What are BrowserStack and LambdaTest and How do They Help Test Websites Across Browsers and Devices?
What is BrowserStack: Browser testing is a crucial part of web development. With so many different browsers and devices in use today, it’s essential to ensure a website works well across all of them. Two popular cross browser testing tools are BrowserStack and LambdaTest. Here’s an overview of how they work and the key differences between them.
An Introduction to BrowserStack – What is BrowserStack
BrowserStack is a cloud-based cross browser testing tool launched in 2011. It allows developers to test their websites across multiple browsers on different operating systems and devices, without needing to install or maintain these environments locally.
Some key features of BrowserStack include:
- Support for testing on 2000+ real browsers and browser versions including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and IE.
- Testing on real devices like iPhones, iPads, and Android phones and tablets.
- Integration with popular developer tools like Selenium for automated testing.
- Screenshot and video capturing to document issues.
- Geolocation testing by simulating different locations.
- Network throttling to simulate slow network connections.
Overall, BrowserStack aims to provide an easy way for web developers and testers to ensure their site works correctly across the most important browsers and devices.
What is LambdaTest?
Like BrowserStack, LambdaTest is a cloud-based, cross browser testing platform. It was founded in 2017.
LambdaTest provides many of the same core features as BrowserStack:
- Testing across 2000+ different browsers and browser versions.
- Support for testing on real mobile and desktop devices.
- Automated testing integration.
- Screenshots and videos to document bugs.
- Network throttling and geography/location simulation.
Some unique aspects of LambdaTest include:
- A responsive testing viewport to test responsiveness across devices.
- Page speed testing.
- Support for testing locally hosted pages and sites still in development.
- Integration with Jira, Github, and other developer tools not just for bug tracking but also for automated test execution.
- A free plan with limited usage, unlike BrowserStack which starts with paid plans.
In summary, LambdaTest provides a robust cross browser testing platform with innovative features beyond basic functionality.
Key Differences Between BrowserStack vs LambdaTest
While BrowserStack and LambdaTest share many similarities, here are some notable differences:
- Pricing – BrowserStack plans start at $29/month for a single user while LambdaTest has a free forever plan with limited usage. LambdaTest’s paid plans also start lower at $9/month.
- Speed – LambdaTest generally provides faster and more reliable testing connections.
- Automation – LambdaTest offers more flexibility for test automation frameworks.
- Developer tools integration – LambdaTest has tighter integration with solutions like Jira, GitHub, and Jenkins.
- Support for testing local dev sites – LambdaTest allows testing sites still under development on a local server which BrowserStack does not.
- Responsive testing – LambdaTest includes a responsive testing viewport to test responsiveness across devices which BrowserStack lacks.
So in summary, while the core functionality is similar, LambdaTest tends to provide better pricing, speed, automation capabilities, and integration with other developer tools. BrowserStack remains very full-featured however.
Conclusion
Testing a website across browsers and devices is critical today. BrowserStack and LambdaTest both provide cloud-based solutions to enable cross browser testing. While their core purpose is similar, LambdaTest tends to have advantages in pricing, speed, flexibility, and integration with developer tools. Either platform can benefit teams who need to ensure their site works well across the diverse browser landscape. Proper browser testing improves user experience and reduces development headaches.
LambdaTest: Next-Generation Mobile Apps and Cross Browser
BrowserStack: App & Browser Testing Made Easy
