In the past, web standards were very confusing. Either most of the features are not compatible with every browser, or their implementation is different. Even if the picture is a lot better today, cross-platform testing is still utterly essential. However, there are instances where you may notice some websites breaking on one browser but running smoothly on another. It happens when a particular website has not been tested thoroughly on all existing web browsers.

In the virtual world, your website shows your personality. Every browser offers some unique features, but along with some limitations. It is next to impossible for any developer to maintain a library of mobile devices and desktops representing a demographic region. That is when cloud tools come in and play an important role. Most cross-platform testing tools run on clouds, which helps you to get comprehensive data. In this article, we share a list of top tools that will help you find and debugging errors that might be the result of incompatibility.

To help you ensure that your website runs smoothly on all browsers, you need to use cross-platform testing tools. These tools will help you understand how your website will perform on each web browser.

How to Select A cross-platform Testing Tool?

Cross platform testing is an essential step, preferably a formality of testing your website or application on all browsers. It helps to improve the performance of your website. Here are some of the things to look out for:

• Code validation: Does your application or website report code errors?
• Performance: Is your website slow or crashes from time to time?
• UI inconsistencies: Are there any flaws with the design or the theme of your website?
• Responsive design: Is your website design responsive enough?

A cross-browser tool should be capable enough to resolve all the errors you face with your website or application. A tool that provides the user with an in-depth analysis with a screenshot is the best.

What happens if I don’t use the Cross-browser test?

Inconsistencies are the new normal for most websites. Each browser renders each website differently. Also, some browsers might not support features that run entirely on others. Your aim should be to ensure that your website runs smoothly on the most popular browsers. If your website is not accessible on most websites, it will directly impact your revenue (among other things).

For instance, an eCommerce with maximum errors and crashes will not increase their revenue compared to a site with fewer errors and crashes. According to a survey conducted, most businesses ensure a loss of $59,400 every year due to website crashes.

Which Browsers are Important for Cross-Platform Testing?

Recently Microsoft announced they would be using V8 or Blink instead of their Chakra or EdgeHTML engine. It also means that the majority of the web browsers now will offer similar code compatibility. It might seem to be a step back in terms of healthy competition – a website that worked perfectly only on Google Chrome is most likely to run correctly on other web browsers like Brave and Opera. This, combined with the decreased usage of Internet Explorer, cross-platform testing has become extremely important.

Technically, your website or application should be working correctly on web browsers that are used by users and customers on a large scale regularly. Below we have mentioned some of the popularly used web browsers along with user percentage:

• Chrome: 60%
• Safari: 15%
• Firefox: 5%
• UC Browser: 4.5%
• Internet Explorer: 3%
• Opera: 3.15%
• Microsoft Edge: 2%

Popular Cross Browser Testing Tools

Every tool mentioned on our list has decent features. It is almost impossible to find a free cross-platform testing tool online. But most tools listed by us come with a free trial period.

LambdaTest

LambdaTest is among the most popular cross-platform testing tools. It is a cross-platform testing tool that is cloud-based. You will be able to perform testing on 2000+ browsers & OS to find UI bugs in your website. Option of automation testing and parallel testing helps users to take a considerable amount of time. This helps them to focus on developing & shipping the product faster and more efficiently.

Using LambdaTest, you will be able to identify any UI misalignment specific to any particular browser. The best part is that the entire process can be automated with screenshots. With the screenshots, you will get a better insight into your application or website how it is performing on other browsers.

Not only this, users will also be able to test their locally hosted websites & webapps quickly and increase their productivity.

Unlike most other similar tools, LambdaTest comes without any restrictions on their free plans. However, you can only perform a limited number of tests every month on the free version. With the free version, you can only use VMs for 60 minutes every month. It gets renewed at the end of every month.

Key features:

• Manual & Automated test execution on more than 2000+ browsers, including the latest mobile browsers.
• Perform automated and responsive tests with screenshots.
• LambdaTest offers 24*7 chat support for users.
• You can mark bugs directly from LambdaTest to various bug logging tracking tools like Trello, JIRA, BitBucket, and Asana with just a click.
• Local host web testing with ease.
• Geo location testing to test website performance from various geographies.

Browserstack

More than 2000 browsers support BrowserStack across all different OS, including Windows, iOS, and Android. The tool runs on a Selenium test on a cloud. BrowserStack is SOC2 compliant, which means Pristine devices and browsers are available every time for everyone. The tool comes with a free trial, which makes it even better.

With BrowserStack, you will test your websites, and Android or iOS applications live using their cloud platform. It is an essential tool for testing websites on different mobile devices and operating systems. It comes with a test-dev environment that allows users to test websites without any configuration. However, BrowserStack’s support is not as it should be. Considering the client base, the company should focus on expanding their support. Also, BrowserStack offers a free plan; they charge a lot for one-time and for parallel sessions.

Key Features

• BrowserStack covers more than 2000+ websites, including most real mobile browsers.
• Complete user security. The tool uses a private and secure network.
• It is a very interactive tool, perfect for beginners.
• Easy to setup. The account creation process is straightforward, and once you are done with it, you can straight away begin with testing your website or app on various browsers.

TestProject

If you are looking for a free cross-browser tool, you should go for TestProject. It is a free of charge end-to-end test automation platform that enables users to test their website. The tool focuses on making teamwork smooth while running and analyzing your website’s performance on various websites. You will run this tool on Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and other popular web browsers.

Setting up and Configuring a TestProject is extremely easy and perfect for beginners. You don’t require any coding skills to test your webpage performance using this tool.

Key Features:

• TestProject allows scheduled testing on almost all web browsers and devices.
• A complete test analysis, along with an in-depth report.
• A beautifully designed cloud-based system specifically made for mobile applications and browsers.
• It extends cross-platform testing along with REST API, SDK, and other community Add-Ons.

Most cross-platform testing tools available in the market have maintained a high standard in terms of features and services. These tools have at least one feature that sets them apart from their competitors. Features like 24*7 customer support, consistent user experience, and all device support are some of the features you should look for.

CrossBrowserTesting

CrossBrowserTesting is one of the best tools available. This tool is perfect for all browsers. CrossBrowserTesting provides the easiest way to get started with website performance testing. You can use it to automate website testing on mobile phone and desktop. The interface is extremely user friendly and perfect for beginners. With this tool, you don’t need to set up the browser and the operating system.

CrossBrowserTesting hosts tests across 2050+ devices and browsers. With this tool, you will be able to create a full-page screenshot showing performance details. You will be able to create and run Selenium tests using your favorite programming language. The tool comes with a 7-days trial. The record and replay feature is handy, but it is still in the beta stage.

Key Features:

• CrossBrowserTesting allows users to run parallel as well as a single regression and screenshots tests.
• The tool comes with an intuitive REST API, allowing users to access the entire application.
• With the help of selenium and appium cloud testing, your team will be able to scale your website’s performance on all browsers quickly.
• Users get full access to all extensions and developer tools, for instance, Chrome Dev Tools and FireBug.

EndTest

EndTest comes with a unique feature that allows users to perform repetitive tests across browsers without writing the same code time and again. This feature is referred to as Codeless Automated Testing. EndTest offers a free trial but provides more features to paid members. EndTest now also supports mobile testing.

When you sign up, you will get numerous demo tests that will allow you to understand better how the tool works. Similar to other tools, EndTest also executes tests in a cloud. It allows users to perform tasks needed without installing any software. The tool is designed for continuous integration. The API feature allows users to run the tool on Teamcity or Jenkins.

Key Features:

• The tool is affordable and super-fast at the same time. The premium version is relatively cheaper compared to other similar tools available in the market.
• It supports mobile testing.
• It runs automated tests on its cloud infrastructure.
• The codeless automated testing feature helps in saving a lot of time.

The Verdict

The selection of a cross-platform tool depends on the features that you need. Before selecting a tool for your application or web browser, you need to check jot down your needs and then look for tools that cater to all of them.