Ranorex Studio vs SmartBear TestComplete comparison

Ranorex and SmartBear are both solutions in the Test Automation Tools category. Ranorex is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.0, while SmartBear is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.0. Ranorex holds a 4.6% mindshare in TAt, compared to SmartBear’s 5.9% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Ranorex users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of SmartBear users who would recommend it.

Ranorex Studio

Read 46 Ranorex Studio reviews

3,071 Views
2,641 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

SmartBear TestComplete

Read 76 SmartBear TestComplete reviews

4,476 Views
3,402 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Ranorex Studio

SmartBear TestComplete

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 22, 2025

SmartBear TestComplete and Ranorex Studio are both competitors in the field of test automation tools. TestComplete appears to have the upper hand in data-driven testing and public cloud compatibility, while Ranorex Studio shines with flexible scripting language support and integration capabilities.

Features: SmartBear TestComplete offers dynamic find methods, integration with third-party tools, and JScript support for scripting flexibility, making it suitable for testing desktop, web, and APIs. It is also strong in data-driven testing. Ranorex Studio supports multiple scripting languages like C#, integration with Jenkins and TestLink, and provides a user-friendly interface along with Ranorex Spy for strong object recognition.

Room for Improvement: TestComplete could enhance its web and mobile testing frameworks and optimize resource consumption during testing. It also needs improvements in licensing management and integration support. Ranorex Studio requires expanding beyond Windows, improving browser compatibility, and enhancing continuous integration capabilities. Both tools need to improve their object recognition features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both TestComplete and Ranorex Studio primarily support on-premises deployments with limited cloud options. TestComplete provides compatibility with public cloud, whereas Ranorex Studio is praised for its swift and professional customer service, though improvement is needed in escalation handling. TestComplete offers responsive support but users report varied technical support experiences.

Pricing and ROI: TestComplete is considered more expensive with a complex licensing model, including node-locked and floating licenses, yet offers significant time savings and efficiencies. A basic TestComplete license is approximately $4,000 with flexible add-on options. Ranorex Studio is also costly but has flexible licensing, making it cost-effective for larger teams. Both claim good ROI through reduced testing times, but perceived value varies with organizational needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Ranorex Studio vs. SmartBear TestComplete Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Ranorex Studio vs. SmartBear TestComplete

July 2025

Download the complete report

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Ranorex Studio

Ranking in Functional Testing Tools

15th

Ranking in Regression Testing Tools

7th

Ranking in Test Automation Tools

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Mobile App Testing Tools (7th)

SmartBear TestComplete

Ranking in Functional Testing Tools

9th

Ranking in Regression Testing Tools

5th

Ranking in Test Automation Tools

6th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Test Automation Tools category, the mindshare of Ranorex Studio is 4.6%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SmartBear TestComplete is 5.9%, down from 6.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Test Automation Tools

Q&A Highlights

it_user500790

Works

Aug 24, 2016

SAP GUI Testing Tool

Thanks all, it's encouraging to see so much support and responses

See all answers

Featured Reviews

Aws V

IT Team Leader -Automation Manager at Citco

Good data security, allowing local installations to prevent data from going to the internet

There were a lot of issues we faced. One notable improvement would be better API integration within the tool itself, as we still rely on external tools like Postman. Additionally, expanding language support beyond C#, Java, and JavaScript to include Python would be beneficial. An AI feature that automatically detects automation object properties and suggests actions would be a great addition. So, in future releases, AI solutions for automated property identification would be helpful.

Read full review

Prakhar Goel

Sr Test Lead at Emerson

Used for integration automation, user-based automation, and web automation

The solution's most valuable features are the drag-and-drop feature, keyword-driven approach, and reusability of the scripts. The solution has introduced a new feature that helps us identify objects we cannot normally identify. It gives you a fair idea of objects, resolving the object recognition issue. The solution can be used to perform different tests on different machines.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The solution is stable."

"This is a powerful, reliable and versatile all-around application testing suite."

"The most valuable feature of Ranorex Studio is its user-friendly interface."

"Support is very quick. You can write to them and on the same day, they will respond. This is one of the best features."

"Data security was prime for us. Being able to download and run tests on our local machines was a big plus. The flexibility Ranorex offers in terms of customization is outstanding."

"The solutions's regression testing is very important for our company, as is the continuous integration process."

"The solution is intuitive and pretty self-sustaining. You don't need a lot of help with it in terms of setup or assistance."

"The most valuable feature of Ranorex Studio is the capture and replay tool. You don't need to do script testing. When you launch any application from Ranorex Studio it automatically captures these test case steps. The next time you can replay the tool the flow automatically happens again. For example, when you do the logging and all the activity will be captured by the tool, and re-execute the same step by using automatization."

More Ranorex Studio pros

"It allows us to test both desktop and web applications."

"The ease-of-use and quality of the overall product are above average."

"The solution is great as a record and playback tool. It also has valuable regression testing."

"You can record your actions and play them back later."

"It is a strong automation tool for desktop, browser, and API testing."

"The solution has a very nice interface."

"Test items, project variables helps in managing automation suite and scheduling execution."

"The ability to run a whole suite of tests automatically (which we did overnight)."

More SmartBear TestComplete pros

Cons

"Binding to other sources is very good but the object recognition in .NET desktop applications often doesn't work."

"If there are many queries on the web page, Ranorex will not render the page correctly. I had about 1,000 queries on the page, and the solution was not able to handle it."

"We are mainly working for manufacturing OEMs but the integration is not available. It would be a benefit if they built one integration tool for all the Teamcenter home servers and software as the main PLM data source. It is a simple process at this time, the integration could be made easier."

"Part of the challenge is that Ranorex's support is over in Europe, so we can't get responses on the same day. If we had support in the United States that was a bit more timely, that would be helpful."

"When Ranorex is upgraded, the compatibility with other projects, in version control, in-house or on-premise, fails on occasion. However, overall, the stability is good."

"The solution's technical support team could be responsive."

"There were a lot of issues we faced. One notable improvement would be better API integration within the tool itself, as we still rely on external tools like Postman."

"Other OS Support, Ranorex Spy performance improvement (Especially for Silverlight controls)."

More Ranorex Studio cons

"We were testing handheld barcode scanners running WindowsCE with many menus of warehouse functions, and our biggest problem was the timing between input and responses."

"Right now, the product only supports Windows."

"The integration tools could be better."

"Name Mapping feature should be clearer. Whenever I use it, I do not really know what will work and what will not work."

"The licensing costs are a little bit high and should be reduced."

"In SmartBear TestComplete the integration with Jenkins could be easier. Additionally, some of the controls could have better customization options. For example, if a grid is used and it contains multiple controls within it, it can be a checkbox, radio button, or any kind of control, the way the Object Spy is operating currently there is a lot of room for improvement."

"During the distribution of our regression test cases, the control IDs are not always recognized correctly."

"Increased performance with less memory and CPU usage."

More SmartBear TestComplete cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are several types of licenses and you need to choose depending on your needs and level of usage."

"The licensing fees depend on the number of users."

"We paid €3,000 (approximately $3,300 USD) for this solution. When you add the runtime licenses it will be €3,500 (approximately $3,900 USD)."

"Our company has one license per user with each costing two lakh rupees."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"This solution is a more expensive solution compared to some of the other competitors."

"The pricing is a little above average — it could be lower."

"The solution's licensing cost has increased because it has moved to some new SLM-based licenses."

"It costs a few hundred per year, but I am not sure. It is not at all expensive as compared to other tools."

"My advice so far, is that while it’s not quite as powerful and easy to use as UFT, its price tag more than makes up for it."

"Buy modules on demand. If you have a four-person team and they will each automate tests only 25% of the time, it's better to buy a floating licence and share the tool during the work day."

"The solution is around $1500. Some are perpetual licenses, and some get a yearly report card."

"The licensing costs are in the range of $1,000 to $3,000."

"This is a pay-per-use service that is not expensive, and cost-efficient if you have a small team."

More SmartBear TestComplete pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

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Answers from the Community

it_user500790

Works

Aug 24, 2016

SAP GUI Testing Tool

Thanks all, it's encouraging to see so much support and responses

2 out of 16 answers

it_user83412

Vice President at Tricentis

Aug 23, 2016

All of these solutions are based on scripts and face the associated limitations. Test data management, parameterization, dynamic TBOMs, BPCA, SolMan integration and script maintenance all pose potential issues. I'd recommend looking at Tricentis Tosca or Worksoft, both of which provide scriptless automation for SAP GUI. Tosca also supports Fiori and NWBC natively as well as over 30 different UI and API technologies. [FULL DISCLOSURE: I work for Tricentis, so obviously biased, but we serve many SAP clients]

Read full answer

it_user457878

Works at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

Aug 23, 2016

UFT will support or Tricentis TOSCA .

Read full answer

See all 16 answers

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Manufacturing Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Ranorex Studio?

Data security was prime for us. Being able to download and run tests on our local machines was a big plus. The flexibility Ranorex offers in terms of customization is outstanding.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ranorex Studio?

I'd rate it around five out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, not too cheap but not overly pricey.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Ranorex Studio?

See all answers

What do you like most about SmartBear TestComplete?

TestComplete has strong reporting capabilities. The reports they generate are really good.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SmartBear TestComplete?

I am not involved in pricing or licensing; our management team handles these aspects.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SmartBear TestComplete?

While using SmartBear TestComplete, we are fine with the current capabilities, however, it would be beneficial to improve some performance aspects, especially the image comparison feature. Occasion...

See all answers

Comparisons

Tricentis Tosca vs Ranorex Studio

Compared 23% of the time

Qt Squish vs Ranorex Studio

Compared 15% of the time

Katalon Studio vs Ranorex Studio

Compared 14% of the time

Eggplant Test vs Ranorex Studio

Compared 8% of the time

OpenText Functional Testing vs Ranorex Studio

Compared 7% of the time

More Ranorex Studio Competitors

Tricentis Tosca vs SmartBear TestComplete

Compared 20% of the time

OpenText Functional Testing vs SmartBear TestComplete

Compared 11% of the time

Qt Squish vs SmartBear TestComplete

Compared 8% of the time

Katalon Studio vs SmartBear TestComplete

Compared 8% of the time

Eggplant Test vs SmartBear TestComplete

Compared 7% of the time

More SmartBear TestComplete Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Ranorex Studio

August 2025

Download Ranorex Studio product report

Buyer's Guide

SmartBear TestComplete

March 2025

Download SmartBear TestComplete product report

Overview

Ranorex is a leading software development company that offers innovative test automation software. Ranorex makes testing easy, saves time in the testing process and empowers clients to ensure the highest quality of their products. Its flexible tools and quick ROI make it the ideal choice for companies of virtually any size – and this is why thousands of clients in over 60 countries trust in its excellence.

Ranorex

What is SmartBear TestComplete?

TestComplete is a reliable, sturdy automated testing platform created by SmartBear Software. SmartBear Software is a worldwide technological leader known for developing quality enterprise-class development and testing solutions.

TestComplete simplifies the process of creating tests for numerous applications, including, but not limited to; Desktop, Android, IOS, Web browsers, and Windows. Application tests can be manual, scripted, and even recorded by using keyword-driven or data-driven functionality. There are even additional options for error reporting and automated playback. The object repository is extremely accurate and is fully customizable. TestComplete can easily be used by experienced developers and even by manual novice testers to develop quality automated UI tests quickly.

TestComplete offers three different testing scenarios:

Desktop: Users can easily and quickly automate UI tests using today’s most popular desktop applications, such as; Windows, Java, Python,.Net, VBScript, and more.
Web: Users can effortlessly create renewable tests for all of today’s popular web applications, including JavaScript frameworks on 2000+ trusted browser and platform integrations.
Mobile: Users can safely build and automate serviceable UI tests on actual or virtual android or IOS devices, locally or in the cloud. Users can create code or codeless tests. TestComplete seamlessly integrates with many of today’s popular frameworks.

Key Features

Easily create automated UI tests: TestComplete offers scriptless Record and Replay or simple keyword-driven tests to quickly develop any type of UI test users may require. Tests can be recorded once, then replayed when needed across various applications on mobile, web, or desktop environments. TestComplete integrates with many different languages, such as Java, Python, C+, and more.
Keyword driven tests: Users can easily divide testing steps, actions, objects, and data with an integrated keyword-driven test structure. This makes it easy for every user to participate in the test automation process; there is no programming experience needed. Everything is made simple with easy-to-use point-and-click options.
Data driven tests: Easily distinguish data from test commands to keep administrative efforts simple. Users can improve overall coverage by running various automated mobile, desktop, or web UI tests.
Record and Replay: Users can reuse created automated tests across every environment as often as desired. This helps to expand overall test coverage and represents a huge cost and time savings.

Reviews from Real Users

Sandhiya T S., Sr Solutions Engineer at Lexington Soft, relates, “The record and replay aspects of the solution are quite useful for people. With them, you don't have to write any scripts. Basically, you can record your actions and play them back later. The initial setup is also very easy.”

Sai S R., Staff Test Architect at a tech services company, says, "The most valuable features of the SmartBear TestComplete are self-healing, they reduce the maintenance required. The different languages SmartBear TestComplete supports are good because some of our libraries are written in Python, JavaScript, and C#. It's very easy to put them all under one project and use them."

SmartBear

Sample Customers

Siemens, TomTom, Adidas, Canon, Lufthansa, Roche, Cisco, Philipps, Dell, Motorola, Toshiba, Citrix, Ericsson, sage, Continental, IBM, Credit Suisse, Vodafone

Cisco, J.P. Morgan, Boeing, McAfee, EMC, Intuit, and Thomson Reuters.

Buyer's Guide

Ranorex Studio vs. SmartBear TestComplete

July 2025

Free Report: Ranorex Studio vs. SmartBear TestComplete

Find out what your peers are saying about Ranorex Studio vs. SmartBear TestComplete and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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