Parallel testing and cross-browser testing are both techniques that are used to ensure that a software application works correctly on different platforms or environments. However, they differ in terms of the scope of testing and the specific goals that they are designed to achieve.
Parallel testing is a technique in which multiple tests run concurrently on different environments, platforms, or devices. The goal of parallel testing is to speed up the testing process by running multiple tests at the same time. This can be useful when testing large applications with many test cases, as it allows you to complete the testing process more quickly.
Cross-browser testing, on the other hand, is a technique in which a software application is tested on a range of different web browsers to ensure that it works correctly on all of them. The goal of cross-browser testing is to ensure that the application is compatible with a wide range of browsers and devices, and that it provides a consistent user experience across all of them.
While parallel testing and cross-browser testing may be used together as part of a comprehensive testing strategy, they are distinct techniques with different goals and purposes. Parallel testing is focused on speeding up the testing process, while cross-browser testing is focused on ensuring compatibility and consistency across different browsers.
In both scenarios, it makes sense to automate testing in order to speed up the process and avoid task repetition.