Testing is an essential part of the software development process, guaranteeing that updated or newly developed programs meet up with customer and industry standards. Software testing is broadly split into two main approaches: manual and automated testing.

Both automated and manual testing possess specific advantageous aspects that help different stages of software development.

This guide explains the contrasts between automated testing vs manual testing and when it is suitable to use each.

A Quick Comparison of Manual and Automated Testing

A. Automation Testing

Definition – The process of testing involves the use of software programs, scripts, and other tools to analyze and apply test scenarios. This helps to check the accuracy, validity, and correctness of the software product and its functionality.

Benefits – Faster tests that are performed can provide quicker feedback, allowing for improved test coverage.

Manual mistakes are decreased, allowing tests to be run in multiple directions concurrently. Scheduling capacities let us plan when to operate tests. In the long run, costs can be brought down.

Drawbacks – Creating and sustaining a project can require considerable resources, such as the need for experts and appropriate know-how. Additionally, the effectiveness of testing non-functional needs may be in question.

When to use – Regression testing, load testing, performance testing and repeatedly executing tests are best performed through automated testing. Automated testing technology helps to identify errors quicker and more accurately.

It can test a large number of inputs in a short period, thereby saving equipment and labor costs. It can also be used to conduct tests frequently and regularly.

B. Manual Testing

Definition – The evaluation process is done manually, without utilizing any extra instruments or programs. A person tester carries out the assessment, with no assistance from any additional automated tool.

Benefits – Testing non-functional requirements is possible with automated testing tools. They can check the basic and complex functionalities too. It can also test for creative and unexpected user inputs.

Creative scenarios also need to be tested as a part of automation testing. Developers can create scripts to test more complex scenarios.

Drawbacks – Manual testing has its drawbacks it takes more time to create and run the tests, and tends to be flawed, which may lead to incomplete test coverage.

When to use – Manual testing is the ideal approach to exploratory testing, usability assessment, compatibility verification and ad hoc testing.

Manual testers are also adept at finding out usability issues by testing different scenarios by human interaction, rather than automation, which requires a predefined set of steps.

Compatibility tests, which chiefly involve determining how the application works across different device brands, browsers, and operating systems, are also more comfortably done manually.

Finally, Ad hoc testing involves exploring different aspects of the application, and manual testing well execution helps detect unseen defects quickly and efficiently.

Conclusion

Opkey has brought a revolution in the automated and manual testing industry with its automated test execution platform. Opkey’s enterprise test automation platform comes with a single-click solution for healing all affected test scripts-eliminating 80% of the maintenance effort.

It allows you to build codeless, resilient automated tests with its simple drag-and-drop interface. With Opkey, you can visualize all existing test cases-both automated and manually in one place.

That means you can transform them into automated cases easily using pre-built test accelerators and self-configuring test data. On top of that, Opkey’s continuous testing platform further shrinks the testing maintenance cost by 75% or more through reduced test volume and automation of manual tasks.