Side by side

Beta Family vs Detox

Both stand on mobile app testing software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Beta Family

Free plan AndroidiPhoneWeb

Beta Family provides a structured way to recruit testers, distribute apps, and collect feedback across supported mobile platforms. The free Starter plan has fewer app and segmentation options than paid plans, which start at $49/mo.

Visit Beta Family

Detox

Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+2

Detox offers React Native teams a free way to write and run mobile end-to-end tests, with flexible test-runner support. Check its Android, Expo, and iOS setup limits against your project before adopting it.

Visit Detox

The facts

	Beta Family	Detox
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Android, iPhone, Web	Android, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Growing: $49 a month	Free or on request
Plans published	3	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	betafamily.com	wix.github.io
On mobile app testing software	#1 of 32	#3 of 32

Beta Family: what it does well

Find testers using age, gender, nationality, and device filters.
Tests can be public or private.
Reports can be read online or downloaded as CSV.
iOS tests sync directly with TestFlight.

What to know first

Starter plan covers one app.
Starter has no segmentation or tasks.
Tests are limited to 3–21 days.
Service does not warrant uninterrupted or secure availability.

Detox: what it does well

Free framework under the MIT License.
Runs tests on real devices or simulators.
Jest integration is included.
Async monitoring aims to reduce flaky tests.
Supports self-hosted runners and visual testing.

What to know first

Does not support mobile web testing.
Expo integration is not maintained by the Detox team.
Non-React Native Android apps are unsupported.
iOS simulator setup requires macOS-only applesimutils.

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