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Testkube and Sauce Labs are both powerful testing platforms, but they serve different purposes and infrastructures.
- Sauce Labs is a cloud-based platform specializing in cross-browser and mobile device testing. It provides access to a wide range of real and virtual devices, allowing teams to execute tests without maintaining their own infrastructure.
- Testkube is a Kubernetes-native test orchestration and execution platform. It enables teams to run tests within their existing Kubernetes infrastructure, supporting any testing tool. This approach offers enhanced security, cost savings, and seamless integration into DevOps workflows.
Testkube can also trigger tests on Sauce Labs when needed, offering a flexible, hybrid testing strategy.
Feature Comparison: Testkube vs. Sauce Labs
| Sauce Labs | Testkube | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Type | Cloud-based testing platform. | Kubernetes-native test orchestration and execution platform. |
| Test Environment | Provides access to browsers, OS versions, and real/virtual mobile devices for cross-browser and mobile testing. | Leverages existing Kubernetes infrastructure to run any test tool. Vendor-agnostic. |
| Scalability | Runs tests across cloud environments without local setup. | Uses Kubernetes-native scalability to parallelize and optimize test execution. |
| Integration | Integrates with CI/CD tools and supports a limited set of testing frameworks. | Works with any testing tool and integrates with CI/CD, GitOps, or event-driven triggers. |
| Test Types | Supports functional, visual, and cross-browser testing for web and mobile applications. No built-in support for load testing, Postman, or SoapUI. | Supports all test types, including functional, load, performance, API (Postman, SoapUI), and security tests. |
| Orchestration | Basic orchestration via Selenium Grid for parallel Selenium test execution. | Advanced orchestration—chains multiple test types across environments in scalable test workflows. |
| Reporting & Debugging | Provides test reports with visual debugging for UI regressions. | Centralized logs, artifacts, and insights for faster root cause analysis. Single pane of glass for all tests. |
| Deployment | Fully managed cloud service, no on-prem infrastructure required. | Runs in Kubernetes, giving full control over execution, infrastructure, and data. |
| Cost | Pricing based on parallel test execution. | Flat fee per user/cluster—unlimited test executions, reducing costs at scale. |
Why Testkube is Better for Applications Deployed on Kubernetes
🪩 Kubernetes-Native from the Ground Up
Testkube is built specifically for Kubernetes environments—not retrofitted to support them.
- Deployed inside your clusters, Testkube runs tests exactly where your services live.
- Supports any Kubernetes-native testing tool (e.g., K6, Postman, SoapUI, JMeter, Cypress, etc.).
- No need to expose endpoints or ship data to third-party cloud environments—everything stays within your infrastructure.
With Sauce Labs, Kubernetes compatibility is limited and external to your environments. Testkube brings the testing engine to your cluster.
🔁 GitOps & CI/CD Ready
Seamless integration with modern DevOps workflows:
- Trigger tests via Git events, webhooks, or any CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions, GitLab, ArgoCD, Jenkins).
- Define tests as code using CRDs and manage everything through
kubectlor Git. - Monitor test runs with centralized logs, test results, and artifacts.
Testkube fits naturally into GitOps workflows. Sauce Labs requires pushing tests to their platform.
💰 Cost Optimization for Scale
Unlimited test runs without ballooning costs:
- Pay per cluster/user—not per test minute or session.
- Run performance, regression, and load tests at scale, without worrying about parallelism limits or quotas.
Testkube grows with your infrastructure. Sauce Labs charges based on usage, making scale expensive.
🔐 Data Security and Compliance
Enterprise-level control and compliance built-in:
- Run tests in isolated environments with zero external dependencies.
- Keep all data—including logs, test results, and API payloads—inside your own infrastructure.
- Ideal for regulated industries where data cannot leave the cluster.
Testkube supports air-gapped environments. Sauce Labs is cloud-only and not suited for sensitive workloads.
🧪 Built for All Test Types
More than just UI tests:
- Orchestrate end-to-end, API, performance, load, integration, and security tests—all in Kubernetes.
- Use your existing test scripts without vendor lock-in.
- Mix and match tools based on team needs (Postman, K6, REST Assured, etc.).
Sauce Labs is optimized for UI/browser testing. Testkube is optimized for everything else in Kubernetes.
🌐 Hybrid & Multi-Cluster Testing
Works across clusters, clouds, and teams:
- Deploy Testkube agents in multiple environments to test services in dev, staging, or prod.
- Centrally orchestrate and view all test results across your infrastructure.
Testkube supports true Kubernetes-native multi-cluster testing. Sauce Labs is not designed for multi-cluster orchestration.
📈 Observability and Debugging
Know exactly what failed—and why:
- Collect logs, traces, artifacts, and metrics for every test run.
- Integrate with observability stacks like Prometheus, Grafana, or Elastic.
- Easily debug flaky tests or systemic failures with built-in test history and insights.
Testkube provides Kubernetes-native visibility. Sauce Labs focuses on UI session playback.
Which One is Right for You?
- Choose Sauce Labs if your organization primarily focuses on cross-browser and mobile device testing and requires access to real devices in the cloud.
- Choose Testkube if your team leverages Kubernetes and needs a scalable, vendor-agnostic test orchestration platform that integrates seamlessly into existing CI/CD and DevOps workflows, offering cost savings and greater flexibility.
By using Testkube, teams can take full advantage of cloud-native testing principles, eliminate reliance on proprietary cloud testing environments, and achieve full control over their test execution infrastructure.