Manual Testing Tools List

Manual testing involves testing a piece of software in real-time by humans. The goal of manual testing, as with automated testing, is to find defects and usability issues. A wide range of manual testing tools are available to aid productivity and simplify tasks such as tracking bugs, creating screenshots, and keeping tests organized. In our manual testing tools list,  we look at the different types of tools software testers are using to improve the way they perform their manual testing.

The List of Manual Testing Tools

We have listed the different types of manual testing tools by category. Let’s dive in!

Test Case Management Tools

If you prioritize one manual testing tool, prioritize a test case management tool. A test case management tool helps organize, measure, report, and collaborate on manual testing projects. Testing usually involves a lot of documentation, and if the right tools and processes are not in place, things can quickly become disorganized. A good test case management tool can make life a lot easier when it comes to keeping those assets organized and up to date.

Suggested tools:

• TestLodge -TestLodge is a clean and straightforward way to organize your testing documents. With TestLodge, you can write and manage test cases, requirements, test plans, and test suites. It also offers insightful reporting and integrations with tools like Jira and Trello.
• Zephyr – Zephyr works with Jira to help testing teams leave spreadsheets behind and improve visibility into their test results.
• TestLink – TestLink is a free open source test management tool. It pairs requirements with test cases and supports both manual testing and automated testing.

For more inspiration, see our list of Top Free Test Case Management Tools.

Issue Tracking Tools

Another essential manual testing tool for software testers is an issue tracker. As defects are found, testers need to write a good bug report for sending to the design and development teams who will address them. There is an abundance of issue tracking tools available, and while each one is different, they all aim to solve the problem of helping you to track issues easily and collaborate with teams on project work.

Suggested tools:

• Trello – Trello is a lightweight project management and issue tracker tool that allows testers to create issues on a board. Trello can be set up in a basic form or can be configured using more complex rules and automation.
• Jira – Jira’s flexible framework makes it one of the most popular manual issue tracking tools for software testers.
• Basecamp – Basecamp is a project management favorite. It has bucked the trend in project management tools by avoiding overly complicated features that make tracking more difficult.
• Teamwork – Teamwork is a project and work management tool that can be easily customized to support the way teams like to work.
• Asana – Asana is another widely favored work management platform with numerous variations in application and is used by several of the world’s biggest companies.

For more suggestions, see our list of Top Defect Management Tools.

Cross Browser Testing Tools

Using cross browser testing tools often involves manual testing due to the nature of the process. Verifying that the UI elements are rendering correctly across multiple browsers, involves physically checking functionality and how the code responds in each browser. There are many cross browser testing tools available today that can help testers to save time and effort, and make sure their web applications function properly on each browser. Learn more about cross browser testing.

Suggested tools:

• BrowserStack – BrowserStack is a widely used manual testing tool. It enables testers to quickly load their application to on-demand browsers and devices, which saves them a lot of time.
• Sauce Labs – Sauce Labs is a continuous testing tool that offers simple cross browser testing solutions.
• Browser Shots – Browser Shots is a free tool where you can load a URL then receive screenshots showing how the site looks on various browsers.

You might also want to consider a broader choice of Cross Browser Testing Tools.

API Testing Tools

API testing verifies that the API meets expectations regarding the application’s functionality, security, performance, and reliability. The process often involves repeatedly running the same API calls, which can be time-consuming. API testing helps testers expedite this process by saving and organizing frequently used API calls and scripts.

Suggested tools:

• SoapUI – SoapUI helps software testers test APIs more efficiently. SoapUI supports API load testing, API functional testing, and API performance testing.
• Postman – Postman is an excellent tool for writing and storing API requests for testing. These requests can be executed manually or run in a sequence automatically.
• REST Assured – Rest Assured is a java library that helps testers to validate RESTful API endpoints quickly.

Screen Capture Tools

Many software defects are cosmetic flaws or workflow issues that can be better understood visually, so screen capture tools are valuable when testing manually. Some screen capture tools have the facility to call out specific notes by marking up the image. Being able to generate an image or screen recording quickly in this manner helps software testers communicate bugs more accurately.

Suggested tools:

• Zight – Zight is a screen recorder, screenshot creator, and animated .gif generator. It allows testers to capture what’s happening on the screen instantly then share it with their development teams.
• Loom – Similar to CloudApp, Loom also generates screen recordings and videos, allowing testers to record what they are looking at on the screen.
• Skitch – Skitch enables testers to capture screenshots quickly and annotate them for extra context.

Email Testing Tools

Email testing is an area that is often overlooked, but it is super important to make sure emails are functioning correctly and look good. Today, with automated emails and smart drip campaigns connected to software, email is just as much a part of the product as the application itself. This is why we’re including these email tools in our manual testing tools list.

Suggested tools:

• Litmus – Litmus is an excellent manual testing tool because it allows testers to view how their emails render in different email clients, so avoiding testers having to sign up to numerous accounts and install email clients, thus saving time.
• Mailtrap – Mailtrap is another handy manual testing tool that email testers love. Mailtrap does the work of a real SMTP server and prevents test emails from mistakenly landing in a real customer’s inbox.
• Email on Acid – Email on Acid is a multi-featured email optimizing service that includes campaign analysis and cross client testing for the performance of individual emails.

Conclusion

Productivity, organization, and the overall effectiveness of manual testing can be improved by using a combination of tools. Many of these tools are low cost or free, and will make a positive impact on your manual testing workflows right away.