Top 9 Software Testing Tools for Development Teams

Last Updated on 2024-10-11

There are different software testing tools in the market today. It can be challenging to know which ones are worth your time and money, especially when you don’t know how to use them. Let’s list down popular software testing tools and what they’re used for.

In a way, software bugs are like insects that invade your home. Some are just annoying and hard to catch, like the moth that keeps crashing into your lamp. (Did you know the first “bug” was literally a moth disrupting the circuitry inside a Harvard computer in 1947?) Other bugs are more like termites; they remain hidden but create holes that threaten the integrity of the entire structure. Bugs are an unavoidable part of the development process. In any case, high-quality software testing tools will help you find and eliminate them as quickly as possible.

You can find a wide range of testing tools on the market today. It can be challenging to figure out if a product is worth your time and money, especially when you don’t know how to use it. Let’s take a look at the most popular tools and see what they have to offer.

Software testing is a vital step in the software development lifecycle. You’ll need to complete this phase before validating and accepting a software release. As such, testing plays a major role in determining how quickly you can launch a new product or service.

Every software development team needs QA specialists. These experts know how to test computer software thoroughly. Their analytical skills help them create test scenarios, steps, and scopes. They also identify the best ways to test different kinds of software. Quality assurance specialists select the most suitable processes, environments, and tools for the job. Let’s take a closer look.

9 Most Popular Software Testing Tools for Development Teams

Software testers use different tools and techniques depending on the environment and goals. Before you can understand how software testing tools work, you’ll need to learn about the major types of testing.

Generally, software testing efforts fall into one of two categories: manual and automated. Manual tests are performed by human QA specialists. These professionals complete the tests using brute force. They record and report the results.

On the other hand, automated testing uses specialized software to test, verify and analyze software products. Both methods can uncover bugs that developers need to fix.

Software testing techniques also differ depending on your goals. Different projects may call for one or more of these strategies:

• Unit testing
• Security testing
• Integration testing
• Functional testing
• Regression testing
• Performance testing
• End-to-end testing
• Acceptance testing
• Stress testing

Regardless of the testing method, software testers need specialized tools to save time and make the process more efficient. So, how do you choose the best tools to use? Read on to learn about nine popular solutions and how they’re used.

Quality Center

Micro Focus Quality Center was once known as HP Quality Center. It’s a testing tool that lets users test software manually or automatically. It provides test planning, requirements management, and defect-tracking features. This tool comes in three different editions: Express, Community, and Enterprise.

IBM Rational Quality Manager

Rational Quality Manager is a web-based application that allows QA specialists to comprehensively plan, construct, and manage artifacts throughout the development life cycle. It includes features that expedite test planning, execution, requirements management, and reporting. Overall, this tool helps organizations manage the software development process from end to end.

Microsoft Test Manager

This software testing tool enables developers and testers to plan, execute, and track their software testing. It includes test case management, results reporting, and lab management features.

Microsoft Test Manager offers a robust artifact management feature that helps QA specialists manage and execute their test cases. The artifacts are stored in the Team Foundation Server, making it an ideal tool for teams that exclusively use Microsoft Visual Studio for development.

Selenium

Selenium is an open-source testing tool that lets you automate your web browser tests. It supports various well-known browsers, such as Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and Safari.

This web-based software has rich features and libraries that enhance automated browser testing. Selenium’s playback tool performs functional browser tests without the need to learn a new test scripting language.

Unified Functional Testing

Next, we have Micro Focus Unified Functional Testing (UFT). It was called QuickTest Professional or QTP before Micro Focus acquired it from HP. This software testing tool allows you to create and run automated software application tests. It supports various technologies, including .NET, Java, and Web services.

Testers use UFT for regression and functional testing through a user interface. This tool clicks and otherwise interacts with user interface elements of software and webpages. To use the tool more efficiently, you may employ VBScript to manipulate and control the applications being tested.

LoadRunner

LoadRunner is a performance testing tool that allows you to simulate real-world user demands on your software application. Testers can find bottlenecks and scalability issues by measuring the performance of software under different conditions.

With LoadRunner, testers can simplify performance load testing using a wide range of protocols, technologies, and application environments. It supports MQTT, HTML5, WebSockets, Java, RDP, .NET, and SAP (alphabet soup, anyone?). Moreover, their scripting and debugging engine minimize scripting time during testing.

JMeter

Another performance testing tool on our list is known as Apache JMeter. This Java-based tool allows you to load-test your software applications. Testers use JMeter to measure the performance of various systems, including web servers, databases, and email servers.

JMeter has a full-featured Test IDE that lets you plan tests rapidly. Its features include a CLI mode so that QA specialists can load-test from any Java-compatible OS. This open-source tool also has a report function that produces comprehensive results data.

AppScan

AppScan offers software security testing tools that will help you check your applications for vulnerabilities. It supports a variety of technologies, including .NET, Java, and PHP.

AppScan has powerful products that can satisfy many different needs. They support dynamic and static application security testing as well as enterprise and cloud environments. Each product provides custom functions with the ultimate goal of identifying and eliminating potential vulnerabilities in your applications.

Fortify

Finally, we have Fortify Application Security. This testing tool can help you assess the security of your software applications. It helps identify vulnerabilities in APIs, web apps, mobile apps, containers, Infrastructure as Code, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

One of the great strengths of Fortify is that it supports cloud transformation. Regardless of whether an application is partially or fully cloud-native, testers can leverage Fortify to secure cloud apps. This tool also offers scalability that you can depend on as your applications mature.

Why You Need Software Testing Tools

Selecting the right software testing tools will speed up the completion of your project and help you deliver bug-free code. Your choices will depend on many factors, including the type of software being tested, its size and complexity, and the available budget. The best way to pick a software testing tool is to consult with experts in the field who can help you evaluate your specific needs.

To do so, you’ll need to hire experts in the field. That’s where Full Scale comes in!

Hire QA Specialists from Full Scale

Full Scale is a software development services provider based in Kansas City. Aside from a vast pool of software developers, we also offer highly skilled quality assurance experts who can perform manual and automated testing.

Our tech professionals undergo a stringent hiring process that involves background checks, technical assessments, and interviews. We guarantee that you’ll benefit from exceptional, well-rounded software development talent. If you seek professional QA specialists for your team, you’re in the right place.

Contact Full Scale Today!