Appium Review

To automate mobile apps, iOS and Android.

The way Appium server interacts with mobile apps is fantastic. It provides all the information about the elements inside the app, Android as well as iOS. I can interact with the element quickly, just type some text or get some text values from the element - whether it's a drop-down, or web text, or a native element.

Initially, Appium had a GUI, for Windows as well as for Mac, and there were some limitations that I couldn't figure out: How to run automated test on multiple iOS devices. However, we figured out that you can run a couple of instances of Appium in parallel, and use them to run tests in parallel, as well as sequentially. 

It's available as open-source for the iOS or Mac, as well as for Windows, so that's a pretty huge feature.

It needs to accommodate applications that use React.js and AngularJS.

Also, an application developed on the Unity platform, such as a gaming application, objects are moving in that case. Interacting with those elements is still lacking in Appium. Appium doesn't have the internal library to play with the Unity platform. That is a huge lack right now.

In addition, on Google platforms we can't use Appium to automate, that is a lack. 

So what I'm suggesting is that Appium should develop a newer, generic solution for all kinds of platforms used to develop applications.

The stability is there. 

I don't think I have experienced any problems with scalability. The scalability is good.

Whenever I have problem, most of the time the solution is available through the  Appium community, as well as through Google searches. I'm an R&D guy so I am able to figure out a solution quickly.

We used commercial tools like Experitest. There were a lot of limitations. For example, we had to use iOS Configuration Utility manager before using that tool. We felt Appium was better because it is an open-source tool. It is very competitive with any of the commercial tools, right now.

I didn't see any complexity in setting up Appium.

Overall, Appium is the best. It is not made as a commercial tool.

I would rate Appium as a nine out of 10 because it has the flexibility, simplicity, and it is elegant. It is technically more advanced, and even a beginner can start using Appium very quickly, and master it in less time.