AUTOMATIONTOOLS

Major Categories Covered

1. Browser/Web UI Automation

2. Mobile Automation

3. BDD / Keyword-Driven Frameworks

4. Codeless / Low-Code/Visual Automation

5. API / Service Automation

6. Unit / Integration Test Frameworks (often used in automation pipelines)

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🟦 WEB UI AUTOMATION — SELENIUM-BASED

These use Selenium WebDriver or wrap it as part of their stack:

1. Selenium WebDriver

Industry classic for web browser automation, multi-language support. Ranorex

2. WebDriverIO

Node.js wrapper around WebDriver, popular with JavaScript teams. BrowserStack

3. Nightwatch.js

JS framework built on WebDriver with integrated assertions. BrowserStack

4. Galen Framework (layout + functional testing on Selenium)

Specialized for layout/visual and functional tests. Wikipedia

5. TestNG + Selenium combo (Java ecosystem)

Very common in enterprise automation. KaaShiv InfoTech

6. JUnit + Selenium (Java unit + browser tests)

Standard Java testing integration. KaaShiv InfoTech

7. Serenity BDD (with Selenium or REST)

BDD + reporting over Selenium. Just Academy

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🟢 MODERN BROWSER AUTOMATION (NON-SELENIUM)

These do not use Selenium, often faster & more modern:

8. Playwright — Microsoft’s cross-browser automation (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit). Wikipedia

9. Cypress — JS focused, great dev experience. Medium

10. Puppeteer — Google’s Chrome/Chromium automation. TestDevLab

11. TestCafe — Node.js, zero WebDriver setup. Medium

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🔧 FRAMEWORKS THAT WRAP UNDERLYING ENGINES

These simplify syntax or add abstraction:

12. CodeceptJS — high-level DSL wrapper (Playwright, Selenium, Puppeteer).

➡ Combines clear “I do …” syntax with choice of backend.

13. Gauge — modular & multi-language (Java, Python).

(BDD style but with more flexibility)

14. WebdriverIO + BDD tools (Cucumber/Taiko, etc.)

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📱 MOBILE AUTOMATION

Often separate from pure web UI tools:

15. Appium — cross-platform mobile automation (iOS/Android). testleaf.com

16. Espresso — Android native automation. testleaf.com

17. XCUITest — iOS native automation. testleaf.com

18. Detox — React Native automated E2E. Medium

19. Maestro — simple automation for mobile & devices (emerging open-source)

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📌 BUSINESS-READABLE / KEYWORD-DRIVEN

Great for non-dev teams or hybrid:

20. Robot Framework — Python-based keyword driven. testleaf.com

21. Cucumber / SpecFlow / Behave — BDD with Gherkin syntax for many languages. KaaShiv InfoTech

22. Katalon Platform — all-in-one IDE using Selenium/Appium under the hood. Wikipedia

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🧪 CODESENSE / CODELESS & LOW-CODE TOOLS

These make automation more accessible visually:

23. TestComplete — commercial cross-platform automation. Wikipedia

24. Ranorex — Windows / .NET focused, gui recorder. Ranorex

25. BugBug — browser-based codeless web automation. Wikipedia

26. Leapwork / Tricentis Tosca / UFT (Unified Functional Testing)

Enterprise-grade automation suites with visual flows. qatestlab.com

27. TestProject — cloud-friendly automation hub (free tier)

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🔗 API & SERVICE AUTOMATION TOOLS

Often part of automation stack:

28. Postman / Newman — API collection automation.

29. REST-Assured — Java REST API automation.

30. Karate DSL — scriptless API + UI automation.

31. SoapUI / ReadyAPI — SOAP/REST API automation.

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🧰 COMMON UNIT / GENERAL FRAMEWORKS

Not UI alone, but essential in automation pipelines:

32. pytest (Python)

33. Mocha / Jest (JS)

34. NUnit / xUnit / MSTest (.NET)

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📍 Notes / Market Context

• Selenium, Cypress, and Playwright are often cited as the top ones in use today globally. Reddit

• Framework choice often depends on team language (JS vs Python vs Java), CI/CD needs, and application type (web vs mobile vs API).

• A lot of organizations blend tools: e.g., Playwright for web, Appium for mobile, and Robot/Cucumber for high-level workflows.

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🆚 Summary by type

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