Software Testing Courses & Certifications (2026) | ISTQB, Test Automation, Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, Performance & Security Testing

How to Choose a Path

4 entries

Testing careers usually begin with testing fundamentals and an ISTQB Foundation certificate, then add test automation in one language and tool, then specialize in performance, security, API or AI testing.

01Software TestingSoftware testing hub on this site. 02Test Automation FrameworksTest automation frameworks directory. 03Quality AssuranceQuality assurance resources. 04The Practical Test Pyramid (Martin Fowler)Article on how to balance unit, service and UI tests.

Certifications

9 entries

ISTQB is the main international scheme for testers; national boards run the exams.

05ISTQBInternational Software Testing Qualifications Board, the main international testing certification scheme. 06ISTQB certifications overviewOverview of the Foundation, Advanced and Expert levels and specialist modules. 07ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL v4.0)Entry-level tester certification covering fundamentals, test techniques and management. 08ISTQB Foundation Level Agile Tester (CTFL-AT)Extension on testing in Agile teams. 09ISTQB Test Automation Engineering (CTAL-TAE)Advanced-level certification on designing and implementing test automation. 10ISTQB AI Testing (CT-AI)Specialist certification on testing AI-based systems and using AI in testing. 11ASTQBAmerican Software Testing Qualifications Board, which administers ISTQB exams in the US. 12iSQIExam provider for testing and other IT certifications. 13QAI Global InstituteOffers software quality and testing certifications such as CSTE.

Courses & Free Learning

12 entries

Structured and free routes into testing.

14Test Automation University (Applitools)Free courses on test automation across languages and tools. 15Ministry of TestingTesting community with articles, events and learning. 16Ministry of Testing DojoCourses and career resources for testers. 17Software Testing and Automation (Coursera)Specialization on software testing and automation. 18edX: Software TestingCatalogue of software testing courses. 19TheTestingAcademyCourses on software testing and automation. 20Guru99: software testing tutorialFree tutorial series on testing concepts. 21Software Testing HelpFree tutorials and guides on testing. 22BrowserStack guideFree guides on testing practices and tools. 23LambdaTest learning hubFree tutorials on test automation. 24Katalon AcademyFree courses on Katalon and test automation. 25NPTELFree university courses from Indian institutes, including software testing.

Test Automation Tools

13 entries

Learn the main open-source frameworks.

26Selenium documentationOfficial documentation for Selenium browser automation. 27PlaywrightOfficial introduction to Playwright for end-to-end testing. 28Cypress LearnOfficial lessons for end-to-end testing with Cypress. 29AppiumDocumentation for mobile app test automation. 30pytestGetting started with the Python testing framework. 31JUnit 5 user guideOfficial guide to the Java testing framework. 32CucumberDocumentation for behaviour-driven development with Cucumber. 33Postman Learning CenterDocumentation and learning for API testing with Postman. 34PostmanAPI platform widely used for API testing. 35SmartBearVendor of API and test tools. 36Sauce Labs resourcesGuides on automated and cross-browser testing. 37TestsigmaTest automation platform with learning material. 38AI-Augmented Software Testing ToolsAI-assisted testing tools on this site.

Performance & Security Testing

7 entries

Specialist testing skills.

39Apache JMeter user manualOfficial manual for the load-testing tool. 40Grafana k6 documentationOfficial documentation for the k6 load-testing tool. 41OWASP Web Security Testing GuideFree guide to testing web application security. 42PortSwigger Web Security AcademyFree web security training with interactive labs. 43Performance Testing ToolsPerformance testing tools on this site. 44Chaos Engineering ToolsChaos engineering tools on this site. 45Application Security Testing ToolsApplication security testing tools on this site.

5 entries

Neighbouring pages on this site.

46DevOps Courses and CertificationsDevOps learning guide. 47Cybersecurity Courses and CertificationsCybersecurity learning guide. 48AI Courses and CertificationsAI learning guide. 49IT CertificationsIT certifications directory. 50Courses and CertificationsHub for all courses and certifications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which software testing certification should I start with?

The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) is the most widely recognised entry credential for testers.

What certifications follow the Foundation level?

ISTQB offers advanced levels, specialist modules such as Test Automation Engineering and AI Testing, and an Agile tester extension.

Which automation tool should I learn?

Playwright, Selenium and Cypress are widely used for web testing, Appium for mobile, and pytest or JUnit for unit and API tests. Pick one language and one tool, and learn it well.

Are there free ways to learn testing?

Yes. Test Automation University, Ministry of Testing resources, tool documentation and tutorials are free.

How current is this page?

Links were checked in October 2026. Syllabus versions, exam names and prices change often, so confirm details on each body's own page. Descriptions summarize each provider's pages, and listing is not an endorsement. Sites that block automated checks are kept and may need a manual click.

Software Testing Courses and Certifications