Top 3 best cloud platforms for mobile testing

Mobile testing is a costly, time-consuming endeavor. However, many companies still perform mobile testing because it does make for better user interfaces that provide customers with better user experiences. Mobile app development services make sure that websites and mobile applications are optimized for use on different mobile devices running on different screen sizes and operating systems.

Cloud testing (or cloud-based testing) and other similar services, on the other hand, is a type of software testing that uses serverless computing tools and environments to test applications on and off the cloud. These services are typically offered by third-party service providers to businesses that need to perform software tests that may have been otherwise out of the question due to budget and time restrictions. Cloud-based testing helps developers figure out if their mobile app can stand the test of real-world traffic and other real-world scenarios.

Development teams working on mobile websites and applications may find themselves in need of cloud platforms where they can perform different types of mobile tests. Testers may be tasked to use cloud computing platforms to determine whether an app in development is ready for release. Here are some of the best cloud platforms for mobile testing:

AWS Device Farm

This cloud platform is owned by Amazon Web Services. It offers mobile testing services on real devices hosted on the cloud. It has over 100 Android and iOS devices available for testers to use, and it’s one of the top cloud computing platforms in the market. This platform also offers logs and performance data to help testers find bugs and issues before releasing an app.

It allows testers to simultaneously test websites and mobile applications on many devices, and even allows testers to reproduce app issues specific to a device. Testers can run automated tests on different frameworks, or they can remotely access the cloud devices and run tests in real time.

Pricing

  • Pay as you go – Pay to test on a specific device ($0.17 / device minute)
  • Unlimited testing – Pay to test however much you want with either automated or remote access, and on either Android or iOS devices  (starts at $250 / month)
  • Private devices – Pay to test on customized, private devices (starts at $200 / month)

Firebase Test Lab

This cloud platform is owned by Google. It was built to use the cloud for testing Android apps, but it has since evolved and upgraded for testing iOS apps as well. It offers a one-click operation for performing tests across different devices with different configurations. Videos, logs, and screenshots are provided as test results in the Firebase Test Lab console.

It can test an app with a built-in test that can help find common bugs and provoke app crashes. It can of course accept user-provided tests as well.

Pricing

The prices are based on customized plans. The Spark Plan is a free plan that provides a generous amount of free tests, storage, hosting, functions, and even authentications. As soon as they’re used up, though, reasonable monthly plans will depend on a pay as you go pricing model.

Kobiton

This cloud platform is offered by an Atlanta-based team that founded Katalon and QASymphony. It’s a mobile testing cloud platform that allows users to run manual and automated tests on a wide range of real devices that are either on-premise or on the cloud.

One possible downside is that the devices cannot be used to send text messages and make phone calls, but some upsides include use of device cameras and very competitive pricing.

Pricing

  • Team – 500 testing minutes per month with unlimited users and parallel test sessions ($40 / month)
  • Organization – 2,000 testing minutes per month with unlimited users, parallel test sessions, and 2 on-premise devices ($167 / month)
  • Enterprise – Unlimited testing minutes, users, parallel test sessions, local devices, private devices (with carrier access) and script migration support (price dependent on customized plan)

Conclusion

Cloud platforms are very rarely free, and setting up a cloud-based mobile application testing platform isn’t an easy task. This is why mobile testing is usually very costly and time-consuming, and local businesses may not even be able to break-even with cloud-based testing expenses.

There are, however, companies that offer cloud-based testing as a third-party service. These services are typically cheaper, helping companies save on valuable time, money, and manpower resources. This is the perfect option for businesses that need to perform cloud testing, but cannot at the moment invest in cloud computing tools and platforms.