Cucumber Open vs Espresso
Cucumber Open
cucumber.io
Espresso
developer.android.comSide by side
| Figure | Cucumber Open | Espresso |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Automated Testing | 8.4 (#12) | 8.8 (#4) |
| Purpose | Cucumber runs automated acceptance tests written in plain language that can be read by anyone on a team. | Espresso provides APIs for writing concise Android UI tests that simulate user interactions with Views. |
| Support | The FAQ directs users with questions to the community and points to documentation, books, and Cucumber School for learning. | The project directs general questions to its AndroidX Test Discuss mailing list and specific questions to Stack Overflow, while using GitHub issues for feature requests and bugs. |
Plans
In their own words
Cucumber Open
Cucumber Open runs automated acceptance tests from specifications written in plain language, helping teams check whether software behaves as described. It supports Behaviour-Driven Development by executing Gherkin specifications saved in `.feature` text files, typically alongside software in source control. Step definitions link the specification's steps to code that carries them out. Official implementations include JavaScript, Java, Ruby, Android Java, Kotlin, Scala, and C++, with semi-official and unofficial implementations also listed. Gherkin has variations for spoken languages, so teams can use keywords in their own language. Reporting options include built-in HTML, JSON, JUnit, and progress formatters, as well as custom formatters. Cucumber can run in continuous integration environments; its documentation describes JUnit output and a Jenkins reporting plugin. The project is free and open source, with local execution, parallel execution, browser testing, and API access. Published Cucumber Reports are public without authentication and deleted after 24 hours; the report service says data is stored in US data centers and encrypted at rest.
Espresso
Espresso is a free, open-source framework for writing automated user-interface tests for Android apps. Before a test acts or checks a screen, it waits for the app’s message queue, AsyncTask work and developer-defined idling resources to become idle. Its packages cover core testing, WebView components, idling resources, intents and other testing support. Espresso-Web tests Android WebViews, while Espresso-Intents can validate and stub app intents. Multiprocess Espresso supports interactions across processes within an app, but it requires Android 8.0/API 26 or later and does not test external processes. Tests run in Android Studio or from the command line with Gradle; installation uses the SDK Manager and Gradle, and Android Studio is recommended. The framework supports Android 4.0.1/API 14 or higher. Test Recorder can capture device interactions and assertions to generate a UI test, while AccessibilityChecks can evaluate views during actions. The listed stable release and core dependency are version 3.7.0. Espresso is Apache-2.0 licensed.