Why is Appium Preferred Over Other Mobile App Test Automation Tools?
Published: 2022-12-06 07:42:17

Has a thought ever struck you about why people choose Appium over other mobile app test automation tools? If you still wonder, come to us!

[Mobile automation testing](https://www.pcloudy.com/mobile-automation-testing-on-real-devices/) has become a crucial aspect of a robust procedure of mobile software development, testify that the entire procedure will generate top-quality solutions while adhering to the exact budget and time constraints.

Appium is amongst the best Android app performance testing tools to monitor and analyze multiple devices before the launch. It is also beneficial in [automating mobile application testing](https://www.pcloudy.com/13-benefits-of-automation-testing/).

[Mobile application testing](https://www.pcloudy.com/start-to-end-guide-for-mobile-app-testing/) is an indispensable part of the application development process. And automated testing can play a significant role in the quality assurance of mobile applications. Therefore, [Appium automation](https://www.pcloudy.com/5-reasons-why-appium-is-the-best-tool-for-mobile-automation-on-device-cloud/) on the cloud can benefit you with mobile app testing and turn out to be the best among Android app performance testing tools.

What is Appium Test Automation Tool?
Appium is famous as a mobile app test automation tool and enables users to test hybrid and native apps on iOS and Android devices. It leverages the Selenium WebDriver API to have complete control over devices and interact with the applications, making it a superpower option for automating mobile app testing tools.

Appium is an [open-source mobile application testing tool](https://www.pcloudy.com/best-open-source-tool-for-mobile-automation-testing/) that leverages the Selenium WebDriver API. It allows you to jot tests against mobile applications leveraging the same language and framework as your web tests, making it a cinch to use and grab.

Appium also supports various mobile automation frameworks that include Espresso and Calabash. Moreover, it’s supported by primary platforms such as iOS and Android, which means you can integrate Appium into your current [CI/CD pipeline](https://www.pcloudy.com/blogs/accelerating-app-testing-with-automation-and-modern-ci-pipelines/).

Appium is a cross-platform mobile application test automation tool that leverages the JSON wire protocol to interact with native Android and iOS applications via Selenium WebDriver.

How Does Appium Work?
Appium is a ‘HyperText Transfer Protocol server’ written using a platform name, Node.js. It can drive Android and iOS sessions using WebDriver JSON wire protocol.

Once you successfully download and install the Appium mobile application testing tool, a server is managed on the machine, exposing a REST API. It aims to get connections conglomerate command requests from the client to perform that command on mobile devices.

Furthermore, the mobile test automation frameworks are leveraged to perform this request again to control the UI applications.

Appium runs the command on simulators and Apple mobile devices leveraging the XCUITest framework, plus on real devices, emulators, and Android smartphones leveraging the UI Automation test framework.

Essential Factors Why Appium is Preferred Over Other Test Automation Tools
Let’s get a glimpse of some key factors that differentiate Appium from other automated mobile application testing tools.

Support of Multiple Languages– Appium supports a broad range of programming languages like Java, JavaScript, Perl, Python, Ruby, C#, and many more that are compatible with Selenium WebDriver API. It helps Appium to perform excellently across different frameworks and platforms.

Cost-effective– In the above point, we have seen that Appium supports multiple languages, which makes it more scalable. As a result, it cancels the requirement to set up several platforms during the integration. Apart from this, customers can leverage the app without recording or recomputing, which is more cost-effective.

Cross-Platform Test Automation– It’s an excellent [cross-platform mobile application test automation tool](https://www.pcloudy.com/cross-platform-mobile-test-automation-using-appium/), as it can work on iOS and Android devices. Appium leverages the JSON wire protocols to interact with iOS and Android devices with the help of Selenium WebDriver.

For iOS application automation, Appium leverages the libraries which Apple makes available with the help of an instructions program. The same techniques are leveraged in Android, where Appium leverages a proxy to provide the automation command to the UIAutomator test case presently running on the device.

On Android app performance testing tools, Appium leverages the UI Automator that completely supports the JUnit test cases to automate the applications.

Open-source Testing Tool-One of the biggest reasons why customers go for Appium over other mobile app test automation tools is; its open-source framework that encourages testing on simulators, emulators, and real devices. It’s easier for new automation engineers to get their answers via Appium. All thanks to its vibrant and sizable open-source community.

Standard API– Appium is used worldwide. After all, it doesn’t need recompilation or any code change of your application because it leverages the standard API across different platforms.
It makes jotting tests easier for Android and iOS platforms that leverage the same API. However, a user will still require separate Android and iOS test scripts because of the different UI elements on both platforms.

Compatible with Popular Testing Frameworks- Appium is most favorable across all the famous testing frameworks. It supports almost all the known testing frameworks leveraged across different platforms.

Before Appium, test scripts in Java could only be leveraged with the UI Automation of Google, and those in JavaScript could only be leveraged with the UI Automation of Apple. With Appium, mobile teams can take advantage of the framework they want. Appium entirely changes this scenario.

Huge Support System– Being categorized as an open-source mobile application testing tool, Appium is a very popular framework with a vast support system from the open-source community. Customers leveraging Appium can benefit from bug fixes, a vast online community supporting budding experts, and regular updation of versions.

Bid-adieu to Installation– You do not need to install the application for device testing. You can download the Appium mobile testing tools and start working on your Android or iOS devices right away.

Closing Thoughts
With great details presented in this guide, it would be fitting to conclude that Appium does acquire an indispensable market share in mobile app test automation tools. With the availability of multiple options, [Appium testing](https://www.pcloudy.com/basics-of-appium-mobile-testing/) can run perfectly on several versions of operating systems and real devices. Various testers and developers believe that Appium tests can be flexibly implemented and easy to use.