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Appium vs Apple Xcode comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

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

Appium
Ranking in Mobile Development Platforms
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
Regression Testing Tools (6th)
Apple Xcode
Ranking in Mobile Development Platforms
10th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Mobile Development Platforms category, the mindshare of Appium is 3.0%, down from 5.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Apple Xcode is 2.9%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Mobile Development Platforms Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Appium3.0%
Apple Xcode2.9%
Other94.1%
Mobile Development Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

AS
Independent consultant, at OpenText
Efficient mobile testing with intuitive emulation capabilities and a user-friendly interface
Initial setup for Appium (especially for iOS) is not beginner-friendly.Consumes too much of your host machine's resources, potentially slowing down the machine.Appium Inspector often lacks deep insight or crashes with certain app builds. Improve test flakiness by intelligently selecting robust self-healing locators,simplified installers, better documentation, GUI-based config management,smart wait mechanisms and better failure logs.
Brajmohan Papneja - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Software Engineer at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Supports mobile development through advanced interface design and integrated testing tools
Apple Xcode needs a lot of main memory. Sometimes when you are working on two projects, it becomes tough to handle and the application hangs. Memory optimization could be improved because developers are working on two or three projects together, and at that time it becomes hard to handle when configurations are low. For example, if you have 8GB RAM or 16GB RAM, you need higher GB RAM capacity.In Apple Xcode, if we could connect our Jira stories and user stories that the team has worked on, developers could directly look at the user stories they have worked on and the pull request so they can see the changes done. Currently all these things are already there, but we just need to map it correctly and then we can see the code changes. When creating a larger application with many dependent frameworks, we have the Swift Package Manager which helps resolve dependencies. Sometimes it does not work, so that is an area that could be improved.Apple provides all the technical assistance and is very open about it. You just need to create a ticket and they follow up on those tickets.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"We get a list that shows all devices that are connected to the system."
"The latest versions of the solution are stable."
"The library is extensive so the driver interacts with most functions or actions on mobile devices."
"The interface is user-friendly, which is beneficial for users, even for those who are new to it."
"The solution is stable."
"Appium helps me to do as much as much as I want to."
"What I like about Appium right now is that it's like Cypress in the sense that............. to test the components in the way I want them to be tested."
"Apple Xcode is one of the most advanced tools which helps you write code and has integrated AI ability."
"We like the ease of access and navigation that this solution provides."
"The most valuable feature of Apple Xcode is that it is up to date."
"It is stable and user-friendly."
"Xcode has quite a bit of code error checking built-in, which is great. It also goes a step further and suggests fixes."
"The tool's most valuable features are debugging and code management."
"Xcode is pretty smart. It's easy to set up and works perfectly on Android."
"It is complete and relevant to the job at hand."
 

Cons

"The deployment process and configuration are quite complex and require improvement."
"They should add an in-built framework."
"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."
"We need some bug fixes for nested elements."
"One area where I think Appium could improve is in addressing security concerns for our data. Currently, we're unable to use cloud solutions like CloudForm due to security restrictions on our servers. We also face challenges in updating packages for the same reason. It would be beneficial if the solution could provide better support for auto-reporting and easier connections to mobile device farms."
"Appium can improve when the case fails, there should be a feature where you can generate the report from Appium. Once you're on a test case, automatically the screenshot should be captured which would avoid manual intervention. These features would be beneficial to migrate to Appium."
"It needs to accommodate applications that use React.js and AngularJS."
"Apple Xcode needs a lot of main memory. Sometimes when you are working on two projects, it becomes tough to handle and the application hangs."
"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."
"We would like a 'light' version of this solution to be developed, as it currently uses a lot of memory space."
"There is a drag-and-drop visual system, but as soon as you do something dynamic, then you are unable to use it."
"The size of Apple Xcode could improve. It is too large."
"As Apple has introduced more and more features on top of Xcode, it sometimes, but very rarely, hangs."
"It consists of multiple components and needs a simplified process. This particular area could be more stable."
"It is a bit challenging to sign in."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"As far as I know, Appium is a free solution. It's not for commercial use."
"There is no license for this solution because it is open-source."
"The solution is open-source."
"The price is good for people to be able to make a favorable decision for the value."
"I'm unsure if there's any cost associated with Appium. I got the free package which includes the server GUI application and the inspector application, and it was free to download, and that's all I need to get my work done. I'm not aware of any additional costs associated with the tool."
"The pricing of Appium is fine."
"It's completely 100% free, and there are no hidden fees."
"Appian is open-source, which is not licensed."
"It has an annual renewal."
"There are no licensing costs for Xcode and no hidden charges. You just download it."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Insurance Company
5%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise19
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise4
 

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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Appium?
My experience with Appium from a pricing perspective is favorable due to it being open source, making it a cost-effective option.
What needs improvement with Appium?
The deployment process and configuration are quite complex and require improvement. Additionally, the wait time functionality could be enhanced as I experienced failures with longer wait times.
What do you like most about Apple Xcode?
The tool's most valuable features are debugging and code management.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Apple Xcode?
Pricing for Apple Xcode is free. You just need to download Apple Xcode from the App Store.
What needs improvement with Apple Xcode?
Apple Xcode needs a lot of main memory. Sometimes when you are working on two projects, it becomes tough to handle and the application hangs. Memory optimization could be improved because developer...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Nuvizz, Coupa Software, Eventbrite, Evernote
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Appium vs. Apple Xcode and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.