Oleksandra Pervunina, QA Engineer at Wix.comImage by You X Ventures on UnsplashThe art of testingWhole our life and our different jobs and hobbies, professions and occupations need tools. Any artist can not create his masterpiece without a tool. He needs to have at least one brush, canvas and color paints to paint his first picture. And what about QA Engineers working in the High Tech industry? What are the most useful tools that make QA’s life easier? What are the most essential tools that you will need to learn as a beginner in this field?I have decided to create a list of the most important tools (in my opinion) for testers that you will need to know at the start of your job of Manual Tester. These tools are very user-friendly and can help you to enhance the manual testing process, find more issues and execute your first test cases.So, what are the most important tools that you should know as a QA beginner?Chrome Developer Tools.It is your first helper on Web Testing. It was built into the Google Chrome browser and you can access it by right-clicking on a webpage and selecting “Inspect.” It allows you to inspect and edit HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, analyze network traffic, etc.2. Cross-Browser Testing Tools.A variety of web browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, etc. are essential for manual testing. Testers need to check how the web application works and the UI looks across different browsers. So, that is why you will need a tool that helps you test your website on different browsers and platforms. For example, the popular tool in this area is BrowserStack.3. Accessibility Testing Tools.This type of tool provides visual feedback and suggestions to make your site more accessible to users with disabilities. For instance, the most popular tool on Mac is VoiceOver.4. Postman.Useful for API testing, Postman allows you to send HTTP requests and analyze responses, making it easier to test APIs without relying on a web interface.5. Screen Capture Tools.Screen capture tools like Snagit will help you in creating screenshots or recording videos of issues that you will find during the testing process. These tools are very helpful for documenting issues and communicating them to developers or other team members.6. Bug Tracking Systems.Bug tracking systems such as JIRA or Trello are valuable for reporting and tracking issues found during your manual testing. These tools allow you to create detailed bug reports, assign them to developers, track their status, and assist collaboration between testers and developers.7. Test Management Tools.Test management tools like TestRail help in organizing and managing test cases, test suites, and test plans. These tools provide features for creating, executing, and tracking test cases, as well as generating test reports and metrics.8. Collaboration and Communication Tools.Tools like Slack, Zoom, Google Meet, Bluejeans facilitate communication and collaboration among testers, developers, and other team members. These platforms enable real-time discussions, file sharing, documentation, and task tracking, improving overall team coordination.9. Documentation Tools.Documentation tools like Google Docs and Google Sheets are useful for creating test plans, test cases, and other testing-related documents. They help testers organize and document their testing efforts, making it easier to share information and maintain a comprehensive record of test activities.10. Proxy Tools.These tools help in inspecting HTTP requests and responses, modifying data, and identifying security vulnerabilities or performance issues. One of the most known tools in this area is Charles Proxy that helps you monitor and analyze network traffic, making it useful for understanding how data flows between your browser and the server.11. Mobile Device Emulators/Simulators.For mobile app testing, emulators or simulators provided by mobile development platforms (such as Android Emulator or iOS Simulator) can be used to simulate various mobile devices and operating systems. These tools enable manual testing of mobile apps without the need for physical devices.12. JMeter.Apache JMeter is a powerful open-source tool for load testing, performance testing, and stress testing of web applications. It can simulate heavy loads on servers, measure response times, and analyze performance metrics. JMeter supports a wide range of protocols, including HTTP, HTTPS, SOAP, REST, FTP, and more.13. HMA.As a Web Tester you will be faced for sure with some issues, problems only in some countries or regions. To emulate your Web application working from another country will need a VPN tool. I know HMA, which can be successfully used for this case.14. Note Tools.To documate your and your team’s thoughts, future plans, tasks’ priorities you can use Notion, Monday or Miro.15. Visual Tools.For visual representation of your thoughts, ideas, for creating diagrams and tables you can use tools, like Lucidchart, Mural, draw.io or Google Slides.But you should know that the most important tool for any QA tester is critical, detail-oriented and mindful thinking. Manual testing requires a careful eye, a methodical approach, and an ability to think like a user to uncover potential issues and improve the whole user experience. The tools mentioned above can enhance your testing capabilities, but they are no substitute for a thoughtful and thorough QA process. And for sure, all manual testing relies on the tester’s skills and experience. And the choice of QA tools depends on your specific requirements, the technology stack of your web application, and your team’s preferences and expertise.