TestProject: Free Community-Driven Automation Platform

Introduction to TestProject

TestProject was a revolutionary free test automation platform that democratized access to enterprise-grade testing capabilities. Built on top of open-source Selenium and Appium, TestProject added a complete ecosystem including cloud execution infrastructure, collaborative test development, intelligent element location, and a marketplace of community-contributed addons.

Important Note: In January 2023, Tricentis (TestProject’s parent company) announced the discontinuation of TestProject and transition of its features into Tricentis qTest and other commercial products. However, TestProject’s architecture and community-driven approach remain influential in the testing tools landscape, and understanding its model provides valuable insights into modern automation platform design.

This guide explores TestProject’s original architecture, key innovations that influenced the industry, alternative platforms adopting similar models, and lessons learned from the open-to-commercial transition.

Core Architecture and Features

Unified Platform for Web, Mobile, and API Testing

TestProject provided a single SDK and execution environment supporting:

Web Testing: Selenium WebDriver-based automation for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and IE

Mobile Testing: Appium-powered Android and iOS application testing on real devices and emulators

API Testing: RESTful API validation with request building, assertion capabilities, and response validation

Desktop Testing: Limited support for Windows desktop applications via WinAppDriver integration

The platform abstracted framework complexity, allowing testers to write code once and execute across environments without managing driver binaries, device configurations, or execution infrastructure.

Intelligent Test Recorder

TestProject’s recorder was one of its strongest differentiators:

Self-Healing Element Location: AI-powered locator strategies that automatically adapted when DOM structure changed:

Original locator: //button[@id="submit-btn"]
After UI change (ID removed): //button[contains(@class, "primary-button")][text()="Submit"]

The recorder generated multiple fallback locators (ID, CSS, XPath, text, position) and automatically selected working alternatives when primary locators failed.

Cross-Browser Recording: Record once in Chrome, execute in Firefox/Safari/Edge with automatic compatibility handling

Parameterization UI: Visual interface for converting hard-coded values to data-driven parameters without code editing

Step Annotations: Add descriptions, screenshots, and validations during recording for better maintainability

Community Addons Marketplace

TestProject’s addon ecosystem enabled code reuse and rapid test development:

Addon Structure: Reusable actions packaged as plugins (e.g., “Read Excel File”, “Generate Random Email”, “Validate PDF Content”)

Language-Agnostic: Addons worked across Java, C#, and Python test code

Community Contributions: Over 500 addons created by community members and TestProject team

Installation: One-click addon installation from marketplace, no dependency management

Example addon usage:

@Test
public void testUserRegistration() {
  // Using "Random Email Generator" addon
  String email = addons.randomEmailGenerator().generate();

  // Using "Gmail Actions" addon
  addons.gmailActions()
    .login("test@gmail.com", "password")
    .openLatestEmail()
    .clickLinkContaining("Verify Account");
}

This addon architecture predated GitHub Actions and anticipated the “marketplace of automations” model now common in CI/CD platforms.

Cloud Execution Infrastructure

TestProject provided free cloud execution for tests:

Parallel Execution: Run tests concurrently on cloud browsers/devices without managing Selenium Grid

Device Farm: Access to real Android/iOS devices for mobile testing

Scheduled Runs: Cron-based test scheduling without dedicated CI/CD infrastructure

Result Reporting: Automatic test report generation with screenshots, videos, and logs

The free tier included:

• Unlimited test executions
• Up to 5 concurrent sessions
• 6-month result retention
• Community support

Collaborative Test Development

Team Workspaces: Shared test repositories with role-based access (viewer, executor, developer, admin)

Version Control: Built-in test versioning without requiring external Git integration

Test Sharing: Export tests as code or TestProject format for cross-team collaboration

Comments and Annotations: Team members could comment on test steps for knowledge sharing

Technical Innovations

SDK Architecture

TestProject’s SDK wrapped Selenium/Appium with additional capabilities:

// Standard Selenium
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("https://example.com");

// TestProject SDK
driver = new ChromeDriver(new DesiredCapabilities(), "PROJECT_NAME", "JOB_NAME");
driver.get("https://example.com"); // Automatically reports to cloud

The SDK handled:

• Automatic result reporting to cloud
• Screenshot capture on failures
• Element interaction logging
• Session management

Adaptive Wait Mechanism

TestProject implemented intelligent implicit waits that learned application behavior:

First run: Wait 10s for element #user-profile
Element appeared after 2.3s
Next run: Optimized wait to 3s with 10s fallback

This reduced test execution time while maintaining stability—a balance traditional explicit waits struggled with.

Code Generation from Recorder

Unlike traditional recorders that generated brittle scripts, TestProject’s recorder produced maintainable code:

Page Object Model: Automatically generated POM classes with annotated elements

Keyword-Driven: Created reusable keywords for common workflows

Data-Driven: Parameterized tests with CSV/Excel integration

Comparison with Current Alternatives

Since TestProject’s discontinuation, several platforms adopted similar models:

Katalon Studio is the closest equivalent, offering:

• Free desktop IDE with recorder
• Marketplace of plugins
• Both code and no-code test creation
• Paid cloud execution (Katalon TestOps)

LambdaTest/BrowserStack/Sauce Labs focus on execution infrastructure with limited recorder/authoring capabilities.

Open-Source Alternatives

For teams seeking free solutions post-TestProject:

Selenium + Zalenium: Self-hosted Grid with video recording

• Pros: Fully open-source, no vendor lock-in
• Cons: No recorder, requires infrastructure management

Playwright with UI Mode: Modern framework with debugging UI

• Pros: Fast, reliable, actively developed
• Cons: No traditional recorder, code-first approach

Robot Framework with Browser Library: Keyword-driven testing

• Pros: Readable tests, extensible
• Cons: Learning curve, no cloud execution

Migration Strategies

For Former TestProject Users

Option 1: Tricentis qTest

• Official migration path from TestProject
• Import existing tests with conversion tools
• Commercial pricing ($36-68/user/month)

Option 2: Katalon Platform

• Similar UI and recorder workflow
• Free tier for small teams
• Export TestProject tests as Selenium code, import to Katalon

Option 3: Pure Selenium/Appium

• Export TestProject tests as code
• Set up Selenium Grid or use cloud providers
• Full control but higher maintenance

Option 4: Playwright/Cypress

• Rewrite tests in modern frameworks
• Better long-term maintainability
• Investment in learning new approach

Code Export Example

TestProject allowed exporting tests as framework code:

// Exported TestProject test
@Test
public void testLogin() {
  driver.get("https://app.example.com");
  driver.findElement(By.id("username")).sendKeys("user@test.com");
  driver.findElement(By.id("password")).sendKeys("password123");
  driver.findElement(By.cssSelector("button[type='submit']")).click();

  // TestProject addon translated to standard code
  WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10);
  wait.until(ExpectedConditions.urlContains("/dashboard"));
}

This code runs in any Selenium-compatible environment.

Pricing Models (Historical and Alternatives)

TestProject (When Active)

• Free Tier: Unlimited tests, 5 concurrent, 6-month retention
• No paid tiers: Completely free for all users

Current Alternatives Pricing

Katalon

• Free: Desktop IDE, local execution, community support
• Premium: $208/month per user, cloud execution, integrations
• Ultimate: $349/month per user, AI features, dedicated support

LambdaTest

• Freemium: 100 automation minutes/month
• Lite: $15/month, 6000 minutes/year, 5 concurrency
• Growth: $99/month, unlimited minutes, 10 concurrency

BrowserStack

• Trial: 100 minutes free
• Automate: Starting $29/month, 1 parallel, 5 hours/month
• Automate Pro: Starting $199/month, 5 parallels, unlimited minutes

Open Source (Infrastructure Cost)

• Selenium Grid on AWS: $50-300/month depending on scale
• K8s with Selenoid: $100-500/month for managed cluster

Lessons from TestProject’s Journey

What Worked

Freemium Acquisition: Zero-friction signup attracted 150,000+ users rapidly

Community-Driven Addons: Ecosystem effects created strong lock-in and value

Unified Platform: Single tool for web, mobile, API reduced tool sprawl

AI-Powered Recorder: Self-healing locators differentiated from competitors

Challenges That Led to Discontinuation

Monetization Difficulties: Free forever model wasn’t sustainable at scale

Cloud Infrastructure Costs: Unlimited free execution became expensive as user base grew

Enterprise Feature Gaps: Large organizations needed SSO, audit logs, dedicated infrastructure not available in free tier

Acquisition Integration: Tricentis needed to consolidate TestProject features into existing qTest product line

Industry Impact

TestProject proved several concepts now industry-standard:

Free Tiers as Acquisition: BrowserStack, LambdaTest, Sauce Labs all added generous free tiers post-TestProject

Addon Marketplaces: Katalon, Cypress, Playwright now have plugin ecosystems

AI Self-Healing: Multiple vendors (Testim, mabl, Functionize) now advertise ML-powered locators

Unified Platforms: Tools increasingly support web + mobile + API in single offering

Best Practices (Applicable to Successor Tools)

Recorder Usage

Don’t Record Everything: Use recorder for exploration, refactor into maintainable code

Combine with Hand-Written Code: Record complex workflows, write logic and assertions manually

Review Generated Locators: Replace brittle XPath with stable CSS/ID selectors

Parameterize Early: Convert hard-coded data to test parameters immediately

Addon/Plugin Strategy

Evaluate Before Installing: Check addon maintenance, reviews, last update

Prefer Standard Library: Only use addons for truly specialized functionality

Version Locking: Pin addon versions to avoid breaking changes

Create Custom Addons: For team-specific workflows, build reusable modules

Cloud Execution Optimization

Run Critical Tests in Cloud, Full Suite Locally: Save cloud minutes for CI/CD

Optimize Parallelization: Distribute tests across sessions efficiently

Failure Triage: Investigate failures locally before consuming cloud minutes

Video Recording: Enable selectively (failures only) to reduce costs

Conclusion

TestProject represented an ambitious attempt to democratize test automation through a completely free, community-driven platform. While the service’s discontinuation disappointed many users, its innovations—particularly addon marketplaces, AI-powered element location, and integrated cloud execution—influenced the entire testing tools market.

For teams evaluating TestProject’s successors, the choice depends on priorities:

For freemium needs: Katalon offers the closest equivalent with generous free tier and similar workflow

For cloud execution: LambdaTest and BrowserStack provide infrastructure without authoring tools lock-in

For open-source purity: Selenium/Playwright with self-hosted infrastructure offers full control

For enterprise features: Tricentis qTest (TestProject’s official successor) or Sauce Labs for mature platforms

The TestProject story illustrates both the power of community-driven tool development and the challenges of sustaining free platforms at scale. Its legacy lives on in the features and pricing models adopted by commercial successors, and many former TestProject users successfully transitioned to alternative platforms using exported test code and similar workflows.

The key lesson: Evaluate tools not just on current features but on sustainable business models that ensure long-term support for your automation investment.