Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Appium VS Selenium

Compare Appium VS Selenium 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.

Selenium logo 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.
  • Appium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19
  • Selenium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-08-22

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.

Selenium features and specs

  • Open Source
    Selenium is an open-source tool, which means it is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. This makes it a cost-effective choice for companies of all sizes.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility
    Selenium supports multiple browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. This allows testers to ensure that web applications work seamlessly across different browsers.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Selenium can run on various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This provides flexibility to test on multiple platforms to ensure consistent user experience.
  • Supports Multiple Programming Languages
    Selenium supports multiple programming languages such as Java, C#, Python, and JavaScript. This allows testers to write their scripts in the language they are most comfortable with.
  • Rich Community and Documentation
    Being a widely-used tool, Selenium has extensive community support and a wealth of documentation and tutorials available. This makes it easier for new users to get started and find solutions to problems.
  • Integration with Other Tools
    Selenium integrates well with various testing frameworks and tools like TestNG, JUnit, and Maven, as well as CI/CD tools like Jenkins and Docker. This makes it a versatile and comprehensive automation solution.

Possible disadvantages of Selenium

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Selenium requires knowledge of programming to create and maintain test scripts. For those new to automation or coding, the learning curve can be quite steep.
  • No Built-in Reporting
    Selenium does not come with built-in reporting features. Testers must rely on third-party tools or build custom reporting solutions to generate test reports.
  • Limited Support for Desktop Applications
    Selenium is designed primarily for web application testing and offers limited support for desktop applications. This limits its use in scenarios where desktop application testing is needed.
  • Manual Effort for Maintenance
    Test scripts require regular maintenance to accommodate changes in the web application, such as updates to the UI or changes in element identifiers. This can lead to significant manual effort.
  • Performance Issues
    Selenium can be slower compared to other automation tools, especially when running extensive test suites. This can affect the speed of the overall testing process.
  • Browser Compatibility Issues
    Although Selenium supports multiple browsers, each browser's implementation of WebDriver may have unique quirks and bugs. This occasionally leads to test script compatibility issues across different browsers.

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

Selenium videos

What is Selenium | Selenium Explained in 2-minutes | Introduction to Selenium | Intellipaat

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Appium and Selenium)
Automated Testing
13 13%
87% 87
Browser Testing
12 12%
88% 88
Testing
12 12%
88% 88
Website Testing
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 Selenium

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.

Selenium Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
Nightwatch.js simplifies the setup and use of Selenium WebDriver, providing an abstraction layer that is easier to work with for JavaScript developers. While it offers the broad compatibility and standardization of Selenium WebDriver, it aims to improve the development experience with its simplified syntax and support for the Page Object pattern, making it a middle ground...
Source: bugbug.io
Top 5 Selenium Alternatives for Less Maintenance
And that’s why code-free test automation is important. Implementing codeless Selenium alternatives can address the challenges posed by traditional Selenium testing. They help testers with various skill sets to contribute to the testing process, enhancing collaboration and accelerating the testing lifecycle. For an in-depth discussion on the significance of codeless Selenium,...
Best Automation Testing Tools (Free and Paid) | July 2022
Automation testing is the process of testing the software using an automation tool to find the defects. In this process, executing the test scripts and generating the results are performed automatically by automation tools. Some most popular tools to do automation testing are HP QTP/UFT, Selenium WebDriver, etc.,
20 BEST Selenium Alternatives in 2021
Selenium is an open-source automated testing tool. It can perform functional, regression, load testing on web applications across different browsers and platforms. Selenium is one of the finest tools, but it does have some drawbacks.
Source: www.guru99.com
Top 10 Best Selenium Alternatives You Should Try
Selenium is a convenient and portable software testing tool specifically used for testing web applications. It acts as an API (Application Program Interface) for browser automation. Selenium is the widely used free and open-source tool used for automation testing of web applications through various browsers and platforms.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Appium should be more popular than Selenium. It has been mentiond 19 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 (19)

View more

Selenium mentions (8)

  • How to write tests in Django for JavaScript fetch
    You won't be able to test the javascript function itself from within python, but you can exercise the front-end code using something like cypress (https://cypress.io) or the older but still respectable selenium (https://selenium.dev). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Having Issues with selenium
    In addition, .find_element_by_class_name is deprecated since selenium 4.3.0 and the replacement is .find_element(By.CLASS_NAME, "class"). Check selenium's site for more info. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Issues with Selenium 4.8.0
    This is the code again after checking selenium's official site :. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Having Issues with selenium
    I also tried the following code seen on the selenium.dev website. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Document Object Model Specification
    The following functions are defined within the Selenium project, at revision 1721e627e3b5ab90a06e82df1b088a33a8d11c20. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

Apache JMeter - Apache JMeter™.

Cypress.io - Slow, difficult and unreliable testing for anything that runs in a browser. Install Cypress in seconds and take the pain out of front-end testing.

AT Internet - Transform your data into action with our powerful and flexible digital analytics solution.

Katalon - Built on the top of Selenium and Appium, Katalon Studio is a free and powerful automated testing tool for web testing, mobile testing, and API testing.

BrowserStack - BrowserStack is a software testing platform for developers to comprehensively test websites and mobile applications for quality.

Simple Analytics - The privacy-first Google Analytics alternative located in Europe.