Selenium Alternatives 

Before we go ahead and talk about Selenium alternatives perhaps we need to talk a little bit about what the Selenium thing is about. 

However, since you are here reading about Selenium we can only assume you know what the platform is about. 

For all those who don’t, Selenium is a free open source testing suite for web applications. It is also widely used for automating your web browsers or applications. 

It was initially developed by Jason Huggins, but expanded to include other features and functionalities by other programmers. 

Selenium now runs across all browsers and offers compatibility with multiple languages like C# Java, Javascript, Ruby, Python, PHP.

Selenium is a suite of platforms that each do various things for various purposes, which is why looking for alternatives makes it hard to find one that fits all purposes. 

However we will structure this piece by the features Selenium offers and list alternatives to each individual feature of this platform.

However, since the most popular usage of the platform is for the purposes of automation, it is only fair that we compare Selenium to other web automation platforms as well. 

How To Choose Web Automation & Test Automation Tool

If you are a developer, then you are mostly familiar with manual testing and the hard labour it contains. 

While it may yield some accurate results. The bulk of the work that needs to be done requires a tool to test automatically. 

The tool that helps you exists and it exists in numbers way too many. Which is why it might be wise to look for one that fits the work you do better. 

How do you know what tools to choose ?

Let us discuss how to choose the tool then present you with a few tools that fit one or more tasks better so you can compare and find the best Selenium alternatives.

There are actually only a few things you need to consider  before choosing the automation tool.

• The type of test you want to automate; 
• Find the tools that fundamentally do those (we will help you with that);
• Trial them, and find their strengths and weaknesses depending on what fits you personally;
• Find the ones that meet the demands of your personalized testing and usage;
• Consider the pricing and find the one that fits your budget, or the budget of the team;

Before we write a comparison for each of the platforms we will first shortly introduce them and write what they do and how they are Selenium alternatives, then move on to compare. 

Selenium Alternatives #1 Cypress 

Cypress is another open-source modern test runner built for the web. It handles the setup, writing, running and recording tests much more easily, especially when used with Javascript. 

There are numerous things you can do with this platform such as checking for login states in your apps, to automating Trello task cards. 

Now that we mentioned Trello, if you don’t know what that is, and/or want to find out about it in detail, head over to this article on Trello vs Asana.

With cypress you have more control over your program. You can programmatically control UI widgets, dialog boxes, previews, multi selects and more. 

You can work with the backend and send out network control messages or identify how the responses are returned.  

As one of the Selenium alternatives Cypress has so much covered but not as much as the platform in question. Below you can see the table of our comparison. 

Platforms	Selenium	Cypress
Supported languages	Java,C#, Javascript,Python,Ruby, Objective C	Javascript
Supported browsers	Chrome,Safari,Firefox,Edge IE	Chrome
Supported test frameworks	Mocha JS, Jest, WebDriverIO, etc.	Mocha JS
Setup and execution	Set up by downloading a relevant driver, set up by a grid network and location	Comes with bundled Chrome browser,
Integration	Plenty of interaction options,  (CI, CD) reporting, visual testing, cloud vendors	Limited integration
Breadth  of testing options	End-to-end security unit	End-to-end
Maturity,documentation,support	Robust community, multiple binding, best practices	Good documentation, code sample, growing options

The Verdict                                                                                                              

Selenium wins over Cypress for that it offers automation in many languages on many platforms and with more frameworks. 

Cypress might be a good fit for a smaller team, but lacks behind when you start to need more functionality or need more integrations. 

The documentation is the stronger side of Cypress, with a growing community.

Selenium Alternatives #2 Katalon Studio 

Since it is a comparison article, Katalon Studio is also another web test automation tool that does pretty much what it does with a few differences. 

We will be providing a table of comparison down below. But name some of the biggest differences out loud. Because it is hard to force them into this  box.

The key differences in integration between manual and automated tests is that Katalon seems to take fewer steps than Selenium. But for both to work properly you need to do the manual test first. 

The solutions they offer vary as well, with Katalon offering from web, API, mobile, desktop testing to integration to methodologies. 

Katalon’s best feature may yet be its seamless integration into various kinds of source control to CI CD and cloud services and everything else in between. 

This is a great feature for an app that should be considered as a Selenium alternative. 

Platforms	Selenium	Katalon Studio
Supported languages	Java,C#, Javascript,Python,Ruby, Objective C	Groovy and Java
Supported browsers	Chrome,Safari,Firefox,Edge, IE	Chrome,Safari,Firefox,Edge IE
Supported test frameworks	Mocha JS, Jest, WebDriverIO, etc.	JUnit, NUnit and TestNG
Setup and execution	Set up by downloading a relevant driver, set up by a grid network and location	Setup requires downloading the file from their site.
Integration	Plenty of integrations,  (CI, CD) reporting, visual testing, cloud vendors	Equal number of integrations options, if not more
Breadth  of testing options	End-to-end, Security unit	End-to-end
Maturity,documentation,support	Robust community, multiple binding, best practices	Good documentation, code sample,

The Verdict                                                                                                               

Katalon is probably the best Selenium alternative because of its many features and the fact that it is free. Although it offers extra and much more for money, the free tool is good enough to use it over Selenium.

However, alternatives to Selenium need to have at least the same features to be considered an alternative. Katalon but has just some of it. 

However, when it comes to the best web automation tools they both are two of the bigger players. 

Katalon offers only writing in two languages with Selenium offers in all of the major programming languages. We say almost all major programming languages because the ones it offers cover 99% of the work.

Katalon’s integration is worth the praise, while some of the other Selenium alternatives do have that many integrations, Katalon has some of the most necessary ones. 

The number of testing options of the tests you can run /do with this platform is lower than Selenium. 

Thus, comparing these two together, we recommend other Selenium alternatives, although this is really right there in the top three. 

#3 IBM Rational Functional Tester

Now this is the tool that comes from one of the well established companies and presents itself  as gentlemanly as possible. 

This is a tool that was initially developed by a rational company and acquired by IBM. This is also a tester that focuses on object-oriented automated testing on a variety of applications. 

This tool lets you generate scripts to test your applications even if you don’t understand coding.

However if you do, then you can write your own with Java. But the testing itself can take place on multiple platforms.

The integrations available for the rational functional tester are vast. IBM alone has quite the number of offerings apart from the third party frameworks and applications. 

Platforms	Selenium	IBM Rational  Functional Tester
Supported languages	Java,C#, Javascript,Python,Ruby, Objective C	Java
Supported browsers	Chrome,Safari,Firefox,Edge, IE	Almost all browsers with a tweak or two
Supported test frameworks	Mocha JS, Jest, WebDriverIO, etc.	HTML 5, Java, Windows, . NET, Visual Basic, SAP, Silverlight, Eclipse, Siebel, Flex, Ajax, Dojo, GEF and PowerBuilder
Setup and execution	Set up by downloading a relevant driver, set up by a grid network and location.	Rather complicated setup and requires downloading and creating may secondary applications, or services
Integration	Plenty of integrations,  (CI, CD) reporting, visual testing, cloud vendors.	Far greater integration options.
Breadth  of testing options	End-to-end, Security unit	Storyboard testing, automated testing, data-driven testing, test scripting.
Maturity, documentation, support	Robust community, multiple binding, best practices.	Excellent documentation, code samples, scripts, even tutorials.

The Verdict                                                                                                              

Among the Selenium alternatives, there is not a single platform that has such a big support and company behind it as this one. While this might not be a big thing, when it comes to the constant updating, releases and overall stability, it comes into play. 

Then again, this is also not just a simple test automation or testing tool. The Rational Functional Tester offers so much more than that. 

Additionally, the platform integrates with other software to provide you with the support and the necessary tools. 

The biggest  drawback, well not a drawback but the difference between this and Selenium is that Rational Functional tools are preferred to use with .NET and Java apps, and it performs the best on Java editors. 

The platform has great documentation, guides and even tutorials. So, if you are someone with no coding experience, or with just a little understanding it wouldn’t be so hard. 

Selenium Alternatives #4 Ranorex

Ranorex is not just a simple web automation tool. It encompasses basically everything that a developer may need to run UI tests.  

Although they claim to be an all-in-one test automation platform,there are things that they miss and seem to focus more on these four areas: Regression testing, Data-driven testing, Keyword Driven testing, Cross Browser testing. 

The platform seems a bit difficult to work with if you are a beginner. But they do make up for it by offering free tutorials and online webinars. 

Thus, this is a company that offers good professional support and takes care of users and that seems to stand out with them a lot more than other Selenium alternatives. 

Platforms	Selenium	Ranorex
Supported languages	Java,C#, Javascript,Python,Ruby, Objective C	Java, Javascript, Python and a ton more, basically every language and technology
Supported browsers	Chrome,Safari,Firefox,Edge, IE	Every major browser in existence.
Supported test frameworks	Mocha JS, Jest, WebDriverIO, etc.	HTML 5, Java, Windows, . NET, Visual Basic, SAP, Silverlight, Eclipse, Siebel, Flex, Ajax, Dojo, GEF and PowerBuilder
Setup and execution	Set up by downloading a relevant driver, set up by a grid network and location.	You will need to download Ranorex remote agent to set this up
Integration	Plenty of integrations,  (CI, CD) reporting, visual testing, cloud vendors.	Jira, .Git,Jenkins and a ton more
Breadth  of testing options	End-to-end, Security unit	Cross-browser testingGUI testingQuality assurance testing toolsTest automation toolsWeb browser automationERP testing toolsSAP testing toolsCoded UI alternative
Maturity,documentation,support	Robust community, multiple binding, best practices	Excellent documentation, code samples, scripts, even tutorials, great reviews

The Verdict                                                                                                              

Ranorex is one of the only Selenium alternatives that could really rival it in every level. They also promise to be an all-in-one testing platform that may really work. There is not any platform like this among the Selenium competitors. 

In comparison to Selenium, Ranorex has quite a number of advantages and other features that it offers apart from web automation and test automation. 

However, at its core, the focus is still automation and that is where it excels. The fact that the codes or scripts can be written in multiple languages makes it accessible for a bigger pool of specialists. 

In addition, the support from browsers makes it universal and very versatile that anyone can use it. There isn’t a huge drawback or something that Ranorex lacks that Selenium doesn’t. 

Of course, these are two different platforms, but with a lot of similar options available on both. The verdict can only come if you prefer one over the other.  

The biggest drawback Selenium alternatives have is that they don’t have the reputation of Selenium. Apart from that it depends on your preference of certain language and certain integration and so on.

In the case of the Ranorex, because it supports as much integration as Selenium, if not more, things to consider would be the finances and language preference.

Selenium Alternatives #5 TestProject

Some of the tools we have discussed weren’t free with an exception of this one. Plus TestProject is supported by a great community of enthusiasts that help you with all kinds of questions. 

This is an important point to mention because a great community is rare and a handy tool to have in the programming world. 

The testing capabilities are so numerous that it is enough to satisfy many of our needs in terms of executing many tests. 

So far, the platform allows automation of tests, advanced scripting options and web, Android, Appium testing etcs.

Platforms	Selenium	TestProject
Supported languages	Java,C#, Javascript,Python,Ruby, Objective C	Java, C#, and Python
Supported browsers	Chrome,Safari,Firefox,Edge, IE	Every major browser in existence.
Supported test frameworks	Mocha JS, Jest, WebDriverIO, etc.	On premise, Hybrid cloud, Offline
Setup and execution	Set up by downloading a relevant driver, set up by a grid network and location.	Download from the website
Integration	Plenty of integrations,  (CI, CD) reporting, visual testing, cloud vendors.	BrowserStack, SauceLabs Github, qTest Azure devOps Slack, Jenkins
Breadth  of testing options	End-to-end, Security unit	Web Testing,Android Testing,iOS Testing,Selenium Testing,Appium Testing
Maturity,documentation,support	Robust community, multiple binding, best practices	Excellent documentation, code samples, scripts, even tutorials, great reviews

The Verdict                                                                                                               

One of the first things that come to mind when we are talking about Selenium alternatives is if they are free or not.  

Luckily, this one happens to be free. Although this is a big platform, when compared to Selenium, the supported frameworks number far less than Selenium.

When you are running tests, usually the frameworks are useful and sometimes necessary. That being said, for a free platform, you can’t really require much anyway. 

The languages you need to write the tests in are also limited to only three. Though these are the three of the biggest languages, having more just increases the chances of more people using the tool. 

Overall, TestProject can really come as a strong contentor and one of the free Selenium alternatives. Then again, depending on what you prefer,  and the kind of testing you need to do, choosing TestProject vs Selenium mustn’t be too hard. 

Selenium Alternatives #6 Rapise

Rapise promises to handle all of the problems with automation of tests in one complete environment. They support web, mobile, desktop, and a whole bunch of other third-party components and libraries. 

Rapise markets itself as one Agile Software development platform rather than test automations. However  they have tools and the knowledge to help automate your testing. 

The company that owns Rapise is Inflectra whose suite of other plans or tools offers quite a bit. While test automation is the main focus, they offer a whole bunch of supplementary services as well. 

So, Rapise has all that you may need for your automation needs as you can see below in this table.

Platforms	Selenium	Rapise
Supported languages	Java,C#, Javascript,Python,Ruby, Objective C	Java
Supported browsers	Chrome,Safari,Firefox,Edge, IE	Every major browser in existence
Supported test frameworks	Mocha JS, Jest, WebDriverIO, etc.	Microsoft Dynamics, QT Framework, telerik, infragistics, Evexress, componentOne
Setup and execution	Set up by downloading a relevant driver, set up by a grid network and location.	Download from their website.
Integration	Plenty of integrations,  (CI, CD) reporting, visual testing, cloud vendors.	NewLoad, Se. Appium and plenty of other CI CD  options.
Breadth  of testing options	End-to-end, Security unit	Distributed testing, API testing, and a whole bunch more options, with scriptless automation methods.
Maturity,documentation,support	Robust community, multiple binding, best practices.	Great company, a lot of useful apps that support it, great support and service, good documentation.

The Verdict                                                                                                             

When pitted against all the other Selenium alternatives, Rapise has quite the advantages and a number of advantages.

Among the top features that users rejoice with often is its integration and adaptability. All the other Selenium alternatives do have that flexibility in terms of device performance. 

But this app literally runs on each of those devices, letting you test your code and application natively on those apps.

However, the biggest drawback may be that all the testing and automation is done with Java language. The Java programming language is a huge and a very popular one, but just one to attract as many people as possible. 

On the other hand, the biggest advantage might be its parent company. That means they have enough funding to roll out new releases and patches and to be fixing bugs etc. on a regular basis.

Selenium Alternatives #7 iMacros

iMacros is a company that has been in the service industry for quite a while yet only just a few months ago rolled out a new program that helps with web testing and automation needs. 

Now that tool is able to web automate, extract data and offer testing solutions. You are able to record and replay the otherwise repetitive work, dialog boxes of Javascript, Flash, Ajax, and Java.

You can also perform functional performance and regression testing, and extract any data you want. The most impressive thing of all is that they have over 10+ million downloads which makes them one of the most popular tools in this field. 

Platforms	Selenium	iMicros
Supported languages	Java,C#, Javascript,Python,Ruby, Objective C	Java, Javascript
Supported browsers	Chrome,Safari,Firefox,Edge, IE	All the major browsers
Supported test frameworks	Mocha JS, Jest, WebDriverIO, etc.	Not much in the day of supporting other frameworks because they mainly rely on their own products.
Setup and execution	Set up by downloading a relevant driver, set up by a grid network and location.	Download from their website.
Integration	Plenty of integrations,  (CI, CD) reporting, visual testing, cloud vendors.	Not a lot but at least supports the Selenium WebDriver
Breadth  of testing options	End-to-end, Security unit	Data web upload and download automation, and test dynamic websites.
Maturity,documentation,support	Robust community, multiple binding, best practices	A big company, good documentation.

The Verdict 

When it comes to iMacros as Selenium alternatives, the company behind it is also huge like the other companies within the article. However, this tool is more popularly used with JavaScript programmers.  

The test automation tool also operates on the Java language scripted tests as well. In any case, supporting just two languages is barely enough to make this one of the Selenium alternatives.

Although the most popular browsers are supported, not all of them support all the features of the tool itself. The only browser that supports all the features is Internet Explorer.  

So, that makes it more or less, just a tool that needs to be used with just two languages and with browsers only. That is quite limiting, despite the big company and the support behind them. 

In addition, iMacros doesn’t support as many integrations as the many other Selenium alternatives. 

Selenium Alternatives #8 Subject7

This must be one of the best Selenium alternatives because it performs on a whole new level and offers exactly what the person looking for test automation needs. 

They offer scalability which is important to consider as your project can only get bigger with time. They offer both Agile and DevOps automation, with Agile being codeless. That helps users who are not familiar with coding use this properly.

The integration and the support for other apps or frameworks is excellent. There is not much it doesn’t support. This is not saying it supports everything. But basically everything a tester may need like Appium, Sikuli, JMeter, ZaP and Selenium and more. 

Platforms	Selenium	iMicros
Supported languages	Java,C#, Javascript,Python,Ruby, Objective C	Java, Javascript
Supported browsers	Chrome,Safari,Firefox,Edge, IE	All the major browsers
Supported test frameworks	Mocha JS, Jest, WebDriverIO, etc.	Not much in the day of supporting other frameworks because they mainly rely on their own products.
Setup and execution	Set up by downloading a relevant driver, set up by a grid network and location.	Download from their site
Integration	Plenty of integrations,  (CI, CD) reporting, visual testing, cloud vendors.	Not a lot but at least supports the Selenium WebDriver.
Breadth  of testing options	End-to-end, Security unit	Data web upload and download automation, and test dynamic websites.
Maturity,documentation,support	Robust community, multiple binding, best practices	A big company, good documentation

The Verdict 

The biggest advantage Subject7 has over all the other Selenium alternatives is probably the codeless-ness aspect of it. 

Of course, we had many other platforms with codeless options but what makes Subject-7 different is that it has everything you need: a platform, an admin panel and so on. That makes it easy like controlling a WordPress theme. 

The Subject-7 integrates seamlessly with other apps, and testing automation services and works responsively.  This is a good platform overall. 

However, its popularity would say otherwise, yet it is the reason that this platform exists in our list.

To Wrap All Up

In this piece, we have thoroughly discussed the Selenium alternatives and best web automation tools, and Selenium competitors. 

In a list compressed of just a few platforms, it might be hard to choose the one you would go for. Understanding this, the list has made a table of comparisons for each platform and is judged by it. 

However, as was mentioned in the very beginning of the article. Making a decision based on an article you read online is not the best approach. 

Thus, if there is anything you should take from this article is the information and the details of the various Selenium alternatives, and put it in your own table of comparison.

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