7 tools to use that test your online browser

While we consume content via apps, we use browsers too. From reading articles, bookmarking our favorite websites to sometimes booking tickets or shopping—browsers play a crucial role in how we spend time on the internet.

According to Statcounter, people primarily use six browsers that include Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. But this is not as straightforward as it sounds. When you consider browser versions, there are different versions for mobile, web, and also OS. For instance, let's look at the following graph on Browser Version Market Share by Statcounter. 

Globally, around 35.06% of users use Chrome for Android, whereas 15.2% use Chrome 89.0. As you can notice, there are multiple other versions, which brings us to a pivotal question — how important is it to perform browser testing? 

Well, it's quite important if we take into account the fact that our users consume content via browsers on the web, mobile, and on devices with various versions of OS, including outdated versions. For our product to perform uniformly and as intended across different browsers and their versions, browser testing is performed. 

In this article, we'll explore the best tools for performing browser testing. Before we proceed, please check out our article on browser testing and when to start. 

Testsigma

Testsigma is a cloud-based end-to-end automation testing ecosystem that offers thousands of real-time devices for you to run tests on. It supports parallel testing, and remote teams can access the tool from anywhere, any time. It can be easily integrated with CI/CD tools.

It generates screenshots and logs automatically, which are then sent to you via exhaustive reports — you can tag teams and accelerate bug fixing. Besides, it supports responsive and visual comparison testing. Testsigma's tool is codeless and test scripts can be written in simple English, making this tool convenient for even beginners and QA testers without any programming skills. 

Features

1. Multiple tests can be run parallely
2. It's powered by AI
3. Supports multi-browser testing on the cloud to ensure all websites and web apps are visually uniform across various browsers and versions
4. Tests can be run on local test machines, locally hosted devices, or devices that are hosted on the cloud in various device clouds
5. 1000s of real-time devices and environments are readily available for cross browser and cross device testing
6. Since it's cloud-based, it's scalable. Based on the project requirement, you can scale up or down. This is quite cost-effective too because you pay for what you use.
7. Offers 24/7 support

Price

$99 upwards (for startups), with enterprise solutions revolving around $249 monthly when billed annually. At the moment, you can access Testsigma for free with its 30-day free trial solution. You can give it a spin here. 

Cross Browser Testing

Smartbear's CrossBrowserTesting is perhaps one of the most popular tools out there. It supports manual and live testing on over 2,050 browsers and real mobile devices. It can run automated tests using various frameworks like Appium, Selenium, etc. and it can be integrated with CI/CD tools too.

From Windows XP and Microsoft Edge Mobile, to Maxthon Mobile and Samsung Browser — this tool supports thousands of browsers and its versions. In fact, it gives you access to Mozilla Firefox’s earliest browsers such as 12, 13.

Photo Credit: CrossBrowserTesting

Features

1. Testing and debugging can be done on remote live devices and browsers
2. Supports visual testing
3. Offers native browser debugging tools and consoles
4. Capable of taking screenshots, logs across multiple browsers or devices
5. Lets us compare screenshots for visual regression testing

Price

It begins at $39 monthly for live testing and around $169 for unlimited testing.

MultiBrowser

MultiBrowser is an online browser testing tool that offers mobile browser emulators and standalone desktop web browsers. Testing on MultiBrowser is quite straightforward; it supports testing on various versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Internet Explorer 11. Tests can be performed on local machines eliminating the need for VMs. While tests can be automated, you can also add custom devices to the tool. 

Photo Credit: MultiBrowser

Features

1. MultiBrowser supports automated functional testing and standalone desktop web browser testing
2. Supports multi-platform site previews
3. Allows us to capture responsive screenshots
4. It comes with an inbuilt video recorder
5. Requires no installations as it can run on local machines

Price

$199 per user (for professional use); you can access it for free for the first 14 days.

BrowserStack

BrowserStack offers over 2,000 real-time devices and browsers for you to run tests on. Developers and testers can seamlessly test and automate browser testing on this tool; debugging and shipping becomes effortless as it supports real-time debugging. Besides, tests can be performed on internal dev and staging environments, behind firewalls, etc. Also, this requires zero set-ups and maintenance. 

Photo Credit: BrowserStack

Features

1. Offers native browser experience due to which test results are as accurate as of the tests you perform on local browsers
2. It's cloud-based so you can access it from anywhere, any time
3. Supports CI/CD integrations
4. Design and layouts can be quickly tested with the screenshot generation feature
5. Supports testing on a wide range of screen resolutions, for instance, 800×600 to 2048×1536

Price

$29 upwards monthly, if billed annually.

Mabl

Mabl is a cloud-based test automation tool that supports parallel test execution. This tool comes in-built with browsers like Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer.

While the tests can be run on emulators, Mabl allows picking desktops or mobile devices, based on the requirement. There's flexibility to choose screen orientation and devices (for instance, Nexus 6P, iPhone 12, etc.) that you'd like to perform tests on.

Photo Credit: Mabl

Features

1. Mabl doesn't require any additional setup or configuration as it's a cloud-based tool
2. Test workflows can be reused across various test plans
3. Generates reports which let us analyze test reports, statistics, etc.
4. Supports CI/CD integration
5. Supports unlimited parallel test execution

Price

Mabl offers a custom plan; get in touch with them for a quote.

Browsera

Browsera is an online browser compatibility testing tool. Known for its unique feature of analyzing and comparing screenshots, the tool is equipped with an algorithm that detects any layout issues. Besides, the tool is a pro when it comes to spotting any Javascript errors in your website or web app. It supports testing dynamic pages and technologies such as AJAX and DHTML. 

Photo Credit: Browsera

Features

1. No extra installations are required as tests can be run on the server
2. Supports testing multiple pages of the website
3. Can take screenshots and analyze them
4. Generates comprehensive reports that state problem areas; this helps in quick bug fixing
5. Supports testing behind login too and supports HTTP Based authentication and app-based logins

Price

$39 upwards for 14 days; monthly subscription is $49 upwards.

Functionize

Functionize is a cloud-based test automation tool that supports online browser testing via its own test cloud. It comes equipped with an intelligent visual comparison feature that lets even beginners analyze test results via screenshots and logs. This tool also supports parallel test executions and you can schedule tests, based on priority. 

Photo Credit: Functionize

Features

1. Tests don't have to be modified based on browsers and they can be reused within the browsers
2. Functionize offers Performance Monitoring which helps monitor the UI performance
3. It doesn't require any additional setups or configuration
4. Tests can be written in simple English, which are later converted into automation by NLP

Price

Functionize has a custom pricing plan; please contact for a quote.