We use BrowserStack to develop and test our internal and external websites. BrowserStack saves us the cost of having to purchase a wide range of devices to mirror what our users and clients use when interacting with our websites. We mostly use it for manual styling and JS testing across different browsers and mobile OSes.
Pros
It has the best range of devices and browser combos
Many useful ancillary services
Very responsive emulators/real devices in the browser
Cons
Documentation on some services is iffy - browser automation testing docs were not that useful
Browser versions come and go - BrowserStack will go from having a particular combo of OS and browser version available but then a few months later it will not be available
Would be nice to have proper custom configs of browser and OS where possible
Likelihood to Recommend
BrowserStack excels at allowing devs and QAs to test on the largest range of devices possible, all while being performant and fairly easy to use. There are plenty of additional features and services that many teams can find use for, and since many are included on the various plans it makes for pretty good value especially for smaller teams.
VU
Verified User
Employee in Engineering (Education Management company, 11-50 employees)
I use BrowserStack to test accessibility for our websites and apps on different browsers and platforms. I can test on a real computer running Windows using Chrome or Firefox (as well as Edge) and I can test on Android phones using TalkBack. BrowserStack allows you to test accessibility using NVDA, which I can't run natively on my MacBook Pro laptop.
Pros
Use a website or app on Windows using Firefox or Chrome
Local testing on any platform (for sites in test or dev mode)
Testing NVDA screenreader on multiple platforms
Cons
I wish it didn't time out so quickly. I often move back and forth between my native Mac OS system and browsers to BrowserStack for Windows browsers and it often times out so I have to start over.
I am not sure why, but when I've been testing in BrowserStack for a long period of time - maybe over a couple of hours, it sometimes gets buggy and unresponsive or slow to respond. It makes it hard to tell if I'm experiencing an issue with the site I'm testing or if it's an issue with BrowserStack.
If I'm wishing for the moon and stars, I'd ask for the ability to use BrowserStack to also test with JAWS screen reader. But I'm happy having NVDA.
Likelihood to Recommend
Being able to test on both Mac OS and Windows, plus android and iphones and using screen reader NVDA is a huge plus. Also being able to test locally on test and dev sites is important to me. One thing I don't use it for is testing VoiceOver on iphone. I think it is not able to do this, so I just use my own iphone for that part of my testing. It would be nice if it could accommodate this testing as well, so I wouldn't have to use my own phone for testing.
VU
Verified User
Technician in Information Technology (Higher Education company, 1001-5000 employees)
In my current role at Coursera, we rely on BrowserStack Percy for efficient visual testing. It offers pixel-perfect visual reviews, ensuring UIs appear and function correctly across different devices and screen sizes. At my previous company, Acquire, we used BrowserStack for every e2e testing across web and mobile platforms. Despite a higher price for running parallel tests, BrowserStack's top-notch features justified the cost. The tool notably expedites testing processes, saving valuable development time. It consistently ensures that applications work as intended on all platforms, delivering high-quality user experiences irrespective of the device or OS used. BrowserStack, though pricey, is a worthy investment for thorough e2e testing.
Pros
Percy for visual testing.
Percy's integration with our development workflow.
The dashboard presents visual changes systematically.
Cons
Percy can be on the pricier side.
Likelihood to Recommend
Well-Suited for Cross-Browser Testing: In scenarios where you are developing a web app, and you want to ensure its compatibility with a wide range of browsers (and their versions). Mobile Application Testing: With the rise of mobile traffic, it's crucial to ensure your application runs smoothly on various mobile devices. BrowserStack provides a comprehensive set of real mobile devices for Android and iOS, offering an actual device cloud to run your tests. Parallel Testing: In cases where speed is a priority to reduce the total test execution time, BrowserStack is a perfect fit. It allows simultaneous tests to be run in different environments, speeding up your testing pipeline significantly. Less Appropriate for Budget Constraints: BrowserStack comes with a higher price tag, especially for parallel testing. Simple Web Applications: For a simple website or app that has a single version and doesn't need extensive cross-browser or device compatibility checks, investing in BrowserStack might be unnecessary.
We use BrowserStack on our CD pipeline in order to ensure that the application is working properly before deploying in production environment. Also we use BrowserStack to do manual test using large wide o mobile phone - so we don't need to have a physical version of the mobiles that we want to test.
Pros
E2E testing
Running application in large wide of mobiles
Running application in the most used browsers
Cons
Pipeline integration
Finding out the error in the test
Maning run tests
Likelihood to Recommend
In the only software able to run your application in real mobiles - isn't a emulation. This is perfect to make sure that the application is running properly in wide range os devices. The integration with some old fashion E2E tools could be a little bit hard - like if you are using Webdriver.IO.
We use BrowserStack to test our various websites' cross-browser compatibility. We also use the built-in NVDA screen reader for accessibility testing.
Pros
Easy switching between operating system/browser combinations
Local environment testing
Screen reader testing
Cons
Desktop app on Mac is a little buggy
It would be great to be able to do screen reader testing with JAWS as well as NVDA
Likelihood to Recommend
BrowserStack is excellent for testing CSS in different operating system and browser configurations. It's good for overall screen reader testing, but if you want to dive into NVDA vs. JAWS, BrowserStack isn't the best way to go.
VU
Verified User
Employee in Information Technology (Higher Education company, 201-500 employees)
I have been using BrowserStack for the past couple of months for both mobile and web testing. It has been a life changer because it has helped me expedite my cross-browser testing needs. I have used most of the mobile settings within the application and it's awesome. It really helps me with the device and cross-browser testing coverage. The automation support on multiple simultaneous runs is very good and easy to use. I highly recommend any software team adopt this software for testing.
Pros
Provide a wide array of mobile testing.
Provide a array of cross browser testing.
Easy to learn and use.
Cons
needs better image quality on videos played through Browserstack.
Inspection mode for spying metadata.
Sometimes a bit slow.
Likelihood to Recommend
Software teams should use BrowserStack to emulate different browsers for testing. I develop apps for the web, and It is very useful. For example, I know when an app works on one operating system or another and locates problems between multiple different systems. A lot of teams have a lot of compatibility problems, I suggest getting BrowserStack a try to simplify testing.
VU
Verified User
Engineer in Engineering (Professional Training & Coaching company, 51-200 employees)
The company I work for builds websites for higher education institutions. We use BrowserStack to check multiple devices and versions of mobile devices, tablets, and browsers. Using BrowserStack allows us to check older versions as well as new versions which saves us from having to purchase actual devices. We currently use BrowserStack in our QA and development departments.
Pros
A wide variety of devices
Easy to learn and use
Browser testing allows for a variety of screen resolutions
Cons
The connection is usually pretty slow
Scrolling can be difficult
Sometimes they will remove devices
Likelihood to Recommend
It is great for spot checking devices. However, if you need to do a full review I don't recommend BrowserStack because the scrolling isn't always the best and changing pages is very slow.
VU
Verified User
Analyst in Quality Assurance (Education Management company, 201-500 employees)
