Boost.Test vs PHPUnit
Boost.Test
boost.org
PHPUnit
phpunit.deSide by side
| Figure | Boost.Test | PHPUnit |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Unit Testing Frameworks | 8.3 (#3) | 8.3 (#5) |
| Spec score · Unit Testing | 8.3 (#4) | 8.4 (#2) |
| Assertions | Its BOOST_TEST assertion macro handles floating-point values, collections, and strings with appropriate comparison methods. | The manual documents assertions for values, exceptions, side effects, output, files, JSON, and XML. |
| Audience | The library is intended for C++ developers who need simple program testing, unit testing, or program execution monitoring. | The getting-started guide teaches writing simple unit tests and running them for PHP code. |
| Purpose | Boost.Test supports simple program testing, full unit testing, and program execution monitoring. | PHPUnit is a testing framework for PHP. |
| Test organization | It supports self-registering test cases, test suites, and fixtures applied to cases, suites, or globally. | Tests can use data providers and dependencies, and can be organized using the filesystem or XML configuration. |
Plans
In their own words
Boost.Test
Boost.Test is a free C++11, C++14, and C++17 library for simple program testing, unit testing, and program execution monitoring. Its BOOST_TEST macro handles comparisons involving floating-point values, collections, and strings. Test cases can self-register and be arranged into suites with fixtures, decorators, labels, dependencies, descriptions, and groups. Documentation also covers data-driven and template cases. Assertion context and configurable logging provide failure diagnostics, while XML and JUNIT logs support third-party and continuous-integration tools. Boost.Test can be used as a header-only, static, or shared library and is distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. The Boost 1.92.0 release page lists Unix source archives plus Windows source and binary downloads. The library page links documentation, Boost Slack discussion, and GitHub issues, and lists dependencies including Algorithm, Assert, Bind, Config, Core, Exception, and Type Traits. Listed platforms are Linux and Windows. There is no free trial because the software is free.
PHPUnit
PHPUnit is a free testing framework for PHP, with a command-line runner for running tests and selecting test suites. It covers assertions for return values, exceptions, side effects, output, files, JSON, XML, and error-log output. Tests can be organized through filesystem structure or XML configuration and can use data providers, dependencies, stubs, and mock objects. The framework documents code coverage reports in HTML and JSONL formats, plus JUnit and TeamCity logging configuration. For tests that fail intermittently, PHPUnit supports repeating and retrying runs through attributes and command-line options. Installation is available as a PHAR or as a Composer development dependency. PHPUnit 13 is the current stable major version and requires PHP 8.4 or later. Bug-fix support for that version runs through February 4, 2028; its end-of-life date is undetermined. Documentation is available for versions 8.5 through 13.4. PHPUnit supports Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted use.