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SmartBear TestComplete vs Visual Studio Test Professional comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

SmartBear TestComplete
Ranking in Functional Testing Tools
9th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
75
Ranking in other categories
Regression Testing Tools (5th), Test Automation Tools (6th)
Visual Studio Test Professi...
Ranking in Functional Testing Tools
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
Test Management Tools (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Functional Testing Tools category, the mindshare of SmartBear TestComplete is 4.8%, down from 5.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Visual Studio Test Professional is 0.6%, down from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Functional Testing Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Prakhar Goel - PeerSpot reviewer
Used for integration automation, user-based automation, and web automation
The solution's most valuable features are the drag-and-drop feature, keyword-driven approach, and reusability of the scripts. The solution has introduced a new feature that helps us identify objects we cannot normally identify. It gives you a fair idea of objects, resolving the object recognition issue. The solution can be used to perform different tests on different machines.
ALFONSO LORENZO-RODRÍGUEZ - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides extensive extensions and plugins for seamless AI product development
Our primary use case for Visual Studio Test Professional is as a development tool. We develop software primarily in Python, specifically for applications related to artificial intelligence. We use frameworks like PyTorch for training models and developing applications using these models. This tool…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The database checkpoints detect problems which are difficult for a human resource to find."
"The product is stable for what we are currently using it for, and it is sufficient for us."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"You can record your actions and play them back later."
"The most valuable features of the SmartBear TestComplete are self-healing, they reduce the maintenance required. The different languages SmartBear TestComplete supports are good because some of our libraries are written in Python, JavaScript, and C#. It's very easy to put them all under one project and use them. The are other features that SmartBear TestComplete has but the competition widely has them as well."
"It allows us to test both desktop and web applications."
"Test items, project variables helps in managing automation suite and scheduling execution."
"Customer service and technical support responsiveness are high. Everyone is very professional."
"The product is good to create big or small projects fastly. It is one of the leaders in the area."
"Visual Studio Test Professional's most valuable feature is the rich IDE for doing code and test development."
"We are satisfied with technical support. Communicating with them is very simple. We also have a lot of online resources to check and to study and to train our team with. The documentation is very clear and readily available."
"The documentation is easy, and it helps us solve our problems."
"It is very easy to use. You can handle a lot of things together at once in one package, which is a good point for us."
"The stability has always been very good."
"It's great for the development of .NET."
"Code testing is the most valuable feature of this solution for developing software."
 

Cons

"The artificial intelligence needs to be improved."
"At times, identifying or locating an element can be somewhat challenging. However, in a recent test update, they introduced Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capability. This introduction has reduced the challenges to some extent, as we can now utilize OCR if the normal method doesn't work. Nevertheless, there is still significant potential for improvement in TestComplete's ability to identify various object elements. I don't have any specific concerns to mention. I have observed significant improvements in TestComplete over the past few years, especially in its support for highly dynamic object elements used in products like Salesforce Dynamics 365. In earlier versions, there were numerous challenges, but the current version is far superior to its predecessors."
"There could be API interfaces with this tool."
"To bring it up to a 10, I would be looking for the addition of some key functional API testing."
"The pricing is the constraint."
"Error handling features in the tool are a little limited."
"If that engine could better identify more XPaths automatically and make the process more flexible, that would be better."
"During the distribution of our regression test cases, the control IDs are not always recognized correctly."
"The vendor must release a lightweight version of the solution."
"Visual Studio Test Professional is expensive."
"I would like to see more integration in the solution."
"I would appreciate some enhancements in the interface, maybe adding more color options."
"The documentation is limited."
"Visual Studio Test Professional is expensive."
"One of the problems with this solution is you need to be highly technically skilled to operate it, it is not for everyone."
"The solution's documentation could be improved for beginners."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is less, compared to other products, such as QTP."
"Our ROI is about $10,000 a year."
"The license price for a physical machine is cheap, and for virtual machine, it is very expensive."
"We have a TestComplete 12 license."
"The option we chose was around $2,000 USD."
"The price of SmartBear TestComplete could be less. The main challenge is when it comes to node-locked. They should use a subscription model, such as a monthly-based subscription or, a quarterly-based subscription. Their floating license is very expensive, and this high price should be reduced or provide, at a minimum, a subscription model."
"This is a pay-per-use service that is not expensive, and cost-efficient if you have a small team."
"My advice so far, is that while it’s not quite as powerful and easy to use as UFT, its price tag more than makes up for it."
"I think that the pricing is quite good."
"The tool is expensive in my region."
"We have licensing for Visual Studio Community edition."
"Users have to pay a licensing fee for Visual Studio Test Professional."
"The product is very expensive."
"We pay for the solution annually and the price could be reduced."
"The pricing is expensive."
"It is a price-effective solution"
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Functional Testing Tools solutions are best for your needs.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
21%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Real Estate/Law Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about SmartBear TestComplete?
TestComplete has strong reporting capabilities. The reports they generate are really good.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SmartBear TestComplete?
I don't know much about the pricing, however, I think it's cheaper.
What needs improvement with SmartBear TestComplete?
The recording function, when using Python, could be improved, as it does not work well in recording testing.
What do you like most about Visual Studio Test Professional?
The most valuable features of the solution are its ease of use and availability.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Visual Studio Test Professional?
The tool is free, resulting in no costs associated with its use. The absence of price makes it cost-effective.
What needs improvement with Visual Studio Test Professional?
The product needs contextual help integrated within its interface. Currently, I need to search online to find out how to use certain functions. This feature would save time by providing direct assi...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Cisco, J.P. Morgan, Boeing, McAfee, EMC, Intuit, and Thomson Reuters.
Transport for Greater Manchester, Ordina, Bluegarden A/S, CLEAResult, Jet.com, OSIsoft, Australian Taxation Office, BookedOut, Tracasa
Find out what your peers are saying about SmartBear TestComplete vs. Visual Studio Test Professional and other solutions. Updated: February 2025.
844,944 professionals have used our research since 2012.