Robotium vs Selendroid: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will be discussing the key differences between Robotium and Selendroid. Both Robotium and Selendroid are popular automation testing frameworks used for testing mobile applications.

1. Test Compatibility: Robotium is specifically designed for Android application testing, whereas Selendroid can be used for testing both Android and iOS applications. Robotium is more focused on Android app testing, providing a comprehensive set of APIs and easy to use methods, making it an ideal choice for Android testing.
2. Architecture: Robotium operates on the application level, interacting directly with the application's UI elements. On the other hand, Selendroid operates on the Instrumentation level, which means it interacts with the Android framework itself. This allows Selendroid to access activities outside the application under test, giving it more control over the device and allowing for greater test coverage.
3. Testing Scenarios: Robotium allows testers to write test cases that span multiple activities within the application under test. This means that complex user interactions and scenarios involving multiple screens can be easily automated using Robotium. Selendroid, on the other hand, is designed to capture and replay user interactions, making it more suitable for simple test scenarios and validating individual activities.
4. Test Automation Support: Robotium provides robust support for test automation scripting, making it easy to write tests and perform actions such as clicking buttons, entering text, and verifying UI elements. On the other hand, Selendroid supports test automation using Selenium WebDriver, which allows testers to write tests in a variety of programming languages, including Java and Python, making it more versatile and accessible to a wider range of testers.
5. Cross-Browser Testing: Selendroid's integration with Selenium WebDriver enables testers to perform cross-browser testing of mobile applications. This means that the same test scripts can be executed on different browsers, helping ensure application compatibility across various platforms. Robotium, being more Android-focused, does not provide built-in support for cross-browser testing.
6. Device Compatibility: Robotium supports testing on both real devices and emulators, while Selendroid supports testing on real devices, emulators, and even virtual devices created by cloud testing services. This gives Selendroid an added advantage in terms of device compatibility and provides more flexibility for testing scenarios where multiple devices need to be tested simultaneously.

In summary, the key differences between Robotium and Selendroid lie in their test compatibility, architecture, testing scenarios, automation support, cross-browser testing, and device compatibility. While Robotium is more suited for Android app testing, Selendroid offers cross-platform capabilities, wider versatility, and advanced control over the device under test.