With TestComplete, you can create functional tests for iOS and Android applications to verify that they work as expected. You can record and play user actions over applications to automate and verify typical user tasks of your application workflow. For example, you can create a test that verifies that logging in to your tested application or placing an order or submitting a form works as expected.

Depending on your testing goals and your testing scale, you can implement one of the possible approaches to mobile testing:

New (cloud-compatible) - allows connecting to mobile devices managed by Appium (it can be either a private Appium server running on a local computer or on a remote computer in your local network or provided as a service by a third-party provider) and recording and running tests on these devices.
Legacy mobile support - allows creating and running tests on mobile devices connected to your test workstation (the computer where TestComplete is installed) locally. For Android devices, you use ADB to connect to them. For iOS devices, you use iTunes.

Which approach to choose

Select the approach that meets your testing goals and available resources. We recommend that you use the new, cloud-compatible approach, even if you need to run tests only on local devices.

New (Cloud-compatible)

Legacy

Pros

You do not need to connect your mobile devices physically to your test workstation.
You can create and run tests for any mobile application (including built-in system applications) compatible with XCUITest and UIAutomator2 drivers.
You do not need to prepare your devices for testing.

Pros

You can map objects of your tested mobile application and store them in the Name Mapping repository.
You can easily iterate through all connected mobile devices and run your tests in each of them.
For Android only: You can record and play back multi-touch events (gestures).

Cons

You need an Appium server that manages the devices where you will run tests. You have to configure a local server, or you have to use a server provided as a third-party provider. In the latter case, you may be charged for using it.
You can only simulate basic user actions over tested applications.

Cons

You are limited to using devices and emulators connected to your tested workstation physically.
You have to prepare your devices and applications for testing.
On Android devices, for applications that cannot be prepared for testing, you can create only image-based tests.
On iOS devices, you cannot create tests for applications that cannot be prepared for testing, for example, for built-in system applications.