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Cucumber VS Sauce Labs

Compare Cucumber VS Sauce Labs and see what are their differences

Cucumber logo Cucumber

Cucumber is a BDD tool for specification of application features and user scenarios in plain text.

Sauce Labs logo Sauce Labs

Test mobile or web apps instantly across 700+ browser/OS/device platform combinations - without infrastructure setup.
  • Cucumber Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-19
  • Sauce Labs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23

Cucumber features and specs

  • Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) Framework
    Cucumber supports BDD, allowing collaboration between developers, testers, and non-technical stakeholders to improve the quality of development through clear specifications.
  • Gherkin Syntax
    Utilizes the Gherkin language to write test cases in plain English, making them more readable and understandable for non-technical team members.
  • Integrates with Other Tools
    Easily integrates with other testing and development frameworks like JUnit, TestNG, and Selenium, enhancing its flexibility and utility.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source tool, Cucumber allows for extensive customization and community support, reducing the cost of setting up a testing framework.
  • Supports Multiple Languages
    Offers support for various programming languages including Java, Ruby, and JavaScript, making it versatile for different project needs.

Possible disadvantages of Cucumber

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Requires a good understanding of both BDD practices and Cucumber’s structure, which might be challenging for beginners.
  • Performance Overheads
    Execution of Cucumber tests can be slower compared to other testing frameworks, making it less ideal for very large projects requiring fast feedback loops.
  • Verbose Code
    Writing tests in Gherkin can lead to more verbose code, which might require additional maintenance and can become cumbersome over time.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies for integrating Cucumber with other testing frameworks can be complex, requiring careful coordination.
  • Not Ideal for Unit Testing
    Cucumber is more suited for acceptance and integration testing rather than unit testing, potentially necessitating additional tools for a comprehensive testing strategy.

Sauce Labs features and specs

  • Extensive Browser and OS Coverage
    Sauce Labs offers a wide range of browser and operating system combinations, allowing for comprehensive cross-browser testing.
  • Real Device Testing
    Provides access to a large number of real mobile devices for testing, ensuring accurate results compared to emulators.
  • Integration with CI/CD Tools
    Seamlessly integrates with popular Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, and Travis CI.
  • Detailed Reporting
    Offers in-depth test reports, screenshots, and videos, which help in debugging and improving the quality of tests.
  • Parallel Test Execution
    Supports running multiple tests in parallel, significantly reducing test execution time and speeding up the development cycle.
  • Scalability
    Highly scalable platform that can cater to both small projects and large enterprises, making it flexible for various needs.

Possible disadvantages of Sauce Labs

  • Cost
    The pricing can be quite high, especially for small teams or individual developers, making it less accessible for budget-constrained projects.
  • Learning Curve
    There can be a steep learning curve for new users who are not familiar with automated testing platforms.
  • Latency Issues
    Some users have reported latency issues and slower test execution times compared to local testing environments.
  • Complexity
    Setting up and configuring tests to run on Sauce Labs can be complex and time-consuming, requiring a good understanding of the platform and automated testing best practices.
  • Dependency on Internet Speed
    As a cloud-based service, the performance can be heavily dependent on the tester's internet speed, potentially affecting test execution and debugging processes.

Analysis of Cucumber

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Cucumber (cukes.info) is generally considered a good tool for behavior-driven development (BDD).

Why this product is good

  • Cucumber is highly regarded because it allows teams to write tests in plain language that can be understood by all stakeholders, regardless of technical expertise. This enhances communication and collaboration between developers, testers, and business professionals. Furthermore, it supports various programming languages and integrates well with other tools, making it versatile and adaptable to different engineering environments.

Recommended for

  • Teams practicing behavior-driven development (BDD)
  • Projects that require clear communication between non-technical and technical team members
  • Development environments where automated testing is an integral part of the process
  • Organizations aiming to improve collaboration and understanding across departments

Cucumber videos

Madam Kilay Skin Magical Review / Orange cucumber review

More videos:

  • Review - Puff Bar - Cucumber Review (Best Disposable Vape Brand)
  • Review - THE CUCUMBER CHALLENGE! (1 MILLION SUBSCRIBER SPECIAL)
  • Tutorial - Cucumber automation suit

Sauce Labs videos

Overview of Sauce Labs

More videos:

  • Review - How an Automated Test Works With Sauce Labs
  • Review - Sauce Labs Analytics

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cucumber and Sauce Labs)
Automated Testing
34 34%
66% 66
Website Testing
13 13%
87% 87
Browser Testing
33 33%
67% 67
Testing
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Cucumber and Sauce Labs

Cucumber Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
Cucumber itself is not a test automation tool but a framework that supports BDD. It is often used in conjunction with Selenium to provide a layer where test scenarios are written in a way that is understandable by all team members. Unlike Selenium, which focuses on automating browser actions, Cucumber focuses on defining behavior and can be used to drive Selenium tests.
Source: bugbug.io
5 Selenium Alternatives to Fill in Your Top Testing Gaps
Business testers are likely to prefer to use Cucumber over Selenium since script Cucumber lets you write test scenarios using a plain-English scripting language called Gherkin. Using Gherkin instead of code makes test script creation a much simpler process, since anyone can read, write, and understand the scripts regardless of testing experience.
Source: www.perfecto.io
Top 20 Best Automation Testing Tools in 2018 (Comprehensive List)
Cucumber is an open-source tool that is designed over the concept of BDD (Behavior-driven development). It is used to perform the automated acceptance testing by running the examples that best describe the behavior of the application. It gets you a single up-to-date living document that is having both specification and test documentation.

Sauce Labs Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
Sauce Labs is a cloud-based platform that offers automated testing tools for web and mobile applications. It provides a secure and scalable environment for running tests across a wide range of browsers and operating systems. With features like parallel testing, real device testing, and live debugging, Sauce Labs focuses on improving test execution times and overall efficiency.
Source: bugbug.io
Top 20 Best Automation Testing Tools in 2018 (Comprehensive List)
Sauce Labs is a selenium cloud-based solution that offers automated testing over cross-browsers and multiple platforms. It has support for both mobile and desktop apps. It is known for significantly accelerating test cycles.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Sauce Labs seems to be a lot more popular than Cucumber. While we know about 17 links to Sauce Labs, we've tracked only 1 mention of Cucumber. 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.

Cucumber mentions (1)

Sauce Labs mentions (17)

  • 11 Most Popular Tools for Logging and Monitoring API Calls
    Sauce Labs used to be called API Fortress, and under that name, it generated a bit of a reputation as a cloud-based REST API monitoring solution. Setting up Sauce Labs for monitoring involves establishing secure connections to ensure data integrity and security. Sauce Labs continues this success by providing testing, monitoring, and reporting, but for those looking principally for API log tooling, Sauce Labs can... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Top 10 iOS Automation Testing Tools for 2025 (with Key Features)
    #2 SauceLabs SauceLabs also offers a cloud-based platform for testing iOS apps, as well as capabilities to build, organize, and run tests for delivering high-quality applications. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Free Cross Browser Testing Tools to pick in 2025
    5. Sauce Labs (Free Plan) Sauce Labs provides a cloud-based testing platform that includes real device testing and supports Selenium, Appium, and other popular automation frameworks. While its free tier limits access to testing minutes and device options, it’s ideal for smaller testing needs and early-phase bug hunting. Paid plans enable larger teams to scale with access to additional device environments. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • 🛑 Stop resizing your browser: improve testing for responsiveness
    Platforms like Browserstack or SauceLabs offer virtual instances of real devices and browsers for manual and end-to-end testing. Caveat: subscriptions cost money and are on a per-seat basis. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • React Native Testing Options Overview
    Appium is an open-source test automation framework. You can use it with native, hybrid, and mobile web apps. It drives iOS and Android apps using the WebDriver protocol. Appium is sponsored by Sauce Labs and a community of open source developers. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cucumber and Sauce Labs, 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.

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

Robot framework - Robot Framework is a generic test automation framework for acceptance testing and acceptance...

LambdaTest - Perform Web Testing on 2000+ Browsers & OS

JUnit - JUnit is a simple framework to write repeatable tests.

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