Functional Testing vs. Automation Testing: Understanding the Difference

Function testing or automation testing? Which is the right choice for your next software development project?

In our previous blogs, we talked about functional testing & automation testing in detail. If you want to read that, click on the link for detailed information:

Moving forward, we are going to quickly compare the two most considerable testing methodologies, function vs. automation testing;

What is Functional Testing?

An application stands out due to its functionalities, which matter. The functional approach serves as a backbone of web and mobile applications. With a great design & smooth functions, organizations can attract users and sustain them for a more extended period. 

So, in functional testing, the features and working of an application are tested to facilitate user accessibility. The users immediately reject the complex applications, and testers ensure that the app is accessible to all. 

Functional testing can be done in both manuals as well as automated ways. Since we can miss several things in automation testing, manual testing is involved to ensure better software functionality. 

Various types of testing include unit testing, integration testing, smoke testing, sanity testing, Regression testing, and user acceptance testing. All of these types are discussed extensively in our previous blogs.

Importance of Functional Testing

Here are some advantages of functional testing;

• Proper software verification increases client satisfaction and retention.
• Reduces the risk of bugs found in software or application.
• The software is validated against the requirement shared by the clients.
• QA teams check the functions of the product and ensure a streamlined functioning of the same.

What is Automation Testing?

Automation testing is an approach to qualitative analysis in which software is tested and validated using automated testing. 

In automation testing, a script is written to check the application developed by the developer. Multiple environments are set, and the functions of an application are tested. 

Several automation tools are used for software testing and are performing well. With automation testing, the manual effort is being significantly reduced.

Importance of Automation Testing

Automation testing has the following benefits;

• Generating a detailed report to keep track of the entire process, bugs, functions, etc.
• Fast bug detection speeds up the overall testing process.
• Reduced human intervention and hence reduction in manual effort.
• Time and cost savings due to minimal time and effort required. 

Automation Testing vs. Function Testing- A quick comparison table

Now that we have understood the definition, importance, and everything around automation and function testing, here’s a quick comparison table for you to understand the difference better:

Wrapping Up

It is essential to test every application before the market launch. Choosing the right strategy is where the success of testing lies. Both functional and automation testing have their pros and cons; selecting one of them requires understanding your testing requirements.

In this article, we have highlighted the definition of functional and automation testing while listing their importance.

I hope the information you get in this article on functional vs. automated testing will help you gain the best of your knowledge and make an informed decision on choosing the apt testing platform.

Get business-oriented testing services; 

Implement new system decisions and features without system defects with Netsmartz’s robust QA services. 

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