We might have commonly observed that some of the applications or websites we visit display perfectly fine on some browsers and in some it does not.
In such scenarios, we just think that the application or website is broken and we end up using that particular application or website.
This rendering clarifies the compatibility of an application with different browsers.
It is important to understand the reason for such a mishap.
When a developer builds a new application with a lot of hard work and before the release, it looks perfectly fine and functions great for them.
It is certain that the applications that they built work the way it was intended in their machine or the browser they have tested in.
But it may not work the same as it has not been tested for visual compatibility in others.
And this is the reason for the application to be in trouble and non-presentable in other systems or browsers.
This particular trouble is known as a cross-browser compatibility issue which is one of the biggest concerns for the developers that they are dealing with today.
With the advancement of technology, there are several options available for users to visit sites from different browsers and devices.
They are not restricted to using any specific browser to access the application.
So it is not just enough to make the application work on only one of the browsers.
It is critical to ensure that applications are compatible with different Operating Systems, devices, and multiple browsers like (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc).
As it directly affects the revenue and reputation of the organization.
Cross browser testing is the only way to know that the application released is providing the user’s needs and whether it is performing the way it was intended to perform.
As its name implies, cross-browser testing means testing an application or website across browsers, devices, Operating Systems, and in different screen resolutions.
It is to ensure that it meets the expectations, standards and works consistently without any dependencies or quality compromise.
Cross-browser testing applies to both mobile and web applications.
After the above discussion let us discuss here in short why an application renders differently in different browsers?
Each browser works on different engines and different language frameworks making it interpret the information differently.
As some browsers may lack the feature that the application is trying to show.
This makes the application appear as different or broken on that browser.
Twining them with different devices and operating systems gives an unlimited number of ways to experience the application.
This gets even more difficult when the machines are limited and developers can see the end result in a limited configuration only.
In order to overcome this, the developers are required to perform cross-browser testing either in an in-house device lab or they need to deploy to a third-party cloud testing platform like LambdaTest.
Selecting the right browsers for testing
The above-provided knowledge makes good sense that testing websites or applications on different browsers and devices are very important to successfully scale the business and stay relevant in the market.
The existing number of browsers, devices, and Operating Systems makes it a challenge to test on every browser and OS combination.
In such cases, the realistic goal could be to maximize website reach within the targeted market.
Different internet users use various browsers with different combinations of OS and devices so they all must be compatible with the application for user satisfaction.
Hence to do this you just need to know and lock down the most popular browsers and versions among the users.
The discussion below will help you decide to choose the suitable browser to perform cross-browser testing.
Selection based on popularity
Select the most popular and globally used common browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Opera, and more.
By the way, pick platforms like Windows, Android, and iOS.
This maximizes the reach that the users preferably use.
By adding these options you can go for your cross-browser testing.
Selection based on analysis
By examining the applications traffic stats captured by Google Analytics or other online analytics tools and breaking them down by the customers’ choice of browser and platforms.
The purpose of this is to find out:
- Which browser and OS combinations are generally used by the targeted audience.
- On what devices the application is generally used.
These two aspects will help to filter down the web browser choice and the use of the different electronic devices.
Based on these findings, the finishing step will be to pick the browser and proceed to test the application.
Top browsers for cross-browser testing
To ease your testing process here are some suggestions of top browsers for cross-browser testing that will help you in your browser listing process for compatibility testing of your application.
Let’s get started…
Google Chrome
The Google Chrome market share is continuously rising.
Almost on every land across the ocean where the internet functions it has emerged as the most widely used web browser of recent time.
Therefore while listing browsers to initiate browser testing you can make Chrome the first web browser on your list.
It is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux.
The continuous rise of Chrome suggests that shortly it will not give up its seat as the king of the desktop browsers.
Constantly coming up with new innovative versions of Chrome is improving its popularity due to the way it is contributing like it knows what you like, what you are doing and what you are looking for etc.
Safari
After becoming the first default Mac OS web browser it has grown to be the most popular browser on Apple devices.
Due to grand products and latest launches Apple products are becoming increasingly popular across the globe.
It is not the right choice for PCs and laptops but It is the most compatible and perfect choice for people using Mac or any other Apple product.
Nowadays it has become among the top 5 web browsers.
As millions of people use iPhones and MacBooks it is recommended to conduct browser testing on Safari.
Even though Safari is restricted to Apple devices only it has managed to grow its user base due to its continued popularity and availability of Apple devices.
It won’t be a surprise to see Safari becoming the most popular browser in the coming years.
Mozilla Firefox
When it comes to developers and coders Mozilla Firefox comes being their favorite and often takes the lead.
For users who prefer data protection over other different aspects of internet browsing, it is the right web browser.
As it is flexible in usage and high on privacy.
It is also great in terms of improved speed and performance.
In the previous year it was the main competitor of Google Chrome but due to the static usage rate Chrome takes the lead.
Despite not gaining many users, it has not lost either for this reason it has been fairly consistent in its market share and is still a widely used browser.
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge is compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Edge.
Despite not being the default browser for many users; its fast, sleek, and overall perfect design makes it a good choice for compatibility.
It enables the download of web pages as apps which helps the users to run it as a stand-alone application without launching the browser.
Its latest update brings a new feature that can enrich the browser in many ways making it a choice to perform browser testing.
Opera
Even though Opera stays behind among the browsers discussed above, you still have a chance to make it on your list.
Due to its feature that has an inbuilt ad blocker and a range of add to its feature, many users find it helpful.
Internet Explorer (IE)
Internet Explorers was the leading web browser of all time.
However, its position has dropped down in recent years due to the popularity of the competing browser Google Chrome which has risen significantly.
But still, it is pertinent to browser testing.
The latest version on PC allows to run all the compatibility tests and compare them to other browsers and identifies the issues that might exist in the website in different browsers.
In order to perform cross-browser testing on these browsers at scale, you can use cloud-based platforms like LambdaTest.
You can also test Internet Explorer on Mac test Internet Explorer for Mac and make sure your website and web apps work perfectly on all browser versions of the Internet Explorer by performing real-time testing on Internet Explorer 11 (IE11), IE10, IE9, IE8, and IE7.
Cross-browser testing using LambdaTest
LambdaTest is an online cloud-based browser compatibility testing platform for web apps and websites.
It allows you to conduct live interactive testing in a real browser environment.
It also provides to run Selenium automated test scripts on its scalable cloud grid supporting many Programming Languages and Frameworks
It provides a combination of more than 3000 browsers and Operating Systems with their respective versions.
It supports cross-browser testing for both mobile browsers and desktops.