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There’s no doubt that Squish and Selenium are two of the best GUI tools. But before you decide which one is right for you, it’s important to understand the differences between them.
Here’s a comparison between the two tools, demonstrating their differences and unique capabilities, to allow you to make an informed decision.
Overview: Squish vs. Selenium
Knowing the use cases of each tool is essential to determine which is the best automation testing tool.
What is Squish?
Squish is a cross-platform GUI test automation tool developed by Froglogic and is regarded as one of the top tools by users. In 2021, The Qt Company purchased Froglogic and integrated it into the Qt product portfolio. This allowed it to provide customers with a unified, end-to-end platform for software development. It allows the recording of test scripts written in JavaScript and other languages and provides property-based object identification. The application is compatible with a wide range of browsers, operating systems, and platforms.
What is Selenium?
Selenium is an open-source automated testing suite of tools that can be used to validate web applications across multiple platforms and browsers. It supports several programming languages and works with a variety of browsers, operating systems, and platforms.
The main differences between the two automation tools
Type of software
While Selenium is an open source technology which makes it free and available to the public, using it will actually incur expenses. The platform has many limitations such as the Selenium WebDriver and CodeDriver which entails leaning on software engineers who have a specific coding skill set, making it expensive to hire or replace them. In addition, Selenium uses a single-element identifier so when you modify any identifiers in Selenium IDE, you have to apply it everywhere.
On the other hand, only licensed users can access proprietary software like Squish. However, it does support test automation of all types of applications, from desktops to mobile apps and websites.
Technology
Squish supports multi browser tests, has complete BDD integration and is entirely compatible with Gherkin (required BDD language). It provides automated test script recording and detection of high-level interactions and objects rather than low-level events. This enables you to create, record, maintain, and troubleshoot BDD GUI Tests. In addition, it works with many different languages: Perl, Python, JavaScript, Tcl, and Ruby. The tool is capable of automating Java, Qt, Windows, Web, Android, and iOS.
Selenium, in contrast, is exclusively used for the automation of web application testing. It also provides multi browser support (Chrome, Safari, IE, Opera, Edge, and Firefox). One of its important features is the Selenium WebDriver, which offers several solutions for potential automated testing issues and helps testers navigate complicated web components by using locators. It supports the following languages: Python, Java, C-Sharp, JavaScript, Ruby, and PHP Perl. It is portable though some find that it doesn't work with Windows applications, and it is quite limited in terms of image testing and generating reports.
IDE
Squish offers a robust and straightforward Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which is used by most users to create, manage, and execute their tests. The Squish IDE and Eclipse-based IDE simplify the GUI testing process, allowing users to test quickly and easily.
In contrast, Selenium's test suite includes the Selenium IDE, which is basically a record or run tool that can be used for creating Selenium test cases. Interactions with the website can also be recorded. It can be installed as an extension on Chrome or Firefox, which means no additional configuration is necessary.
Customer support
Active customer support is available for those that use Squish, with efficient and quick handling of any technical issues. You’re never left alone with your issue, as a response from a support engineer is guaranteed within 48 hours thanks to the terms of the license agreement.
The official Squish website also provides many helpful resources for users, including guides and technical documentation.
Selenium does not have an active customer support system; instead, it offers user communities. Users can browse the Official User Group for solutions to their problems that others may have already solved. The IRC chatroom is also available to those who need an immediate response; however, success in getting help there will depend on luck as there may not be anybody available.
This can cause unexpected hidden costs for companies using Selenium as users have to spend their working time on figuring out issues without having access to proper customer support.
Automatic generation of scripts
In Squish, scripts can be automatically generated through the record and replay feature, unlike in Selenium. It will yield scripts that can be readily refactored and adjusted manually, even if they were written in simple language. By automatically recording test scripts, users can reduce the amount of time spent automating by making only minor adjustments. However, for those who like to be more hands-on, test scripts can still be written.
BDD
Squish has built-in support for BDD (Behavior Driven Development). BDD's primary benefit is that it simplifies testing by shortening cycle times and can be duplicated by testing teams without the need for specialized knowledge.
Squish is fully compatible with the widely used BDD language, Gherkin. Easy recording and replay of test suites are made possible by its record/replay functionality.
Selenium doesn't have such support. Instead, it has to be called from external BDD frameworks such as Cucumber.
Object identification
Both offer object identification via xpath, but Squish's multi-property-based object identification is more reliable because it is not dependant on the DOM structure.
Ease of setup
In Selenium, users must first ensure the basic configuration is complete, which includes downloading and configuring Eclipse as well as Java. As a result, setting up a Selenium environment takes longer. Selenium is also challenging for non-coders as they would have to set up the automation framework.
Squish, on the other hand, has a robust Eclipse-based IDE that makes it simple to get started.
User-friendliness
Users have found that in addition to the ease of setup, Squish’s record and replay feature makes it very user-friendly and convenient to use. It is also a better suitable option for those who don't write code.
In terms of user-friendliness, Selenium can be difficult to learn if you don’t have any coding experience. This means, if you do not have the technical skills required to write code, then you will need help from someone who does.
Reporting
Selenium has very few reporting options for test runs. Furthermore, it lacks a built-in reporting function.
Squish includes a fairly sophisticated reporting management tool called Test Center that serves as a central hub for organizing, tracking, and analyzing test results over the course of a project. At the moment, two Test Center seats are available for free to those with one Squish Tester Subscription.
Video Recording
Squish enables video recording of test runs for test documentation and debugging. It has always allowed capturing desktop screenshots where AUT was running. While this allowed for a bird’s eye view of the entire picture, it provided a rather static picture of events. Capturing through video provides a more dynamic perspective, especially for analysing test failure.
Selenium WebDriver, in contrast, lacks a built-in method for recording videos of the test cases while they are being run. You may, however, implement it yourself using the different tools available on the web.
What are the Benefits of Using Squish?
Squish has been specifically designed to simplify the process of automating your testing.
Here are some of its best benefits:
- Offers full support for all leading GUI technologies
- Complete compatibility with PC, mobile, web, and embedded platforms
- Test script recording
- Robust object identification and verification
- Built-in BDD support
- Powerful integrated environment
Check out this piece to know more about why Squish is the best choice for GUI testing.
Which Tool is Right for You?
Squish and Selenium are both powerful GUI testing tools.
Squish allows for a faster setup and provides many capabilities that make automation easier and faster. Selenium's primary use case is in testing web applications. As an open-source test automation platform, Selenium lets testers evaluate web apps with less initial project costs (as a result of the absence of license cost). However, the total cost may be significantly higher due to the need for greater labor costs, and a continual budget for maintenance.
Squish, on the other hand, offers efficiency, flexibility, and agile automation. The tool can be used for various types of testing, including web testing as well as user interface testing, functional testing, regression testing, and key-driven testing. Where Squish really excels is cross-platform testing, making it the perfect choice for businesses looking to test combinations such as Web + Windows. In terms of guaranteed response time, you can expect your support requests to be answered by a support engineer within 48 hours.
Squish offers a free trial to see the product in action — get started today.
