Cross-browser Testing

What is cross-browser testing?

Cross-browser testing is a type of testing that lets you make sure that your website or a JavaScript application works correctly in all web browsers. There are so many different browsers – Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer, Edge – and each one of them works a little bit differently. What's more, there are many different systems – Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android – and these systems are also different. They have different fonts, different graphics capabilities, different screen sizes, etc. As a result, there can be substantial differences between how your website or app works in one browser on one system compared to another browser on another system.

Why is cross-browser testing important?

Cross-browser testing is important because people use different browsers and devices to view your website. For example, someone might be using Edge on Windows 10 on a high-resolution monitor but someone else might be using Safari on an iPad. Both people will experience your website differently. To make sure your website looks great in both environments, it needs to be tested in these environments. Similarly, if you're developing a web application, someone might still be on Windows 7 and using an older browser. If you don't test your app in this browser, it's possible the app is broken because older browsers don't support certain features.

How to perform cross-browser testing?

There are two ways how you can do cross-browser testing. The first one is maintaining your own testing stack with different browser installations and mobile devices. This approach is rather expensive and time-consuming as you have to buy new devices, install browsers, maintain security updates, etc. The second way is using Browserling. At Browserling, we maintain the testing stack and keep browsers up to date so you don't have to worry about it. You can just select the browser/device combo that you need and start testing in a couple of seconds.

Try Browserling!

For a quick demo, enter your website here, and we'll open it in Internet Explorer 11:

We provide Internet Explorer for free but other browser versions require a developer plan.

Cross-browser Testing FAQ

Do you offer other Internet Explorer versions besides 11?

Yes, we offer all Internet Explorer versions. We run various Windows operating systems and each Windows version has a different IE version. For example, Windows XP has IE 6, 7, and 8, Windows Vista has IE 9, Windows 7 has IE 10 and IE 11, Windows 8 and 8.1 have IE 11, and Windows 10 has IE 11. Please see our Testing in Internet Explorer page for more information. Additionally, Windows 10 has the new Microsoft Edge browser, which we also support.

Do you offer Android testing?

Yes, we offer Android testing. We run multiple versions of Android Studio and offer Android browsers.

You can try Android right now via this widget. Enter your website and click the Test now button:

Do you offer automated testing?

No, at the moment we offer only manual testing. We plan to offer automated testing soon as well.

Can you help us cross-browser test our application?

Of course! Send us an email at hello@browserling.com and we'll help you. We're experts at all cross-browser testing issues and we have the infrastructure to quickly debug and solve all cross-browser testing issues.

Do you have something for QA teams?

Yes, we do! We created Live API that lets you embed browsers in your own applications. If you have a QA process that requires going through multiple browsers before the release is approved, you can embed these browsers in the QA flow. Live API works through JavaScript and doesn't require additional installations.

What other creative uses does Browserling have?

Our users are very creative and they have found Browserling to be useful in several other ways than just cross-browser testing. For example, they use Browserling as a browser sandbox. You can open any URL in Browserling (such as a malware URL or a phishing URL) and as you get an isolated browser that runs in our infrastructure on our servers, you don't risk infecting your network. Another creative use case is using Browserling for anonymous browsing, like a VPN service. You get a quick online browser that runs on our servers and your IP address stays anonymous. And yet another creative use case is trying various browser extensions without risk. Often, browser extensions contain bad code that collects information about you but if the extension is installed in a virtual browser, your privacy is protected. Finally, one of the most popular use cases is getting access to a remote browser without installing or using remote desktop software. We run the browsers on our remote servers and people connect to them remotely with just JavaScript.

Any additional questions?

Please contact us at hello@browserling.com or use our contact form.