The 20 Best Open Source Automation Testing Tools in 2026

Best Open Source Test Automation Tools:

In this tutorial, we have covered the top open source automation testing tools that are available in the market.

These testing tools aid in areas of testing like automation & manual testing, functionality, regression, load, performance, stress & unit testing, web, mobile & desktop testing, etc.

Some of these software testing tools are licensed and some are open source. In this tutorial, we are going to take an in-depth look at Open source testing tools.

Open Source Testing Software: Top-Rated List

Any software tool is known as open source if its source code is available for free for use & modification over the original design. In contrast to licensed tools, open-source tools don’t have a commercial license.

All such open-source tools that serve a specific purpose of software testing are known as open-source testing tools.

Now the question arises which open source testing tool should one choose for testing? Well, the selection will always depend upon the purpose of your testing (automated, manual, functional, and so on).

However, given below is a list of useful open-source testing tools that are going to help you in selecting the right tool.

The list includes open-source software testing tools, open-source functional testing tools, open-source web application testing tools, open-source performance testing tools, open-source mobile testing tools, open-source load testing tools, and many other open-source testing tools in it.

Top Open Source Automation Testing Tools

Given below is a list of the most popular open-source testing tools.

• QA Wolf
• Selenium
• Appium
• Robotium
• Cucumber
• Watir
• Sikuli
• Apache JMeter
• WatiN
• SoapUI
• Capybara
• Testia Tarantula
• Testlink
• Windmill
• TestNG
• Marathon
• httest
• Xmind
• Wiremock
• k6
• Katalon Platform

Here we go !!!

#1) QA Wolf

QA Wolf is an open-source end-to-end automated testing tool and one of the fastest ways to create QA tests that we’ve seen. It’s fully hosted, so no downloads or installation are required.

Its automatic code generation and low learning curve enable your entire team to get involved in test creation from the non-technical members to the senior developers.

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#2) Selenium

Needless to say, selenium is one of the best open-source testing tools that is available today. Being compatible with quite a lot of programming languages, testing frameworks, browsers, and operating systems, Selenium is an awesome automation testing tool for web apps.

It helps you to create very effective test scripts for regression testing, exploratory testing, and quick bug reproduction.

=> Want to learn more aboutthe Selenium tool?  Check out our series of tutorials

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#3) Appium

Appium open source test automation framework is primarily envisioned for mobile apps. Built on client/server architecture, Appium automates the applications that are created for iOS and Android.

It is a well-liked mobile automation testing tool attributable to its easy installation and usage.

Recommended Read => Informative Tutorials on Appium Series

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#4) Robotium

Robotium is an open-source tool that acts as a test automation framework that is mainly intended for Android UI testing. It supports graybox UI testing, system testing, functional testing, and user acceptance testing for both native and hybrid Android-based applications.

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#5) Cucumber

It is an open-source tool based upon the concept of Behavioral Driven Development Using which Cucumber allows you to do automated acceptance testing by executing examples that optimally describe the behavior of the application.

It has cross-platform OS support and compatibility with programming languages like Ruby, Java and.NET.

The best part is that Cucumber allows you to have a single live document for both specification and test documentation.

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#6) Watir

Watir (enunciated as water) is the short form for Web Application Testing in Ruby. This is an extremely lightweight, technology-independent open source testing tool for web automation testing.

It allows you to write simple, adaptable readable, and maintainable automated tests.

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#7) Sikuli

Sikuli is an open-source testing tool that is built upon the concept of image recognition and possesses the ability to automate anything that is seen on the screen. It is very useful to automate non-web-based desktop applications.

It is also known for its quick bug reproduction.

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#8) Apache JMeter

Apache JMeter is an open-source Java desktop app that is intended mainly for web applications’ load testing. It also supports unit testing and limited functional testing.

It has a lot of good features like dynamic reporting, portability, powerful Test IDE, etc, and supports different types of applications, protocols, shell scripts, Java objects, and databases.

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#9) WatiN

It is the short form for Web Application Testing in.NET. WatiN is an open-source test automation framework that aids in UI and functional web app testing. This tool is mainly intended for Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers.

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#10) SoapUI

SoapUI is a very popular open-source API Test Automation Framework for SOAP & REST. It supports functional testing, performance testing, data-driven testing, and test reporting as well.

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#11) Capybara

Capybara is an open-source acceptance test framework that helps test web applications. It simulates the behavior of a real user that interacts with the application.

It can be used in conjunction with other testing tools like Cucumber, RSpec, Minitest, etc.

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#12) Testia Tarantula

This free and open-source tool is created by one of the leading software companies – Prove Expertise in Finland. It is a modern web tool for software test management mainly intended for agile projects.

Test executions can be quickly planned by using its tagging features and easy drag-and-drop interface.

Smart tags for fix verification and a dashboard for managers are also some of its cool features.

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#13) Testlink

Test Link is an open-source web-based test management tool that is primarily featured for test plans, test cases, user roles, test projects, and test specifications.

It offers cross-platform OS support and gets well-integrated with other bug-tracking systems like JIRA, Bugzilla, Redmine, etc.

Visit TestLink Website: http://testlink.org/

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#14) Windmill

Windmill is an open-source web testing tool created for automating and debugging web applications. It offers cross-browser and cross-platform support for web app testing.

By May 2016, Windmill was actively maintained. But now, it is covered by Web Driver/selenium 2.

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#15) TestNG

TestNG is an open-source testing framework enthused by Junit and Nunit with some new features added to make it a more powerful tool. It supports almost all kinds of testing like unit testing, functional testing, integration testing, data-driven testing, end-to-end testing, etc.

A few of its cool features include annotations, large thread pools, flexible test configuration, support for parameters, different tools, plug-ins, etc.

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#16) Marathon

Marathon is an open-source test automation framework that is designed to test Java-based GUI applications. This tool is mainly intended for acceptance testing.

It allows you to record and replay the tests and generate test reports as well. You should use Marathon if you are testing a small project and if your application screen size is limited to 10 screens.

Note: Marathon ITE is a successor to Marathon which allows you to come up with resilient test suites for large and complex projects. However, it is a licensed tool. But you can check for its free trial.

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#17) httest

Httest is used to implement all types of Http-based tests. It offers a range of Http based functionalities. It allows the testing of complex scenarios very effectively.

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#18) Xmind

It is an open-source and free mind-mapping software useful for regression testing. It is built on the Java platform and has cross-OS support. It’s a light-weight app, provides good encapsulation, and also produces an artifact that tells about the total time spent on testing.

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#19) Wiremock

It is an open-source testing tool for Http-based application programming interfaces. It acts as a service virtualization tool that mocks the API for providing quick and powerful end-to-end testing.

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#20) k6

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#21) Katalon Platform

Katalon is an all-in-one testing solution for any team. With Katalon, you can automate web, API, mobile, API, and desktop app testing, leveraging features that support the entire testing life cycle from planning, orchestration, test management, and execution, to reporting.

As a codeless solution, the Katalon Platform is easy to use, easy to learn, robust to expand, and yet contains the necessary components for advanced needs, including:

• Built-in keywords
• Record-and-Playback
• Intelligent test maintenance
• Local, remote, and on-cloud execution
• AI-powered code generation and explanation
• ML-based regression testing
• Rich and insightful test reporting

Further Reading => Learn How to Start Automation Tests Quickly

Not just that, Katlon also provides a rich array of seamless integrations with any techstack, from SDLC management, and CI/CD pipeline, to collaboration software. Katalon has consistently been recognized by G2 as one of the leaders in the automation testing and software testing field, trusted by over 30K+ teams across the globe.

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#22) Maven

Maven is an open-source build automation tool mainly intended for Java projects. We have the Maven plugins available for testing. The “surefire:test” goal provided by the plugin is associated with a testing phase of the software management lifecycle.

#23) Espresso

It is an open-source UI testing framework for Android that helps create reliable user interface tests within a single app. The auto-sync feature of this app is cool.

#24) FitNesse

FitNesse is an open-source ­­­automation acceptance testing framework. It is centered on the framework for an integrated test. It helps in coming up with high-quality tests.

#25) JUnit

It is an open-source unit testing framework for Java. This tool helps write repeatable tests. It is a part of Xunit and has a cross-platform OS support.

#26) The Grinder

The Grinder is a free and open-source Java-based load testing framework. It utilizes multiple load injector machines which turn out to run a distributed test quite easily.

Its main features include a generic approach, flexible scripting, a distributed framework, and mature HTTP support.

#27) Tsung

Tsung is a free and open-source load and stress testing tool. It is compatible with multiple protocols and servers like HTTP, SOAP, LDAP, etc. It distributes the load while testing and this turns out as one of its contributing features towards the high performance of the tool.

#28) Gatling

Gatling is an open-source load and performance testing tool intended for web applications. It detects the bottlenecks in the early development phase which helps in reducing the overall debugging effort. It offers continuous integration.

You can use Gatling with Jenkins which helps in better regression performance testing and faster delivery.

#29) Multi-Mechanize

It is an open-source performance & scalability testing framework for web apps. It executes parallel Python scripts to generate load against a site.

#30) Selendroid

It is an open-source test automation framework for Android applications and the mobile web. It supports scaling and parallel testing.

#31) Keep it Functional

KIF(Keep it functional) is an open-source iOS functional testing framework.  Some of its features include minimal indirection, easy configuration, auto integration with Xcode tools, user simulation tests, and wide OS coverage.

#32) iMacros

iMacros is obtainable as a free browser add-on for FF, IE, and Chrome browsers. It helps automate functional, regression, and performance tests. One of its cool features is its built-in stopwatch command that allows you to capture the response times of the webpage.

Free iMacros for browsers can be downloaded from here

#33) Linux Desktop Testing Project

LDTP is an open-source automated testing tool for GUI testing.

#34) OpenTest

OpenTest is a spectacular automation tool for web, Apps, and APIs.

#35) Testerum

Testerum is a free and open-source test automation framework that enables users to test Web Applications, and REST APIs, initialize & verify databases, and mock 3rd party APIs. This framework allows users to create custom integrations.

Using Testerum you can define acceptance criteria, use them as manual tests, or transform them into automated tests. This can be done from an easy-to-use UI where no programming knowledge is required.

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Conclusion

There are many advantages to using Open source testing tools. There is no direct cost involved and open source permits customization. However, there are certain limitations as well.

Lack of professional technical support, limited protocol support, and script maintenance can be challenging at times.

To choose the right open-source testing tool, you should ensure that the tool is actively maintained, the type of tool matches the skills of your team, and that you have the experts in the team.

The features, benefits, and challenges offered by the tool should align with your testing requirements and organizational goals.

So, before choosing the tool, you must do a careful study such that the tool can meet all your testing needs and aid you well in performing the testing.