Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

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
76
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

"It works very fine. It is fast on almost any machine, and it is also very well organized. I like its object mapping and its capability to find and interact with almost everything that exists on Windows."
"It's cross platform automation capabilities specially ranging across web, UNIX (via putty), and other systems."
"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."
"Test items, project variables helps in managing automation suite and scheduling execution."
"The ability to run a whole suite of tests automatically (which we did overnight)."
"The integration with various tools is important."
"The product is stable for what we are currently using it for, and it is sufficient for us."
"The most valuable features are the desktop and mobile modules."
"The solution is easy to use and they have also integrated with Microsoft."
"This product is a nine out of ten."
"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 interface is easy to use."
"It is a very common and strong product. A lot of support is available for this product."
"The most valuable features are the SSIS reports, the deployment models, and the ability to interact with other Microsoft tools."
"Searching is extensive and helpful."
"Customization is the most powerful feature of this product."
 

Cons

"The pricing is the constraint."
"The solution’s customer support should be improved."
"Name Mapping feature should be clearer. Whenever I use it, I do not really know what will work and what will not work."
"SmartBear products generally have a weak link when it comes to integration with other test management tools like Inflectra."
"This solution could be improved by making it easier to visualize where there is a failure without having to look at it in detail."
"The learning curve of the solution's user interface is a little high for new users."
"There could be API interfaces with this tool."
"In scenarios where two of our engineers work on the same task, merging codes is a bit difficult."
"There are too many features with the product and I would like there to be less."
"There are not any specific areas for improvement since there are so many libraries and frameworks already available."
"Visual Studio Test Professional is expensive."
"The pricing of this solution should be lowered."
"Visual Studio Test Professional needs to improve its stability."
"The solution's documentation could be improved for beginners."
"We would like to be able to easily integrate this solution with our continuous integration tools, such as Jenkins."
"Visual Studio Test Professional is a little pricey."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"SmartBear TestComplete is an expensive tool."
"Our ROI is about $10,000 a year."
"It costs a few hundred per year, but I am not sure. It is not at all expensive as compared to other tools."
"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."
"It is approximately $6,000 a year."
"The licensing costs are in the range of $1,000 to $3,000."
"The option we chose was around $2,000 USD."
"Overall, for us, the cost of the TestComplete platform and the three extra modules is around $8,000."
"We have licensing for Visual Studio Community edition."
"The product is very expensive."
"For the cloud services option, you buy a subscription per account or per user. This costs around $52 a month per person."
"Our company pays a yearly licensing fee for Visual Studio Test Professional."
"There is a paid version of the solution as well as a community version that is free."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee for Visual Studio Test Professional, which is expensive."
"Users have to pay a licensing fee for Visual Studio Test Professional."
"There are two versions of Visual Studio Test Professional: Community and Professional. We are currently using the Community version, but if we start working on a commercial product, we will consider upgrading to the Professional version. We need to identify how we will proceed with our projects, and based on that, we will decide on our licensing."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Functional Testing Tools solutions are best for your needs.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Manufacturing Company
13%
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.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.