Many businesses today heavily invest in automation software to make teams more productive and deliver faster without compromising accuracy.
While browser and cloud automation often dominate the conversation, a significant portion of business-critical workflows still relies on desktop applications. Many teams use automation testing tools for desktop applications to ensure reliability and speed.
From performing routine tasks like opening files, extracting data, or launching websites to testing application performance, desktop automation does the heavy lifting, allowing teams to focus on strategy and decision-making.
In this blog, we’ll discuss the best desktop automation tools, how they streamline workflows, and how to choose between cross-platform solutions or specialized Windows automation tools for your business.
What are Desktop Automation Tools?
Desktop automation tools are software applications designed to automate time-consuming and repetitive tasks within desktop applications. The automation is done by simulating user actions such as keyboard inputs, mouse clicks, and file management.
A capable automation tool for desktop applications can perform these actions consistently across different operating systems.
Here are some ways you can use desktop automation tools:
1. Desktop application testing
Automation tools let you create and execute automated test cases for desktop apps. Automation ensures thorough test coverage, accelerates the testing process, and reduces human error risks.
2. Automates system administrator tasks
Desktop automation tools can help system administrators manage desktop interfaces by automating tasks such as system configuration, software installations, security management, and user account management.
3. Data entry and manipulation
With desktop application testing tools, these processes become accurate and repeatable. Automation eliminates the need for manual data input, saving a significant amount of time. Desktop automation tools help fill forms, facilitate data transfer between apps, and execute complex data manipulations.
4. Report generation
Automation testing tools for desktop applications make it easier to consolidate data from multiple sources into clean reports. Automation tools streamline the process of data collection and report generation by automatically extracting data from multiple sources, cleaning it, and creating visually appealing reports with minimal human oversight.
How Does Desktop Automation Help Developers and Testers?
1. Increased productivity
Validation testing for standard features of desktop apps and compatibility testing for the new versions are repetitive tasks that can be automated to speed up productivity. Bots can be implemented to complete the checklist of test cases while QA can focus on high-value tasks like designing test methodologies and improving UI.
Teams using desktop application automation tools reduce repetitive workload and speed up test cycles even further.
2. Fewer errors
Windows automation tools and cross-platform frameworks can perform every step of test execution in desktop apps, whether it’s filling out text fields or selecting menu options, and repeating them precisely, free from human errors. Automation helps accelerate the testing process by identifying bugs easily in the development process and makes desktop apps more robust.
3. Lean operations
Complex tests that involve multiple apps interacting with the backend system can be difficult to replicate manually with every code change.
Desktop automation tools integrate with CI/CD workflows and execute tests in the background at scale around the clock to ensure development teams get feedback faster. This helps with identifying and resolving issues before they affect integration points.
Best Desktop Automation Tools
1. WinAppDriver
Winappdriver an automation tool developed by Microsoft
WinAppDriver is an automation tool developed by Microsoft designed specifically for testing Windows apps. Built on the WebAppDriver protocol, it offers Selenium-like UI testing and integrates with Appium. Developers and testers can write test scripts in multiple programming languages like Java, C#, Python, and Ruby.
WinAppDriver supports testing Universal Windows Platform (UWP), WinForms, Win32 apps, and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).
Features
- Find elements, including accessibility IDs, class names, and XPaths, using tools like Appium Desktop Inspector
- Automate user interactions like login, mouse clicks, touch gestures, and keyboard inputs for thorough app testing
- Integrate with DevOps pipeline and CI/CD workflows (Jenkins, GitLab, and Azure) for automated testing throughout the SDLC
Pros
- Supports multiple test automation frameworks such as NUnit, xUnit, and JUnit
- Offers flexibility to set up the test environment via a standalone server or as an Appium plugin
Cons
- Requires manual setup to enable the Developer Mode
- Is compatible with only Windows 10 and 11
Pricing
Open-source
2. Winium
Winium is an open-source desktop application automation tool built on Selenium. It’s designed for testing Windows apps that are developed using WinForms, WPF, and UWP, as well as integrates with Appium for cross–platform automation.
Features
- Write test scripts in Java, Python, PHP, and C# to launch apps, verify their status, and interact with UI elements
- Execute tests on multiple environments and machines via Selenium Grid simultaneously, using the JSON wire protocol for remote communication
- Interact with various UI elements like accessibility IDs, control types, and XPaths by leveraging object identification methods
Pros
- Offers Selenium-like syntax, which makes it easier for developers with Selenium WebDriver experience to adapt to desktop automation easily
- Integrates with test runners like NUnit and JUnit
Cons
- Doesn’t support other operating systems like macOS or Linux
- Lacks some advanced features, like in-depth reporting Pricing Open-source
3. Robot Framework
Robot Framework - open-source desktop application testing tool
Robot Framework is an open-source desktop application testing tool primarily designed for test automation and Robotic Process Automation (RPA). It’s implemented in Python, and supports multiple programming languages, including Java, PyPy, and IronPython (.NET).
Features
- Write test cases effortlessly with easy-to-understand syntax and predefined keywords
- Use autocomplete functionality and syntax highlighting to develop code efficiently and reduce errors
- Integrate with tools and libraries, including Selenium, Appium, and JMeter, to enable diverse testing scenarios
Pros
- Allows the use of Eclipse, Robot Framework IDE, and text editors to make testing more flexible
- Compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, and Unix
Cons
- Demands a steep learning curve due to its keyword-driven testing approach
- Heavily relies on third-party libraries, making setup, maintenance, and version compatibility complex
Pricing
Open-source
4. SikuliX
SikuliX is an automation tool for desktop applications that uses image recognition (powered by OpenCV) to identify and control GUI interactions. This attribute is particularly handy when the source code of the desktop apps isn’t accessible.
SikuliX supports Python, Ruby, JavaScript, and any Java-aware programming/scripting language like Jython, Scala, JRuby, and Clojure.
Features
- Automate tasks, mouse clicks, and keyboard inputs on remote systems and multi-monitor setups
- Use built-in text recognition to search and interact with text within images
- Write test cases easily in plain text and tabular format using built-in keywords
Pros
- Is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux
- Supports image masking to ignore the irrelevant features of an image and focus on the target element
Cons
- Varying pixel sizes on different devices might affect the test automation process
- Might select the wrong image during testing if duplicates are present on the screen Pricing Open-source
5. AutoIt
AutoIt is a lightweight scripting language that automates the Windows GUI (both standard and custom) and scripting. It simulates keystrokes, mouse movements, and window/control manipulation to automate tasks like engaging with desktop apps and managing files.
Features
- Edit test scripts easily with SciTE, which comes with syntax highlighting, code folding, and advanced debugging features
- Compile test scripts into standalone executables for seamless distribution and deployment of automated tasks and tests
- Use AutoIt syntax checker (Au3Check) to analyze your scripts and identify potential issues like syntax errors, usage of undefined macros, and variables that are used before they’re declared
Pros
- Offers user-friendly syntax, string handling functions, and a Perl-compatible regular expression engine (PCRE) library
- Has a large active community with resources like tutorials and User Defined Functions (UDFs) Cons Limited to only Windows apps Doesn’t offer advanced features like object recognition Pricing Freeware
Pick the Right Desktop Automation Tool: Things to Consider
1. Identify automation requirements
Analyze your existing workflows and identify the tasks within desktop apps that are recurring, time-consuming, and prone to errors. These tasks might include data entry, navigation, login/authentication, and UI testing. This is where desktop application testing tools add the highest ROI.
2. Select tools that align with testing goals
Research the various desktop automation tools available in the market and check if they’re compatible with the different operating systems: Windows, macOS, Linux, and Unix. Also, check the version of the operating systems the tools support.
Evaluate different desktop automation tools. If your environment is Windows-only, a dedicated Windows automation tool might be ideal.
For seamless integration with programming languages and development environments, look for tools with SDKs or APIs. Before finalizing an automation tool, check for features like exception management and error handling.
3. Define budget
Consider the price structures and licensing of the automation tools. Mull over variables like recurring subscription fees, expenses for maintenance and upgrades, up-front costs, and scalability of the tool before you narrow down your options. Compare pricing models of automation testing tools for desktop applications to estimate long-term costs.
4. Consider the learning curve
Some tools require extensive knowledge of coding, while others can automate tasks via image recognition. The tool you select might align with the skill set of your team. For tools that require training, look for official documentation, community support, learning resources, and tutorials.
5. Support and maintenance
Consider picking a tool that offers prompt customer service, regular updates, and addresses bugs and security vulnerabilities frequently to avoid increased downtime and higher operational costs.
Tools like Microsoft Power Automate and Nut.js continuously introduce new features and updates to ensure compatibility with evolving operating systems.
Automate Desktop Workflows with TestGrid
TestGrid is an AI-powered end-to-end testing platform that enables automated cross-platform testing across multiple OS platforms in parallel to help speed up test cycles. It offers both cloud-based and on-premises testing infrastructure, soation you can scale tests without worrying about setup complexities.
Testgrid can be integrated into CI/CD tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, and Azure DevOps to allow continuous testing and deploy a more robust app.
Its codeless automation lets you write complex test cases in minutes, helping build logical workflows, and visual test reports help you analyze test results through unified dashboards to highlight issues and track performance trends.
This blog is originally published at Testgrid
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