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Sauce Labs VS Selenium

Compare Sauce Labs VS Selenium and see what are their differences

Sauce Labs logo Sauce Labs

Test mobile or web apps instantly across 700+ browser/OS/device platform combinations - without infrastructure setup.

Selenium logo Selenium

Selenium automates browsers. That's it! What you do with that power is entirely up to you. Primarily, it is for automating web applications for testing purposes, but is certainly not limited to just that.
  • Sauce Labs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23
  • Selenium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-08-22

Sauce Labs features and specs

  • Extensive Browser and OS Coverage
    Sauce Labs offers a wide range of browser and operating system combinations, allowing for comprehensive cross-browser testing.
  • Real Device Testing
    Provides access to a large number of real mobile devices for testing, ensuring accurate results compared to emulators.
  • Integration with CI/CD Tools
    Seamlessly integrates with popular Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, and Travis CI.
  • Detailed Reporting
    Offers in-depth test reports, screenshots, and videos, which help in debugging and improving the quality of tests.
  • Parallel Test Execution
    Supports running multiple tests in parallel, significantly reducing test execution time and speeding up the development cycle.
  • Scalability
    Highly scalable platform that can cater to both small projects and large enterprises, making it flexible for various needs.

Possible disadvantages of Sauce Labs

  • Cost
    The pricing can be quite high, especially for small teams or individual developers, making it less accessible for budget-constrained projects.
  • Learning Curve
    There can be a steep learning curve for new users who are not familiar with automated testing platforms.
  • Latency Issues
    Some users have reported latency issues and slower test execution times compared to local testing environments.
  • Complexity
    Setting up and configuring tests to run on Sauce Labs can be complex and time-consuming, requiring a good understanding of the platform and automated testing best practices.
  • Dependency on Internet Speed
    As a cloud-based service, the performance can be heavily dependent on the tester's internet speed, potentially affecting test execution and debugging processes.

Selenium features and specs

  • Open Source
    Selenium is an open-source tool, which means it is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. This makes it a cost-effective choice for companies of all sizes.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility
    Selenium supports multiple browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. This allows testers to ensure that web applications work seamlessly across different browsers.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Selenium can run on various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This provides flexibility to test on multiple platforms to ensure consistent user experience.
  • Supports Multiple Programming Languages
    Selenium supports multiple programming languages such as Java, C#, Python, and JavaScript. This allows testers to write their scripts in the language they are most comfortable with.
  • Rich Community and Documentation
    Being a widely-used tool, Selenium has extensive community support and a wealth of documentation and tutorials available. This makes it easier for new users to get started and find solutions to problems.
  • Integration with Other Tools
    Selenium integrates well with various testing frameworks and tools like TestNG, JUnit, and Maven, as well as CI/CD tools like Jenkins and Docker. This makes it a versatile and comprehensive automation solution.

Possible disadvantages of Selenium

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Selenium requires knowledge of programming to create and maintain test scripts. For those new to automation or coding, the learning curve can be quite steep.
  • No Built-in Reporting
    Selenium does not come with built-in reporting features. Testers must rely on third-party tools or build custom reporting solutions to generate test reports.
  • Limited Support for Desktop Applications
    Selenium is designed primarily for web application testing and offers limited support for desktop applications. This limits its use in scenarios where desktop application testing is needed.
  • Manual Effort for Maintenance
    Test scripts require regular maintenance to accommodate changes in the web application, such as updates to the UI or changes in element identifiers. This can lead to significant manual effort.
  • Performance Issues
    Selenium can be slower compared to other automation tools, especially when running extensive test suites. This can affect the speed of the overall testing process.
  • Browser Compatibility Issues
    Although Selenium supports multiple browsers, each browser's implementation of WebDriver may have unique quirks and bugs. This occasionally leads to test script compatibility issues across different browsers.

Sauce Labs videos

Overview of Sauce Labs

More videos:

  • Review - How an Automated Test Works With Sauce Labs
  • Review - Sauce Labs Analytics

Selenium videos

What is Selenium | Selenium Explained in 2-minutes | Introduction to Selenium | Intellipaat

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Sauce Labs and Selenium)
Website Testing
58 58%
42% 42
Automated Testing
37 37%
63% 63
Browser Testing
33 33%
67% 67
Software Testing
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Sauce Labs and Selenium

Sauce Labs Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
Sauce Labs is a cloud-based platform that offers automated testing tools for web and mobile applications. It provides a secure and scalable environment for running tests across a wide range of browsers and operating systems. With features like parallel testing, real device testing, and live debugging, Sauce Labs focuses on improving test execution times and overall efficiency.
Source: bugbug.io
Top 20 Best Automation Testing Tools in 2018 (Comprehensive List)
Sauce Labs is a selenium cloud-based solution that offers automated testing over cross-browsers and multiple platforms. It has support for both mobile and desktop apps. It is known for significantly accelerating test cycles.

Selenium Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
Nightwatch.js simplifies the setup and use of Selenium WebDriver, providing an abstraction layer that is easier to work with for JavaScript developers. While it offers the broad compatibility and standardization of Selenium WebDriver, it aims to improve the development experience with its simplified syntax and support for the Page Object pattern, making it a middle ground...
Source: bugbug.io
Top 5 Selenium Alternatives for Less Maintenance
And that’s why code-free test automation is important. Implementing codeless Selenium alternatives can address the challenges posed by traditional Selenium testing. They help testers with various skill sets to contribute to the testing process, enhancing collaboration and accelerating the testing lifecycle. For an in-depth discussion on the significance of codeless Selenium,...
Best Automation Testing Tools (Free and Paid) | July 2022
Automation testing is the process of testing the software using an automation tool to find the defects. In this process, executing the test scripts and generating the results are performed automatically by automation tools. Some most popular tools to do automation testing are HP QTP/UFT, Selenium WebDriver, etc.,
20 BEST Selenium Alternatives in 2021
Selenium is an open-source automated testing tool. It can perform functional, regression, load testing on web applications across different browsers and platforms. Selenium is one of the finest tools, but it does have some drawbacks.
Source: www.guru99.com
Top 10 Best Selenium Alternatives You Should Try
Selenium is a convenient and portable software testing tool specifically used for testing web applications. It acts as an API (Application Program Interface) for browser automation. Selenium is the widely used free and open-source tool used for automation testing of web applications through various browsers and platforms.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Sauce Labs should be more popular than Selenium. It has been mentiond 17 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Sauce Labs mentions (17)

  • 11 Most Popular Tools for Logging and Monitoring API Calls
    Sauce Labs used to be called API Fortress, and under that name, it generated a bit of a reputation as a cloud-based REST API monitoring solution. Setting up Sauce Labs for monitoring involves establishing secure connections to ensure data integrity and security. Sauce Labs continues this success by providing testing, monitoring, and reporting, but for those looking principally for API log tooling, Sauce Labs can... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Top 10 iOS Automation Testing Tools for 2025 (with Key Features)
    #2 SauceLabs SauceLabs also offers a cloud-based platform for testing iOS apps, as well as capabilities to build, organize, and run tests for delivering high-quality applications. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Free Cross Browser Testing Tools to pick in 2025
    5. Sauce Labs (Free Plan) Sauce Labs provides a cloud-based testing platform that includes real device testing and supports Selenium, Appium, and other popular automation frameworks. While its free tier limits access to testing minutes and device options, it’s ideal for smaller testing needs and early-phase bug hunting. Paid plans enable larger teams to scale with access to additional device environments. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • 🛑 Stop resizing your browser: improve testing for responsiveness
    Platforms like Browserstack or SauceLabs offer virtual instances of real devices and browsers for manual and end-to-end testing. Caveat: subscriptions cost money and are on a per-seat basis. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • React Native Testing Options Overview
    Appium is an open-source test automation framework. You can use it with native, hybrid, and mobile web apps. It drives iOS and Android apps using the WebDriver protocol. Appium is sponsored by Sauce Labs and a community of open source developers. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
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Selenium mentions (8)

  • How to write tests in Django for JavaScript fetch
    You won't be able to test the javascript function itself from within python, but you can exercise the front-end code using something like cypress (https://cypress.io) or the older but still respectable selenium (https://selenium.dev). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Having Issues with selenium
    In addition, .find_element_by_class_name is deprecated since selenium 4.3.0 and the replacement is .find_element(By.CLASS_NAME, "class"). Check selenium's site for more info. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Issues with Selenium 4.8.0
    This is the code again after checking selenium's official site :. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Having Issues with selenium
    I also tried the following code seen on the selenium.dev website. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Document Object Model Specification
    The following functions are defined within the Selenium project, at revision 1721e627e3b5ab90a06e82df1b088a33a8d11c20. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Sauce Labs and Selenium, you can also consider the following products

BrowserStack - BrowserStack is a software testing platform for developers to comprehensively test websites and mobile applications for quality.

Cypress.io - Slow, difficult and unreliable testing for anything that runs in a browser. Install Cypress in seconds and take the pain out of front-end testing.

LambdaTest - Perform Web Testing on 2000+ Browsers & OS

Katalon - Built on the top of Selenium and Appium, Katalon Studio is a free and powerful automated testing tool for web testing, mobile testing, and API testing.

TestComplete - TestComplete Desktop, Web, and Mobile helps you create repeatable and accurate automated tests across multiple devices, platforms, and environments easily and quickly.

TestRail - TestRail provides comprehensive test case management for software testing. Organize your testing, boost productivity, get real-time insights, and track progress toward milestones. Integrates with leading issue tracking and test automation tools.