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Appium vs Apple Xcode comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Appium
Ranking in Mobile Development Platforms
7th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
Regression Testing Tools (6th)
Apple Xcode
Ranking in Mobile Development Platforms
12th
Average Rating
7.6
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Mobile Development Platforms category, the mindshare of Appium is 5.5%, down from 8.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Apple Xcode is 2.3%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Mobile Development Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

Abhishek-Tiwari - PeerSpot reviewer
Has cross-platform flexibility and a record-and-play option
The challenging part with Appium is that installation can be a bit tricky. It can be challenging to set up in Android versus iOS environments. Appium has some limitations in terms of writing code using simulators and online cloud devices. I faced challenges with native based scenarios, battery turn out percentage, battery charging percentage, and memory capacity. The other challenge I faced involved codes changing from device to device. For example, the piece of code that works in iOS version 10.1 won't work in iOS version 6.0. In upcoming releases, if they can reduce some more of the dependencies like SDK, UIAutomator, etc., it would be great. That is, I'd like to see a consolidated package or bundle release that is much more user-friendly.
Daniel Bell - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient, up-to-date, and straightforward installation
The scalability of Apple Xcode is good. It can scale to any engineer team size. I have worked at a company using this solution with 30 iOS engineers and the current company I work at has four engineers. Our numbers are growing and we will increase usage of the solution.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The way Appium server interacts with mobile apps is fantastic. It provides all the information about the elements inside the app, Android as well as iOS. I can interact with the element quickly, just type some text or get some text values from the element - whether it's a drop-down, or web text, or a native element."
"We get a list that shows all devices that are connected to the system."
"The solution is easy to use."
"Appium's best feature is that it supports multiple frameworks."
"Appium helps me to do as much as much as I want to."
"The most valuable features of Appium are the in-built functionality, which we can use in our code. For example, move back, move front, navigate one page before, and navigate one page ahead. You can do this by using the in-built functions from Appium."
"Appium has easy interaction with mobile."
"The solution helps with test automation. We focus mostly on Java."
"It is stable and user-friendly."
"Xcode is pretty smart. It's easy to set up and works perfectly on Android."
"We like the ease of access and navigation that this solution provides."
"Xcode has quite a bit of code error checking built-in, which is great. It also goes a step further and suggests fixes."
"It is complete and relevant to the job at hand."
"The most valuable feature of Apple Xcode is that it is up to date."
"The tool's most valuable features are debugging and code management."
 

Cons

"There is always a concern about the amount of code that is required to enhance the automation process. The idea of having less code or no code is what we would like to see in future updates."
"One thing which can be really helpful is that there is some kind of a recorder made available rather than scripting everything."
"We previously worked with native applications, and there weren't any good mobile app testing tools. We started working with React Native, which works well with Appium, but it would be good to see better integration; the way elements are displayed can be messy. React Native is very popular nowadays, so it's essential to have that compatibility."
"The tool needs to add a dependency manager."
"The installation part of Appium is somewhat clumsy, requiring numerous dependencies and configurations."
"An application developed on the Unity platform, such as a gaming application, objects are moving in that case. Interacting with those elements is still lacking in Appium. Appium doesn't have the internal library to play with the Unity platform. That is a huge lack right now."
"If it had more facility for configuration it would be a spectacular solution."
"The challenging part with Appium is that installation can be a bit tricky. It can be challenging to set up in Android versus iOS environments."
"There should be additional documentation on App Store deployment. In terms of features, they're pretty much on top of where they need to go. I've been happy with its progress so far. As things evolve, they need to evolve to match that need."
"The size of Apple Xcode could improve. It is too large."
"We would like a 'light' version of this solution to be developed, as it currently uses a lot of memory space."
"It is a bit challenging to sign in."
"There is a drag-and-drop visual system, but as soon as you do something dynamic, then you are unable to use it."
"It consists of multiple components and needs a simplified process. This particular area could be more stable."
"As Apple has introduced more and more features on top of Xcode, it sometimes, but very rarely, hangs."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is free."
"Appium is free and open-source."
"It's open source, so it's completely free."
"The pricing of Appium is fine."
"The solution is open source."
"This is an open source solution so it does not cost anything for licensing or otherwise."
"The solution is open source so it is free."
"The solution is open-source."
"We don't have to pay for Apple Xcode's licenses."
"You can start off using Apple Xcode for free but if you start using some more of their enhanced features, it's going to be hundreds of dollars a month. There are corporate licenses but most individual users will not be worried about the corporate license, only your CFO will or the person in charge of the software department."
"It has an annual renewal."
"There are no licensing costs for Xcode and no hidden charges. You just download it."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
21%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Educational Organization
11%
University
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Do you recommend Appium?
I do recommend Appium. It is an open-source solution and completely free of charge. We use Appium and Appium Studio as our base for any type of mobile automation for testing. It has a great interfa...
What do you like most about Appium?
Appium helps me to do as much as much as I want to.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Appium?
Appium is open source, so there is no cost involved. This is a significant advantage over commercial tools like UFT, which require payment.
What do you like most about Apple Xcode?
The tool's most valuable features are debugging and code management.
What needs improvement with Apple Xcode?
Apple Xcode's usability for developers needs enhancement. It consists of multiple components and needs a simplified process. This particular area could be more stable.
 

Comparisons

 

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Nuvizz, Coupa Software, Eventbrite, Evernote
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Find out what your peers are saying about Appium vs. Apple Xcode and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.