The Difference Between Automated and Manual Cross-Browser Testing

Posted by Lenny on October 24th, 2019

When talking about testing, the first decision you need to make is going for automations or keeping it manual. Both methods have their ups and downs and making the right decision involves a lot of variables such as budget, team size, deadline, and so on. That’s why we won’t try to convince you that one is better than the other. However, just in case you’re new to the picture, we thought you should know some basic differences between the two cross-browser testing approaches. 

Manual Testing

While this approach is pretty much self-explanatory, it’s more than meets the eye. Often referred to as live testing or exploratory testing, the manual method hold the advantage of putting you in the shoes of the user. You will be able to see and feel how your app or website works through the eyes of the final user and that gives you a better opportunity to adjust the product accordingly. 

When talking about the disadvantages, the most pressing issue comes from the limitations of manual testing. Its time-consuming nature is the biggest enemy here. When you have repetitive tasks, it makes a lot of sense to leave a testing tool to it as that’s their main purpose. Furthermore, having humans involved leaves room for human error, which is much more likely when dealing with repetitive tasks. 

Automated Testing

Through the help of scripts, tools and software, your app gets tested automatically. There are countless tools to help you automate the cross-browser testing phase and, just like the manual approach, this method has its advantages and disadvantages. 

When talking about the benefits of automated testing, the most notable one is the speed with which automated tests can be done. Despite the fact that speed is increased, the accuracy also tends to increase compared with manual testing. This happens thanks to parallel testing scenarios and it’s what enables you to have better speed and accuracy when these two attributes were normally antagonists.

The only downside of automated testing when put head to head with the manual approach comes from the lack of the human element. Might sound like a paradox since all the good things coming out of automated testing are related to the absence of the human factor. However, there’s less intuition and human observation involved.