We’ve been using BrowserStack for mobile and web application testing, but as our test volume grows, the costs have become overwhelming. Can anyone recommend alternatives that are cost-effective but still provide solid performance? Please share your experiences.
So, I’ve been in the QA and automation space for about six years now, and if you ask me about the best alternatives to BrowserStack for testing mobile and web apps, I’d definitely suggest giving LambdaTest a shot. It’s got a solid real-time and automated testing setup, supports thousands of browser-OS combinations, and is overall more budget-friendly than BrowserStack. What’s great is that you can start for free and scale easily—plus, test execution speed is right up there with the best. You even get parallel test runs, which is a time-saver for teams.
Totally agree with @tom-dale . I’ve worked with several test automation platforms over the years, and if LambdaTest seems like a great starting point, then CrossBrowserTesting by SmartBear is a solid step further in this conversation. When discussing the best alternatives to BrowserStack for testing mobile and web apps, CrossBrowserTesting deserves a mention. It supports both real devices and emulators, and the test scheduling and on-demand runs are helpful. Plus, its CI/CD integrations are seamless, which can be a real win for agile teams. The pricing takes a little time to figure out, but once you do, it’s generally more cost-effective.
Picking up from both @tom-dale and @ian-partridge thoughts—yes, LambdaTest and CrossBrowserTesting are strong options. I’d add Sauce Labs to the list of best alternatives to BrowserStack for testing mobile and web apps, especially if you’re planning for long-term usage. From my 7+ years in test engineering, I’ve found Sauce Labs to offer an impressively robust platform. It supports everything from real-device testing to CI/CD integrations, and performance-wise, it’s stable with quick test execution. If cost is a concern, their long-term plans really do make a difference—worth exploring for mature or scaling teams.