Top 18 Alternatives to White for C#/.NET Testing

Introduction and Context

White is a Windows desktop UI automation library for .NET that builds on Microsoft’s UI Automation (UIA) framework. It became popular because it provided a straightforward, developer-friendly API for automating rich client applications like WPF, WinForms, and classic Win32 apps. For many engineering and QA teams, White was a practical way to script end-to-end desktop scenarios, validate business workflows, and plug desktop UI checks into their build pipelines.

Why did White gain traction?

• It spoke the native language of .NET teams, reducing context switching and making it easy to adopt.

• It covered common Windows desktop technologies and controls out of the box.

• It worked well with popular unit test runners (e.g., NUnit, xUnit.net) and CI/CD servers.

• It provided a path to broad test automation with open-source licensing.

Over time, however, teams have sought alternatives. Desktop UI testing has evolved, cross-platform testing needs have broadened, and new capabilities like visual AI, low-code authoring, cloud-scale execution, and better diagnostics have set new expectations. While White remains a familiar option for Windows UI automation, you may benefit from tools that offer stronger ecosystem support, better maintenance, or capabilities aligned with modern testing strategies.

Overview: Top 18 Alternatives to White

Here are the top 18 alternatives for White:

• Applitools Eyes

• FlaUI

• Gauge

• IBM Rational Functional Tester

• LoadRunner

• Mabl

• NUnit

• Playwright

• RPA Tools (UiPath)

• Ranorex

• Repeato

• SpecFlow

• Stryker

• TestCafe Studio

• Waldo

• WinAppDriver

• Winium

• xUnit.net

Why Look for White Alternatives?

• Maintenance and ecosystem concerns: As an older Windows UI automation layer, White can involve additional effort to maintain, especially with newer Windows releases or control libraries.

• Test flakiness without careful design: UI synchronization is hard. Without robust waits and resilient selectors, tests can become brittle and flaky, increasing maintenance cost.

• Limited platform scope: White is focused on Windows desktop. Many teams now need cross-platform and cross-channel coverage (web, mobile, APIs, and desktop).

• Modern tooling expectations: Visual AI, trace-based debugging, cloud grids, and low-code authoring are becoming standard; these expectations may require switching tools.

• Scaling and CI/CD integration nuances: While White can be integrated, organizations often look for tools with built-in parallelization, cloud runners, and environment management to scale more easily.

Detailed Breakdown of Alternatives

Applitools Eyes

What it is: Applitools Eyes is an AI-powered visual testing platform that works across web, mobile, and desktop UIs. Its differentiator is Visual AI that detects meaningful UI regressions while ignoring acceptable differences. It supports a wide range of SDKs, including .NET.

Key strengths:

• Visual AI identifies pixel-level and layout regressions with fewer brittle selectors.

• Ultrafast Grid accelerates cross-browser/cross-device visual checks in parallel.

• Baseline management streamlines reviewing and approving visual changes.

• Integrations with existing test frameworks and CI/CD systems.

• Works across technologies (web, mobile, desktop) for unified visual validation.

How it compares to White:

• White focuses on functional UI automation for Windows desktop; Applitools excels at visual verification across channels. Many teams combine Eyes with a functional driver (including desktop) to catch visual defects that White-based scripts might miss.

FlaUI

What it is: FlaUI is an open-source .NET library that wraps Microsoft’s UIA2/UIA3 frameworks for Windows UI automation. It is a modern, actively maintained successor-style option often favored by teams who previously used White.

Key strengths:

• Native C#/.NET API with support for UIA2 and UIA3.

• Works well for WPF, WinForms, and other Windows desktop apps.

• Good community maintenance and examples for common control patterns.

• Easy integration with .NET test runners and CI/CD.

• Open Source (MIT) licensing suits many teams.

How it compares to White:

• FlaUI covers the same core use case but is more current in its UIA3 support and maintenance posture. For teams invested in C# desktop UI automation, FlaUI is one of the most direct and natural migrations from White.

Gauge

What it is: Gauge is an open-source end-to-end test framework from ThoughtWorks that uses human-readable specifications. It supports multiple languages, including C#, and is often paired with web drivers or custom drivers.

Key strengths:

• BDD-like, readable specs that encourage collaboration.

• Extensible architecture and plugin ecosystem.

• Works with .NET and other languages for polyglot teams.

• Integrates with CI/CD pipelines and reporting tools.

• Encourages modular, maintainable test design.

How it compares to White:

• Gauge is not a desktop UI driver by itself; it’s a framework for authoring and structuring tests. You would pair Gauge with a desktop automation library (like FlaUI) if you want BDD-style specs on top of desktop testing. Compared to White alone, Gauge adds structure, readability, and cross-language patterns.

IBM Rational Functional Tester

What it is: IBM Rational Functional Tester (RFT) is an enterprise-grade UI automation tool for desktop and web applications. It offers robust object recognition and has roots in large-scale enterprise QA environments.

Key strengths:

• Broad platform support including desktop and web UIs.

• Mature object repository and enterprise reporting.

• Rich IDE and test creation workflows suitable for large teams.

• Integration with IBM’s ALM and lifecycle tools.

• Support for Java and .NET technologies.

How it compares to White:

• RFT is a commercial enterprise solution with more built-in tooling, reporting, and enterprise integrations than White. It can automate desktop UIs, but it introduces licensing costs and a heavier toolchain than a lightweight open-source library.

LoadRunner

What it is: LoadRunner (now under OpenText, formerly Micro Focus) is a performance and load testing suite for web, APIs, and various protocols. It’s aimed at performance engineers rather than functional UI testers.

Key strengths:

• Highly scalable performance and stress testing across protocols.

• Integrates with APM/monitoring for bottleneck identification.

• Rich analysis and reporting for throughput, latency, and errors.

• Supports complex enterprise performance scenarios.

• Mature ecosystem and enterprise support.

How it compares to White:

• This is not a functional desktop UI automation tool. If your main pain point is user experience under load or backend scalability rather than clicking through a Windows UI, LoadRunner is a better fit. Consider it an alternative category for performance-focused teams in .NET environments.

Mabl

What it is: Mabl is a commercial, low-code end-to-end testing platform for web and API testing with self-healing capabilities. It’s SaaS-first and integrates deeply with CI/CD and collaborative workflows.

Key strengths:

• Low-code authoring reduces scripting overhead.

• Self-healing selectors decrease flakiness as UIs evolve.

• Cloud execution, parallel runs, and built-in reporting.

• API testing support alongside web UI flows.

• CI/CD and team collaboration features out of the box.

How it compares to White:

• Mabl targets web and API testing, not Windows desktop. For teams shifting from desktop apps to web-based front ends—or complementing desktop with web/API—Mabl may accelerate coverage and reduce maintenance compared to hand-coded White scripts.

NUnit

What it is: NUnit is a popular open-source unit and integration testing framework for .NET. It’s foundational for building test suites and is often paired with other libraries.

Key strengths:

• Mature, widely adopted unit/integration testing for .NET.

• Rich attribute model for test organization and data-driven tests.

• Excellent runner support and CI/CD integration.

• Strong community and documentation.

• Flexible assertions and extensibility.

How it compares to White:

• NUnit is a test runner/framework, not a UI automation driver. It can host White-based tests, but by itself it does not automate UIs. Consider NUnit an essential building block for .NET test suites, regardless of which UI automation library you select.

Playwright

What it is: Playwright is a modern, open-source end-to-end framework from Microsoft for testing web applications across Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit. It offers auto-waiting, a powerful trace viewer, and first-class parallelization.

Key strengths:

• Cross-browser automation with reliable auto-waits.

• Trace viewer and codegen to debug flaky tests faster.

• Headless and headed modes; fast parallel runs.

• .NET, Java, Node.js, and Python support.

• Robust selectors, network interception, and device emulation.

How it compares to White:

• Playwright targets web UI, not Windows desktop. If your application is moving to web or you need strong cross-browser coverage in .NET, Playwright is a top-tier choice that offers more speed and diagnostics than typical desktop UI stacks.

RPA Tools (UiPath)

What it is: UiPath is a leading Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform that is often used to automate desktop tasks and can be extended for regression UI automation on Windows and macOS. It offers a visual approach backed by .NET.

Key strengths:

• Visual workflow design for rapid automation authoring.

• Broad desktop automation capabilities, including legacy apps.

• Strong ecosystem for unattended/attended bots and orchestration.

• Integrations with CI/CD and enterprise management tools.

• Useful when QA and business process automation overlap.

How it compares to White:

• UiPath is heavier-weight and geared toward RPA use cases, but it can function as a desktop test automation platform. If your team blends QA with operations automation, UiPath may deliver more value than a pure code-centric library like White.

Ranorex

What it is: Ranorex is a commercial testing tool that supports desktop, web, and mobile UI automation. It combines codeless recording with a powerful object repository and the ability to script in C#.

Key strengths:

• Codeless authoring plus the option to write C# for complex logic.

• Robust object repository for maintainable locators.

• Cross-technology coverage (desktop, web, mobile).

• Built-in reporting and analytics.

• CI/CD and team collaboration features.

How it compares to White:

• Ranorex provides a more feature-complete experience out of the box, with recorder, repository, and reporting, at the cost of licensing. It’s more approachable for cross-functional teams than a code-only library like White.

Repeato

What it is: Repeato is a commercial, computer vision-driven mobile testing tool for iOS and Android. It focuses on resilient visual matching to reduce maintenance.

Key strengths:

• Computer vision approach tolerates UI changes better than DOM-only selectors.

• Codeless/low-code authoring for faster test creation.

• Integrates with CI/CD for continuous mobile validation.

• Useful for teams with frequent UI iterations.

• Cloud or on-premise execution options depending on setup.

How it compares to White:

• Repeato is specialized for mobile, not Windows desktop. If your product suite includes mobile apps, adding Repeato alongside a desktop framework covers more of your user journeys than White alone.

SpecFlow

What it is: SpecFlow is the .NET flavor of Cucumber for behavior-driven development (BDD). It lets teams describe behavior in Gherkin and bind steps to C#.

Key strengths:

• Shared, readable specifications that align business and engineering.

• Strong integration with .NET and popular test runners.

• Supports data tables, hooks, and living documentation.

• Encourages modular step definitions for reuse.

• Works with any driver (desktop, web, API), including FlaUI or Playwright.

How it compares to White:

• SpecFlow doesn’t automate UI by itself; it structures tests and promotes collaboration. If your White tests are hard to read or maintain, layering SpecFlow on top of a desktop driver can improve clarity and team alignment.

Stryker

What it is: Stryker is an open-source mutation testing tool for multiple ecosystems, including .NET. It introduces code mutations to assess how effective your tests are at catching defects.

Key strengths:

• Measures test suite quality beyond code coverage.

• Encourages writing more meaningful assertions.

• Integrates with .NET build and test pipelines.

• Insightful reports to guide test improvements.

• Works alongside existing unit and integration tests.

How it compares to White:

• Stryker is not a UI automation tool. It’s an alternative testing approach to raise confidence in your .NET tests. If your goal is improving test quality rather than automating desktop UIs, Stryker is a valuable addition that complements or replaces some UI-heavy testing.

TestCafe Studio

What it is: TestCafe Studio is the commercial, codeless IDE for TestCafe, focused on web E2E testing. It simplifies authoring and maintenance for web UI tests without heavy browser plugins.

Key strengths:

• Codeless test creation with option to extend via code.

• Built-in parallelization and stable execution.

• Cross-browser web testing with minimal setup.

• Visual test editor and reports for fast feedback.

• Friendly for QA who prefer less scripting.

How it compares to White:

• TestCafe Studio is for web testing, not desktop. If your product is web-first or you are migrating from desktop apps, it can provide simpler, faster coverage compared to code-centric desktop frameworks.

Waldo

What it is: Waldo is a no-code, cloud-based mobile UI testing platform for iOS and Android. It offers a recorder-driven workflow and hosted execution.

Key strengths:

• No-code recorder accelerates test creation.

• Cloud execution and device coverage without local setup.

• Visual diffs and easy debugging of mobile flows.

• CI/CD integration for automated mobile checks.

• Designed for cross-functional product teams.

How it compares to White:

• Waldo targets mobile apps, not Windows desktop. It’s an alternative when mobile coverage is a priority and you want to offload device management and infrastructure to a hosted service.

WinAppDriver

What it is: Windows Application Driver (WinAppDriver) is an open-source WebDriver-compatible automation driver for Windows 10/11 desktop apps. It aligns with the Selenium/WebDriver protocol. Note that its maintenance status has been reduced in recent years.

Key strengths:

• Familiar WebDriver protocol and client libraries.

• Works for modern Windows applications including UWP and classic apps.

• Integrates with existing Selenium/WebDriver tooling.

• Supports .NET and multiple languages.

• Open Source (MIT) with community usage.

How it compares to White:

• WinAppDriver is closer to White in scope than many alternatives here. It offers a WebDriver-style API, which can simplify cross-skilling for teams already using Selenium. However, the reduced maintenance status is an important consideration for long-term projects.

Winium

What it is: Winium is an open-source, Selenium-based automation framework for Windows desktop applications. It was created to bring WebDriver-style automation to Windows UIs, but it’s less active than newer options.

Key strengths:

• WebDriver-like approach familiar to Selenium users.

• Suitable for automating WinForms and WPF apps.

• Open-source with a simple client/server model.

• Works with .NET and other languages via WebDriver clients.

• Easy to integrate into CI/CD pipelines.

How it compares to White:

• Winium is similar in spirit to White but aligned to Selenium/WebDriver patterns. Its lower activity level and maintenance compared to alternatives like FlaUI may affect long-term reliability, so teams often consider FlaUI or WinAppDriver before Winium today.

xUnit.net

What it is: xUnit.net is a modern, open-source unit and integration testing framework for .NET created by the original authors of NUnit. It emphasizes flexibility and test isolation.

Key strengths:

• Clean attribute model and flexible test lifecycle.

• Strong parallelization and performance characteristics.

• Rich ecosystem and CI/CD support.

• Works seamlessly with .NET tooling and runners.

• Extensible with custom fixtures and traits.

How it compares to White:

• Like NUnit, xUnit.net is a test framework rather than a UI driver. It can host your UI tests (including White- or FlaUI-based tests) and is often chosen for its modern design and performance characteristics in large .NET test suites.

Things to Consider Before Choosing a White Alternative

• Application under test (AUT) scope:

• Language and team skills:

• Setup and maintenance:

• Stability and test design:

• Debugging and observability:

• CI/CD integration:

• Community and support:

• Cost and licensing:

• Future roadmap:

Conclusion

White played an important role in bringing practical, open-source Windows desktop UI automation to .NET teams. It remains a viable option for many organizations. Yet modern testing demands—cross-platform coverage, visual AI, low-code authoring, cloud-scale execution, and deeper diagnostics—have led teams to explore alternatives that better match today’s workflows and architectures.

• If you want a direct, modernized desktop UI successor, FlaUI is a strong choice.

• If your stack is moving to the web, Playwright, TestCafe Studio, or Mabl can accelerate cross-browser coverage with powerful debugging and cloud execution.

• For visual regressions, Applitools Eyes adds AI-driven validation that complements functional checks.

• If you need enterprise features and cross-technology coverage in a single suite, Ranorex and IBM RFT bring robust tooling and reporting.

• If your priority is performance or test quality rather than desktop UI flows, LoadRunner and Stryker address those needs directly.

• For BDD and collaboration, pair SpecFlow or Gauge with your chosen UI driver to improve readability and maintainability.

• For mobile-first teams, Waldo and Repeato offer quick authoring and resilient execution on iOS and Android.

• If you prefer WebDriver semantics for Windows desktop, WinAppDriver and Winium are options, with the caveat of their maintenance status.

The best alternative depends on your application’s footprint, your team’s skills, and the outcomes you value most—speed, stability, coverage, or observability. Start by mapping your needs to the categories above, run a focused proof of concept with 2–3 tools, and choose the one that provides reliable, maintainable tests with the least friction in your .NET ecosystem.