12 Free & Open Source Automation Testing Tools In 2021

Selenium is undoubtedly the best open source test automation tool for web application. Selenium compromises of recording and playback features with its browser add-on Selenium IDE. It helps to create effective text script to meet various levels of complexity.

Open Source Selenium Features:

Support multiple languages like Python,Ruby,Java,PHP etc
Flexible and maintainable
Automate across multiple OS(Windows,Mac,Linux)and Browsers(chrome,firefox,IE)
Powerful Selenuim WebDriver
Highly expandable through various libraries and APIs

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2. Appium

It a WebDriver protocol based open source testing automation framework primarily used for testing mobile application. By using Appium user is free to use any test runner and test framework as per their choice. The client libraries are solely HTTP clients and can be mixed into your code giving the probability to manage your test environment any way you like.

Open Source Appium Features:

Cross-Platform(iOS,Mac,Windows,Android)
Based on Client/Server architecture
Allows to create elements repositories and manage them after changes.
Supports simulators (iOS) and emulators (Android).
Removes the need for recompiling applications.
Easy setup process.

3. Watir

Watir stands for Web Application Testing in Ruby. It is one of the most powerful but lightweight open source testing tool for web automation testing. It’s testing is based on a family of Ruby libraries and Ruby being a fexible scripting language makes it an ideal choice for you.

Open Source Watir Features:

Easy to read text
Cross Browser testing
Manual browsing is combinable with commands in Ruby
Supports data-driven testing
Integrates with BBD tools like Cucumber, Test/Unit, etc.
Different sets of APIs

4. Google EarlGrey

EarlGrey is a native iOS UI automation test framework that enables you to write clear, concise tests. One of the key application and feature in EarlGrey is the built-in synchronization that makes test scripts to pause for UI events to occur before the script tries to interact with the UI of application.

Open Source Google EarlGrey Features

Automatically synchronizes with the UI, network requests, and various queues
Sycronization feature make sure that the UI is in steady state before actions being performed.
Test stability and high repeatability
Tests are easier to write and simple to maintain

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5. Katalon Studio

Katalon Studio ia a complete toolset of Automation testing for web and mobile apps. It is easy to use , strong to expand being a codeless solution. But also have the essential elements for advanced requirements with built-in keywords and project templates. It can automatically generates text scripts by analyzing and recording web actions.

Open Source Katalon Studio Features

Supports web, API, mobile, and desktop app test automation.
Supports Jira implementation
Extended support for multiple scripting languages, including Groovy and Java
Quick and easy set up
Provides a host of continuous integrations with SDLC management, CI/CD pipeline, team collaborate applications, etc.

6. Cucumber

Cucumber is an open source tool based on the Behaviour Driven Development due to which it is used to write acceptance tests for the web applications. Cucumber focuses on the End User Experience. And its best part is that , the specification as well as test documentation are uploaded in a single document.

Open Source Cucumber Features:

Multiple languages support like Python, PHP, Perl, .NET, Scala, Groovy, etc.
Allows reusing code in the tests
Cross-platform OS support
Code can be executed in different framework like Selenium, Watir, Capybara, etc.
Quick and easy set up of an execution

7. Silk Test

Silk Test is a tool for automated function and regression testing developed by MicroFocus International. Silk Test recognizes all windows and controls of the application under test as objects and expresses all of the properties and attributes of each window. Therefore it also supports an object-based execution.

Open Source Silk Test Features

Cross browser and cross platform testing
Provides Workbench, Silk4J, and Silk4NET
Discover, design, and simulate services and APIs to eliminate dependencies and bottlenecks.
Provides easy-to-use, code free testing with built-in workflow and logic wizards.

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8. Galen

Galen is another automation testing tool in our list which is integrated with Selenium and used for visual and layout testing of web application. Galen Framework has its own language, Galen Specs, applied for describing the positioning and alignment of elements on a web-page.

Open Source Galen Features

Testing location of elements on page.
Responsive web design
Writes test files in Galen syntax, JavaScript, or Java
Generates detailed HTML reports with thorough heatmap analysis
Image comparison for selected area
Allows user to specify browser windows’ size to run tests on layout specifications

9. Robot Framework

Robot framework is a Python based open source automation testing framework for acceptance testing and acceptance test-driven development (ATDD). It provide support to external libraries and the most poular library used is Selenium library for web development and UI testing.

Open Source Robot Framework Features:

Integrates with Jython (Java) and IronPython (.NET), even though it’s Python-based
Keyword driven approach to make testing easier and make them readable
Reusable higher-level keywords that can be created from existing ones
Easy-to-use tabular test data syntax
Cross-platform
Other languages supported via a remote interface;
Clear testing reports

10. Robotium

Robotium is the android Test Automation framework for testing hybrid and native android application. It allows the developer to create powerful GUI testing case for android application. Using this tool developer also write function,system and acceptance test scenarios,spanning multiple Android activities.

Open Source Robotium Features:

Testing for both native and hybrid android based applications.
Faster test case execution;
Automatically handles multiple android activities
Least time required to write solid test cases
Integrates effortlessly with Maven, Gradle or Ant to run tests as part of continuous integration.
Test cases are more strong due to the run-time binding to UI components

11. Test Architect

Test Architect is a codeless Automation testing tool that is built around the Action Based Testing methodology, TestArchitect makes authoring tests rapid and effortless for testers of any experience level.

Open Source Test Architect Features:

Intelligent Out-of-the-Box Action Library
The spreadsheet IDE allows you to quickly create business-writable and business-readable test cases using Action Based Testing (ABT).
Codeless automation that uses Action Based Testing.
Support platforms like desktop, cross-browser, mobile testing, API, computer vision testing, etc.
Compatible with Windows, Linux, macOS, Androids & iOS

12. Carina

Carina is a popular automation framework which allows you not to rely on a specific technology stack. It a Java based test automation tool built on top of the open source solutions like Selenium.

Open Source Carina Features:

Supports rational as well as non-rational databases (MySQL, Oracle, and SQL Servers)
Compatible with mobile devices like iOS and Android , Web Browsers like IE, Safari, Chrome, Firefox.
Unites all testing layers: mobile applications (web, native, hybrid), WEB applications, REST services, databases
API testing is based on Freemarker template engine.