Mobot vs Appium: Write and Maintain Scripts, or Have Tests Run for You on Real Devices?

How are Mobot and Appium different?

Appium is an open-source framework your engineers use to write, run and maintain UI automation scripts. Mobot is a managed mobile QA service: Mobot testing robots run Mobot test cases on real iOS and Android devices, and a Mobot QA analyst verifies every defect before it reaches your team.

Where tests run. Appium runs wherever a driver can reach: emulators, simulators, real devices and device clouds that support Appium^{[AP2][AP3][S1]}. Running on real iPhones means installing WebDriverAgent with a valid provisioning profile, and turning on Developer Mode and Enable UI Automation on each device^[AP3]. Appium's own docs say the driver "builds and manages WebDriverAgent for you, which can be a pain and involves the use of Xcode."^[AP2] Mobot runs every test on real iOS and Android devices from its device fleet of 300+, physically operated by Mobot testing robots. (Why real devices)

Who writes and maintains tests. With Appium, your engineers write scripts in the language of their choice, using Appium core, a driver per platform, a client library and optional plugins^[AP1]. Scripts find elements through locators, so when the UI they reference changes, someone updates the script. With Mobot, Mobot's team and Mobot AI build the test cases, Mobot testing robots run them, and Mobot maintains them: Tests that update as your app changes. (Managed mobile QA)

Who decides a failure is a bug. With Appium, your team triages failures. On iOS that can mean working through what Appium calls "a pretty deep stack," from your test code and client libraries through the Appium server, the XCUITest driver, WebDriverAgent, Xcode and iOS, where "it can be difficult sometimes to tell where in this chain of technologies something has gone wrong."^[AP2] With Mobot, a QA analyst verifies every defect before it reaches you, with screenshots from the device, device and network logs, and reproduction steps. (Analyst-verified defects)

When does Mobot fit?

• Your tests depend on real hardware and physical input: push delivered through APNs or FCM, deep links opened from other apps, pairing with real Bluetooth peripherals, Face ID and Touch ID on the real secure enclave, or the device's real camera, with real documents and scenes in front of the lens. (What physical robots catch that emulators miss)
• You don't want to keep a deep automation stack running. Mobot operates the devices and the tests; there is no driver, WebDriverAgent or provisioning setup on your side.
• You don't have QA headcount to write and triage tests. Mobot's team and Mobot AI build the test cases, and there are no scripts for your engineers to maintain.
• You want verified defects, not red builds. A QA analyst verifies every failure before it reaches you.
• You ship weekly or faster. A Mobot analyst verifies every result before it reaches you.

How do you switch from Appium to Mobot?

1. Start the free trial. Start with the 1,000-credit free trial. Share your build (TestFlight, a Play internal testing link or an .apk), and pick the iOS and Android devices and OS versions that match your users. If you like what you see, share your existing Appium tests and Mobot's team converts them into Mobot test cases, which Mobot maintains as your app changes.
2. Review the test cases with your Mobot contact. Your Mobot contact goes through the converted test cases with you before they run.
3. Mobot testing robots run the tests. Mobot testing robots execute real taps, swipes and gestures on real devices. Every step is captured: screenshots, device and network logs.
4. Analysts verify every result. Verified defects land in Slack, Jira or TestRail with everything an engineer needs to reproduce and fix.

If you like what you see, we'll convert your existing tests into Mobot test cases at no cost.

See how Mobot works

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