Manual Testing vs. Automation Testing

When it comes to manual vs. automation testing, testing teams must consider their unique situation and priorities. There are many advantages to automation testing, including speed and saving on resources. However, manual testing still retains some benefits. 

What's the difference between manual testing vs. automation testing? That's what we break down in this blog. Plus, you'll learn about the best type of testing.

Read along or skip to the section that interests you most:

Manual vs. Automation Testing: Which Is Best?

In manual testing, a human performs the tests step by step through engaging with the application. Automated testing is executed programmatically via test automation frameworks, along with other tools and software, saving important time and resources.

Related Reading: Learn about the top 11 challenges in automated testing & what to do about them >>

The biggest difference between manual and automation testing is who executes the test case. In manual testing, the human tester does it. In automation testing, the tool does it.

What Is Manual Testing?

Manual testing is the process in which QA analysts execute tests one-by-one in an individual manner. The purpose of manual testing is to catch bugs and feature issues before a software application goes live.

When manually testing, the tester validates the key features of a software application. Analysts execute test cases and develop summary error reports without specialized automation tools. 

What Is Automation Testing?

Automated testing is the process in which testers utilize tools and scripts to automate testing efforts.

Automated testing helps testers execute more test cases and improve test coverage. When comparing manual vs. automation testing, manual takes longer. Automated testing is more efficient.

How Manual Testing Works

Manual testing is very hands-on. It requires analysts and QA engineers to be highly involved in everything from test case creation to actual test execution. 

How Automated Testing Works

Automated testing involves testers writing test scripts that automate test execution. (A test script is a set of instructions to be performed on target platforms to validate a feature or expected outcome.)

What Are the Strengths and Weaknesses of Manual Testing vs. Automation Testing?

Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Manual testing is slow and tedious. But its strength is that it better handles complex scenarios. Automated testing requires coding and test maintenance. But on the plus side, it is much faster and covers many more permutations.

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Manual Testing vs. Automation Testing Comparison

Whether you’re running automated testing suites at scale or doing manual, live testing, Perfecto has all the platforms you need to test against.

Here's a quick comparison table of the differences between manual vs. automation testing. 

Related Reading: Test Automation Strategy For Beginners

Why Use Automation Testing Over Manual Testing?

More Testing in Less Time

The biggest pro of automation testing over manual testing is that it allows you to do more testing in less time. It increases productivity and expands how much you can test.

Why would you choose automation testing over manual testing?

Users choose automated testing over manual testing mainly because of time. In fact, automated testing was developed because manual testing is so time-consuming. Automated testing is much faster.

Manual testing is very time-consuming. As software engineering demands have grown, automated testing became a necessity to keep up with the pressure and go-to-market needs.

[Related Blog: 7 Test Automation Benefits]

Fewer Manual Tasks

Automated testing reduces repetitive manual tasks during the testing phase. However, automated testing does require some manual work during the implementation stage. Testers need to manually create the baseline testing scripts. 

How to Decide Which Types of Test Cases to Automate >>

Test scripts are written in code like Java, JavaScript, Python, or C#. Writing test scripts can be complex, so in automated testing, specialized tools help testers develop code and test scripts. 

Plus, test scripts can be reused. This adds efficiency further down the line.

More Automation

Test automation tools have come a long way. They can now automate even highly advanced tests, thanks to real user simulation technology.

This includes:

• Face ID
• Location mocking
• Fingerprint testing
• Network virtualization
• Image and voice-related testing

More Test Coverage

Another pro of automated testing vs. manual testing is increased test coverage.

Automation testing can actually deliver better results because of its ability for increased test coverage.

Related Reading: Mobile & Web Test Coverage Guide >>

Manual testing can only cover a certain number of device and OS permutations. But automated testing can cover many more. This leads to better error detection.

[Related Resource: Test Automation Basics]

Why Use Manual Testing Over Automated?

A biggest pro of manual testing over automation or continuous testing is its focused attention. When a tester is manually creating and executing tests, there is more ability to handle complex and nuanced test scenarios.

While automated testing has advanced dramatically in its ability to handle sophisticated testing, sometimes only manual testing can be used. In manual testing, there is a lower risk for false negatives. (More false negatives can create extra work for DevOps teams to validate whether a reported error is true or false.)

Repetitive, high-frequency tests can easily be automated. But tests should not be automated if they occur infrequently, are high risk, or are subject to change.

Here are some instances when you would want live testing instead of automated testing:

• UX and exploratory testing.
• Complex test scenarios that are not efficient and sometimes not feasible to automate.
• Test scenarios that are only being validated once in a while.

Can Automation Testing Replace Manual Testing?

Automation testing will not replace manual testing. You need both manual and automation testing. Manual testing handles complex test cases, while automated testing handles simpler, more repetitive tests.

So, manual testing is still important. But adding automated testing makes your manual tests more efficient.

Continuous Testing vs. Test Automation

Continuous testing is an evolution of test automation. It leverages automated tests to ensure that testing happens continuously.

Why Continuous Testing Is Best

The main biggest pro of continuous testing in Agile is to protect your brand’s reputation and the user experience — without sacrificing delivery. Releasing sub-standard software is a risk to a business’s bottom line.

Automated testing dramatically improves upon the results of manual testing. But continuous testing takes software testing to the ultimate finish line.

If you can implement continuous testing in a stable and scalable manner, you will get:

• Faster feedback
• Quick-release turnaround
• High customer satisfaction and loyalty

The 3 Essential Building Blocks of Continuous Testing >>

Bottom Line

The journey from manual testing to fully-functional continuous testing in DevOps takes intention, strategy, and time. Luckily there are modern solutions that can help you overcome testing challenges. The industry's most-trusted solution is Perfecto.

Perfecto empowers you to do continuous testing and utilize test automation. With our continuous testing platform, you'll have everything you need to deliver better user experiences. This includes:

• Cloud testing lab
• Test creation
• Test execution
• Smart analysis

In addition to continuous testing, Perfecto powers exceptional digital experiences by combining the power of flexible test authoring, cross-platform execution, and AI-driven analytics into one secure, cloud-based web & mobile testing platform. 

See for yourself how Perfecto will take your testing to the next level. Try Perfecto for free today.

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• How to Transition From Manual Testing to Automated Testing in 7 Steps
• What Is Test Automation?
• What Is Continuous Testing? 
• What Is Regression Testing?
• How to Do Continuous Testing