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Something that makes a website great is when it is compatible in multiple browsers regardless of version. Technically this is referred to as cross-browser compatibility.
Wikipedia defines cross-browser as:
The ability for a website, web application, HTML construct or client-side script to support all the web browsers.
Now, you may be confused on what is the difference between cross-browser and multi-browser.
Multi-browser means a website will work in several web browsers like Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer. While cross-browser means a website works in any browser, and any version of the browser, being used.
Image by: lagiamd
This can be a struggle for developers throughout the creation of their websites. If a user cannot view your website properly, he will not blame the operating system or his browser…he will blame the website itself. The goal as developers is to avoid that. That’s why there are tools available for free, or purchase, to make your cross-browser checking easier.
In this article you will find ten useful tools that you can use for your cross-browser compatibility check.
BrowserShots is a free cross-browser tool that captures screenshots of the website in different browsers. This is the best known and the oldest cross-browser tool used by developers.
The browsers it supports are:
and more…
The operating system it supports are:
I read some feedback on the site and there are two things that appear to need improvement. The interface could be better. Though you just have to tick the checkbox, it will still take a lot of time to check all the boxes for the browser and browser versions you want to view your website in. The other thing people don’t like is that sometimes the tool is slow.
If you are a developer who is in need of a tool that just supports Internet Explorer, then this tool is for you.
IETester, a free web app that allows you to see the appearance of web pages by using Internet Explorer 5.5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Its interface resembles the interface of MS Word 2007.
I tried using this software and I have found that it does not respond well and should be debugged. I think it might be because of the operating system I use, Windows 7. If you also encounter this problem, you can refer to this page.
Do you need a cross-browser tool dedicated to device testing? Then you should check out this tool.
DotMobi Virtual Developer Lab is a free web-based tool that lets you check your websites on real devices including iPhone with the use of remote access technology.
To use this service, you need to have a credit card. This is for the purpose of preventing abuse of the devices.
Adobe Browser Lab is an online tool for cross-browser checking. It shows screenshots of the website when viewed in different web browsers. This simple tool lets you compare results by displaying screenshots of web pages in a simple way.
When the BrowserLab testing page loads, you will be asked to enter the URL of your website. After that, it will automatically render the screenshot. If you are using Windows, the default browser it uses is Mozilla Firefox 3 – OSX. Its interface is great because it shows the percentage it has already loaded. You can instantly change the browser by choosing from the drop-down menu or from the list in the middle of the interface.
You can also choose how you’d like to view the webpage: 1-up View, 2-up View, Onion Skin. 1-up View is when you just want to render a screenshot in a single browser. 2-up View lets you get screenshots of two browsers, and Onion Skin gives a screenshot of overlapped images of two browsers. This way, you can see the differences between them.
Comparing this to other cross-browser tools, it lacks support for operating systems such as Linux and other web browsers. For a free tool, the interface and current features are useful for daily use.
CloudTesting is a tool that enables web developers to view a website using any of the web browsers listed below.
The browsers it supports are:
Features:
For pricing, check this link.
Browser Photo gives you actual photos of how your web pages will look in different web browsers and platforms.
Service Details:
Browsera is a tool that tests the cross-browser layout of your website. You will see the differences and errors on your site.
Features:
This feature of Browsera gives you a notification of possible problems the tool finds while testing your website. Instead of checking each screenshot, you will get a report that gives details on which pages of your site have possible problems.
Browsera is also capable of helping you find problems caused by scripts on your site. We know that scripting errors are a big viewer turn-off and that’s what this feature wants to resolve. Every time a page is rendered, this tool checks if the browser encountered any errors. After checking, it will give you a report showing the results.
This tool tests your website. Not just a page at a time, but your entire website. This means it takes less time to test and find errors, and since it tests the entire site you don’t have to worry about missing a page during the testing process.
Browsera lets you log in first before testing your site. Very secure, right? It supports both HTTP basic authentication and application based logins, as well.
Yes, no installation required. Everything that Browsera needs to run comes from their server cluster. All you need to have is a web browser and an internet connection. Ideal for developers that work remotely.
Browsera can work with dynamic pages so if you use technologies such as AJAX and DHTML, this will not be an issue. Browsera will wait until pages are loaded prior to the testing process.
CrossBrowserTesting is a tool that tests your website with a browser and remote VNC. With these tools, you can test your AJAX, JavaScript and Flash with any browser. You just have to provide the URL, select a browser then run the software.
To view their demo, click here.
The browsers it supports are:
and more…
The operating system it supports are:
This tool offers three plans to choose from and a free trial.
An online paid service that allows developers to view web pages on different browsers and operating systems. It also supports mobile operating systems and browsers. This tool takes screenshots of your pages depending on your choice of browser and operating system.
Browsercam Browser Capture
The browsers it supports are:
and more…
The operating systems it supports are:
BrowserCam Device Capture
With the device screen capture service, you can see how your site will look on PDA’s and other devices. You can capture the screen in portrait or landscape mode.
BrowserCam Remote Access
The remote access service lets you log into BrowserCam with the use of VNC. For example: you are using Windows XP and you need to access a Mac platform, you can use this Remote Access service to test it on a Mac right on your Windows PC.
When you visit the BrowserCam site, you will see a variety of plans offered. Though it’s expensive, it is worth the money.
Microsoft SuperView is a new technology created to make the life of developers easier.
The standalone version of this software supports only IE web browsers, while the full version can support Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari browsers.
Based on the feedback I have read, users are satisfied with its features. It gives them comfort in regards to its response time and it is user-friendly. Note that you cannot use this without having the Expression Web.
These are some of the best tools you can use for cross-browser checking. I hope that you find some of these tools useful when designing and developing your next website.
Do you already use some of these tools? Please share your experience with any cross browser testing tools with us in the comment section.
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An Information Technology graduate who loves learning new things and chocolates, too. She spends the whole day sitting in front of the computer, making herself updated with the things going on around her.
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 16:35
Thanks for the great article!
I think cross-browser testing today is more important than ever. Aside of the desktop browsers (which are nicely covered by all the mentioned tools) we need to think of good ways to test our websites on mobile devices like the iPhone or iPad. I’ve created a small cross-browser testing tool to address this need: http://www.browseemall.com
Give it a try some time!
Thursday, March 29th, 2012 10:46
I use superpreview.It does its job quite well
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012 20:32
Great article…..I used to do manual work for cross brower testing.. Now i will try some of the tools..
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 11:10
Its awesome. This has helped me in testing various sites in my everyday.
Monday, January 23rd, 2012 11:19
Excellent Article! Thanks for Sharing. Its helps a lot.
Monday, August 1st, 2011 12:08
webpagetool also similar tool for website testing on various browsers
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011 20:45
Litmus is great for cross browser testing. You can also test email campaigns and how they’ll display in various email applications. Litmus will also check your HTML/CSS for errors. Great app.
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011 08:44
Good collection of tools, thx!
Although I just usually check out Google Analytics and try to serve the 90-98% of the browsers being used in the particular website – IF it already launched, of course :)
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011 19:21
Cross browser testing is very important. Thanks for these great tools to help me!
Thursday, April 14th, 2011 17:49
Nice Article I swear by IEtester cant wait till ie7 and below are dead and gone
Friday, February 25th, 2011 19:33
I personally prefer BrowserCam because they offer Remote Access which is very helpful when you have to debug. BrowserShots is free, but sometimes it take hours to see the screenshots. Spoon is another great solution, but IE testing has been removed.
Monday, March 7th, 2011 12:37
Check the Spoon browsers link, IE support is now in closed beta!
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 01:00
Checking to make sure that my code is working in all of the browsers is probably one of the hardest things about web design. I never want my page to look like crap, especially since I am a designer. The smallest variation will drive me mad!
Sunday, February 20th, 2011 14:37
How about http://spoon.net/Browsers/ ? You can run all kinds of different browsers on your machine without having to have them installed.
Saturday, February 19th, 2011 16:13
Brilliant article. BrowserShots has always done it for me though…love it. Thanks for sharing.
Saturday, February 19th, 2011 07:46
I always use IE tester. It works for me.
Friday, February 18th, 2011 12:26
Brilliant article. I’d been doing it manually with a few of the main browsers. I will certainly check out a few of these and see which works best for me!!
Thanks again
Thursday, February 17th, 2011 15:34
Great Article!Thanks for sharing!!
Thursday, February 17th, 2011 14:31
Excellent article, Charina! This should be helpful to anyone who currently has a bunch of browsers installed to manually test compatibility and appearance of their sites.
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Melissa
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011 20:45
Litmus is great for cross browser testing. You can also test email campaigns and how they’ll display in various email applications. Litmus will also check your HTML/CSS for errors. Great app.
Sarath
Thursday, February 17th, 2011 15:34
Great Article!Thanks for sharing!!
Robert Greene
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 01:00
Checking to make sure that my code is working in all of the browsers is probably one of the hardest things about web design. I never want my page to look like crap, especially since I am a designer. The smallest variation will drive me mad!
Vel
Friday, February 25th, 2011 19:33
I personally prefer BrowserCam because they offer Remote Access which is very helpful when you have to debug. BrowserShots is free, but sometimes it take hours to see the screenshots. Spoon is another great solution, but IE testing has been removed.
Tonttu
Monday, March 7th, 2011 12:37
Check the Spoon browsers link, IE support is now in closed beta!
Chris
Sunday, February 20th, 2011 14:37
How about http://spoon.net/Browsers/ ? You can run all kinds of different browsers on your machine without having to have them installed.
Karl
Friday, February 18th, 2011 12:26
Brilliant article. I’d been doing it manually with a few of the main browsers. I will certainly check out a few of these and see which works best for me!!
Thanks again
Rahul
Saturday, February 19th, 2011 07:46
I always use IE tester. It works for me.
Peter
Saturday, February 19th, 2011 16:13
Brilliant article. BrowserShots has always done it for me though…love it. Thanks for sharing.
Liam Kenneth
Thursday, April 14th, 2011 17:49
Nice Article I swear by IEtester cant wait till ie7 and below are dead and gone
Arnold Burian
Thursday, February 17th, 2011 14:31
Excellent article, Charina! This should be helpful to anyone who currently has a bunch of browsers installed to manually test compatibility and appearance of their sites.
Gopalakrishna Alabe
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012 20:32
Great article…..I used to do manual work for cross brower testing.. Now i will try some of the tools..
Jsubash
Thursday, March 29th, 2012 10:46
I use superpreview.It does its job quite well
Daniel Herken
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 16:35
Thanks for the great article!
I think cross-browser testing today is more important than ever. Aside of the desktop browsers (which are nicely covered by all the mentioned tools) we need to think of good ways to test our websites on mobile devices like the iPhone or iPad. I’ve created a small cross-browser testing tool to address this need: http://www.browseemall.com
Give it a try some time!
Shruti
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 11:10
Its awesome. This has helped me in testing various sites in my everyday.
Sri
Monday, January 23rd, 2012 11:19
Excellent Article! Thanks for Sharing. Its helps a lot.
Brett Widmann
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011 19:21
Cross browser testing is very important. Thanks for these great tools to help me!
Jussi Sivonen
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011 08:44
Good collection of tools, thx!
Although I just usually check out Google Analytics and try to serve the 90-98% of the browsers being used in the particular website – IF it already launched, of course :)
jessy
Monday, August 1st, 2011 12:08
webpagetool also similar tool for website testing on various browsers