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Welcome to the Perfecto Documentation Portal. This space includes everything you need to get started and to get the most out of our product.

Overview of Perfecto services

Click a tab to view a description of the respective service.


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On this page:

Table of Contents
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UI Tabs


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titleAutomated testing

The Perfecto Lab integrates with a wide variety of automation test frameworks, eliminating any problem that organizations may face to be limited to a specific automation test framework. This flexibility enables teams to unify their approach to testing digital experiences across multiple devices and technologies. You can automate the Perfecto Lab and the devices accessible over the network using:

  • Selenium's RemoteWebDriver to automate web applications on any mobile platform
  • Selenium's dedicated browser drivers or RemoteWebDriver to automate desktop web applications
  • Appium's drivers for iOS or Android applications on mobile devices
  • Espresso or Robotium unit or UI tests on a variety of actual Android devices rather than simulators
  • XCTest or XCUITests for unit testing or UI testing of iOS based applications

For more information, see the Automation testing section.


UI Tab
titleManual testing

With Perfecto, you can select one or more mobile or desktop web devices and immediately start testing in the lab as if the devices were in your own hands. You can also save a report and then analyze it with Smart Reporting.

For more information, see the Manual testing section.


UI Tab
titleCodeless testing

Perfect Codeless is AI-driven test automation that is based on Selenium. It lets you:

  • Complement or replace Selenium for test creation.
  • Create tests on the fly using record and playback functionality.
  • Add checkpoints and validations for objects, text elements, and visuals.
  • Identify and resolve bugs quickly and easily.
  • Defer maintenance time due to algorithms that self-heal website element locators.
  • Manage tests easily with the build-in test management capabilities.
  • Integrate tests with CI/CD tools.

For more information, see the Codeless automation section.


UI Tab
titleTest Analysis

Perfecto's Smart Reporting feature provides extensive test analysis capabilities in form of a multiple execution digital report. The Test Analysis UI enables quick navigation within your latest build execution. It provides visibility of your test execution status and lets you quickly identify potential problems with an aggregated report. You can:

  • Hone-in and explore your test results within customized views that include logical steps and synced artifacts.
  • Distinguish between test methods within a long execution.
  • Add personalized logical steps and tags according to your team and organization.

For more information, see the Test analysis with Smart Reporting section.


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titleREST API

Perfecto provides a rich REST API that you can use to extend the automation of Selenium and Appium with functionality not readily available with frameworks that target emulators. These features include the following and more:

  • Select the device to test on, whether a mobile or desktop.
  • Use the device sensors to verify your application's integration with the camera, fingerprint sensor, and more.
  • Generate phone calls or SMS messages from a device with a SIM card.
  • Create a virtual network to automate the applications in different environments.

For more information, see the REST API section.


UI Tab
titlePerfecto Connect

Perfecto Connect is a secured network connection that supports testing mobile or web apps hosted on the local development network by opening a direct connection between devices in the Perfecto Lab and a local network/backend server or a staged app that is not publicly available in other environments. This dedicated tunnel connection precludes the need for opening a VPN tunnel or defining the Perfecto Lab in the IP whitelist of the development network. Perfecto Connect involves:

  • Using a simple client command-line interface to establish the dedicated tunnel to the Perfecto Lab
  • Selecting devices in the Automation script and associating them to the relevant tunnel
  • Running the tests on the applications that reside in the secure zone of the development network

For more information, see the Perfecto Connect section.



Access and navigate the Perfecto UI landing page

  1. To access the Perfecto UI landing page, go to the following URL: 
    https://<YOUR LAB ID>.app.perfectomobile.com
    where <YOUR LAB ID> is the name assigned to the Perfecto instance that you are connected to.

  2. On the login page, enter your username and password and click SIGN IN.

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    Note: If your organization uses Single sign-on (SSO) authentication, the Perfecto UI does not include a SIGN OUT button. In this case, to sign out, close your browser window.


  3. On the landing page, use the icons in the center of the page to access the available Perfecto services:
    • Manual Testing leads to the device selection and an interactive testing interface, where you can open mobile or desktop web devices for testing.

    • Codeless Automation leads to the interface that lets you create codeless automation scripts for mobile and web automation.

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      Note: Codeless is only available in select clouds.


    • Test Analysis leads to test reports and a live stream (formerly know as the execution center) of all executions currently in progress.

Choose a workflow

Your workflow depends on what your role is and what mobile app types you need to test. Are you a manual tester or an automation engineer? Do you test native apps, hybrid apps, web apps, or progressive web apps (PWA)? The following sections provide details on roles and app types.

Manual testing vs. automation testing

The biggest difference between manual and automation testing is who executes the test case. In manual testing, the human tester does it. In automation testing, the tool does it, but the automation engineer handles the tool and creates the tests.

Manual testing is the process in which QA analysts execute tests one-by-one in an individual manner. The purpose of manual testing is to catch bugs and feature issues before a software application goes live. The tester validates the key features of a software application. Analysts execute test cases and develop summary error reports without specialized automation tools. That is why manual testing is very hands-on. It requires analysts and QA engineers to be highly involved in everything, from test case creation to actual test execution. Manual testing is slow and tedious, but it better handles complex scenarios.

Automation testing is the process in which testers utilize tools and scripts to automate testing efforts. It helps testers execute more test cases and improve test coverage. It is usually more efficient than manual testing. Automation testing involves testers writing test scripts that automate test execution. A test script is a set of instructions to be performed on target platforms to validate a feature or expected outcome.

The following table provides an at-a-glance comparison.


Manual testingAutomation testing
Test executionDone manually by QA testersDone automatically using automation tools and scripts
Test efficiencyTime-consuming and less efficientAchieves more testing in less time and with greater efficiency
Types of tasksEntirely manualMostly automated, including real user simulations
Test coverageDifficult to ensure sufficient test coverageEnsures greater test overage
SummaryAllows for focused attention. Increases the ability to handle complex and nuanced test scenarios.

Allows for more testing in less time. Increases productivity and expands how much you can test.

App types

With Perfecto, you can test any of the application types listed in the following table.

App typeDescription
Native (iOS/Android)Specific to iOS or Android. An iOS app is built into an IPA binary file that you can test with the Appium and/or XCUITest frameworks. An Android app is built into an APK package that you can test with the Appium and/or Espresso frameworks. 
HybridIncludes a native application wrapper that is independent of iOS or Android. This means that a hybrid application can access all operating system specific capabilities. You can install a hybrid app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. These apps are also supported by Appium.
WebPure web apps that you can access through mobile native browsers, such as Google Chrome, Apple Safari, or Mozilla Firefox. These apps are supported by Selenium.
Progressive Web App (PWA)An installable web link specific to iOS and Android. Examples are Instagram and Twitter. You can create a shortcut to these apps and install them without going to the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Perfecto workflow

Based on your role, expand a section below to view the associated workflow. The path you take within that flow depends on your app type. Click a link in the diagram to open an article with information to the respective step. 

UI Expand
titleManual tester

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UI Expand
titleAutomation engineer

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nameget-started-automation-workflow
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Stay informed about new Perfecto releases

If you want to stay informated about what's new in the latest release, or what changes Perfecto has made since the latest release, sign up for the Perfecto Documentation Portal and put a watch on the following pages: 

You will receive a notification email whenever anyone updates your watched content.

To sign up for the Perfecto Documentation Portal:

  1. Navigate to the Perfecto Information Portal.
  2. At the top right, click Sign up.
  3. In the Sign up form, provide the required information and click Sign up.

To put a watch on pages:

  1. Make sure you are logged into the Perfecto Documentation Portal.
  2. Navigate to the page you want to watch.
  3. At the to of the page, click Watch.