross-browser tool aims to increase trust in your product because even minor incompatibilities can be interpreted as a lack of concern for clients.

3 Questions About Online Cross-Browser Testing Tools

Life was so simple when the only browser we had was Internet Explorer. But things have changed, and now, with a variety of browsers in use, we need to optimize and make every web app look appealing in each one. So, to help you get started with testing tools, we’ve prepared short answers to the who, how, and when questions about cross-browser testing.

When should cross-browser testing be performed?

Cross-browser testing can be performed at any point of software development, but, of course, everything has its perfect time and place. People frequently select one of the following times:

• when a single page is ready;
• when the whole app is built;
• when the app is already released.

Which do you think is the best?

1… 2… 3...

Starting cross-browser testing as soon as possible is the most cost- and time-effective option. This approach complies with the DevOps culture so widespread these days and allows to detect mistakes and improve the code from the very start, leaving a bug zero chances to ruin a whole app.

Running tests when an app is already released can damage your reputation with many users encountering glitches, and changing the code of a ready app is extremely costly. But even this option is better than no cross-browser testing at all.

Who performs online cross-browser testing?

Well, traditionally, cross-browser testing is performed either by the development team or by the Quality Assurance team. For example, the CI/CD integration of cross-browser testing automation tools makes it possible for developers to send every chunk of code built for review immediately, ensuring a continuous testing approach.

Sometimes you don’t even need to know programming for this. Modern codeless test automation tools for modern web apps like DogQ provide project managers and business owners with the opportunity to conduct various tests themselves with intuitive design and simple navigation.

How to perform cross-browser testing?

Anything can be done with human hands, but aren’t machines more effective in, basically, everything? Fortunately, cross-browser testing is just the right task to allocate to algorithms. Though you can do it manually as well. Let’s take a look at both of them:

Manual Cross-Broswer Testing

This method, in which a human tester runs the same tests for different browsers over and over, requires more time and effort. In this case it’s also nearly impossible to test an app against a lot of browsers and every of their versions, so you’ll have to limit yourself with a couple of most popular ones. Here, we also shouldn’t forget about the tendency of a human to make mistakes when the work is monotonous.

Automated Cross-Browser Testing

Cross-browser testing that is automated does not require physically uploading different browsers, but rather runs test scenarios in a special tool. The speed at which most of the moden automated browser testing tools run thousands of tests is incomparable with the one of a human.

Speed and reliable test results are not the only advantages of automated cross browser testing. In fact, they often come packed with features so advanced that they help optimize the whole testing process and eventually ensure the high quality of an app. Let’s discover the best features of the tools for cross-browser testing automation through real-world examples.

Automated Cross-Browser Testing Tools: 5 Examples

Today, you have plenty of options to choose from, as there are so many great tools for automated cross-browser testing that are very similar in functionality, price, and design. That's why you can avail yourself of the chance to be picky. Here are the 5 most popular cross-browser testing tools, just to give you a hint of what the best of their kind can look like.

TestComplete

It is not only a cross-browser testing automation tool but also the one used for all types of testing for any app type. Here, a QA engineer can write test cases themselves, leverage the record-and-playback function, and create test scenarios via keywords. The platform can be integrated with Jenkins, Azure DevOps, and Zephyr. And, of course, what we value most today is the ability to run tests for different OS and browsers, even the outdated ones.

And how much is it?

TestComplete charges from $1210 to $4,290 for one license annually, depending on the scope of features included.

BrowserStack Live

It’s one of the cross-browser compatibility testing tools where you may run tests for 3000+ browser and platform combinations. Such a large scope of environments makes it the most comprehensive cross-browser testing tool. BrowserStack is also cloud-based, which means you don’t need to download additional software to your computer. What’s more, BrowserStack has several other tools for testing UI, native apps, and integration with CI/CD pipelines.

And how much is it?

The manual cross-browser testing tool is available for $29 per month for a single user. The tool for a team will cost more, starting at $150 per month for five people.

The monthly price starts at $199 for automated cross-browser testing against desktop and mobile browsers and increases with the number of tests to run simultaneously. Access to other helpful tools is provided for an additional price.

Katalon

The biggest advantage of Katalon is the size of the test coverage. The tool for cross-browser testing services supplements all the other types of mobile, web, and desktop performance and functionality testing. Katalon can be integrated with CI/CD tools and allows to modify test scenarios manually via coding.

And how much is it?

Katalon is a cross-browser testing online tool, free to use but only for personal projects or during a 30-day trial period. Afterwards, enterprises need to pay $294 monthly for one license and an additional $111 for the cross-browser and cross-platform testing tools.

Appium

Let’s start with the most striking pros of Appium: it’s a cross-browser testing tool, open source and free. With this tool, you can test web, native, and hybrid apps across iOS, Android, and Windows operating systems, and it supports most of the programming languages. But… It does require coding. It means that you’ll need to hire QA automation engineers to write test scenarios, so project managers, testers, and business owners can’t run tests independently. Moreover, these tests are difficult to maintain, especially if your app is constantly updating and scaling.

And how much is it?

The tool is free

DogQ

One of the greatest UI test automation tools now allows for cross-browser testing. The innovative Selenium-based solution runs on the cloud and has the following features:

• truly codeless;
• clear test reports;
• simultaneous test script execution;
• assistance of experts;
• pleasant GUI;
• customizable test cases;
• functional, E2E, UI, and regression testing.

The DogQ team strives to be effective and provides every business with the same opportunity. It’s achieved by the fact that DogQ can be utilized by every team member without a coding background. Documentation, video guides, and team support make the learning curve of an already easy-to-use tool even shorter.

And how much is it?

Unlike Katalon, DogQ doesn’t require you to pay for every other feature, but all the test types, integrations, and collaboration tools are already included in the final price. Starting at $5 per month, you only pay for the number of tests you run. What’s more, you can have a team of any size because the number of users is unlimited.

And This Is How You Start Automated Browser Testing

You can opt for the right cross-browser testing tool only after a careful analysis of your business needs and the type of your app. Don’t waste your money in vain choosing the most popular tool, but rather go for the one that suits the size and goals of your company.

So, here’s an outline of the main steps to take to conduct cross-browser testing:

1. Outline the functionalities to be tested, the timeframes, and the number of tests to be run.
2. Create a testing strategy with a list of browsers for testing and allocate a budget.
3. Choose the cross-browser testing automation tools according to the previous points.

DogQ is a one-of-a-kind Codeless Test Automation Tool that is capable of so much more than cross-browser testing. It’ll scale together with the growth of your business and will facilitate your adherence to DevOps and Agile practices.

Isn’t learning by experience much more informative than reading a huge list of accolades? So, enough words for today: discover all the benefits of using DogQ for yourself with a trial period that doesn't cost a penny. If you like the tool but need more features, contact the DogQ team using any available method. They will prioritize certain features for their roadmap as the tool continues to grow.