Best Functional Testing Tools (Free and Paid) in 2024

In this post, we will see the Best Functional Testing Tools for 2023.

Software development practices change over time, so do the tools and technologies. Such changes aim to improve productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, to tackle ever-shorter delivery time, and to deliver successful products and services. Software testing obviously plays an important role in achieving these objectives.

This post summarizes the top functional testing tools that have the potential to help organizations to best position themselves to keep pace with the trends in software testing. The list includes both open-source and commercial functional testing solutions.

Popular Functional Testing Tools

Let’s see some of the popular tools for the functional testing process.

1. Selenium
2. UFT
3. Watir
4. IBM Rational Functional Tester
5. TestComplete
6. Tricentis Tosca
7. Ranorex
8. Sahi Pro

List of Best Functional Testing Tools

Now in this section, we will see the above tools in detail.

#1. Selenium

Selenium is possibly the most popular open-source test automation framework for Web applications. Being originated in the 2000s and evolved over a decade, Selenium has been an automation framework of choice for Web automation testers, especially for those who possess advanced programming and scripting skills. Selenium has become a core framework for other open-source test automation tools such as Katalon Studio, Watir, Protractor, and Robot Framework.

Selenium supports multiple system environments (Windows, Mac, Linux) and browsers (Chrome, Firefox, IE, and Headless browsers). Its scripts can be written in various programming languages such as Java, Groovy, Python, C#, PHP, Ruby, and Perl. While testers have flexibility with Selenium and they can write complex and advanced test scripts to meet various levels of complexity, it requires advanced programming skills and effort to build automation frameworks and libraries for specific testing needs.

License: Open-source

#2. TestComplete

TestComplete by SmartBear is a powerful commercial testing tool for web, mobile, and desktop testing. TestComplete supports various scripting languages such as JavaScript, VBScript, Python, and C++Script. Like Katalon Studio, testers can perform keyword-driven and data-driven testing with TestComplete. The tool also offers an easy-to-use record and playback feature.

TestComplete’s GUI object recognition capability can automatically detect and update UI objects which helps reduce the effort to maintain test scripts when the AUT is changed. It also integrates with Jenkins in a CI process.

License: Commercial

#3. Ranorex

Ranorex Studio is an all-in-one test automation tool for desktop, mobile, and web trusted by over 4,000 companies worldwide. The application offers codeless test automation, enabling beginners to test straight away, as well as a complete IDE to give experts the power they need.

Features:

• Reliable object identification, even for web elements with dynamic IDs.
• Shareable object repository.
• Reduce test maintenance with reusable code modules.
• Cross-platform and cross-browser testing.
• Test in parallel or distribute on a Selenium Grid with built-in Selenium WebDriver.
• Customizable, easy-to-read test reports.
• Enable video reporting to see what caused a test to fail without re-running the test.
• Integrates with a complete testing toolchain: Azure DevOps, Jira, Jenkins, TestRail, Git, and more.

#4. Watir

Watir is an open-source testing tool for web automation testing based on Ruby libraries. Watir supports cross-browser testing including Firefox, Opera, headless browser, and IE. It also supports data-driven testing and integrates with BBD tools like RSpec, Cucumber, and Test/Unit.

License: Open-source

#5. IBM Rational Functional Tester

IBM RFT is a data-driven testing platform for functional and regression testing. It supports a wide range of application such as .Net, Java, SAP, Flex, and Ajax. RFT uses Visual Basic .Net and Java as scripting languages. RFT has a unique feature called Storyboard testing in which users’ actions on AUT are recorded and visualized in a storyboard format through application screenshots.

Another interesting feature of RFT is its integration with IBM Jazz application lifecycle management systems such as IBM Rational Team Concert and Rational Quality Manager.

License: Commercial

#6. Tricentis Tosca

Tricentis Tosca is a model-based test automation tool that provides quite a broad feature set for continuous testing including dashboards, analytics, and integrations to support agile and DevOps methodologies.

Tricentis Tosca helps users to optimize the reusability of test assets. Like many other test automation tools, it supports a wide range of technologies and applications such as web, mobile, and API. Tricentis Tosca also has features for integration management, risk analysis, and distributed execution.

License: Commercial

#7. UFT

Unified Functional Testing (UFT) is a well-known commercial testing tool for functional testing. It provides a comprehensive feature set for API, web services, and GUI testing of desktop, web, and mobile applications across platforms. The tool has advanced image-based object recognition feature, reusable test components, and automated documentation.

UFT uses Visual Basic Scripting Edition to register testing processes and object control. UFT is integrated with Mercury Business Process Testing and Mercury Quality Center. The tool supports CI via integration with CI tools such as Jenkins.

License: Commercial

#8. Sahi Pro

Sahi Pro helps automate functional testing of web applications. Sahi Pro by default supports web application and REST API automation. Sahi Pro is well suited for cross-browser/multi-browser testing of complex web 2.0 applications with lots of AJAX and dynamic content. Sahi Pro runs on any modern browser which supports javascript. It supports you to test web browsers, desktop, and mobile apps. It is a tester focused automated regression testing tool.

• Inbuilt Excel framework to let your business analysts and non-technical professionals contribute towards testing.
• Simple and powerful APIs
• Object spy and recorder
• Automatic logging and reporting
• Parallel and distributed playback
• Continuous integration
• Test any browser on any operating system
• Test any Windows desktop applications
• Test any iOS and Android, Native and Hybrid Applications

Free Trial: 30 days

Pricing: starts $695 per year

Conclusion

We have included most of the tools we have come across. If we missed any tool, please share in the comments and we will include in our list of Functional Testing Tools. You may also want to check out our ultimate list of test management tools that contains Popular Test Management Tools.

If you are looking to dig into our latest posts then check out our homepage.

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Happy Testing!

Disclaimer: The order of these test management tools doesn’t suggest any recommendations.

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