Browserstack - Premium Cross Browser Compatibility Testing
June 10, 2016

Browserstack - Premium Cross Browser Compatibility Testing

Nick Jastrebski | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Solo: $39,Team: $99,Team Plus: $199,Enterprise: $399

Overall Satisfaction with BrowserStack

Browserstack is used specifically for development purposes by our development team. We're a manage services provider specifically using this in our business software solutions department. It assists in quality assurance for our cross browser compatible web applications. It provides us with a simple tool to test usability across all the major browsers we support. Safari, Opera, Firefox, IE, and Chrome all can be tested seamlessly using one tool. Before we used browserstack for usability testing we were limited to browsers available on each platform, whether our personal computer was an Apple computer, or Windows PC. The same was true for any mobile testing whether we had Android or Apple devices available. With browserstack we're not limited to the platform we're on for testing, there's constant access across numerous platforms available at all times for usability testing. Another major obstacle it allowed us to overcome is different browser versions. A major challenge with building cross browser compatible web applications is determining whether to be compatible with the latest version during development, or maintaining compatibility across previous versions of the browser. This tool provided us with an easy way to make our decisions and test based on the selected support browsers and browser versions. Any user can test from anywhere any time on a full development environment that's very close to the real thing. In terms of mobility, responsiveness across many different devices is becoming extremely important. Browserstack also assists in solving this issue by allowing you to test across various different responsive screen resolutions and sizes. All of this is accomplished as if the user is in a native environment with native browser behavior and development tools available to our staff to assist in troubleshooting any cross compatible issues. The one major drawback we ran into at times is the performance of different servers when testing across platforms, but this can be overcome by the flexibility Browserstack allows. If you're looking for a solution to replace your test labs and provide access to any platform across numerous devices anytime Browserstack is a great solution to consider!
  • Provides popular screen resolutions for quick responsiveness testing without manually setting everything up yourself.
  • Allows easy cross browser compatibility testing across all different browser versions.
  • Achieves responsive design testing across all the key mobile and desktop platforms.
  • Server performance when many users are testing seems to degrade over time.
  • Cost depending on your team size and needs can grow higher than some teams are willing to dedicate for device testing.
  • Less expensive options put caps on usage that can limit what can be accomplished on the testing platform.
  • Browserstack has provided us with a quick solution to cross browser compatibility testing at a low cost.
  • Direct impact on ROI is difficult to judge compared to the past, when there were no reliable options for testing across numerous platforms.
  • We had to pull back on our userbase when costs went too high for each individual to access the platform simultaneously.
Browserstack primarily used emulators, over time they've received enough complaints to offer many tests on REAL desktop and mobile browsers. However for mobile testing, there are still emulators in use in different cases. Other specific mobile testing options like Mobilizer, etc., could be used in these cases.

There are various other options such as Sauce Labs, Limus (primarily for email testing), and Browsershot. However, all in all, Browserstack offers the most flexibility and global coverage for cross browser testing.
Anytime automated cross browser testing is needed Browserstack can be a big help to getting a team to quickly test across different devices. The main constraint on development teams is the budget involved to invest resources into a testing platform. If responsive cross browser compatibility isn't a top concern for solutions you develop, the investment may not be necessary.