As a Software tester looking to explore test automation and gain new skills, I’ve compiled a list of popular tools (Selenium, Cucumber, Playwright, TestNG, Cypress, and JUnit) and used ChatGPT to generate a comparison table to help me choose a starting point.
However, as I’m not an automation expert “yet” 
, I’m not sure about the accuracy of the data.
Could you please verify the details and provide guidance on selecting the most suitable tool for a beginner in TestAutomation 
?
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I’m a bit biased because i work for Katalon,
but i honestly do think it’s an easy tool to start with from scratch. Low Code, and a very good free version. (it’s selenium on the backend).
Be sure to utilize the free courses and certifications in Academy.
Cheers
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The frameworks you mentioned are “mostly” used for UI automation, there is also API automation. So depending on what you’ll like to do and learn, you chose.
Getting to know a framework and programming language is a big choice, so look at what your current project NEEDS and if they are open to having automation there, you can choose accordingly. If your dev team uses C# and hates Java, obviously don’t pick Java. Since they can help you with coding (another win).
If your web app is made with Angular, pick a framework that supports angular… otherwise it’s going to be a hell 
But there is no “best” framework to start with, only a “best” framework for your situation right now and you have to pick that one.
I wonder what made you write that Cypress is easy and Playwright Moderately Complex, they are kind of the same (kind of). Same for the installation.
So if you are going to have to pick a framework look at:
- What does my team/project need?
- Can my team support me?
- What kind of web app do I use?
- Am I willing to learn X or Y and how much time am I willing to spent a week on it due to a learning curve
- Do I pick up a programming-basic course before deep diving into this or am I just going to copy-paste from online blogs? (I think this one is really important… since you have to start with the basics)
- Look at support of the framework, integration, reporting etc…
- Do I really want to learn UI automation or go for API automation? * hint*
I don’t think we can make this decision for you, since we don’t know about your project or situation 
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I’m not a beginner in test but in test automation of web gui applications. And I did not have a problem to set up some simple tests using Chatgpt and Cypress with no knowledge of GUI automation testing.
I have none whatsoever urge to become senior in test automation, being a troubleshooter with interest in computer systems but not in programming, but I found no problem in setting up some simple tests that really has become useful.
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Go with Playwright and look for the future where trend is going
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There’s a tool not mentioned above that is awesome and has no license fees. I think many people will find it very interesting and useful. It’s called Alchemy Testing.
Moderator’s note. Michael works for Osari Software, who make Alchemy Testing
It’s codeless but you can also create custom Java Selenium actions to make your tests even more dynamic and robust, so it is the best of both worlds, no-code or custom code depending on your needs.
One of the best features I think is vendor independence. You can generate executable .jar files and run them anywhere without having to install anything. To me this is a big deal. In the past I have used UFT and TOSCA and the disadvantages of these is the huge license costs and need to have the tool installed wherever you’re running the tests.
I had never used Selenium before and Alchemy really helped me to get started both in creating web application tests and learning Selenium.
Playwright is also great like @poliarush and others mentioned, and my understanding is Alchemy will be giving the option to create Playwright tests in the future along with Selenium.
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Are you good at testing and QA in general? Are you good/okay (like can write some scripts at least for data generation for example) at programming in any language? If not then start with learning QA/testing and programming. There are lots of different tools and you may not get useful skills for using different ones by learning one. Maybe I’m a bit old-fashioned but I suggest learning the basics but not the particular tools; speaking about tools - choose something that is the most popular, has a big community and good docs, and is suitable for different apps (at least web UI and BE)
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