Difference Between Web And Mobile Application Testing

How different are Web Apps and Mobile Apps?

Both web applications and mobile apps are indeed used to improve the efficiency of business processes. However, they are different in terms of their architecture and delivery mechanism, which leads to a difference between web and mobile application testing.

Before we deep-dive into the difference between web and mobile application testing, let’s see what web and mobile applications are.

What are Web Applications?

A web application is an application that runs in the browser and does not need to be downloaded. Web applications are a collection of programs or services that use the Internet to deliver information to users. Each web application consists of an interface, which can be accessed via a web browser, and a back-end server that manages the data and executes specific processes.

Web applications can create powerful, stand-alone tools for a specific purpose. For example, Gmail is an email web application that replaces the need for a desktop mail client and stores emails on Google’s servers. Another example of a web application is the OTT (over-the-top) platform Netflix built with the sole purpose of media streaming through a browser.

Applications are usually built in some specific programming language. The most popular are JavaScript, C#, Python, and PHP. Web applications can also be standalone programs accessed from a web browser but run on servers elsewhere. Some specific web applications are also called “Rich Internet Applications” (RIAs), especially when they employ advanced technologies like AJAX, Flash, or Silverlight.

What are Mobile Applications?

Mobile applications, also referred to as apps, are software programs designed to run on small mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. Mobile apps run on an operating system and can be downloaded from a store, such as the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. These programs provide users with tools and services to help them accomplish tasks.

Mobile applications extend the functionality of mobile devices, such as providing the ability to run a wide range of applications, use Internet services, send and receive emails, and text messages, take pictures and videos, play games, calculate mathematical problems, read books, access social networking sites and much more.

Mobile apps are usually made for specific mobile operating systems, such as iOS, Android, Windows, and specific devices like tablets or phones. They can be free or paid and may or may not require a subscription. Applications are either pre-installed on phones during manufacture or installed later.

Mobile apps can be further categorized as mobile web applications, native applications, and hybrid applications.

• Mobile web applications are similar to web applications, only that they run on a mobile browser. These web applications don’t require any downloads or installations. In simple terms, these applications can be defined as super-responsive websites that are very flexible when adapting based on user expectations or requirements. While this is a significant plus point for mobile web applications, there is a dark side as well- the performance of these apps entirely relies on a device’s browser and an Internet connection, which could impact the user experience for every other user. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are among the most commonly used types of mobile web applications.
• Native mobile applications are designed to run on specific devices. They can be developed using native languages for each platform (Objective C for iOS and Java for Android) or cross-platform development tools (Phone Gap). These are standalone applications explicitly built for different mobile OS such as iOS or Android. Native apps are often built to be reliable and faster than other applications. But that also leads to a higher cost of native app development and production.
• Hybrid applications are built like mobile web apps with the capability of running like native mobile apps, i.e., in a native environment. These apps often look like web applications yet have all the perks and features offered by native mobile applications. Hybrid applications offer users the best of both worlds- minimum load time and consistent user experience even during poor Internet connection.

To know more about web, native and hybrid applications, please check our blog on the Difference Between Web vs Hybrid vs Native Apps.

Choosing the Best Tool for Mobile and Web Application Testing

Despite the difference between mobile application and web application testing, they still have some tests in common. For example, both require functionality, performance, change-related, usability, compatibility, localization, recovery, and even certification testing. Based on this information, allow us to help you choose the best tool for mobile and web application testing.

Frameworks for testing Web Applications

Web application testing is primarily done on desktops or laptops. However, various commercial tools are available for doing the same, and they have their advantages.

Listed below are some of the best automation frameworks used for web application testing.

Selenium

Selenium is a popular open-source automation testing framework for web application testing. Selenium is used to automate web application testing across different browsers and platforms. In addition, it supports various programming languages, including Java, C#, Python, and Ruby. Selenium has become very popular with web developers and QA professionals because it is easy to use, flexible, and provides good coverage of the functionality of web applications.

If you are new to Selenium, check our guide on what is Selenium.

Selenium supports the recording and playback of test cases, making it easy for beginners to get started. However, the more experienced users can also use Selenium’s powerful programming features to create sophisticated test scripts. So if you’re looking for a powerful yet affordable solution, Selenium is the way to go.

Cypress

Cypress is a JavaScript end-to-end framework for front end testing. It runs tests in the same browser run loop as the application, so a test reads the DOM and the network layer directly. Cypress allows you to write tests in your own language, which gives you a lot of flexibility and makes the tests more readable. Cypress test automation framework makes it easy for you to write powerful and flexible tests for your web applications.

Playwright

Playwright is a framework for end-to-end testing and manages modern web apps. You can perform Playwright testing across various browsers and platforms. There is no need to worry about flaky tests.

Puppeteer

Puppeteer is a Node package for automating web tests using the Chrome browser. By using the DevTools Protocol, it provides a high-level API for controlling headless Chrome or Chromium. Alternatively, you can set it up to run full (headless) Chrome or Chromium.

TestCafe

TestCafe is a prevalent test automation framework widely used in the industry. It is an open-source Node.js test automation platform for web application testing. It enables you to write tests for your web application using familiar JavaScript. In addition, tests run in a browser, so you don’t need to install and learn any new software.

Web testing with TestCafe offers several features such as running tests in parallel, recording and playback, and automatic waits for AJAX calls and page loads. In addition, TestCafe has a wide range of plugins to support different frameworks and libraries.

When testing large web applications, it is practically impossible for businesses to afford separate infrastructure or resources. This is where you need a robust cloud testing platform to help you handle day-to-day testing challenges.

Note: Get faster release velocity with blazing fast test automation. Try TestMu AI Now!

Accelerate Web Application testing using TestMu AI

TestMu AI is a cloud-based web testing platform that allows devs and testers to perform manual and automated web testing on an online browser farm of 3000+ browsers and OS combinations. You can perform the below web testing options based on the requirement:

• Manual Testing
• Automation Testing (Selenium, Cypress, Playwright automation, and Puppeteer)
• HyperExecute testing for faster test automation.
• Test At Scale

To make things easier for your team- from grid setup to device labs, TestMu AI’s online Selenium Grid allows you to test your Selenium web automation tests on a wide range of real desktop and mobile browsers.

An online Selenium Grid for automation testing offered by TestMu AI is shown in the video below.

You can also subscribe to the TestMu AI YouTube Channel to keep up to date on the latest Selenium testing, Cypress E2E testing, Real Time Testing, CI/CD, and more

Frameworks for testing Mobile Applications

The key factors to consider while choosing the right mobile app testing tool includes compatibility with browser, network, and device, device bandwidth/capacity, user expectations, frequent software upgrades, and security.

Considering all this, here is a list of the best mobile app testing frameworks.

Appium

Appium is a powerful open-source framework for app test automation on iOS, Android, and Windows devices. It uses the WebDriver protocol to control apps on these platforms, making it a versatile and efficient tool for testers. It’s especially effective for web and mobile applications and automated functional testing.

XCUITest

Apple unveiled XCUITest, an automated app testing framework for iOS automation testing of apps. It is not a cross-platform framework, so tests performed here cannot be used to test Android applications.

Espresso

Espresso is an Android-specific automation framework for creating and deploying user interface tests. Developers can use Espresso to design a test scenario and record their interactions with a mobile device.

Robotium

Robotium is a free and open-source Android app testing framework. It aids in creating simple automation test scripts and is well-known for its ability to generate automated test cases. In addition, Robotium allows test case developers to construct function, system, and acceptability test scenarios that span multiple Android activities.

Selendroid

Selendroid is an Android-based mobile application testing framework. It also allows hybrid and native app test automation. Selendroid can also run parallel test cases on several devices simultaneously.

Watch this video to learn how to write a basic script with Playwright using functions & selectors and then launch the browser to execute the test.