In the field of software development, manual testing plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and reliability of applications. Manual testing tools serve as indispensable assets for software testers, providing them with the means to efficiently execute test cases, identify defects, and validate the functionality of software products. Tools used for manual testing are essential for ensuring the quality of software applications. These tools verify that the app is functioning and the output generated is correct. In this article, we will discuss the world of tools required for manual testing tools, highlighting their significance and presenting an overview of some popular tools that aid in manual testing processes.

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What is Manual Testing?

Manual testing refers to the testing of software that directly interact with a human and test the product. Testers perform manual testing by exploring an app’s features, functionality, and use.

Manual testing is done without any automated scripts or tools. Testers rely on their experience, knowledge, and methodology to identify potential issues. They work through scenarios where users might struggle, test error handling, and ensure an intuitive flow.

7 Best Manual Testing Tools

Selenium

Selenium is an open-source automation tool for testing web apps across multiple browsers. It supports recording and replaying tests and writing scripts using various popular programming languages like Java, C#, Python, and Ruby. It can work with any existing web application quality assurance process.

Features:

• It supports parallel testing across browsers, OS, and machines to speed test.
• It provides a framework for writing automated test scripts for web interfaces.
• It tests web apps on desktop and mobile browsers, simulators, emulators, and mobile devices.

UFT (before called QuickTest Professional)

UFT (Unified Functional Testing) is the successor to QTP from HP. It supports VBScript, Java, .NET, C++, and JavaScript Besides desktop, SAP, and mobile apps. It also requires paid licenses to simplify functional testing using processes, object identification, and descriptive programming models.

Features:

• It tests ALM (Application Lifecycle Management) tools, API testing frameworks, and cloud platforms.
• It provides similar features for automating functional and regression testing of application interfaces.

Jmeter

Jmeter is free to use an open-source manual testing tool. It measures the load-handling capacity of servers and network appliances like routers, and switches. It supports load testing of static and dynamic websites, web apps, services, databases, mail, FTP servers, and LDAP servers. It supports load testing for trends, scalability, stress, spike, and soak testing. It can identify bottlenecks in apps.

Features:

• Widely used for load testing different types of apps before launching them.
• Allows virtual users to simulate a heavy load on a server, analyzing performance.

LoadRunner

LoadRunner is a commercial load-testing tool that measures performance and scalability. It supports testing the load-handling capacity of different apps, including services, databases, DNS servers, firewalls, etc.

Features:

• It can simulate load, scripting for recording, playback complex web scenarios, etc.
• Determine the number of hits an app can support per second at peak load, user experience, and potential issues.

Zed Attack Proxy

ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) is free to use open-source web application security scanner. It supports scanning websites developed using technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JSP, PHP, and ASP. ZAP performs security audits, education on web app vulnerabilities, penetration testing, and more.

Features:

• It supports spider crawling to discover application components and active scanning.
• ZAP helps strengthen the security of web-based applications before releasing them.
• ZAP provides automated and manual scanning for finding security issues in web interfaces.
• It tests vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting, SQL injection, buffer overflows, and insecure configuration.

TestLink

TestLink is an open-source test management tool for organizing and tracking testing activities. It requires minimal technical skills and offers customizable options for different testing processes.

Features:

• It increases coverage and reduces the cost and time of testing cycles.
• TestLink supports managing testing for applications using different technologies.
• It creates test projects, test plans, test suites, and test cases and assigns them to testers.
• Maintain traceability between requirements and test cases, and deliver high-quality software on time.

Bugzilla

Bugzilla is an open-source bug-tracking and issue-management tool for software development projects. It is used by testers, developers, project managers, customers, etc., for coordinating efforts. It ensures the quality and timely delivery of software products. It improves better visibility into issues, reduces rework, improves productivity, and meets deadlines.

Features:

• Easy to set up and use, offers customizable options.
• Integrates with other tools like version control systems.
• It supports managing bugs for applications developed using different languages and frameworks.
• Creates tickets for bugs, enhancements, and support requests and submits and manages patches.

Types of Manual Testing Tools

Manual testing tools are categorized into several categories based on their functionality. The most common types of testing tools are:

• Functional Testing Tools

These tools test the functional requirements of software applications. These tools verify that the software app is working or the output generated is correct. Functional testing tools can test various apps, including desktop, web, and mobile applications.

• Regression Testing Tools

Regression testing tools test the software application after its modification. These ensure that the modifications made to the app have not introduced any new defects. These tools run the existing test cases and compare the results with the previous ones.

• Integration Testing Tools

These tools test the interaction between different modules or components of the application. Integration tools ensure that the different modules or components of the app are working together or not.

• Acceptance Testing Tools

Acceptance testing tools test the software application’s functionality against the user’s requirements. These tools ensure that the software application meets the user’s expectations and requirements.

Importance of Tools Required For Manual Testing

When manual testing is done, using the right tools can maximize effectiveness, and brings results. and builds progressively robust testing over time, even without automation. Let’s discuss the importance of these tools –

1. These testing tools help organize testing processes and keep manual testers on track. Without tools to guide exploration and document discoveries, manual testing can be crucial and miss crucial requirements or areas of focus.
2. Testing tools facilitate collaboration between distributed test teams. These enable real-time commenting, sharing of test cases/scripts, updating status, and resolving blocked progress. They keep manual testing aligned across locations or time zones.
3. Right testing tools help to record, update, and share simplify reporting and documentation. These tools help in issues identified and provide proposed suggestions. They provide clear reporting and documentation of quality and guide future testing efforts.
4. These testing tools capture lessons learned and institutional knowledge. As testers come and go, tools prevent valuable knowledge from leaving. There are available helpful practices and surprising discoveries from previous testing cycles.
5. Manual testing tools facilitate mapping application flows, requirements, and specifications. They act as a visual representation between software components and pathways. Manual testers test usability, find missing flows, or uncover contradictions in the early stages of testing. Useful mappings serve as documentation for future reference.
6. These tools enable managing test cases, scenarios, scripts, prerequisites, and expected/actual results. These provide a structured way to outline manual test instructions and record observations.
7. These tools raise high-priority issues, monitoring status, replication, verification, and approving resolutions. Close management of issues ensures nothing falls, and improves quality and processes.

In conclusion, tools used for manual testing are an essential part of software development. They play a critical role in verifying the correctness and quality of software apps. The success of manual testing depends on having the right tools to test. By using tools, teams can improve the quality and efficiency of their testing efforts. It provides better software and a more successful development process.

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