Top Automation Testing Tools for Software Performance

Today’s software market demands quality at speed. This is why organizations are implementing automation testing tools to complement manual testing. Read on to discover the best automation testing tools for your organization. 

What are Test Automation Tools?

Test automation tools test various components of software during the development process with little to no human involvement. In essence, these tools ensure every component of a software design functions normally without having to manually test its functionality. All you have to do is define testing tasks.

Test automation tools enable 24-hour testing—this speeds up the testing process (when compared to manual testing) and enables you to deliver quality at speed as is the need of the hour.  

How to Use Automation Testing Tools?

Automation testing tools are ideal for organizations that have large projects that require repeated testing of the same areas and that have undergone an initial manual testing procedure. These tools eliminate the possibility of errors. Manual testing is better in cases where the criteria are ever-changing or where test cases have not yet been executed manually.  

Many organizations adopt a pyramid testing strategy. This encompasses testing at three levels: unit testing, application programming interface (API) testing, and graphical user interface (GUI) testing. Automation testing tools can make the process of implementing a pyramid testing strategy much easier. 

The benefits of automation testing solutions include:

• Rapid testing
• Wider coverage of testing
• Consistency
• Cost effective
• Frequent and thorough testing
• Quicker time to market

Also read: Laying the Groundwork for Modern IT Automation

Best Automation Testing Tools

Here are the top automation testing tools for enterprises. 

Katalon Studio 

Katalon Studio is an end-to-end, robust test generation solution for all platforms. The solution is fairly simple to use and does not require you to have extensive programming knowledge to create automation test cases. 

Key Differentiators

• The solution provides a productive integrated development environment (IDE) to easily and rapidly generate automated tests for all platforms and operating systems (OSs), regardless of application complexity.
• With Katalon Studio, you can perform web, API, mobile, and desktop testing (Windows testing only with macOS and Linux deployment support). 
• You can utilize the powerful recording feature to store all user interface (UI) elements to maximize reusability. 
• The solution provides a codeless experience for beginners and a boundless testing extension for specialists.
• Web testing features include Selenium compliance, built-in and custom keywords, powerful recording utility, precise object spying and unique wait-time control. 
• API testing capabilities include language independence, GUI independence, improved test coverage and speedier releases.
• Mobile testing features include simple setup, powerful object spying utility, Appium compliance, robust recording utility, optimal cross-functional testing, cloud-based mobile platform integration and cross-environment execution.  
• Desktop testing capabilities include easy setup and configuration, the Spy Windows feature, the Record Windows Action feature, a rich array of Windows built-in and custom keywords, smart elements location, and minimal maintenance. 

Pricing: You can schedule a personalized demo today. Katalon Studio Enterprise costs $839 per node-locked license, per year. The floating license costs $1,689 per year. 

NeoLoad

NeoLoad by Neotys (a Tricentis company) is a continuous performance testing tool to automate application load and GUI testing. The solution enables quicker script design and maintenance. 

Key Differentiators

• Using pre-packaged plugins for continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) tools and the NeoLoad API, you can design, maintain and deploy performance tests as code.
• With the help of a GUI, you can easily and quickly design test scripts for large, complex applications. 
• Dynamic infrastructure enables you to easily set up testing resources and automatically free up testing resources when tests finish. 
• Resource reservation by date and duration guarantees the availability of resources for load testing. 
• You can define service level agreements (SLAs) on the basis of built-in monitoring metrics to identify bottlenecks and determine performance. 
• Update test scripts quickly with automatic test updates. 
• You can simulate advanced user behavior in the due course of testing. 
• The solution is cloud-ready and cloud-integrated. 

Pricing: Contact the Neotys team to purchase a subscription-based licensing option that meets your application load and API testing needs. 

Tricentis Tosca

Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), Tricentis Tosca is an intelligent, codeless test automation solution that optimizes and accelerates end-to-end software testing. The solution eliminates testing bottlenecks and software release risks and accelerates innovation. 

Key Differentiators

• The automation testing tool covers all digital initiatives, such as migrating to the cloud, modernizing business applications and delivering stellar customer support.
• Tricentis Tosca delivers cloud and custom applications at development and operations (DevOps) speeds to automate more testing, improve time to market and bring teams closer during the software development process, from start to finish. 
• The solution supports more than 160 technologies and enterprise applications to ensure your automation testing scales across the organization, including Oracle, Salesforce, SAP, PEGA, Workday and Snowflake. 
• Tosca supports API testing, mobile testing, exploratory testing, system integration testing, regression testing and performance testing. 
• Vision AI enables you to create automation based on a UI description or a simple mockup before any code is written. 
• Model-based test automation enables you to test an automation model and change the underlying application source code accordingly without impacting the model. 
• Risk-based test optimization enables you to make smarter release decisions, reduce overall testing and maintenance costs and prioritize testing for core business functionality. 
• An automation recording assistant comes in handy. 
• Other features include Service Virtualization and Test Data Management. 

Pricing: Contact the Tricentis sales team for product pricing details.

UFT One

UFT One by Micro Focus is an embedded AI-based functional testing tool that enables you to accelerate test automation for web, API, desktop, mobile, composite, mainframe, and packaged enterprise-grade applications. 

Key Differentiators

• With the help of a solitary intelligent testing tool, you can accelerate and automate the end-to-end testing of over 200 enterprise-grade applications, environments and technologies.
• AI-powered test automation shortens functional test design time and maintenance while enhancing test resiliency and coverage.
• To increase test coverage across the API and UI, you can test the front-end functionality as well as the back-end web architecture. 
• With cloud-based deployment, cross-browser coverage and parallel testing, you can test more in a shorter span of time and achieve test execution at full throttle. 
• You can control, communicate and collaborate across multiple teams and locations.
• An integrated DevOps toolchain for continuous testing helps gain efficiencies and eliminate bottlenecks. 

Pricing: Fill a simple form to access a 30-day free trial. You can fill a separate form to request a demo. Contact the Micro Focus team for pricing information. 

Also read: The Growing Relevance of Hyperautomation in ITOps

Parasoft SOAtest

Powered by AI and machine learning (ML), Parasoft SOAtest is an API and web service testing tool that automates end-to-end functional API testing. 

Key Differentiators

• Parasoft SOAtest delivers API, microservices, web UI integration, mobile, load and performance and API security testing capabilities. 
• With the help of a solitary intuitive interface, you can automate complicated API functional, security and load situations for more than 120 message protocols and formats, covering microservices to the mainframe. 
• The solution simplifies test maintenance, as it delivers continuous API change impact analysis.
• You can obtain rapid, intelligent feedback from the CI/CD pipeline for intelligent API testing and quicker releases to market. 
• The solution’s test data technology makes available realistic test data to use in testing. You can use data extracted from existing systems to rapidly manage, model, mask, and generate additional data. 
• You can coordinate the execution of complex omnichannel tests directly from your browser to enable continuous testing. 
• The tool generates XML output and HTML reports to enable tracking and visibility of functional test results. 

Pricing: You can request a demo. 

Choosing Automation Testing Tools

Katalon Studio is an all-in-one automation testing tool that is not only cost-effective, but also frees up staff to work on activities that are of higher value. 

With NeoLoad, you can scale performance engineering across the enterprise, decrease time to market, implement a cloud-native approach to performance testing and enjoy a rapid return on performance software, hardware, and peopleware. Tricentis Tosca is an AI-powered test automation tool for the modern enterprise. 

UFT One provides AI-powered capabilities to accelerate end-to-end testing. Parasoft SOAtest is an AI- and ML-powered fully integrated API and web service testing solution. 

The five automation testing tools discussed in this guide are among the best in the business. Evaluate the features of each tool in great detail by visiting their respective websites to access product catalogs, read product and customer reviews, and request a product demo (if possible). 

If you have any questions pertaining to an automation testing solution, do not hesitate to contact an expert. Purchase an automation testing tool after having performed due diligence.   

Read next: Top Automation Software for Managing IT Processes