Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Appium VS Heap

Compare Appium VS Heap and see what are their differences

Appium logo Appium

Appium is an open source test automation framework for use with native and hybrid mobile apps.

Heap logo Heap

Analytics for web and iOS. Heap automatically captures every user action in your app and lets you measure it all. Clicks, taps, swipes, form submissions, page views, and more.
  • Appium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19
  • Heap Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-05

Appium

Website
appium.io
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Release Date
-

Heap

Website
heap.io
$ Details
-
Release Date
2013 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Matin Movassate
Employees
100 - 249

Appium features and specs

  • Cross-Platform
    Appium supports multiple platforms (Android, iOS, Windows), allowing the same code to automate tests across different environments without significant modification.
  • Language Agnostic
    Appium supports various programming languages such as Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, C#, and more, making it flexible for diverse development teams.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source tool, Appium is free to use and has a strong community that contributes to its continuous improvement and provides support.
  • Full Access to Back-End APIs and Databases
    Appium allows testers to access back-end APIs and databases directly, offering more control over the automated testing process.
  • Supports Real Devices and Emulators
    Appium works well with real devices, emulators, and simulators, providing flexibility in how tests are run and validated.
  • No App Modification Required
    Appium does not require any modification of your application code or recompilation, making it easier to integrate into existing development workflows.

Possible disadvantages of Appium

  • Performance Overhead
    Appium can introduce performance overhead due to its reliance on the WebDriver protocol, which may lead to slower test execution compared to some native test frameworks.
  • Complex Setup
    Setting up Appium for the first time can be complex and challenging, particularly for beginners, due to its wide range of configuration options and dependencies.
  • Limited Support for Older Devices
    Appium may have limited support for older versions of iOS and Android, which can be a problem for testing applications that need to support a wide range of devices.
  • Lack of Advanced Gesture Support
    While Appium supports basic gestures, handling complex multi-touch actions and advanced gestures can be cumbersome and sometimes unsupported.
  • Flakiness of Tests
    Automated tests using Appium can sometimes be flaky, meaning they may pass or fail inconsistently due to various external factors like network speed, timing issues, and device state.
  • Limited Support for Web Components
    Testing mobile web applications via Appium can be challenging due to limited and sometimes unstable support for web components.

Heap features and specs

  • Automatic Event Tracking
    Heap captures all user interactions automatically without requiring manual event setup, making it easier to get started and ensuring comprehensive data collection.
  • User-friendly Interface
    Heap provides a clean and intuitive interface, which allows non-technical users to easily create and analyze custom reports and dashboards.
  • Retroactive Analysis
    With Heap, users can define events at any time and view historical data, enabling analysis of past behaviors without prior configuration.
  • Comprehensive Data
    Heap collects a wide array of data points including clicks, form submissions, page views, and more, offering a holistic view of user interactions.
  • Integrations
    Heap offers robust integration capabilities with other analytics platforms, CRM systems, and data warehouses, facilitating seamless data flow between tools.

Possible disadvantages of Heap

  • Cost
    Heap can be expensive for smaller businesses or startups, particularly as the volume of tracked events and the number of users increases.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, some users report a steep learning curve when it comes to leveraging Heap's more advanced features and capabilities.
  • Limited Customization
    While Heap provides a lot of data out-of-the-box, some users may find the customization options for tracking and reporting somewhat limited compared to other tools that offer more flexibility.
  • Data Redundancy
    The automatic tracking feature, while comprehensive, can sometimes lead to data redundancy or capturing irrelevant events, which may require additional data cleaning.
  • Reporting Complexity
    Some users have expressed that creating complex reports and funnels can be challenging and may require a deeper understanding of the platform's capabilities.

Analysis of Appium

Overall verdict

  • Appium is generally considered a good tool for mobile app automation due to its cross-platform capabilities and extensive support for multiple languages, making it suitable for diverse development teams and projects.

Why this product is good

  • Appium is a popular open-source tool for automating mobile applications across various platforms, such as iOS and Android. It supports multiple programming languages, allowing flexibility for developers. Its community is active, providing continuous support and updates. Appium enables testing on real devices as well as simulators and emulators, enhancing its effectiveness for a variety of test scenarios.

Recommended for

    Appium is recommended for mobile app developers and QA engineers who are looking to automate the testing process for both Android and iOS applications, especially those who need cross-platform support and the ability to test on real devices.

Analysis of Heap

Overall verdict

  • Heap is a robust analytics solution that is well-suited for businesses looking for an easy-to-implement tool that delivers detailed insights without requiring significant technical expertise. While it might be overkill for very small businesses or startups with minimal data analysis needs, its capabilities stand out for medium to large enterprises that want a more profound understanding of user interactions.

Why this product is good

  • Heap is generally considered a good analytics tool because it offers comprehensive and automatic data capturing, which helps businesses understand user behavior without needing extensive tracking plans. Users appreciate its ease of use, modern interface, and powerful analysis capabilities that allow non-technical users to generate insights quickly. Heap provides features like retroactive analytics and detailed funnel analysis, which can be incredibly valuable for improving user experience and increasing conversion rates.

Recommended for

    Heap is recommended for medium to large companies, product managers, marketing teams, and data analysts who need a platform that offers detailed, user-level insights and robust analytics features without the complexity of setting up extensive tracking code. It is also well-suited for teams that want to make data-driven decisions quickly and efficiently.

Appium videos

Appium Architecture Explained | How Appium Works | Appium Online Training | Edureka

More videos:

  • Review - Jenkins CI Pipeline using Appium tests for Android and iOS by Vivek Upreti & Naresh Jain #AppiumConf
  • Review - The Xamarin Show | Episode 15: Appium Mobile Automation with Glenn Wester

Heap videos

Septimus Heap Series by Angie Sage || Spoiler Review

More videos:

  • Review - Fargo Season 1 Episode 8 "The Heap" Review
  • Review - Data Structures: Heaps

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Appium and Heap)
Automated Testing
100 100%
0% 0
Analytics
5 5%
95% 95
Browser Testing
100 100%
0% 0
Web Analytics
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Appium and Heap

Appium Reviews

Top 5 Selenium Alternatives for Less Maintenance
Appium and Playwright closely resemble Selenium in terms of functionality but offer unique features and advantages. Both of these solutions require coding experience. Leapwork, a commercial vendor, uses Selenium under the hood to power their visual automation approach.
Top 20 Best Automation Testing Tools in 2019 (Comprehensive List)
It supports automation of native, hybrid and mobile web applications built for iOS and Android. Appium uses vendor-provided automation frameworks and is based on client/server architecture.
Top 20 Best Automation Testing Tools in 2018 (Comprehensive List)
It supports automation of native, hybrid and mobile web applications built for iOS and Android. Appium uses vendor-provided automation frameworks and is based on client/server architecture.

Heap Reviews

10 Best Mixpanel Alternatives for Product Analytics in 2024
Heap is a web and mobile data analytics platform that captures every user interaction via secure session recording. Use it to get insights into customer behavior and to streamline your digital experiences. โฉ
Source: clickup.com
7 best Mixpanel alternatives to understand your users
On the other hand, Mixpanel requires you to manually define the events you want to track from the start. While this might take some extra time, it provides more detailed reports right off the bat, which makes the analysis straightforward. The choice between Heap and Mixpanel depends on whether you prioritize comprehensive data capturing (Heap) or a more detailed analysis...
Source: www.hotjar.com
Best Mixpanel Alternatives for SaaS
Heap is a robust product analytics platform that provides users with a plethora of in-depth insights into customer behavior and needs. With Heap, you can track user interactions in real time across all touch points within your product. Insights from Heap help you dig deeper into the paths users take when navigating your product and identify precise points of friction. Plus,...
Source: userpilot.com
Top 5 Plausible Analytics Alternatives in 2024
Additionally, Heap suggests reports for your review. You can define events, create segments, and utilize the event visualizer to delve into detailed user data.
Source: www.putler.com
Top 9 Plausible Analytics alternatives in 2024
Heapโ€™s automatic event tracking and retroactive analytics offer a hassle-free approach, simplifying complex data analysis. Its user-friendly interface and intuitive tools enable effortless data exploration, offering detailed insights into user journeys without the need for manual tracking. Although it provides detailed user data, some users might find limitations in customer...
Source: usermaven.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Appium should be more popular than Heap. It has been mentiond 20 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Appium mentions (20)

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Heap mentions (11)

  • free-for.dev
    Heap.io โ€” Automatically captures every user action in iOS or web apps. Free for up to 5,000 visits/month. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • Question about testID in prod vs dev builds
    Check out Heap for React Native - https://heap.io. Source: about 3 years ago
  • All 2200+ companies in my db have a dedicated page now.
    How heavily does the site depend on heap.io for its core functionality? Like, say Heap went under completely out of the blue (god forbid) and you had to switch to Google analytics, how much tech debt are you in? Source: about 3 years ago
  • Thousands of Popular Websites See What You Typeโ€“Before You Hit Submit
    Aren't services like Heap effectively worse versions of this? On their landing page they outright list this as their value prop: > Heap collects all the data on your customers - automatically. What they click. Where they go. What they do, even when youโ€™re not looking. All without the need for engineers. [1]: https://heap.io/. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • We (Still) Believe in Private Offices (2015)
    Author here, surprising to see this blog post of mine trending, but it has held up pretty well! Happy to answer any questions about my time at Stack Overflow. I've since moved on to Heap (https://heap.io/) and we are hiring. We're virtual first so we don't have private offices, but we have the same values about treating developers well and giving them the space they need to do deep work. We're hiring for basically... - Source: Hacker News / about 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Appium and Heap, you can also consider the following products

Selenium - Selenium automates browsers. That's it! What you do with that power is entirely up to you. Primarily, it is for automating web applications for testing purposes, but is certainly not limited to just that.

Google Analytics - Improve your website to increase conversions, improve the user experience, and make more money using Google Analytics. Measure, understand and quantify engagement on your site with customized and in-depth reports.

Apache JMeter - Apache JMeterโ„ข.

Adobe Analytics - Adobe Analytics is an industry-leading solution that empowers you to understand your customers as people and steer your business with customer intelligence.

TestComplete - TestComplete Desktop, Web, and Mobile helps you create repeatable and accurate automated tests across multiple devices, platforms, and environments easily and quickly.

Mixpanel - Mixpanel is the most advanced analytics platform in the world for mobile & web.