Comparing On-Premise and Cloud-Based Mobile Testing Tools

Introduction

Due to the fiercely competitive nature of the mobile app landscape, the adoption of practices such as CI/CD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery) and automated testing has become essential for maintaining productivity and efficiency. The pressing question now is whether to host the mobile testing process internally or to leverage one of the many cloud-based mobile testing tools available today.

Many startups are gravitating towards the convenience of cloud-based mobile testing. A general overview of on-premise versus cloud-based mobile testing can help you determine the best approach for your company’s specific needs.

In this article, we break down the pros and cons of on-premise and cloud-based mobile testing, enabling you to make an informed decision about the best approach for your team and project.

What is On-Premise Mobile Testing?

On-premise (or self-hosted) mobile testing involves an organization installing and accessing all mobile testing software from its own servers or infrastructure. This means the organization is responsible for setting up, maintaining, and scaling the servers and infrastructure to ensure smooth operations.

A typical on-premise mobile testing setup might involve installing an automation server like Jenkins on a machine such as a Mac mini. When new code is pushed or a test deployment is requested, Jenkins creates a build and runs all the associated automated tests, either on physical devices connected to the Mac mini or on a virtual device emulator.

Pros of On-Premise Mobile Testing

• Full Control and Customizations: An on-premise setup allows complete control over the infrastructure. You can customize everything according to your needs, unlike cloud-based mobile testing solutions that might have preconfigured pipelines.
• Better Latency: Traditional on-premise setups can move data faster within your network, beneficial if you have large codebases or produce substantial binaries. However, modern cloud-based solutions can offer comparable performance.
• Security: With on-premise setups, your team is responsible for security, offering greater control. For sectors with strict compliance requirements, on-premise solutions can limit access to sensitive data.

Cons of On-Premise Mobile Testing

• High Setup Costs: Setting up on-premise mobile testing is costly and time-consuming, requiring investment in hardware, electricity, and operational costs.
• High Maintenance Requirements: Maintaining up-to-date hardware and software is labor-intensive and diverts time from product development.
• Need for Dedicated Support: Managing an on-premise setup often requires specialized system administrators or DevOps engineers, adding to the total cost.
• Security Responsibility: Your team must handle all security aspects, which can be challenging without adequate expertise.

What is Cloud-Based Mobile Testing?

Cloud-based mobile testing involves using mobile testing tools developed, maintained, and hosted by third-party organizations. Customers access these tools over the internet for a fee.

A typical cloud-based mobile testing setup might include mobile CI/CD tools like Bitrise, combined with managed cloud device farms such as Sauce Labs, BrowserStack, LambdaTest, Kobiton, AWS Device Farm, or Firebase Test Lab, and using test automation frameworks like Appium, Espresso, XCUITest, or Detox.

Pros of Cloud-Based Mobile Testing

• Value-Add Features: Cloud-based solutions offer advanced built-in features and pre-configured pipelines essential for effective mobile testing, saving significant development time.
• Transparent Cost of Ownership: Cloud-based setups offer straightforward subscription fees, with plans starting as low as $15 per month with services like LambdaTest.
• Automatic Scalability and Parallelization: Cloud-based platforms can scale up and run processes in parallel, saving time.
• Low Maintenance: Cloud providers handle security, maintenance, outages, upgrades, and improvements, allowing your team to focus on core product development.

Cons of Cloud-Based Mobile Testing

• Provider Lock-In: Migrating between platforms can be challenging due to differences across vendor platforms.
• Data Breach Risks: Storing sensitive data with third-party providers introduces risks. It’s crucial to manage user access strictly and ensure minimal access privileges.

Final Verdict: Which Makes Sense for You?

The best option depends on your project’s unique requirements. For small to medium-sized teams, cloud-based mobile testing offers time and cost savings, along with increased agility and scalability. However, industry regulations may necessitate on-premise solutions.

The future is cloud-based, widely regarded as the most convenient and cost-effective method for managing extensive infrastructure. Even if your niche requires on-premise solutions, consider a hybrid approach. Host your mobile testing solutions on private cloud servers to enjoy the benefits of both worlds. SDET offers enterprise-private solutions as well as fully managed cloud-based CI/CD options.