Kobiton

Introduction

Kobiton is a cloud-based mobile device testing platform that offers both codeless and automated testing capabilities, enabling organizations to ensure the quality and performance of their mobile apps without the need for extensive coding expertise.

Kobiton provides a complete mobile testing solution, including manual, automated, and AI-driven testing. It supports real devices on the cloud and on-premises, allowing testers to access hundreds of different mobile devices remotely. Its codeless testing feature is a game-changer, enabling non-technical users to create automated tests quickly and easily, which helps teams shorten development cycles and release higher-quality apps faster.

Features

Kobiton offers a rich set of features designed to make mobile application testing more accessible, efficient, and comprehensive:

• Codeless Testing: One of the standout features of Kobiton is its codeless automation, which allows non-technical users to create automated test cases without writing any code. The platform automatically records user interactions with mobile apps and converts them into reusable scripts for future test executions.
• Real Device Testing: Kobiton allows users to test their mobile applications on real devices instead of emulators or simulators. The platform offers access to a vast device farm with real Android and iOS devices, ensuring that apps are tested under real-world conditions.
• Manual and Automated Testing: Kobiton supports both manual and automated testing. Users can interact with devices in real time, manually executing test cases, or they can automate the testing process using scripts or AI-driven automation tools.
• AI-Driven Test Automation: Kobiton includes AI-powered technology that helps users create and run automated tests. The platform analyzes user behavior to automatically generate test cases, reducing the time and effort required to develop comprehensive test coverage.
• Device and OS Coverage: Kobiton provides access to a wide range of mobile devices with different operating system versions, ensuring that apps are compatible across all popular platforms, including the latest and legacy versions of Android and iOS.
• Seamless Integration with CI/CD Pipelines: Kobiton integrates seamlessly with popular CI/CD tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, and GitHub Actions, enabling automated testing as part of the continuous integration and delivery process.
• Session Recording and Replay: Kobiton’s session recording feature captures manual testing sessions, allowing users to review and analyze them later. Test sessions can also be replayed, eliminating the need to perform repetitive testing manually.
• Advanced Reporting and Analytics: Kobiton provides detailed reports and logs for each test session, including screenshots, videos, and performance metrics. These reports help teams quickly identify and address issues.
• On-Premises and Cloud Deployment: Kobiton offers both cloud-based and on-premises testing options. Organizations can choose to test their mobile applications on Kobiton’s cloud device farm or set up their own private device cloud for increased security and control.
• Real-Time Debugging: The platform provides real-time logs and debugging tools, allowing users to troubleshoot issues as they test their applications. This reduces the time it takes to diagnose and fix bugs.
• Compliance Testing: Kobiton ensures that applications meet security and compliance standards by offering testing environments that are compliant with regulations such as HIPAA and PCI DSS.

Pros

Kobiton offers several advantages that make it a popular choice for mobile app testing:

• Codeless Automation: One of the biggest benefits of Kobiton is its codeless testing capability, which allows non-technical users to create automated test cases easily. This democratizes the testing process and empowers teams without specialized coding skills to contribute to automated testing.
• Access to Real Devices: Kobiton’s real-device testing is invaluable for ensuring that mobile applications perform as expected under real-world conditions. Testing on physical devices offers more accurate results than using emulators or simulators, which may not always replicate the exact behavior of a device.
• AI-Powered Automation: The platform’s AI-driven automation accelerates the testing process by automatically generating test scripts based on user interactions. This reduces the manual effort required to create comprehensive test coverage and allows teams to focus on more critical aspects of development.
• Wide Device and OS Support: Kobiton’s extensive library of mobile devices ensures that users can test their apps across a wide range of devices and operating system versions, ensuring maximum compatibility and coverage.
• Easy Integration with DevOps Pipelines: Kobiton’s integration with popular CI/CD tools makes it easy for teams to implement automated testing within their existing workflows. This ensures continuous testing and quick feedback on the quality of the application.
• Detailed Test Reports: The platform’s advanced reporting features provide detailed insights into test results, including screenshots, videos, logs, and performance data. This helps teams quickly identify and resolve issues, improving the overall quality of the app.
• Cloud and On-Premises Flexibility: Kobiton’s flexibility in offering both cloud-based and on-premises testing solutions ensures that organizations can choose the deployment model that best suits their needs, whether for increased control, security, or scalability.

Cons

While Kobiton is a powerful tool, it does have some limitations that users should consider:

• Cost: Kobiton is a commercial tool, and its pricing may be a barrier for small businesses or startups with limited budgets. The cost of accessing a wide range of devices on the cloud may add up, especially for teams running extensive automated tests.
• Learning Curve for Advanced Features: While the codeless automation feature is easy to use, some of Kobiton’s more advanced features, such as AI-powered automation or integrating with DevOps pipelines, may require additional training and technical expertise.
• Limited Support for Desktop Apps: Kobiton is primarily focused on mobile application testing. While this makes it an excellent choice for mobile-first organizations, teams looking for a unified solution that also supports desktop applications may need to use additional tools for comprehensive testing.
• Device Availability: Although Kobiton provides access to a large device farm, there may be times when popular devices or specific OS versions are in high demand, causing delays in testing.
• No Free Tier: Unlike some other testing platforms, Kobiton does not offer a fully-featured free tier. While it offers free trials, users will need to upgrade to a paid plan for long-term use.

Usage with One Example and Sample Code

Kobiton can be effectively utilized in various mobile app testing scenarios. Below is an example of how to use Kobiton for codeless mobile testing, followed by links to relevant resources for further exploration.

Example Scenario:

Company X is developing a new mobile app for online banking. The development team needs to ensure that the app performs consistently across multiple devices and operating systems, so they choose Kobiton for automated and codeless testing. Since the team includes members without extensive coding experience, the codeless feature of Kobiton is particularly useful.

1. Recording a Test Session: A QA engineer uses Kobiton’s codeless testing feature to record interactions with the mobile app on a real device. This includes logging into the app, viewing account details, transferring money, and logging out.
2. Generating a Test Script: Kobiton automatically converts the recorded interactions into a test script, which can be reused and executed on other devices to ensure compatibility across different platforms.
3. Running the Test on Multiple Devices: The team executes the test script on several real devices using Kobiton’s cloud device farm. Kobiton runs the test on Android and iOS devices, including various versions of each OS.
4. Analyzing Test Results: Kobiton generates detailed reports with screenshots, videos, and logs of the test sessions. The team reviews the results to ensure that the app works correctly on all devices and operating systems.

Sample Code:

Kobiton supports integration with popular test frameworks, allowing users to script automated tests if desired. Below is a sample code snippet that shows how to use Kobiton with the Appium framework for automating a test on a mobile device:

from appium import webdriver

# Kobiton device capabilities
desired_caps = {
    'sessionName': 'Automation Test Session',
    'sessionDescription': 'This is an automated test on a real device',
    'deviceOrientation': 'portrait',
    'browserName': 'Chrome',
    'platformVersion': '10.0',
    'deviceName': 'Samsung Galaxy S10',
    'platformName': 'Android',
    'app': 'kobiton-store:123456'  # Kobiton app ID
}

# Connecting to Kobiton server
kobiton_server_url = "https://api.kobiton.com/wd/hub"
driver = webdriver.Remote(kobiton_server_url, desired_caps)

# Automating a simple test
driver.get("https://www.example.com")
element = driver.find_element_by_name("q")
element.send_keys("Kobiton testing")
element.submit()

# Ending the session
driver.quit()

Useful Links:

• Kobiton Official Website
• Kobiton Documentation
• Kobiton GitHub Repository

Pricing

Kobiton is a commercial tool with various pricing plans to cater to different organizational needs. As of 2024, the pricing structure includes:

• Free-Trial : Kobiton offers a free trial that allows users to explore its features and capabilities before committing to a subscription.
• Pay-As-You-Go Pricing: Kobiton operates on a pay-as-you-go model, which allows organizations to pay for only the device minutes they use. This flexibility is ideal for teams with fluctuating testing needs.

For the most accurate and up-to-date pricing information, potential users should visit the Kobiton Pricing Page or contact their sales team for tailored options.

Recommended For

Kobiton is well-suited for various users and organizations seeking effective codeless testing solutions. It is particularly recommended for:

• QA Engineers: Quality assurance professionals looking to implement automated mobile testing will find Kobiton’s codeless automation capabilities invaluable in enhancing test coverage and improving app quality.
• Development Teams: Agile development teams can benefit from Kobiton’s integration with CI/CD pipelines, enabling continuous testing and quick feedback on application quality.
• Non-Technical Users: The codeless testing feature empowers non-technical users, such as product managers and business analysts, to contribute to the testing process, fostering collaboration between technical and non-technical team members.
• Startups and Small Businesses: Kobiton offers an affordable solution for startups and small businesses looking to implement automated testing without significant upfront investment.
• Enterprises: Larger organizations with complex application architectures can leverage Kobiton to streamline their testing processes and ensure compatibility across multiple devices and platforms.
• Educational Institutions: Kobiton serves as an excellent tool for teaching mobile testing concepts to students, providing them with hands-on experience in a real-world testing environment.

Conclusion

Kobiton emerges as a powerful tool for codeless mobile testing, providing users with an intuitive platform that simplifies the testing process while delivering robust functionality. Its extensive features, including real device testing, automated test creation, and seamless integration with CI/CD pipelines, make it a valuable asset for development and testing teams. While the cost may be a consideration for smaller organizations, the investment is justified by the benefits of improved testing efficiency, enhanced collaboration, and higher-quality applications.