Introduction:

The organizations are shifting towards automation testing for a plethora of reasons. The lesser workforce, better accuracy, improved speed, economic; automation testing is heavily favored in most of the cases. 

No wonder, there are a host of automation testing tools out there. And among the top ten are the two comparable players QTP and Selenium. 

So, in this blog, we will discuss if Selenium training can fetch better career options for a beginner or a comprehensive UTP course.

Which is a better automation testing tool – QTP or Selenium?

QTP is a licensed tool of HP and companies that have adopted it are quite satisfied with it. On the other hand, Selenium is an open-source cross-browser, cross-platform automation testing tool which is an instant hit for the advantages it offers.

Then what are the advantages of Selenium over QTP that has made the former such a big hit in the industry?

  • We have already mentioned that while Selenium is a free tool, QTP comes at a price. 

Verdict: Selenium cuts down the cost.

  • In Selenium, we can run multiple test cases at the same time, whereas in QTP, we can run one test at a time unless executed with the help of Quality Center, which is again a paid tool. 

Verdict: Selenium cuts time consumption.

  • Selenium can support multiple programming languages like C++, Java, Python, C#, Perl, Ruby, PHP, etc., while QTP supports only VB.

Verdict: Selenium offers multi-language support.

  • Selenium offers compatibility with 9 different browsers whereas QTP is compatible with only 4 browsers.

Verdict: Selenium offers cross-browser test functionality.

  • Selenium is not built to track tests or generate reports, whereas, QTP can easily track tests and generate reports.

Verdict: QTP offers to test traceability and report generation features.

  • With Selenium, we can test only web-based applications, whereas QTP can test desktop applications and web applications as well.

Verdict: QTP can test a wide range of applications.

  • QTP has a built-in object repository whereas Selenium has no built-in repository.

Verdict: QTP can make use of its object repository for writing test scripts.

  • QTP relies on data-driven testing as it has built-in global and local tables, with Selenium, on the other hand, the tester has to depend on their programming capabilities.

Verdict: QTP offers easy test script writing capabilities.

  • QTP has complete support from HP as it is a licensed version. Selenium has community support.

Verdict: QTP has the advantage of dedicated technical support from HP.

Which is more adopted QTP or Selenium?

For various reasons such as Selenium goes hand in hand with the Agile environment, it has become a highly adopted automation testing tool across the organizations. 

Although UFT comes with LeanFT to fit with the Agile methodologies, Selenium has already taken up space. And the companies did not find any valid reason to shift to UFT by then.

However, the only drawback that the companies could face with Selenium is when the projects are huge and the testing volume is high. Without the proper test management, lack of concept of traceability, inefficient filtering, Selenium has suffered a big blow. This is where the businesses washed off their hands by simply implementing the paid QTP tool for testing.

However, there is another host of companies which decided to put an effort to make the Selenium Framework complete by integrating with other free third-party tools and make up for the drawbacks. 

Therefore, the onus is with the companies if they are ready to make that effort, analyze if it is worth taking the responsibility.

Which is better for a career – QTP or Selenium?

Selenium is highly adopted among the industries and is a huge hit among the automation testing tools. Despite its quite a few drawbacks, Selenium is an unofficial leader among the automation testing tools. 

Agreed that there is CODED UI in the top, however, it is better to hand-code the scripts and this has partially dented its adoption rate.

Then, there is TFS which does not go down well with Mac. 

Summing up together:

Despite Selenium’s inability to handle humungous testing volumes, when it comes to a web application and mobile testing, there is no superior alternative. Therefore, Selenium training opens up a sea of career opportunities even today for IT, non-IT professionals, and beginners.