9 Open-Source Android Testing Tools

Mobile testing tools help us in automating testing of power Android and iOS apps. These open-source android testing tools could reduce the time required for the testing procedure and the chances of human errors during fast execution. 

6 Open Source Android Testing Tools 

Following is a handpicked list of top Android testing tools with some of their popular features. The list contains both open source and commercial software:

1. Kobiton

Kobiton provides users with full control of real mobile devices by using manual testing with support for multi-touch gestures, orientation and GPS simulations, camera and speaker control, and device connection management. Kobiton can capture all the actions performed during a testing session to identify and resolve issues more quickly with activity logs generated automatically. Users could purchase the testing magnets that never expire for just $10.

Benefits:

1. Latest real, cloud-based devices and configurations.
2. Centralized testing history and data logs for improved collaboration.
3. Internal device lab management for more effectively utilizing internal devices.
4. Support for Appium 1.6.4
5. User experience simplified for streamlining test sessions.

2. Test project

Test project is the world’s first free cloud-based community power test automation platform that empowers its users to test web, Android, and IOS applications on all operating systems effortlessly. We can easily collaborate with our team by using selenium and Appium to ensure quality with speed. We will also use advanced built-in recording capabilities, create and use add ons, or develop a coded test using test project powerful SDK completely for free.

Benefits:

1. No complex set of your configuration is required.
2. No coding skills are required for getting started.
3. Sharing and reusing a dance with our team and the entire community.
4. Detailed dashboard reports.
5. Seamless integration with our CI/CD workflow.

3. Apptim

Mobile developers and reviewers use Apptim to quickly monitor and evaluate the output of each compilation so that no vital bugs will come alive. Measuring app render times, the platform provides power consumption, resource usage, capture crisis, and more Android and iOS devices.

Benefits:

1. Android and iOS compatible
2. Users can easily troubleshoot app crashes and exceptions.
3. Comparing app performance of two different builds for finding out what changed and identifying potential new performance issues.
4. Integrates with jeera out of the box and a workflow.
5. Free to use, and users can get their first results in just 5 minutes.

4. 21

21 is advanced self-learning automation and analytics platform for IOS and Android applications.

Benefits:

1. AI-assisted authoring allows users to create automated functional and UI tests in minutes.
2. A seamless algorithmic locator system ensures stable results across all frameworks to get the results we trust.
3. Self-learning Maintenance autonomously updates tests and ensures our team could focus on developing new features while being dependent on test results eliminates maintenance and flaky results.
4. Production integration closes the feedback loop and analyses actual coverage. We can use data while releasing with confidence.
5. SaaS service requires no installation or devices for creating and executing tests and smoothly offers access to dozens of devices.

5. Appium

Appium is an open-source and cross-platform mobile testing tool for hybrid and native iOS, and it supports the Android version from 2.3 onwards. Appium works like a server running in the background like this selenium server. This is one of the android testing tools that supports Java, Ruby, C#, and others in the WebDriver library. Appium is also used as a WebDriver interface for running tests. Android is automated using the UI Automator library by Appium that Google provides as a part of the Android SDK. It can also control Safari and Chrome on mobile devices. Users can synchronize it with the testing framework TestNG. Automator can produce informative and detailed reports similar to reports generated by Ranorex in cases like this UI.

Benefits:

1. Because of standard mobile automation APIs on all platforms, we cannot modify or recompile our app.
2. We can use any WebDriver compatible language for writing test cases.
3. We can also use any testing framework.
4. Very easy to set up for a different platform.
5. Appium supports various languages like Ruby, Java, PHP, Node, Python, etc.
6. Anything is not required to be installed on the device.
7. We can still use the selenium WebDriver JSON wire protocol.
8. We are not required to recompile mobile apps on a different platform.
9. We can integrate it with other tools by using Java.

6. Selendroid

Selendroid is also a test automation framework that can drive the UI of Android native and hybrid applications and mobile web.  API tests are written using the Selenium 2 client.

Benefits:

1. This mobile testing tool is compatible with the JSON wire protocol.
2. No modification of the app under test is required to be automated.
3. Same thought for automatic native or hybrid applications.
4. Different locator types could find UI elements.
5. It can interact with multiple Android devices at the same time.
6. It also supports hot plugging of hardware devices.

Selendroid comes with a useful tool known as Selenium inspector, and it also allows users to inspect the current state of their app’s UI.

7. Monkeyrunner

Monkeyrunner is a tool that implements an API for writing programs that control an Android device or an emulator from outside of the Android code. This tool comes after Robotium concerning performance. Tests are written in python, and one main use is a recording tool for creating tests. The only drawback of Monkeyrunner is that it is essential to write scripts for each device, and tests require some adjustments each time while the user interface of the tested program is changed.

Benefits:

1. This automation tool could control multiple devices.
2. For automating tests, one is not required to deal with the source codes.
3. We can use this mobile app testing tool for automated functional testing.
4. Monkeyrunner could be used for regression testing as well.
5. Monkeyrunner API is allowed to interact with Android applications using Java.

8. Calabash

Calabash contains libraries that allow test codes to interact with native and hybrid apps programmatically.

Benefits:

1. This mobile app testing tool provides API’s specialized in native apps running on touch screen devices.
2. It consists of libraries that allow test codes to interact with native and hybrid apps programmatically.
3. Frameworks like cucumber are supported, which makes it easier to understand by business experts and non-technical staff.

9. KIF

The best mobile app testing tool is an objective-c based framework and is purely for iOS automated testing. It is a mobile automation framework that integrates directly with XC tests. It could also be used while business folks are not involved in writing and reading test specs.

Benefits:

1. This mobile app testing tool has an active community and good support.
2. It integrates seamlessly with XCtests.
3. Their accessibility labels access UI elements.
4. It is easier for your iOS developers to pick up as everything is in one language objective C.
5. Impressive command line and CI.
6. Reasonable support for gestures.

Conclusion

There are many Android testing tools available in the market, and some of them are free while some are expensive. Some of the automation tools were created a long time ago, while some have just entered the market. Each tool is different and holds specific characteristics. A wide range of open-source android testing tools makes it difficult to select the best one for a project, and many testers end up with tools that do not confirm the project requirements. Therefore choosing the right tool for our project is a very important phase of the testing procedure.

Also Read: Using Appium For Android Testing