What's the difference between automated vs manual testing?
Manual and automation testing modes differ in regard to a lot of various aspects of software testing. What are the main differences when we compare manual testing vs automated testing? We have listed them in a handy table below:
Aspect of testing |
Manual testing |
Automated testing |
Investment |
For manual testing, investment is required for human resources only. |
Here, investment is required for testing tools as well as automation engineers. |
Setup |
Manual testing needs a straightforward test execution setup |
Automated testing requires far less complex test execution setup. |
Programming skills |
There is no need for programming in manual testing. |
Programming knowledge is a must to conduct automation testing. |
Test design |
Manual unit tests do not drive design into the coding process. |
Automated unit tests enforce test-driven development design. |
Framework(s) |
Manual testing does not use frameworks. However, it might make use of guidelines, checklists and some strict processes for drafting certain test cases. |
Automated testing uses many various frameworks such as Data Drive, Keyword, Hybrid to accelerate the automation process. |
Test coverage |
Manual testing hardly ever ensures sufficient test coverage. |
Automated testing easily ensures greater test coverage than manual testing. |
Test execution |
Tests are run manually by QA testers. |
Tests are run automatically (using automation tools and test scripts) |
Types of tasks |
Entirely manual tasks. |
Most tasks can be automated, including real user simulations. |
Scalability |
Manual testing can only be scaled with more testers engaged and more hours allocated to a project so it does not scale well. |
Automation enables a high level of scalability as you can simply just add more test executors with the testing tool. |
Flexibility |
Inherent benefits of manual testing are full control of the testing for manual testes and high level of flexibility in terms of how to execute single tests. As the workload increases, however, the flexibility decreases. |
As automated testing is usually applied for more stable features, test cases are built one or two sprints after the implementation of those features. Gradual building of test cases means a high degree of flexibility. |
Ideal approach |
Manual testing proves useful when the test case only needs to run once or twice. |
Automated testing is useful when frequently executing the same set of test cases. |
Organization |
Test teams are organized around products. This results in dedicated teams with a solid domain knowledge. |
The roles within the test team differ with regard to technical proficiency and the level of domain knowledge. |
Cost-effectiveness |
Not cost effective for high volume testing (mainly regression). |
Not cost effective for low volume testing. |
Testing time |
Manual testing is time-consuming and takes up human resources. |
Automated testing is significantly faster than a manual approach. |
Deadlines |
Manual testing has a higher risk of missing out the pre-decided test deadline |
Automated tests have zero risks of missing out a pre-decided test. |
UI changes |
Minor changes like change in id, class, etc. of a button do not impact the work of a manual tester. |
Even trivial and minor changes in the UI of the AUT require automated test scripts need to be modified to work as expected. |
Parallel tests execution |
Manual tests can be executed in parallel, however, this requires much more investment into human resources to run them. |
Automated testing can be executed on different operating platforms in parallel so that they reduce the test execution time. |
Performance testing is not feasible manually. |
Performance tests like load testing, stress testing, spike Testing, etc. have to be tested by an automation tool compulsorily. |
|
Batch testing |
Manual tests cannot be batched. |
You can easily batch multiple test Scripts for nightly execution. |
Test reports visibility |
Manual tests are usually recorded in an Excel or Word, and test results are not readily available. |
With automated testing, all stakeholders can login into the automation system and check the test execution results. |
DevOps |
Manual testing defeats the automated build principle of DevOps. |
Automated testing helps in build verification testing. Such tests are an integral part of DevOps cycle. |
Documentation |
Manual test cases provide no training value (no testing documentation available immediately). |
Automated testing tool provides documentation for test runs. Thus, it provides training value, especially for automated unit test cases. A new developer can look into a unit test cases and understand the code base quickly. |
What is manual testing?
- Analyzing requirements review:
testers need to read and understand the software project documentation. If available they should also study the Application Under Test (AUT) - Writing test cases:
this phase consists in drafting test cases that cover all the testing requirements mentioned in the documentation - Conducting test cases:
100% test cases is executed on the basis of AUT - Logging bugs:
errors and defects found during testing are reported. - Retesting defects:
once all the bugs have been fixed, the test runs are executed again for the failed test cases in order to verify if they pass.
The purpose of manual testing is to identify bugs, issues and any defects in the software application. It requires a lot of effort, however it is sometimes required in order to check automation feasibility.
The reported defects are fixed by the developers who then do the re-testing on the fixed defects. The key concept of manual testing it to ensure that once the application has been cleansed and it is bug-free, it is working in accordance with pre-defined rules.
What is automation testing?
Automated testing demands considerable investment, both in terms of money and resources. However, using an automated testing tool, it is possible to record the test suite and re-play it as and when required. No human intervention is needed. This improves the ROI of test execution. Test automation software also allows for entering the test data, comparing the expected vs actual results and generating detailed test reports and audit documentation.
Automated testing is the best way to ensure high level of scalability, flexibility, effectiveness and test coverage as well as the fastest execution speed. It also reduced the risk of human error when running the test cases (which is high in manual testing due to human intervention).
Pros and cons of automated vs. manual testing
Manual Testing
Advantages of manual testing:
- It is less costly (you don’t need to spend the budget on test automation tools and framework)
- You get fast and accurate visual feedback
- For testing small items, you can do the testing on the fly instead of coding
- You can use human judgement and intuition
Disadvantages of manual testing:
- Very time consuming and tiring for the testers
- Less reliable as prone to human error
- Manual tests cannot be reused (recorded)
- Certain tasks are very difficult to test manually so this requires additional time for software testing
Automated Testing
Advantages of automated testing:
- It offers wider test coverage than manual testing
- Process is speedy and efficient
- Automation processes can be reused (as they get recorded) to execute the same kind of testing operation
- Automated testing finds more bugs than a human tester is capable of
- It increases productivity – testing results are provided faster and are more accurate
- It supports testing across various applications.
- As automated software uses software tools it is significantly less tiring than manual testing
Disadvantages of automated testing:
- With no human element, it is hard to get insight into visual aspects of UI
- Automated testing tool are costly and impact the costs of the testing projects
- Every automation tool has its limitations (reduced scope of automation)
- Automated test maintenances is costly (debugging the test scripts)