Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
Andrii N. - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior QA Test Automation Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Free to use and works well on Android, but we've had issues with iOS
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is stable."
  • "We need some bug fixes for nested elements."

What is our primary use case?

It's normally used to test mobile applications, and to interact with some power applications. It's mainly for mobile testing applications?

What is most valuable?

I like the app inspector. It's quite a good and useful tool for us. I like that we can use it almost out of the box. 

It works well on Android. 

The solution is stable.

It's very scalable. 

The solution is free to use. 

What needs improvement?

I'm facing a lot of issues with my new juniors when they set up Appium for iOS. For Android, it's easy, however, for iOS to interact with it on iPhones or something. It requires some additional libraries and some additional installation. Sometimes it's not working. While Android works well, iOS continues to be an issue. 

There are a lot of issues on GitHub discussions and Stack Overflow, et cetera, and it's still not resolved. When we use Appium Inspector and just Appium, we are not able to inspect nest elements. Half of the elements are nested. Especially for React Native, it's not visible in Inspector, and we cannot interact with this element. We need some bug fixes for nested elements. 

We'd like a one-button click where you hit it, and everything is automatically installed. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for three or four years, maybe less. 

Buyer's Guide
Appium
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Appium. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Generally, I'm not facing any issues with stability, so I am quite satisfied. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I'm not facing any issues with scalability. It's not a problem to expand. 

We have a team of ten using the solution right now. We use it on a daily basis. We have daily test runs, using Appium, and have test cases to update, to add on a daily basis.

How are customer service and support?

We have zero direct interactions with Appium. If we need help with something, we just use some resources from the internet or some documentation. Aside from eh issues we've had with nested elements, this has always been enough for troubleshooting. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have no experience using other automation tools for our devices. We only use Appium.

How was the initial setup?

It's not difficult to set up and deploy. However, it does take time. We use Macbooks. We don't use Windows. It's more complicated to set up on iOS than on Windows. It can take two to four hours to configure everything once you have it deployed. For example, if you have ten devices, the time is two to four hours each, so it can take a while. 

I'd rate the solution two or three out of five in terms of ease of deployment. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This is a free tool. 

What other advice do I have?

Based on the issues we've had, I'd rate the solution six out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Test Engineer at Deloitte
Real User
Top 20
Useful multiple OS support, scalable, and straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Appium is it supports iOS and AOS and is open-source."
  • "Appium could improve by enabling record and run techniques similar to what they have in other licensing tools, such as Micro Focus. We have to all write the code, and then we can proceed."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Appium for testing.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Appium is it supports iOS and AOS and is open-source.

What needs improvement?

Appium could improve by enabling record and run techniques similar to what they have in other licensing tools, such as Micro Focus. We have to all write the code, and then we can proceed.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Appium for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Appium is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Appium is good. It support supports different operating systems, such as iOS and AOS.

We have 10 to 12 people using this solution.

All the test engineers are using it.

How are customer service and support?

The solution is open-source, there is not any direct support. You can browse the internet for support information.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have not used another solution previously.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Appium is straightforward.

I rate the setup of Appium a five out of five.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There is no license for this solution because it is open-source.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

There are not a lot of tools for mobile testing. Appium is one of the only open-source mobile testing solutions.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others is they should use the solution if they have experiences in any technical language, such as Java and C#.

I rate Appium a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Appium
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Appium. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Architect - Automation at DMI (Digital Management, Inc.)
Real User
A single framework solution brings greater efficiency to our development process
Pros and Cons
  • "It runs completely flawlessly and seamlessly every day."
  • "Configuration-wise, there is a lot of room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for mobile UI automation, and particularly for regression test automation.

We develop complete, end to end test cases, then we automate them and run those test cases in a DevOps process. It's a complete CICD (continuous integration, continuous development) using DevOps methodology.

Our automation job triggers immediately after a successful development build. Upon completion of automated test cases, results are emailed to all stakeholders. This is a completely automated process without any manual intervention.

How has it helped my organization?

This solution has improved our organization in terms of efficiency. We use this tool for one of our mobile applications that supports iOS and Android devices. The application should support all Android devices with OS version 6 and above, whereas the iOS application should be compatible with iOS 9.3 and up. Therefore, it supports multiple OS versions with all of the devices and handsets that are coming to the market.

It becomes very difficult for our regulation team to test the solution, or run their test cases, on all of these platforms and mobile devices. But, with the help of automation, we can create a single script that does so. Not only that, but we can run our tests in a 24/7 model that includes weekends. Our team members cannot work overnight or on the weekend.

This solution continuously generates reports, and the report is the only thing that needs to be analyzed by the testing team. It runs completely flawlessly and seamlessly every day. This makes it very cost effective and productive. That is one of the major benefits for us.

What is most valuable?

Appium is a very good tool because with its help we can automate all of the platforms, Android, iOS, or Windows, and there is a single solution. We can create a single framework for all platforms that can satisfy all of the needs. Being an open source solution it is free of cost.

Otherwise, there are other open source tools for particular platforms, but with the Appium library, we can automate all major platforms.

What needs improvement?

This product is still maturing, so at times there are issues with its stability if your scripts run continuously for more than fifteen to twenty hours. At times, we have witnessed the Appium server stop responding for forty to forty-five minutes. As a result, scripts do not move in this time period. Sometimes the connection resets due to USB or Network issues, which is not an Appium issue.

There is no user interface because it is a complete development solution, and you have to code in Java. I do not see any room to include an interface in the near future, as is the case with other commercial automation tools.

For iOS automation, it is very tedious to install or configure this particular library in your system, and it becomes very difficult to troubleshoot if you are not Mac and Xcode savvy. You require an understanding of the configuration of Xcode projects and you have to troubleshoot a lot of things at times. 

Configuration/Installation-wise, there is a lot of room for improvement in this solution, especially for the iOS platform.

For how long have I used the solution?

Two and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, this tool is still maturing. I have seen improvement over the past two years, with every release. I expect that in another year it will be even more stable.

In our experience, if you are running smaller scripts that execute for two or three hours, then this tool is good enough. If, however, your scripts run continuously for twenty or twenty-four hours then the tool give you issues at times. The connection gets reset or the server hangs in between. These things are normally seen after ten or eleven hours.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of scalability, this tool is doing well. We have automated more than five hundred test cases, which run for twenty to twenty-two hours in one go. In that way, it is doing well, although, sometimes there are cases where the Appium server hangs, and the script does not proceed forward. This has to be ironed out.

We do plan to increase the usage of this solution. Right now, our company has a lot of experience and a lot of people are learning this tool, as well as other open source solutions. We do not use any commercial products. In fact, we have a policy of using open source solutions, as they are in demand. There is nothing challenging the capability of this tool right now.

How are customer service and technical support?

Being an open source project, there is no company that specifically supports this tool.

That said, the open source community is quite strong. If you are having any kind of issues, with your solution or your implementation, there are multiple points that are available and you can ask questions. Most of the time you get your resolution in a very quick time, maybe in a day or sometimes a couple of days. In fact, most of the time, with my experience I can say 95% to 98% of the time, I found a solution which helped us. 

The open source community includes a large user base who are actively using it and sharing their experience, as well as their implementation solutions, over the net. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before this solution, I only had experience with HPE UFT (Unified functional testing). I, later on, moved to Selenium because we are able to achieve the same results with this open source solution as with any other commercial product, without any one-time or recurring cost for the tool. 

Selenium has matured with time and become a stable solution for Web Application automation. More and more clients are preferring Selenium because of the no-cost factor, and as a result, there are good job opportunities available for people who can work on Selenium. 

These were the major driving forces for me to move towards the Selenium automation solution.

How was the initial setup?

Installation of this particular tool is tedious, and it gives you a good number of challenges at times. You have to resolve them, troubleshoot them every now and then, and you need the right people. You need a good expert with experience who can help you. It is not possible for a novice user, or any user who is new to the team, to do all of these things. There is a steep learning curve.

In order to use this tool for iOS applications, you have to use Xcode and have to install and create profiling for your development solution. For a user who is new to the system, and perhaps not aware of Xcode or profile creation on a Mac machine, it becomes difficult. The majority of developers use Windows-based development systems. In order to automate iOS applications, we have to use Mac-based machines to provide the operating system.

This means that you need to have some kind of experience with Xcode, or at least some experience with iOS application configuration. These are the skills required in order to set Appium up on your Mac machine and use iOS automation.

A Windows-based system can be used for Android applications, but a Mac machine can be used for both iOS and Android. I rely on Windows for Android, but you are certainly free to work on a Mac machine.

There are six people in our team using this solution on all platforms. I have the role of Automation Architect, and the others are Automation Engineers. We have set up a local cloud environment in our office, and we do everything ourselves.

What about the implementation team?

We deployed this solution ourselves and created our own script for Appium installation on an iOS machine. Instead of individual commands, we have created a BASH script which installs & configures the automation development environment. With this, it is easy to install and configure a system for a new developer who is coming to our team. If you do not have such a script then it is a full-day task to complete the setup and configuration on your iOS machine.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This is an open source solution so it does not cost anything for licensing or otherwise.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I had evaluated SeeTest before Appium for mobile solution development, but the customer was not willing to invest in a commercial tool. SeeTest is more stable, mature, and easy to install as compared to Appium, but it comes with a significant cost of almost $80,000 per year (number of licenses that we required). This is the reason we decided to move on with Appium.

What other advice do I have?

This solution is one that you need a little bit of time and patience to learn, but once you learn it, it opens the gate to work on many other similar types of tools or wrappers that are created, keeping Selenium at the core. 

Overall, the product is good. On a scale of one to ten, I am only deducting two points because you cannot automate & run the iOS application on the Windows OS. You require Mac machines for iOS automation. Also, installation and configuration are also tedious for new users.

I would rate this solution eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1226838 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Solutions Delivery (Systems) at a wellness & fitness company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Reduces manual testing efforts through automation
Pros and Cons
  • "Obviously because of automation, it reduces manual testing efforts."
  • "We haven't been able to fully leverage Appium for multiple reasons. I think number one is just that the tests take a long time to run. We have had some issues around just the results themselves and how predictable they are, but those are not issues with Appium directly."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is deployed on cloud. The cloud provider is AWS.

There are about 30 people using this solution. They're primarily automation testers.

What is most valuable?

Obviously because of automation, it reduces manual testing efforts.

What needs improvement?

We haven't been able to fully leverage Appium for multiple reasons. I think number one is just that the tests take a long time to run. We have had some issues around just the results themselves and how predictable they are, but those are not issues with Appium directly. It's helped us to uncover issues that we otherwise wouldn't have known about.

The challenge we have with Appium is we're currently writing the tests in Java, and it does make it difficult because now you need to find automation testers with a Java skillset. That's why we were looking at other tools like Eggplant that would allow us to automate mobile testing through easier mechanisms, like being able to record a manual test and automatically generate the test script for it. We're looking at faster automation and making automation more accessible to their technical people.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about five years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good.

We're planning on increasing usage in the future, or we're going to swap to something different. Right now, we are looking at tools that can generate Appium scripts for us, so tools like TestProject and Kobiton and so on. They can generate Appium scripts by looking at manual recordings of manual tests.

How was the initial setup?

Setup was fairly straightforward. We completed deployment within a week.

What about the implementation team?

We used a third party for the initial setup.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is free.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 8 out of 10. 

There are lots of newer tools on the markets that make testing easier. My advice is to look at alternatives, not necessarily alternatives to Appium, but at least alternatives to generating Appium scripts.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Mubarak Arimiyah - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Quality Assurance Engineer at Netow Solutions Ltd
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Comes with straightforward deployment but needs to add dependency manager
Pros and Cons
  • "Appium helps me to do as much as much as I want to."
  • "The tool needs to add a dependency manager."

What is most valuable?

Appium helps me to do as much as much as I want to. 

What needs improvement?

The tool needs to add a dependency manager. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the product for three to four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool's stability an eight out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate Appium's scalability an eight out of ten. My company has five users. 

How was the initial setup?

Appium's deployment is straightforward. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Appium an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Automation and Nft Manager at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Open-source, scalable, easy to use, and easy to install with good community documentation
Pros and Cons
  • "It's an open-source solution with a very large community and available documentation."
  • "Stability is an area that needs some improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use Appium and Appium Studio as our base for any type of mobile automation.

We are using Appium on-premises for scripting purposes. 

Our automation testers download Appium for their scripting.

How has it helped my organization?

Mobile app based test automation and Mobile handset experience based telecom scenarios has been automated using appium. This has helped to increase testing efficiency

What is most valuable?

The interface for mobile automation is helpful for scripting and execution. It's scalable and there are many testers who would like to automate. In terms of scripting, scalability is very good.

It's an open-source solution with a very large community and available documentation.

Appium Inspector helps in identifying the elements very easily. 

The ease of converting is good because it's an open-source solution. The programming language is Java, which is easy to consolidate. It also supports Python.

It is very easy to work with, distribute, and consolidate on a rapid basis.

What needs improvement?

Stability is an area that needs some improvement. During execution, the Appium Studio experiences some intermittent disconnection.

There are some paid solutions available on the market that have AI included with self healing, which means with changes in application script would detect automatically. The software is smart enough to show you unexpected changes. It can show you the options to change certain element locator which has changed with recent build.

Maybe this additional feature can be added as a paid feature in future.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Appium for more than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There at times during the execution where there are a high number of test scripts that are being initiated, and during that time the Appian Studio gets disconnected. We then have to restart to continue the flow.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Appian is a scalable solution that is being used almost every day, extensively.

We have approximately 30 people developing, executing, and using Appian. They are made up of automation engineers and DevOps-related who are developing and executing, and we have our team for test executing. 

How are customer service and technical support?

The community is very helpful. If you run into an issue, you can easily resolve it with the community documentation, where similar issues are being discussed.

How was the initial setup?

It's easy to install Appium. 

When we work with Android and iOS, it is common to have to install other products such as APK as a pre-requisite for mobile app.

What about the implementation team?

We have an automation team to complete the installation and implementation of Appian. We did not use a vendor team.

What was our ROI?

ROI is good due to ease of scalability.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Appium is open-source, which is not licensed.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We had evaluated two other solutions. For certain tools scripting was easy in Android, but for iOS, there are additional requirements such as instrumentation. This would set us back. We want to use something that is consistent throughout the various OS. They are also paid software, with additional features that are an extra fee. It wouldn't justify the ROI.

Most of the testing that we do requires testing in both Android and iOS.

We chose Appium for the scalability and the ease of automation for both Android and iOS. Appium is a good choice, it's standard. We can use most of the scripts.

What other advice do I have?

Appium, Appium Studio, and Appium Inspector are from the same product family.

Appium is the biggest user base that we have today in terms of open-source. It's not difficult to find a solution when we talk about the maintenance of the scripts.

If you are looking for fast scripting and self-healing features, there are other solutions available that you have to pay for.

I would definitely recommend it in cases where you are using integration automation, you have a relaxed timeline, and stability is the main factor.

I would rate Appium an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2592672 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Automation Test Developer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 20
Its language support is beneficial for our development stack
Pros and Cons
  • "Appium's wide support of programming languages is valuable."
  • "The deployment process and configuration are quite complex and require improvement."

What is our primary use case?

I used Appium for automating our iOS applications. It is a mobile automation tool, and I have set up all the capabilities in the config with iOS and all the applications I needed to do it.

How has it helped my organization?

Due to it being open source, Appium is cost-effective. Other paid platforms use Appium as an underlying platform while automating configurations and selling their products, which makes Appium a financially attractive solution.

What is most valuable?

Appium's wide support of programming languages is valuable. It supports languages like Java, which is the core of it, and JavaScript and dot net. This support is beneficial for our development stack, which already includes dot net, making it a favorable choice for our organization.

What needs improvement?

The deployment process and configuration are quite complex and require improvement. Additionally, the wait time functionality could be enhanced as I experienced failures with longer wait times.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Appium for three months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability of Appium an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I believe Appium can scale well. I would rate its scalability a seven out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

I haven't communicated with Appium technical support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have not used other vendors’ products, but I have taken demos. The main reason for selecting Appium is it's an open-source tool, whereas others were costly.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment and initial setup process is complex. Unlike Playwright TypeScript, the documentation for setting up Appium is not straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

I was the only person involved in the implementation team.

What was our ROI?

Appium being open source is a major advantage as it doesn't incur the costs that other commercial automation platforms require.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

My experience with Appium from a pricing perspective is favorable due to it being open source, making it a cost-effective option.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have taken demos from other automation solutions but have not used them.

What other advice do I have?

As mentioned before, Appium is free and used as the base by many paid platforms. The initial setup can be simplified to make it easier to use, similar to Playwright TypeScript, which is straightforward.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Senior Director, Software Development and Testing at Softcrylic
Consultant
We can perform test executions on real mobile devices and emulators/simulators.

Valuable Features

  • Automate tests for native apps, hybris apps and mobile websites
  • Test executions on real mobile devices and emulators/simulators
  • Write automation scripts in any language of your choice Java, C#, PHP, Python and many more
  • Based on Selenium API so there is no steep learning curve to understand Appium

Improvements to My Organization

We provide IT services and solutions, and with this solution we have helped our clients reduce their manual testing efforts to greater level. Our clients have realized benefits by reducing their testing cycle from three days to three hours through Appium.

Room for Improvement

They can improve test reporting, and more importantly on test scripts, by providing less constructs to automate more complex testing scenarios.

Use of Solution

I've used it for the past three years. We use it alongside Selenium.

Deployment Issues

Deployment is little tricky but with good help from external vendors organizations, we can implement an Appium-based test automation solution in a short period of time.

Stability Issues

There have been no issues with the stability.

Scalability Issues

There have been no issues with the scalability.

Customer Service and Technical Support

There is great on-line support from the users community. External vendors have innovative solutions build using these tools where they provide tremendous support.

Initial Setup

It was difficult to some extent, but with good documentation from the on-line community we where able to implement the tool.

Implementation Team

We did it in-house. If you are implementing it for enterprise level its better to seek external vendor help.

ROI

We have seen ROI of more than 60%. It's open source.

Other Advice

I would say start lean, gain small wins and incrementally add more. Example: Start automating test cases for one browser and slow expand to multiple browsers.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Deva Veluchamy - PeerSpot reviewer
Deva VeluchamyTest Automation Lead/Consultant at Aspire Systems
Top 20Real User

Yes, its very good automation tool for mobile native app and mobile web automation.

Buyer's Guide
Download our free Appium Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: February 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Appium Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.