9 BEST Manual Testing Tools (2023)
Thomas Hamilton
Manual testing tools help you simplify tasks like issue tracking, application testing, automation testing, debugging, API testing, etc. The ideal manual testing tools help enterprises with the entire software testing process, from planning to documentation to development to test analysis.
We have curated a list of the 9 top manual testing tools for you. Our research process involved evaluating tools based on platforms, features, customer support, etc.
Best Manual Testing Tools
| Name | Supported Platforms | Used For | Open Source | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 👍 Jira Software | Windows, Linux, and macOS | Time Tracking, Bug Tracking, Milestone Tracking, Issue Management, etc. | Yes | Learn more |
| Selenium | Windows, Linux, and macOS | Web Automation Tool | Yes | Learn more |
| TestLink | Windows and Cloud | Test Management Tool | Yes | Learn more |
| LoadRunner | Windows, macOS, and Linux | Load and Performance Testing | No | Learn more |
| Bugzilla | Windows, Linux, macOS | Bug Tracking, Test Management, etc. | Yes | Learn more |
“ Manual testing tools can be critical in helping businesses optimize and streamline the software testing process. You should select the tools that integrate best with your workflow, meet all your use cases, and should help you to speed up your growth.”
1) Jira Software
Best Agile Testing Tool
Jira Software is a bug tracking tool used by development teams to track and debug software defects. It provides comprehensive tools for administrators to perform multiple functions, such as assigning, prioritizing, and reviewing various tests. You can follow the development of a particular issue, predict when it will be resolved, and get up-to-the-minute project status using the features in JIRA tickets.
It offers administrators configurable permissions to provide rights and capabilities to specific users. It maintains all project information that simplifies development, aids progress tracking, improves productivity, and ensures no gaps exist in your security.
Open Source: Yes
Used For: Time Tracking, Bug Tracking, Milestone Tracking, etc.
Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, and macOS
Free Trial: Lifetime Free Basic Plan
Features:
- Offers complete visibility and provides teams with the context they need to make swift decisions.
- Scrum boards enable you to divide work into smaller chunks and work for large projects.
- Create customizable workflows that map to any style of work.
- Built-in dashboards and data-rich reports provide vital context-specific insights that keep your teams informed
- Use roadmaps to keep your teams and organization in sync for better planning and adherence.
Pros
Cons
Key Specs:
Supported Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS
They are used: Time Tracking, Bug Tracking, Milestone Tracking, Issue Management, etc.
Pricing: Free
Lifetime Free Basic Plan
2) Selenium
Best for Multi-browser Web app Testing
Selenium is one of the ideal manual testing tools for web applications. It provides robust features that assist in performing in-depth software testing for all web browsers. The Selenium IDE can speed up development, create scripts for exploratory testing, perform administrative tasks, etc. Moreover, it comes with built-in support for breakpoints to allow effortless debugging.
Selenium is capable of working without the need to have an intermediate server. It can be scaled up according to your needs and run tests on machines and environments from a central location.
Features:
- Supports parallel test execution, which helps you to reduce testing time and increases the test efficiency.
- Selenium WebDriver API assists in effortless deep testing of web applications.
- Easily integrates with Jenkins Selenium Pipeline plugins such as Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery
- Use of multiple locators for each Web element helps in writing better code.
Pros
Cons
Key Specs:
Used For: Web Automation Tool
Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, and macOS
Pricing: Free
Link: https://www.selenium.dev/
3) TestLink
Best for administrating and managing tests
TestLink manages your end-to-end test management process. It synchronizes all the test specifications and requirements to ensure optimum testing. You can also construct test projects and record data-rich test cases. It provides data-dense test reports in various formats, including MS Excel, MS Word, and HTML5.
TestLink allows you to create accounts for multiple users and assign user roles with different capabilities. It helps administrators to manage and post new test cases through the dashboard interface. Moreover, testers can use this tool to generate a test plan and reports using this manual testing tool.
Features:
- It is one of the best software testing tools that supports powerful search functionality with hotkeys features
- Numerous add-ons are supported to connect with different software to ease out work.
- Allows you to import test results from CSV or Excel, which expedites result logging.
- Test cases are stored in an organized structure, making it easier for beginners to understand.
Pros
Cons
Key Specs:
Used For: Test Management Tool
Supported Platforms: Windows and Cloud
Pricing: Free
Link: https://testlink.org/
4) LoadRunner
Best for Discovering performance bottlenecks
LoadRunner is one of the best testing tools for providing users with an accurate and complete picture of an app’s overall performance. It assists you in discovering, analyzing, and debugging performance issues quickly. You may use it to perform ethical hacking by simulating thousands of users at the same time.
It captures component and system-level performance data via a complete set of diagnostic modules and system monitors. QA teams can also use it to test their applications by simulating the actual user load. It is among the most potent manual testing tools for analyzing applications based on various parameters and comparing results with your target performance requirements.
Features:
- Easily perform load, volume, stress, or any other type of performance test
- Graphs provide you with data-rich information to identify bottlenecks quickly.
- Runs high-scale tests with essential hardware and resources.
- Businesses may create robust service-level agreements before product launch.
- Compatible with your existing VuGen so that you can scale up without any limit.
Pros
Cons
Key Specs:
Used For: Load and Performance Testing
Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux
Price: Community Edition is Free to Download
Link: https://www.microfocus.com/en-us/products/loadrunner-professional/overview
5) Bugzilla
Best for Tracking and managing bug reports
Bugzilla is a robust bug tracking system that allows developers to track bugs and pending issues. Its advanced systems help you estimate the time needed for fixing each bug. You can use it to create data-driven bug reports with various search criteria and filters. It allows requesting code review, obtaining information from a specific user, or getting a sign-off from the administrator.
It is an ideal manual testing tool for custom workflow management, bug visibility control, bug email notifications, etc. You can use the Bugzilla Patch Viewer for a colorful view of any patch attached to a bug, making code review much more manageable.
Features:
- Scans database for inconsistencies and assists in fixing the discovered errors
- It has an advanced search system with multiple filters to quickly find anything
- You can create custom searches, including time-based searches, to observe changing trends of a bug’s priority
- It allows you to club similar bugs for easier management and working.
Pros
Cons
Key Specs:
Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, and macOS
Used For: Bug Tracking
Pricing: Free
Link: https://www.bugzilla.org/
6) JMeter
Best Open-Source Performance Testing Tool
JMeter is a performance testing tool that supports data parameterization and scripting in various languages. You can use it to easily export data in file formats like HTML, JSON, XML, etc. Its advanced Test IDE supports quick Test Plan building, recording, and debugging.
This software testing tool can simulate a heavy demand on a single server, set of servers, network, or object to examine overall performance under various conditions. JMeter supports variable parameterization, assertions, configuration variables per-thread cookies, and multiple reports. Moreover, it can record test data from different applications and web browsers.
Features:
- Test IDE allows you to record, build, and debug test plans.
- It provides offline analysis and caching of the test results
- Supports protocol include HTTP, SOAP, REST, PHP, ASP.NET, FTP, LDAP, etc.
- Built-in support on Linux/Unix makes it easily accessible in the operating system.
Pros
Cons
Key specs:
Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, and macOS
Used For: Performance Testing
Pricing: Free – Open Source
Link: https://jmeter.apache.org/
7) UFT
Best for Automated Software testing
UFT is an automated testing tool that can automate testing of any test environment imaginable. It can create automated tests for 200+ enterprise apps and technologies. This tool primarily automates UI-based and non-UI test cases such as file operations and many more. It analyses actual and expected outcomes and reports the findings in an executive summary.
UFT enables testers to include checkpoints to ensure that the application’s test results are as expected. It is one of the best automation testing tools supporting AI-based machine learning and advanced OCR for object recognition.
Features:
- Supports continuous testing through integrations with DevOps, Jenkins, bamboo, and many more
- True end-to-end testing from a single tool
- AI drive testing automation
- Accelerate End-to-End Testing of Enterprise-Grade Apps
- Cross Browser Testing Support allows testing across common web browsers like Chrome, Firebox, etc.
- Easy to use API and Webservices Testing
- Offers an extensible framework for building and running tests on “headless” apps.
- Provides integration with ALM to allow effortless scheduling and monitoring.
- Parallel testing helps perform tests on the web, mobile, API, or a combination of platforms across dispersed infrastructures.
Pros
Cons
Key Specs:
Supported Platforms: Windows
Used For: Regression Testing of the Application, Defect Logging, Implementing, Executing, Tracking changes, etc.
Pricing: Contact Customer Support for Pricing
Free Trial: Lifetime Free Basic Plan
Link: https://www.microfocus.com/en-us/products/uft-one/overview
8) ALM
Best Test Management Tool
ALM is one of the best software testing tools to manage testing processes and establish end-to-end traceability. It helps achieve high testing efficiency and manage quality with a risk-based approach. You can use its reusable assets, automatic test execution, result gathering, and other techniques to test your tools efficiently.
It helps create standardized processes to improve traceability, perform an audit, and implement security measures. It also performs advanced software analysis to quickly discover common trends, anomalies, and unexpected correlations in your code.
Features:
- It helps auditors to conduct audits against regulations and standards throughout the application development lifecycle.
- Supports various development Methodologies, including Agile, Waterfall, Spiral, Hybrid, or custom processes
- ALM allows you to provide reports like application quality metrics, an executive dashboard of KPIs, and many more.
- It helps you to establish standardized procedures, implement traceability, and perform audits
- You can keep track of the links between the requirements, issues, and tests throughout the application’s lifetime.
Pros
Cons
Key Specs:
Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS, Solaris, AIX, etc.
Used For Test Script Reviews, Defect Tracking, Requirements Based Testing, etc.
Pricing: Starts at $6000
Free Trial: Yes, 28 days
Link: https://www.microfocus.com/en-us/products/alm-quality-center/overview
9) ZAP
Best for Performing security testing
The Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is an open-source software testing tool that detects web application vulnerabilities automatically. It is a project of the Open Web Application Security Initiative (OWASP). It also supports active penetration testing for conducting ethical attacks on systems to find critical vulnerabilities.
ZAP can act as a proxy for the browser and the app server. It can also be used as a standalone application process with no user interface.
Features:
- ZAP proxy helps analyze, change, and inject traffic into the message content between the browser and server.
- The Jenkins Plugin enables the integration of security testing within the CI/CD pipeline
- ZAP is appropriate for both seasoned security specialists and web developers.
- Fuzzer is a security tool to inject ethical payloads to test applications in authoritarian states and expose vulnerabilities.
- Supports automating various tasks for better reliability and time-saving. To find suitable tools that can help with this, explore these top test management tools.
Pros
Cons
Key Specs:
Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, and macOS
Used For: Security Testing
Pricing: Free
Link: https://owasp.org/www-project-zap/
FAQ
Best Manual Testing Tools
| Name | Supported Platforms | Used For | Open Source | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 👍 Jira Software | Windows, Linux, and macOS | Time Tracking, Bug Tracking, Milestone Tracking, Issue Management, etc. | Yes | Learn more |
| Selenium | Windows, Linux, and macOS | Web Automation Tool | Yes | Learn more |
| TestLink | Windows and Cloud | Test Management Tool | Yes | Learn more |
| LoadRunner | Windows, macOS, and Linux | Load and Performance Testing | No | Learn more |
| Bugzilla | Windows, Linux, macOS | Bug Tracking, Test Management, etc. | Yes | Learn more |