Regression Testing: Business-Driven How-To Guide
Every software update comes with risks. A minor code change can break a core feature, and a bug fix can introduce new issues elsewhere. Without proper regression testing, small mistakes can become major problems, — costing time, money, and customer trust.
Manual regression testing can catch these issues, but it’s slow, expensive, and not scalable. That’s where you turn to automation. Then, you need to cover regression automation immediately.
Automated regression testing saves time, reduces costs, and ensures consistent product quality without damaging your development process.
But not all regression testing is the same.
- When should you automate regression testing?
- What testing methods work best?
- How do you select the right tools?
This guide breaks it all down — from key regression testing types to real-world automation strategies — so you can build a faster, more reliable, and cost-effective QA process.
Key takeaways
- Regression testing prevents costly failures. Fixing bugs in production can be up to 100x more expensive than catching them early.
- Automation speeds up testing cycles. Well-implemented automated regression testing can reduce testing time by 60% while increasing coverage.
- Not every test should be automated. Prioritize high-risk areas, frequently used features, and core functionalities that impact business outcomes.
- Flaky tests waste time. A poorly maintained test suite leads to false positives and debugging headaches — regular updates and cleanup are critical.
- CI/CD integration makes a difference. Embedding regression testing into your pipeline ensures fast feedback and smooth releases.
- AI-powered testing can optimize coverage. Smart automation tools help identify gaps and improve efficiency, but they don’t replace skilled QA engineers.
- Skipping regression testing risks product quality. Poorly tested updates lead to higher support costs, user frustration, and brand damage.
- Test automation platforms and AI-based automation tools have critically changed how teams perform regression testing to avoid costly production failures.
Let’s get into it and see how it may work for you.
What is the Regression Testing Technique?
Regression testing is a multi-layered process that ensures new code doesn’t break existing functionality.
Regression testing helps identify whether recent changes in an application’s code have caused existing features to malfunction. It should ideally occur after every update, whether it’s a large feature rollout or a minor bug fix. Even small tweaks can have unintended downstream effects.
The value of regression testing becomes clear when you consider the alternative: retesting the entire system manually after every update. Test engineers need to systematically verify all parts of the system that could be affected by recent changes.
Why Regression Testing Is Important in Software Development
In software, “regression” refers to the product losing some quality or functionality due to a recent change. When you add new features or fix bugs, the last thing you want is for those updates to disrupt other parts of your software. Studies suggest that regression testing plays crucial role in saving up to 60% of time spent on bug fixes and 40% of the costs typically associated with resolving defects discovered late.
With the help of continuous regression testing, you can avoid sudden drops in your product’s quality and, as a result, losing the trust of your customers.
The cost of ignoring regression testing
When development teams skip regression testing, the consequences can be severe:
- Financial impact. According to industry studies, fixing bugs in production can cost up to 100 times more than finding them during the testing phase. Regression testing helps save up to 65% of the time spent fixing bugs and nearly 45% of associated costs.
- Customer trust. A single critical bug in a production update can damage brand reputation and erode customer trust that took years to build.
Development efficiency. Without proper regression testing, developers often spend more time putting out fires than building new features, creating a cycle of diminishing returns.
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Regression software testing chain of benefits
By preserving core functionality, teams gain the confidence to make changes that would otherwise be too risky. This confidence enables faster development cycles and ultimately leads to better products with lower maintenance costs.
When regression testing becomes critical
Regression testing is critical in these scenarios:
- After bug fixes. Ensure the fix works and doesn’t introduce new problems
- Before major releases. Verify core functionality remains intact
- During code refactoring. Confirm that restructuring code doesn’t alter behavior
- After third-party integration updates. Validate that API or dependency changes don’t impact your system
When scaling infrastructure. Ensure application behavior remains consistent in new environments
By implementing a strong regression test automation strategy, teams can minimize risks while maximizing development speed and product quality.
Different Types of Regression Testing: Two Approaches
When discussing regression testing, industry experts often categorize types differently, depending on whether they’re focusing on the nature of the regression or the methodology used to test for it. Let’s explore both approaches to regression testing automation to help you develop a comprehensive strategy.
Regression types by nature of occurrence
The first approach categorizes regressions based on how and where they manifest in your software:
- Local regressions take place when a change to a piece of code introduces a new bug and causes a given component to stop working correctly.
- Remote regressions happen when a change in one part of the code causes an error, or completely breaks functionality, in another part of the software that had no issues before the change.
- Unmasked regressions occur when a change to a piece of code reveals an already existing bug that previously did not affect the software in any way. This type of regression is the most dangerous: a ticking bomb, unexpected, and thus the hardest to find.
Whether your software is early in development or you’re introducing an update to a released solution, regression testing ensures that any changes you make to your code do not cause you any pitfalls.
Regression testing types by methodology
The second approach focuses on testing methodologies that QA engineers employ to automate regression testing:
An effective regression testing strategy is a combination of multiple tools and methodologies. Several types of regression serve different purposes and should be used in various situations. Here are the five types of regression testing in an Agile environment that experienced QA engineers commonly use.
Progressive regression testing
Progressive regression testing is the essence of regression testing itself: it allows the team to see how the updates to the code affect the application and its performance. Progressive testing can be done after both minor and major changes in the product, and requires the development of new test cases.
Unit regression testing
Unit regression testing is, in a way, similar to regular unit testing — both of these testing methods focus on coding units. However, as we’ve mentioned earlier in our article, unit testing is more focused on how different units interact. Unit regression testing allows making sure that a newly developed coding unit adds value to the product and does not disrupt its performance.
Selective regression testing
Selective regression testing is used to evaluate the effect of a newly designed piece of code on the overall application. One of the biggest benefits of selective regression testing is that it employs the already existing test cases. As a result, you get to perform thorough testing while saving time on developing new test cases.
Retest-all regression testing
When you want to be as thorough as possible with testing a software product, a retest-all regression testing strategy should be considered. Under this testing method, the team will retest every aspect of the application and use every existing test case. The obvious downside of this method is that retesting everything is the most resource-intensive type of regression testing, so it’s not the best option for testing small changes to the code.
Corrective regression testing
Unlike most types of regression tests we’ve discussed today, corrective regression testing does not require any changes to be introduced to the original product before the start of the testing process. Corrective regression testing also allows the team to reuse existing test cases to save time when designing new ones.
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Making both approaches work for you
Understanding both categorization methods allows for a more nuanced and practical automation regression testing approach. Knowing the nature of potential regressions (local, remote, or unmasked), you can better select the appropriate testing methodology (progressive, unit, selective, retest-all, or corrective).
For example, if you’re concerned about remote regressions when adding new features, you might implement selective regression testing focused on potentially affected areas. Meanwhile, if you’re troubleshooting mysterious unmasked regressions, a retest-all approach might help identify these hidden issues.
By combining these perspectives, QA engineers can develop more robust regression test automation strategies tailored to their specific project needs, ensuring thorough coverage while optimizing resource usage. Right combination of regression test selection not only affects quality but may significantly reduce operational costs.
Software Regression Testing vs Testing Methods
Let’s clarify the differences between regression testing and other approaches, see when regression testing is conducted and when you need to rely on other QA types. It may also help you build a more effective regression test automation strategy.
Each testing type serves a distinct purpose in your QA arsenal — here’s how they differ.
Regression testing vs. smoke testing
For both of these types testing is applied when new builds of a product are developed. They are often imagined as interchangeable techniques. However, there are some considerable differences between the two.
Most importantly, smoke testing is the initial verification of the stability of the build. Regression testing, on the other hand, is a much deeper analysis of the app’s performance. Smoke testing should always be followed by regression testing, and while smoke testing is typically performed by the developers, regression testing should always be done by QA engineers.
Regression testing vs. functional testing
Both functional testing and regression testing are performed to assess the functionality of a software product, which is why they are sometimes united into one testing method. Still, these two types of testing cannot be used interchangeably, as they allow you to achieve different things.
Functional testing deals with the complete functionality of the application, is typically used after the product is developed, and frequently includes black-box testing to make sure that every requirement is met. Regression testing is used to make sure that the functionality of the product has not been negatively affected by the recent updates.
Regression testing vs. functional testing
Both functional testing and regression testing are performed to assess the functionality of a software product, which is why they are sometimes united into one testing method. Still, these two types of testing cannot be used interchangeably, as they allow you to achieve different things.
Functional testing deals with the complete functionality of the application, is typically used after the product is developed, and frequently includes black-box testing to make sure that every requirement is met. Regression testing is used to make sure that the functionality of the product has not been negatively affected by the recent updates.
Difference between retesting and regression testing
These two terms sound similar but serve fundamentally different purposes in your testing workflow. The confusion costs teams time and resources.
“Regression testing” and “re-testing” are distinct approaches with specific goals:
Understanding these differences is crucial for optimizing your testing resources. Regression testing acts as a safety net to catch unexpected consequences of changes, while re-testing confirms that specific fixes actually resolved the issues they were meant to address.
Many teams waste valuable time by using the wrong approach at the wrong time. For example, running full regression tests when only re-testing a specific fix would suffice, or failing to perform regression testing after implementing multiple fixes, only to discover that one fix broke something else.
A comprehensive test automation strategy should incorporate both approaches for complete quality assurance. By correctly identifying when to use regression testing versus re-testing, you can significantly improve your team’s efficiency and ensure better software quality with fewer resources.
Don’t make a common mistake! Re-testing and regression testing are two distinct approaches, each with its own focus and step-by-step execution.
Complete regression testing vs partial regression testing
When implementing regression testing, one key decision is whether to perform complete or partial regression testing. Both approaches have their place in a comprehensive testing strategy.
Complete Regression Testing
Complete regression testing is used when changes affect the core architecture or critical functions of your application. This approach involves testing the entire application, even areas not directly modified by recent changes.
When is it necessary?
- Major system updates or architectural changes
- Database schema modifications
- Core library or framework upgrades
- Before final production release
While thorough, complete regression testing is resource-intensive and may not be feasible for every code change.
Partial Regression Testing
Partial regression testing focuses on specific areas affected by recent changes, making it more efficient for routine updates.
Several approaches to partial regression testing include:
Selective regression testing is performed when you need to test only those components directly affected by code changes. This targeted approach is ideal for minor updates with clear boundaries.
Corrective testing is used when fixing specific defects without introducing new features. Testing focuses on verifying bug fixes and ensuring they don’t create new issues.
Progressive testing is applied during iterative development when new functionality is added. It concentrates on testing both the new feature and its integration with existing components.
Testing is performed when new features are introduced or existing ones are modified, but resources are limited. In such cases, risk analysis helps determine which areas require the most attention.
The decision between complete and partial regression testing should be based on:
- Risk assessment of the changes
- Available testing resources and time constraints
- Project phase and release schedule
- Historical data about which areas typically experience regression issues
Many organizations use a hybrid approach to boost effectiveness of regression testing: partial regression testing for routine updates and complete regression testing for major releases, creating an efficient balance between thoroughness and practicality.
A comprehensive test automation strategy should incorporate both approaches for complete quality assurance.
- Regression testing involves working on passed test cases while re-testing is meant to work with failed test cases.
- Regression testing is key to find out if there are any new and unexpected defects, while re-testing is done to make sure that the original defects have been corrected.
Regression testing is a type that can be successfully automated for better coverage and faster results, while re-testing is always manual.
Our QA team has built regression test automation for fintech, healthcare, and enterprise systems, cutting testing time and boosting ROI.
What Is Automated Regression Testing?
Automation of regression testing is a technique that allows QA engineers to thoroughly test a software product after it has undergone any changes. Regression testing automation strategy utilizes test scripts, plans, and workflow to speed up the process and make it more effective.
In a way, automated regression tests are similar to manual regression testing — both of these testing methods are intended to discover potential bugs that either reappear after a change was introduced to the software or were brought on by the change itself. However, the automation regression testing approach has a broader testing scope than manual regression testing. It can also test the core logic, workflow, and other aspects of a software product.
When Does Your Product Need Automated Regression Testing?
Do you update your product frequently?
Do you have a scary amount of legacy code?
Do you need to improve ROI no matter what this year?
We bet you may benefit from an automated regression test strategy. Let’s see whether we are right:
| Sign | Why It Matters | Practical Impact |
| Frequent updates | Each update risks breaking existing functionality | Reduces 6-hour manual testing sessions to 30-minute automated runs |
| Substantial legacy code | Core functionality must remain stable despite changes | Prevents critical business logic failures that could cost $10K+ per hour |
| Need for better ROI | Manual testing costs grow linearly with product complexity | Typically pays for itself after 3-4 release cycles |
| Large user base | Bugs affect more users | Prevents reputation damage that could take months to recover from |
| Complex integrations | Changes in one system can affect others | Catches integration failures before they reach customers |
Let’s look at a few examples of software projects that can benefit from regression testing automation:
Scenario #1: E-Commerce Checkout System
Scenario. An e-commerce platform that updates its payment processing system monthly.
Challenge. Each update risks breaking the checkout flow across multiple browsers, payment methods, and user scenarios.
Solution. Automated regression tests verify 150+ checkout scenarios in 30 minutes instead of the 15 hours required for manual testing.
Implementation
- Created test scripts covering all checkout paths
- Test runs triggered automatically after each code commit
- Parallel test execution across 5 browsers and 3 device types
Detected 12 critical payment flow bugs before production in a six-month period, preventing an estimated $80,000 in lost sales.
Scenario #2: Mobile App Continuous Integration
Scenario. Social media app with bi-weekly feature updates.
Challenge. New features frequently affected messaging, content display, and notification systems.
Solution. Regression test automation integrated into CI/CD pipeline.
Implementation
- Core tests run on every push to the main branch
- Full regression suite runs nightly
- Visual regression tests catch UI inconsistencies across devices
The release cycle shortened from 10 days to 3 days while maintaining higher quality, allowing the app to respond faster to market trends and user feedback.
These examples show how to automate regression testing and get tangible benefits for different types of applications, helping teams release higher-quality software more efficiently.
In addition to eCommerce websites and social applications, there’s a whole range of other software projects that can benefit from the automated regression testing approach, including:
Banking and financial applications – these applications require high levels of accuracy and security. Regression testing automation helps ensure new features do not introduce vulnerabilities or errors in financial transactions.
Healthcare applications – given the strict compliance and data sensitivity in healthcare applications, regression testing can ensure that updates do not compromise patient data integrity or violate compliance standards.
Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms – automated regression tests can help SaaS platforms maintain service quality as they evolve and scale.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems – these complex systems are integral to business operations. Well-written automated regression test suits can mitigate risks associated with updates or integrations.
Content Management Systems (CMS) – for platforms managing huge volumes of content, regression testing ensures that updates do not disrupt content display or accessibility.
Gaming applications – in gaming applications where high performance is of utmost importance, regression testing helps ensure that changes to the code do not get in the way of user experience or affect game mechanisms.
Internet of Things applications – regression testing automation also comes in handy for testing IoT devices, the number of which grows every day. By executing a regression suite, you can check how devices communicate with each other and whether updates do not interfere with their functionality.
Cloud-based applications – as these applications need to remain accessible under varying loads, regression testing can help maintain their reliability and performance standards.
As you can see, regression testing can be used for pretty much any project, whether you’re building a software solution in the entertainment industry or in a more strict domain such as banking or healthcare. The key is to tailor test scenarios and automation strategies to fit the specific needs and challenges of each project.
For this reason, the best thing to do would be to entrust creating a test strategy to a professional team of QA engineers with experience in running regression test cases in a relevant domain. By delegating the testing process to a skilled team, you can not only speed up test creation but also ensure that the final product is of top quality and meets your requirements to a tee.
Old, complex Windows server application breaking after every update?
We fixed that exact problem through strategic regression testing. Unstable legacy system → reliable software.
Why Is Regression Test Automation Necessary?
Automating regression testing initially requires significant effort, but the long-term benefits far outweigh this investment. Here are five compelling reasons to implement regression test automation for your software development:
Comprehensive test coverage
Manual regression testing, while valuable, has natural limitations. Testers often create shallower test scripts to manage their workload, leaving potential gaps in coverage. Automation changes this equation completely:
- Test scripts can be as thorough as needed without resource constraints;
- Once written, scripts can run repeatedly at minimal cost;
- Complex scenarios that would be tedious to do manually become practical.
Non-stop testing
Your automated tests don’t have work hours or need breaks. This continuous testing capability means:
- Tests can run overnight, and results are ready by morning;
- Testing cycles that would take weeks manually can be completed in hours;
- QA engineers can focus on creating better test scripts rather than running repetitive tests.
Repeatability and scalability
While building a robust automated regression testing suite requires upfront investment, the return is substantial:
- The same test scripts work across multiple versions and iterations;
- Tests can scale to cover growing functionality without proportional resource increases;
- Test assets become reusable across similar projects or products.
Easier maintenance
As your product grows, so does your test suite. Without automation, this eventually becomes unmanageable:
- Automated test frameworks provide structure that makes updates simpler;
- Tests can be modularized, allowing targeted updates when features change;
- Regression testing tools provide clear reporting to quickly identify issues.
Faster product delivery
Speed-to-market directly impacts competitive advantage. Automation helps by:
- Reducing testing bottlenecks in your development pipeline
- Providing immediate feedback on code changes
- Enabling faster issue resolution through precise error reporting
When implemented properly, regression test automation transforms testing from a development bottleneck into a competitive advantage.
Business Advantages of Regression Testing
The initial investment in regression test automation may seem significant, but the business benefits create substantial competitive advantages:
Reduced total cost of ownership
While the setup costs for automated regression testing can be considerable depending on project complexity, the long-term savings are dramatic no matter which testing platform you use. Manual regression testing costs typically grow with each major release, while automated test suites reduce per-release testing costs significantly.
Most companies find the ROI threshold is reached within a few testing cycles, making automation of regression testing financially justified.
Accelerated time-to-market
In competitive markets, release timing can determine success or failure. Automated regression testing would surely reduce testing cycles from weeks to hours, and parallel test execution allows simultaneous testing across platforms. With continuous integration pipelines providing immediate quality feedback, teams can deploy new features faster with confidence, giving your business a critical edge over competitors still relying on slower manual processes.
Enhanced quality and reputation
The cost of bugs increases exponentially the later they’re discovered. Early detection saves multiples of the cost compared to finding issues in production. Consistent test execution catches subtle regressions human testers miss, and lower defect rates directly correlate with higher customer satisfaction scores.
Your brand reputation benefits when users experience fewer issues, creating stronger loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.
Strategic resource allocation
Perhaps the most overlooked benefit is how automation transforms your team’s capabilities. QA engineers shift from repetitive test execution to high-value exploratory testing. Developers receive faster feedback, reducing context-switching costs. Teams can focus on innovation rather than firefighting, and technical staff satisfaction increases with reduced manual tedium. This optimization of human resources can be transformative for team morale and productivity.
Risk mitigation
For regulated industries or mission-critical applications, risk reduction is paramount. Comprehensive test coverage provides documentation for compliance requirements, and automated audit trails verify testing was performed correctly. Consistent test execution eliminates human variability in critical test scenarios.
Historical test data provides insights for future risk assessment, helping your organization make more informed decisions about product changes.
Scalability for growth
As your product and user base grow, automated regression testing scales efficiently. Test suites can expand proportionally with product features without linear staff increases. Cloud-based test execution can handle periodic testing surges without permanent resources. Test frameworks can adapt to multi-platform strategies as your market expands, supporting your business growth without proportional increases in QA costs.
Industry consensus suggests targeting 70-90% test coverage rather than 100%, as this optimal range balances thoroughness with efficiency. This approach ensures that most effective, repeatable manual tests are automated while acknowledging that some edge cases are better suited for exploratory testing.
How to Automate Regression Testing in Your Project in 10 Steps
Identify the changes in the software
At this stage of the process, you need to identify the changes made in the software, as well as their anticipated effect and how much they affect the overall application. There is no change too small to run automated regression tests, but you need to know the extent of the changes brought to the application by the new additions to the code to select the most appropriate strategy and tools.
Design the strategy
There are certain ways in which applications are tested for regressions, but there isn’t a universal, one-size-fits-all approach to automated regression testing. Each case is unique and requires different tools and methodologies to achieve the desired results. Ideally, your testing strategy should be designed by someone with plenty of automated regression testing experience — a solid strategy will help you avoid many of the possible pitfalls.
Make sure you have enough resources
There are three primary types of resources you will need to launch your automated testing process successfully. Those resources are:
- Time. This is by far the most crucial resource needed for both complete and partial regression testing. You need to work as quickly as possible when you want to bring the product to market. Your reasoning can be different: some software developers want an edge over the competition, while others have obligations to their investors.
- Equipment and tools. Unlike compatibility or mobile testing, regression testing does not require a range of devices to be effective. However, you will need a selection of automation tools, and since there are so many of them to choose from, you will need the help of someone with plenty of experience.
- People. Automating regression testing does save the QA team a lot of time, but it’s not something that can be run completely independently. You will need people to outline the testing strategy, execute it using the best practices, and implement the results to increase the quality of your software product.
Assemble your team
Some business owners try launching the automated regression testing process with just one QA engineer, but this strategy will almost certainly backfire. At the very least, your testing team should consist of two members: a QA lead, who will be responsible for the big picture, and the engineer, who will run the tests and report on them to the team lead.
However, a team this small will only work for a very small project. The bigger your software product is and the more updates it’s getting, the more your team should grow. For example, you can start by adding another engineer and an industry expert who has substantial experience with the type of service you create.
Select the most appropriate test cases
A test case is a roadmap for the QA engineer to check the new version of the software product for regressions. In each automated regression testing strategy, the test cases will be different and depend on the project’s size, history, and goals. At the very minimum, the test cases needed to complete regression testing should include the areas that are typically affected by bugs, areas that have undergone significant changes due to the new fragments of code. Every area of the product that the end user will interact with.
Choose the framework
A vital component in any automated regression testing strategy is the selection of the most appropriate framework, which can include anything from the programming language to the primary and secondary tools to help you along the way. If you already have a well-developed testing framework that has proven to be effective in previous regression tests, you can successfully use it. However, in most cases, it will need some tweaking to meet the goals of this particular testing case.
Create the test scripts
Automation regression testing is often considered a time-saving alternative to manual regression testing. Still, when you plan your regression software testing strategy, there is at least one time-consuming step — designing the test scripts. Not only do you need to select the most relevant test scripts to get an in-depth understanding of the changes brought to the application. You also need to update them whenever a new piece of code is added to the product. You can also organize the scripts by importance to make sure the most important ones are given priority.
Run the tests
After the often grueling preparation stage, there comes a time when you finally get to execute all the tests you have planned. At this point, you need to ensure that the tests cover every application level and give you a complete idea of how the new functionality affected the product. While running the tests, you can select the most precise and effective ones and later include them in the final version of your automated regression test suite.
Analyze the results
All the planning, preparation, and execution of automated regression testing in software testing are done for one reason: to achieve a higher quality of software, detect the bugs or other issues brought by a change in the software, and prevent those bugs from reappearing. This is why, after a significant part of the testing process is over, you need to get to the analysis stage.
A thorough analysis of the results achieved through automated regression tests will help you understand where your product stands regarding quality and how prone it is to regressions. What can be done to optimize the regression testing in the future? Pay special attention to the failed tests — they can give you some very valuable insights, provided that it’s not a case of a false failure.
Document everything
You can already understand the possible regressions in your project during the testing and analysis stage, but you need always to keep the big picture in mind. Keeping extensive documentation of automated regression tests helps you set up the future testing process faster and avoid the possible mistakes made during this testing iteration. It also helps introduce new QA engineers to how automated regression testing is done at your company. Should you ever change the team?
How to Choose the Right Regression Testing Tools
Selecting the right regression testing tools can make or break your automation strategy. The market offers dozens of options, each with unique strengths. Rather than simply choosing the most popular tool, consider these key criteria to find the perfect match for your specific project needs:
Key selection criteria
CI/CD pipeline integration
How seamlessly does the tool fit into your existing development workflow? Look for tools that offer ready-made integrations with your CI/CD platforms like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or GitLab CI. This integration determines whether your regression tests become a natural part of development or remain an isolated activity.
Scripting efficiency
Will your team spend more time fighting the tool or writing effective tests? The best tools offer intuitive interfaces, reusable components, and support for your team’s preferred programming languages. Some even provide record-and-playback functionality to accelerate test creation.
Test maintenance capabilities
How easily can you update tests when your application changes? Tools with robust object recognition, self-healing capabilities, and modular test design significantly reduce maintenance overhead – often the biggest long-term cost of test automation.
Reporting clarity
Can stakeholders quickly understand test results? Effective tools provide clear, actionable reports showing exactly what passed, what failed, and why – with screenshots, videos, or logs that pinpoint issues without requiring deep technical knowledge.
Parallelization support
Can tests run simultaneously across multiple environments? Parallel execution capabilities can transform overnight test runs into quick feedback cycles, especially crucial for large regression suites testing multiple browsers or devices.
Reliable and Up-to-Date Automated Regression Testing Tools
While there are many excellent testing tools available, these consistently perform well for specific regression testing scenarios:
For Web Applications
- Selenium. The industry standard for cross-browser testing, highly flexible but requires coding expertise.
- TestComplete. User-friendly with both codeless and coded options, excellent for mixed-skill teams.
- Cypress. Developer-friendly with superior debugging capabilities for modern web applications.
For Mobile Applications
- Appium. Cross-platform mobile testing that leverages Selenium’s architecture.
- Detox. Purpose-built for React Native apps with exceptional performance.
- XCUITest/Espresso. Platform-specific tools for native iOS/Android apps requiring maximum speed.
For API and Service Testing
- SoapUI. Specialized for comprehensive API testing with strong reporting.
- Postman/Newman. Developer-friendly with excellent collaboration features.
- REST-assured. A framework particularly useful for API regression testing within the software development life cycle.
AI-powered test automation has significantly changed how teams automate test cases and deal with automation scripts. Still, you need to ensure that the test strategy doesn’t overrely on new technologies that haven’t been around for too long.
For Test Management
- TestRail. Robust test case management with excellent reporting and integrations.
- TestLink. Open-source alternative with strong community support.
- Zephyr. JIRA-integrated testing workflow management.
For AI-Enhanced Testing
- testRigor. Reduces maintenance through AI-based test adjustments.
- Autify. Specializes in identifying UI regressions with minimal configuration.
- Mabl. Self-healing tests that adapt to UI changes automatically.
Choosing the right regression testing automation tool depends on your specific project requirements. Consider your team’s skills, application architecture, and long-term testing goals rather than simply selecting based on popularity or cost alone.
Web Regression Testing Case
Let us take a closer look at automating regression testing in practice and look at a real-life regression testing example from our own projects. At the stage of switching from manual testing to automated tests, our company became involved in a project where we had to test the registration of two types of accounts for the site on 43 domains depending on the country.
The sheer volume of data and possible environment combinations was almost too much to handle. Things were made even more difficult by the client, who didn’t care much about the quality of the information displayed. The requirements were as follows:
- accounts are created without any fatal errors;
- input information coincides with the values that are displayed in the settings after creation.
After a couple of test runs, we realized that we’ve had enough. At that moment, we could only see that the number of registration fields is different for some countries. Coincidentally, one of the project team members also had some coding experience in C#. Another regression was close at hand and we did not have time to hesitate. After many questions, tries, and errors, a simple navigation test was born.
We discovered locators and Selenium web drivers — and lo and behold, all the domains used the same locators. The team had a little left to do — to run the last manual regression on all domains and fill the table with the fields and corresponding domains. Another round of manual regression — a long process with completing the table — and it seems like it is all over.
We enjoyed every other regression. It was almost as if we could watch some TV series while regression was running. By the way, it was just as long as one episode. While we used to spend about 4-5 hours on registration testing on 43 domains, automated regression testing took us 40-45 minutes, provided non-optimal code, no report system, and no proper exception handlers.
Considering the above said, we can make conclusion #1: to see the advantages of test automation, we should start with the most repeated tests, which are usually positive, but they need to be run after each release.
This continued for several releases until the company decided to automate most of the functionality officially. Since the client was not well-versed in automation tests, we decided to automate any and all that was within our knowledge of test automation.
As a result, we covered almost the entire system with autotests. All would be fine, but after any fixes, some tests started to fail. Mostly, it happened because of long scripts that contain a lot of steps:
- Test could fail even at the second step, and as the first part of the test usually brings the system to a certain state, running the whole test had no sense;
- Long scenarios contain a lot of code; as a result, repeating the first step might lead to the failure of many tests.
- Because of the code repetition, autotests check the same point many times; this results in a needless increase in the test duration.
On that basis, we can make conclusion #2: too-long scenarios should be run manually, as a lot of time is spent on writing them and they can often fail because of some minor bugs or errors in the second step.
Let us consider another situation. The client ordered autotests as usual and asked to write a couple of examples. They approved the idea, and in several days we added test automation to the plan. But our programmers did not meet the deadline, and eventually, we had to write autotests based on the current stage. With a delay of a couple of days, the programmers had a release, but more than half of the autotests failed.
Conclusion #3: never start writing automated tests without a stable build.
Only a short time ago, we had one more notable situation. We were handed a new project for automating website testing and have completed the entire scope of testing quickly. Everything went better than ever. A few weeks later, the customer sent a letter complaining that tests did not work. As it turned out, they started a site redesign and all the tests had failed. It taught us to do stable tests.
Therefore, conclusion #4 is: when possible, use the locators so that the elements can be found after the slightest changes.
Best Practices for Regression Testing
Automating regression testing is gaining more recognition among software developers and testers, but it’s no new trend. The leading QA companies have been performing this type of software testing for years. As a result, a set of automated regression testing best practices provides the most efficient and practical way to test a software product. Here are the three most popular ones to consider.
Run the tests on every platform
The variety and complexity of your testing scenario are essential for the corrective testing to be successful, but you also want to make sure that the bugs won’t suddenly reappear on a platform you skipped while running the tests.
To get the most complete idea about the effect of new features on the existing functionality, and to ensure that the software runs smoothly accross the board, it’s best to use every available platform and device for testing. Depending on the specifics of the product, you can use different computer hardware, operating systems, browsers, and mobile devices.
Repeat test cases
To keep up with the growing demands of a software product, the regression test selection needs to expand to include new scenarios and cases constantly. However, it doesn’t mean you need to discard the existing cases when new ones appear. When you have one or several tests that have successfully identified bugs and glitches in the past, you want to include these tests in your updated test suite. That way, you can ensure that no old bugs have made their way into the new build.
Keep your regression pack up-to-date and organized
A growing regression testing pack must be comprehensive but free of the cases you no longer need. For example, keeping the test cases for the features that no longer exist in the application takes a lot of valuable time and space in your regression test suite. It’s essential to regularly review the regression test pack and get rid of the tests that are no longer relevant. Moreover, you will find it much easier to manage your pack if you categorize the tests in a way that is clear not only for you, but also for everyone who may deal with this pack now or in the future.
Conduct periodic checklist updates
For the daily regression testing we carry out on most modules, we use low-level checklists, the checklists that were created almost a year ago based on the requirements and mockups. However, as the requirements change and the software is added with new features, we constantly update these checklists throughout the development process.
What this means for the regression software testing process is that we can take periodic breaks from it by switching to updating our documentation. This doesn’t only stop regression testing from becoming a daunting routine, but enables us to expand and modify some checks in order to avoid the pesticide paradox.
Change the test environment
Conducting daily tests in the same test environment can sometimes become a pretty tedious responsibility that is fraught with lack of enthusiasm and tunnel vision. To prevent your quality assurance team from losing focus, you should always take the opportunity to periodically change the environment and test on different platforms, browsers, and devices.
For example, today you carry out regression testing on the Windows platform in the Google Chrome browser, next day you test on an iPhone, and the day after you work on the Mac.
This approach will help you more effectively catch the bugs that are specific to particular platforms, browsers, and devices. In addition, your testers don’t get bored during the testing process as they are learning the technical aspects of a particular test environment at the same time.
Enhance Regression testing with Exploratory testing
If you run the very same checks every day from the very same checklist you already know by heart, why not use the opportunity to expand your horizons with some exploratory testing?
To enliven the regression cycle, make it more interesting and productive, our team usually throws Dr. James A. Whittaker’s Exploratory Testing Tours into the mix. Such an approach will not only spice things up a little bit but help your team go beyond the scope of the checklist and have a look at these test cases from a different angle.
Engage fresh blood on the project
At TestFort, we have new employees joining our projects for training from time to time. They learn the specifics of the tested product, the technologies we use on the project, and our workflows. This is a great opportunity for us to involve them in the regression testing process.
These new employees see the checklists and the product we’re testing for the first time. They also ask a lot of questions. And this is great for the project! Helping your new testers find the answers provides you with a unique opportunity to find errors and inconsistencies you could’ve missed in your checklists due to tedious repetition in the course of a long-term project.
Possible Challenges of Regression Test Automation
Like most innovations, automated regression tests come with their own set of challenges. They don’t necessarily take place all at once in every regression testing journey and you may only experience one or two of them or none at all. Here are the challenges you are most likely to encounter along the way.
Growing test suites
You may develop an all-encompassing regression test suite and genuinely believe that it solves all of your problems, but even the most successful test suite doesn’t last forever. As the product and the market around it change, you need to constantly upgrade your regression testing suite. Developing a project for years means watching your test suite grow, and it’s not very often that you can scale it down because you remove certain features from the product.
Maintenance of regression suites
This challenge of automated regression testing is the direct result of the previous challenge. The bigger your testing suite is, the harder it is to maintain the suite in a way that is easy to navigate and to scale up or down when needed. This proves to be especially important when you switch teams who work on your project and they can hardly make use of the existing test suite because of poor maintenance. This is why choosing a great team with plenty of knowledge about test suite maintenance from the start is instrumental for the success of the project.
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Brittle tests
Creating a strong automated regression test, let alone a testing suite, is something that only a highly skilled and experienced QA engineer can achieve. When a test is developed by a person without the necessary experience, it risks becoming brittle — meaning it can deliver false-positive results or fail when you fully expect it to pass. You subsequently waste time, money, and human resources on fixing the bugs that weren’t there in the first place or running the tests again to achieve the necessary result.
Establishing the balance in software regression testing
In-depth automated regression tests can be very time-consuming, especially when the project grows consistently, and they will require more and more human effort as regression testing progresses. However, regression testing is only one of the many types of tests you need to perform regularly to ensure outstanding product quality. This is why finding the right balance between your available resources and the goals you want to achieve is very important.
Increased expenses caused by the automation strategy
Planning, designing, and maintaining a comprehensive automated regression test suite can be costly. Repeatedly running the tests and getting more complex will also make you spend more and more money on the testing process over time. At the same time, limiting your spending can negatively affect the testing practices and lead to a drop in product quality. Working with a qualified regression test automation partner can help you optimize your budget.
Three things to remember if you are new to regression automation testing best practices. Getting started with automated regression testing requires carefully designed automation scripts. An automation engineer should focus on creating maintainable, reliable test suites that grow with your product. The maintenance of regression test suites often demands more resources than the initial creation.
When Should You Outsource Regression Testing?
If you are a software developer who wants to achieve a spotless product quality, these are the six instances where automated regression testing outsourcing becomes necessary.
When you don’t have the required resources or skills
Many software development companies have an expert-level staff of developers, but they don’t see a point in keeping an in-house testing department at all times when they only need to perform tests every now and then. Moreover, a company may have a QA engineer or a team, but while they excel at specific types of testing, others, including automated regression testing, can be out of their reach. Outsourcing your automation regression testing needs to a knowledgeable partner can be the ideal solution: you can enhance your team with one or two engineers with the necessary skillset or even hire an entire QA team for continuous testing.
When you have a small-scale project
Having an in-house QA team sometimes makes sense in the long run since you get to build effective processes and clear communication with the people who work in the same building as you.
However, such a setting only benefits medium- and large-scale projects intended for continuous growth. If your software project is a small and/or short-term one, you will likely find that assembling an in-house team and keeping them on the payroll isn’t a financially viable option. All the extra payroll may surpass the testing outcomes.
An external expert can automate your regression relatively fast, and you won’t need to deal with long hiring and onboarding processes. So you get all the benefits of regression testing without unnecessary cost overheads.
When you want to work with the experts
Outsourcing can be ideal when you need specialized expertise in regression testing using specific tools. A reliable outsourced software team performs automated regression testing on all types of software products day in and day out. You can expect your outsourced team to have plenty of experience with automating regression testing.
Having worked with projects of every scale and complexity, an outsourced team will easily find a solution that works for your product. Building a QA department with a similar level of testing proficiency and experience isn’t always possible. Moreover, it is going to require substantial investments, and you cannot ever be sure that your investment will pay off.
When you need to cut costs
We’ve already established that finding, hiring, and training a software testing team is always going to be more expensive than finding a suitable outsourcing partner. However, building a team is not the only way in which outsourcing will eventually prove to be the most money-saving option out there.
You also won’t need to purchase and install any expensive equipment or testing software to perform automated regression tests. Moreover, an experienced QA team will discover the problems with the software early on, saving you money on repeating the tests and postponing the release of the product because you are unsure of its quality. Automated regression testing services is your chance to see how successful test cases are created is used without cost overheads. Development and testing shouldn’t be expensive — no matter the number of test cases you need.
When you want to meet the deadline
The software industry often operates on tight deadlines: if you fail to deliver a high-quality product by a certain deadline, your competitor gets an advantage and can use the time to roll out a product that will take a share of potential customers from you. To prevent that from happening, you can outsource your functional and regression testing needs to a trusted partner.
A software outsourcing company with years of experience and a finely tuned workflow will launch the tests quickly and with maximum efficiency to help you successfully meet even the most challenging deadline.
“The client doesn’t always need to be actively involved in the regression testing process. What we need from the client is a stable build of the product and the appropriate testing environment. Once we have that, we can run the tests independently and only inform the client of the results once the tests are done.”
Michael Tomara, QA Lead, TestFort
When you need an independent opinion
Having the same team responsible for your company’s software development and testing processes can lead to bias. When your QA team has direct knowledge of how the product was developed, they can overlook certain things, leading to undiscovered bugs and other issues with the software. Outsourcing your automated regression testing needs means you get to work with a team with no experience with your product. This will give you a fresh perspective and create a more in-depth testing environment.
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Wrapping Up: Perform Regression Testing, Boost ROI
Automated regression testing services may become the difference between confidently releasing and hoping nothing breaks.
The data speaks for itself:
- Fixing bugs in production costs up to 100 times more than catching them during testing;
- Effective regression testing saves 65% of time spent on bug fixes;
Companies automating regression testing typically see ROI within 3-4 release cycles
Regression testing is the process that requires strategy. We doubt that this article explained everything you need to know about how to automate regression testing or create a bulletproof suite of regression tests. Still, we tried to cover the most critical point, and you can dig deeper later.
- The critical differences between regression testing and other testing types;
- How to build an automation strategy that scales with your product;
- Real-world examples showing how regression testing prevents costly failures;
- The tools that align with different project requirements;
- When outsourcing makes both technical and business sense.
Should you do it on your own? Or should you delegate automation of regression testing to external experts?
For some businesses, building an in-house automation team makes sense. For others, outsourcing is the smarter move — especially when you lack specific expertise or face tight deadlines.
No matter which combination of regression testing approaches and automated tools you choose, remember these key points:
- Start with clear test case selection — not everything needs automation
- Choose tools that integrate with your existing workflow, not just the popular options
- Maintain and update your test suite regularly — stale tests create false security
Done right, regression testing in software engineering cuts costs, improves efficiency, and keeps software updates from breaking what already works.
The question isn’t whether you can afford regression testing — it’s whether you can afford to skip it.
Need help setting up a scalable regression testing process? Our team specializes in building automation strategies that fit your product and business goals. Let’s make regression testing work for you.
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