Software testing is a process of executing a program or application with the intention of finding the software bugs. In other words it is an investigation done on software product to understand the quality of it. Testing verifies software product has been built as per requirements. Software testing is a huge area, but it can be broadly categorized into two areas: manual testing and automated testing. You can test software through both automated and manual testing, but which one you choose depends on the associated costs and benefits of each on your particular project. In this article we will go through advantages of using both automated and manual testing methods.

Manual testing and Automated testing

Testing performed by human without third party tool is manual testing. More specifically test directly performed by the tester via keyboard, mouse inputs to the application under test is manual testing. But with automated testing, test cases are executed with the assistance of tools, scripts, and software.

Advantages of Automated Testing

Automation can handle the repetitive and time consuming tests, for example it is extremely useful in regression testing. This is a great way to save up on time and money. Less investment of human resources needed. Whenever new functionality added or new bug discovered, automation software can be upgraded and reusable on different versions of the software. Testing can be done on different devices simultaneously with the same exact script at the same time. For example load testing and performance testing can be done effectively.

Advantages of Manual Testing

In manual testing you should not invest on automated tools and specialized people. Manual testing is preferred on products that have GUIs constantly change. It requires less time to begin productive testing. Exploratory testing can be done only with manual testing