What’s the Difference Between Manual and Automation Testing?
Top software testing trends for 2021. Google this simple combination, and you’ll see that almost all search results include test automation, QA test automation, or automated testing as one of the key benchmarks for software testing and QA sphere development this year. And this is not surprising considering the growing demand for this testing type, even regardless of its cost.
But does this type of testing always meet customer expectations? We have recently surveyed our followers on LinkedIn and asked them to answer a single question: «What would you recommend your customers to use: manual testing, automation testing, or a mixture of both?»
One of the answers was: «Automation is the buzzword… Gets more billing, coverage, etc… But facts are that all major defects are found in manual, ad-hoc testing can be done manually. Automation can only ensure the flow is at best, the same as the last release. But if there are some changes inside the test script wouldn’t be able to identify.»
So, let’s clarify if this is the case. What are the differences? Which testing type is the best choice for checking your product?
Manual vs. automation testing
We’ll walk you through a short overview of the pros and cons of manual and automation testing.
Pros of manual testing
- Lower short-term investments. There’s no need to write test scripts for one-time test cases.
- Human-oriented in terms of usability and UI user-friendliness. Manual testing considers human factors, while pre-scripted tests can’t predict human behavior and UI perception.
- Flexible. Based on the tester’s knowledge and skills, manual testing allows checking software from different angles.
- Programming free. Manual testing does not require a tester to code and allows testing on the fly.
- Purpose specific. Manual testing is a perfect match for testing functionalities and business usability. These include functionality testing, user interface (UI)/user experience (UX)/ user acceptance, and ad-hock testing.
Pros of automation testing
- Lower long-term investments. Writing test scripts once saves time and human resources for test repetitions.
- Performance-oriented. Based on algorithms, provide accurate data about software performance and integrability.
- Reliable. Executed by software tools, automated tests prevent skipping bugs caused by the human factor.
- Transparent and thorough. Being written once by a single specialist, scripts are clear and ready to use by any tester regardless of their knowledge and experience.
- Purpose specific. Automation testing is the best choice for performance testing, load testing, stress testing, spike testing, regression testing.
Cons of manual testing
- Time and resource-consuming in the long run. Manual testing requires considerable time investment, and skills to run tests following test cases.
- Limited in terms of resources and hardware. For instance, load and performance testing require many devices and the involvement of numerous end-users. Automation testing replaces both and is of advantage in such cases.
- Specialist-dependent. Tester knowledge and skills are the means of success. So, it may cause difficulty to replace a tester on the go.
Cons of automation testing
- Requires additional costs. In addition to costs on resources and script development, most likely you’d invest in purchasing automation testing tools.
- Minimal human intervention. With automation testing, it’s nearly impossible to get insight into visual aspects of your UI like colors, font, sizes, contrast, or button sizes.
- Requires debugging test scripts. This takes time and tester efforts.
Summary
To sum up, each type of software testing has its advantages and disadvantages.
Manual testing is an excellent tool for first-time software testing to ensure the quality of newly developed software.
Even though it is time-consuming, it prevents potential defects and provides a better user experience. Once the product becomes stable, it’s the right time to switch to automation testing.
Automation testing, by contrast, is time-saving and cost-effective since it requires less human resources.
However, it is unsuitable for testing just developed software. So, what type of software testing to choose? Reach out an experienced team to get a comprehensive consultation.
