8 Essential Firefox Browser Add Ons for Software Testing

We use so many different tools for software testing activities which make our lives easier as software testers. One of the most important tools for testing is a web browser and the most common browser out there is Firefox.

Firefox is a very powerful open-source browser in itself, and if you want to unleash the underlying power, you can install some essential add-ons (also known as plugins or extensions). In this article, I am writing about some really useful Firefox add ons for Software Testing.

If you fancy Chrome over Firefox, I have prepared a massive list of 40+ chrome extensions for software testing. I would recommend you bookmark this link as the list is regularly updated.

Firefox is one of the best web browsers for software testing as it provides so  many features in the form of add-ons. There are many options available for you to choose from and install the ones which you need for your daily testing chores.

Here I have listed some of the best Mozilla Firefox add-ons that I use very often and will surely make your life easy as a software tester (well, that’s possible!).

Read on!

#1. Firebug

Download Link: Firebug

Firebug is one of the most popular Firefox add ons for software testing which adds a bundle of web development tools right into your browser using which you can easily edit the HTML, CSS elements and JavaScript live on any webpage to see the effect of the changes in real-time.

This is really helpful when you are testing any web application. Firebug is also extensively used by automation testers to find the web elements like label properties etc.

#2. Web Developer Toolbar

Download Link: Web Developer Toolbar

With ‘Web Developer’ Firefox add-on, you get a plethora of web developer options right into your browser which give you flexibility while testing web applications.

Using this add-on, you can easily verify web elements like H1, H2 title tag attributes, meta tag information, form details and images. It also enables you to easily display style information for any web element on the web page along with the ability to edit CSS.

Web Developer and Firebug together, make a powerful combo for software testers! So, whether you go through rest of the list or not, I highly recommend installing these 2 now (although I would insist on installing all the add-ons in this list to make your life easy as a software testing professional!).

#3. FireShot – Screenshot and Annotation Tool

Download Link: Fireshot

FireShot is a great add-on to capture web page screenshots as test evidence. In addition to this, Fireshot is a great (and free!) tool for quick screenshot editing and annotations.

Once the screenshot is ready as test evidence, you can email, print or save it on your local machine as PDF, PNG, GIF, JPEG or BMP.

You can quickly check a demo of some basic operations you can apply to your captures here.

#4. Fox Splitter & Tile Tabs

Download Link: Fox Splitter | Tile Tabs

Fox Splitter and Tile Tabs are two great add-ons which split your Firefox browser window into multiple windows. You can arrange these windows/tiles horizontally, vertically or in a grid – it’s like you are looking at 2 tabs side-by-side in the same Firefox window.

This way, you can easily compare two web pages which proves really helpful when comparing different versions of the same web application or even when your design specifications are available on an internal online portal (like wiki!) and you have the test application open in the other window, these plugins save a lot of your time and effort.

You can also use Fox splitter or Tile Tabs at home to browse web pages in one window with your favorite movie or YouTube video running along in another window.

#5. Firesizer

Download Link: Firesizer

Firesizer is an extremely useful add-on using which you can test how your web application will look in different browser window sizes. So, if you want to test a web application in different screen resolutions, Firesizer is all you need!

Firesizer allows you to re-size the Firefox browser window to specific dimensions using the menu / status bar.

#6. MeasureIt

Download Link: MeasureIt

MeasureIt is a another simple and useful add-on for Firefox to test height and width of  web elements on any web page. It draws a ruler around any web element and shows height and width along the ruler, using which you can test your web application is pixel perfect.

#7. iMacros – Automate Repetitive Work

Download Link: iMacros

Although if you are serious about automating your web application, Selenium IDE is what you should use but to automate some simple yet repetitious tasks, iMacros is a great add-on using which you can record any tiring repetitive work and play it back when you want.

You can use iMacros to record and play the repetitive and tiring tasks like, opening the same set of websites everyday along with the login username and password, filling forms etc. You can also use it to smoke test some basic journeys for your test application or even for functional, performance, and regression testing of web applications.

Basically, iMacros can automate whatever you do within the Firefox browser window. You can also share the script created in iMacros with others for avoiding the re-work for them.

#8. Print Pages to PDF 

Download Link: Print Pages to PDF

This Firefox add-on is really helpful when you want to save webpages in the form of a PDF which you can sent as an attachment or simply printed for reference.

When you are working on any web application and need to show a particular webpage (or multiple pages) to the business stakeholders but don’t want to give them the hassle to run the journey themselves, ‘Print Pages to PDF’ comes in as an effective option. You can simply save a group of pages as PDF and share this with the business stakeholders/BAs or just print them for a walk-through in a meeting where you cannot access the web application due to any constraints.

You can do some great stuff with this add-on like converting webpage to PDF, converting all open tabs into one single PDF, compile all  your bookmarks in a folder into one PDF and so on. You can also edit the webpage content before converting.

Because all the processing to generate PDF happens locally, you shouldn’t face any issues using this plugin for your client’s web apps as nothing gets uploaded to the network hence, completely secure!

I hope this list of Firefox extensions for software testing helps you in your day-to-day software testing activities. I use them quite often and they help me make my life easy (a bit! ;)) as a Software Tester… I hope it proves beneficial and time-saving for you as well.

Good Luck and Happy Testing!