In short: Firebase Test Lab shuts down on 30 September 2027. BenchFleet runs Maestro flows and Espresso or UI Automator tests on Android phones you own today, and instrumentation tests on its cloud phones through the HTTP API. It has no Robo crawler, iOS or physical-device matrix, so check the mapping below and price your own usage in the calculator.
Google will fully shut down Firebase Test Lab on 30 September 2027, according to its migration FAQ. This page is for teams deciding where their suites go next: what maps to BenchFleet today and what does not, how to run Espresso, UI Automator and Maestro suites on it, and a calculator for your own usage. Google's facts and prices read on 28 October 2026 on its own pages, linked below; check the current ones. We make BenchFleet. For a side-by-side comparison, see the Firebase Test Lab alternative.
Free for up to 3 phones, with no account. Pro adds workflows, schedules and AI for up to 25 phones from £12 a month + VAT.
Cloud phones: yes, through the cloud phone HTTP API (reference): install both APKs and run am instrument in the phone's shell. A GitHub Action and a command-line tool that do it in one step are coming soon. Your own phones: yes, on Pro and Team, as a test suite with results per test and JUnit reports, on phones attached to the computer that runs the app
Maestro flows
Your own phones: yes, on Pro and Team, with results per flow and JUnit reports, on phones attached to the computer that runs the app. Cloud phones: not yet
Robo tests (no test code)
No Robo crawler. An AI task explores the app with the model you choose (Pro and Team), and every step can be replayed
Game loop tests
No
iOS (XCTest)
No. BenchFleet is Android only
Physical devices of many models
Phones you own, any Android model, by USB or Wi-Fi. Cloud phones are virtual, not physical
Virtual devices
Cloud phones: a fresh virtual Android phone for each rental, Android 11 to 17, without Google Play
A device matrix in one command (gcloud firebase test android run)
On your phones:controlhub-ci --maestro or --espresso claims phones, runs the suite on each one and writes JUnit. Cloud phones: one rental per device, started from your CI
Test sharding across devices
Maestro flows run on several of your phones in parallel, and Espresso tests can be split across them; on cloud phones you start one phone per shard yourself
Videos, screenshots, logs
Test suite and workflow runs on your phones keep a video of each phone's screen when they fail, by default (flaky tests and failures); workflows keep a screenshot timeline to replay step by step; test suites keep their logs and screenshots; cloud phones give you the log and any report files you fetch
Results in the Firebase console
Results in the BenchFleet app, or JUnit files in your CI
Free daily quota
Free for 3 of your own phones (no test suites); Pro and Team include 300 cloud minutes a month
Your instrumentation tests run unchanged: the same app APK, the same test APK, the same runner.
Make an API token in your account and store it in your CI's secrets as BENCHFLEET_TOKEN.
Start a phone with POST /rentals, wait for it to be ready, and connect to it (the API reference).
Install app-debug.apk and app-debug-androidTest.apk, then run the tests in the phone's shell:
bash
am instrument -w -r \ -e debug false \ com.example.app.test/androidx.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner
Fetch your report files and the phone's log, then always release the phone, passed or failed.
You pay £0.02 a minute while the phone runs, at least 10 minutes a phone, including the time to install and fetch results (Test Lab charges only test time). Cloud phones have no Google Play, so tests that need Play services belong on your own phones.
Each phone is one test suite in the JUnit file and each flow one test case, so your CI shows them like any other tests. Test suites are part of Pro (£12 a month + VAT, up to 25 phones) and Team.
There is no Robo crawler. On Pro and Team, an AI task explores a build with the model you choose and keeps a transcript and screenshots for every step. It is not the same as Robo's activity map, so keep Robo running on Test Lab until you are happy with what the AI task finds.
Enter your Test Lab usage. The calculator prices it on Test Lab's Blaze plan, and on BenchFleet on your own phones and on cloud phones, and says for each option whether it runs your kind of suite today.
In pounds at 0.748 pounds per dollar, a month and over 12 months. List prices before tax; BenchFleet's VAT is extra where it applies and is not added.
Firebase Test Lab, Blaze plan£128.90 a month · £1,546.80
Yes: Runs all three until it shuts down on 30 September 2027.
Test Lab, physical devices: 5 runs × 3 physical devices × 8 minutes = 120 minutes a day; 90 minutes above the free 30 × $5 an hour ÷ 60 × 22 days = $165 a month
Test Lab, virtual devices: 5 runs × 2 virtual devices × 8 minutes = 80 minutes a day; 20 minutes above the free 60 × $1 an hour ÷ 60 × 22 days = $7.33 a month
After 30 April 2027 the Developer Device Platform, its successor, moves to new pay-per-use and per-device slot prices that this calculator cannot know.
BenchFleet Pro on 5 phones of your own£12 a month · £144
Yes: Runs your Espresso and instrumentation tests today on Pro and Team, split across your phones if you like, with results per test and JUnit reports, on phones attached to the computer that runs the app.
Plan: Pro: £12 a month + VAT where it applies
Phones you buy (once): 5 phones × £0 = £0
Total: £12 a month × 12 months + £0 for phones = £144
One phone for each device in a run. A flat price however often the phones run; test suites need Pro or Team.
BenchFleet cloud phones, minutes only£110 a month · £1,320
Partly: Today through the cloud phone HTTP API: start a phone, install both APKs and run am instrument in its shell, then fetch the report. The GitHub Action and command-line tool are coming soon.
Cloud minutes: 5 runs × 22 days × 5 phones × 10 minutes (the test and 2 extra minutes, at least 10) = 5,500 minutes a month × £0.02 = £110
Total: £110 a month × 12 months = £1,320
Cloud phones are virtual Android phones without Google Play, not physical devices. Minutes are prepaid in packs at the same price a minute and last 12 months.
BenchFleet Pro with cloud phones£116 a month · £1,392
Partly: Today through the cloud phone HTTP API: start a phone, install both APKs and run am instrument in its shell, then fetch the report. The GitHub Action and command-line tool are coming soon.
Plan: Pro: £12 a month + VAT where it applies
Cloud minutes: 5,500 minutes − 300 included a month = 5,200 minutes × £0.02 = £104
Total: £116 a month × 12 months = £1,392
Pro includes 300 cloud minutes a month, used first. Cloud phones are virtual Android phones without Google Play, not physical devices.
How it counts. Test Lab: runs × devices × the test time rounded up to a whole minute, less the free 30 minutes a day on physical and 60 on virtual devices, at $5 and $1 a device hour (Google's pricing page, read on 28 October 2026; check current prices). Your own phones: one phone for each device in a run, on the smallest plan that runs test suites, plus any phones you buy. Cloud phones: one fresh phone for each device in each run, charged for the test plus the extra minutes, at least 10 minutes a phone, at £0.02 a minute. The calculator does not include the Spark plan, Google's Developer Device Platform prices after 30 April 2027, tax, or the time to look after your own phones. It runs in your browser and sends nothing.
List what runs on Test Lab today, by kind of test (instrumentation, Robo, game loop), devices in the matrix and the CI jobs that start them, and read each run's test time in the Test Lab console.
Price that usage in the calculator on this page, against BenchFleet on your own phones and on cloud phones.
For Maestro flows, connect your test phones to the computer that runs the BenchFleet app, install Java 17 or later and Maestro from maestro.dev, and run the flow folder on Pro or Team.
For Espresso or UI Automator tests, run the app and test APKs as a test suite on your own phones (Pro or Team), or make a cloud phone API token, start a phone from CI, install both APKs and run am instrument in the phone's shell.
Run both side by side until the results match, then switch off the Test Lab jobs well before 30 September 2027.
Google's migration FAQ says Firebase Test Lab will be fully shut down on 30 September 2027, and that no workflows will run after that date. Google points teams to its Developer Device Platform on Google Cloud.
Can BenchFleet run my Espresso or UI Automator tests?
Yes. On Pro and Team, on Android phones attached to the computer that runs the BenchFleet app, as a test suite with results per test, sharding across phones and JUnit reports for CI. On BenchFleet cloud phones, through the cloud phone HTTP API, where you install the app and test APKs and run am instrument in the phone's shell.
Can BenchFleet run my Maestro flows?
Yes, on Pro and Team, on Android phones attached to the computer that runs the BenchFleet app, with results per flow and JUnit reports for CI. Maestro flows do not run on cloud phones yet.
Is there a replacement for Robo tests?
Not a Robo crawler. On Pro and Team an AI task explores your app with the model you choose, your own key or a model on your computer, and every step can be replayed. AI usage is paid to your model's provider.
Are BenchFleet cloud phones physical devices?
No. They are virtual Android phones without Google Play, started fresh for each rental. For physical devices and many models, connect phones you own.
How much do cloud phones cost?
£0.02 a minute from prepaid minutes, at least 10 minutes for each phone started. Pro and Team include 300 minutes a month. Prices exclude VAT.
Where do the Test Lab prices come from?
From Google's usage and pricing page, read on 28 October 2026 and linked on this page. Prices change, so check the current ones; every price in the calculator can be edited.
Start with the Free plan
Free for up to 3 phones, with no account. Pro adds workflows, schedules and AI for up to 25 phones from £12 a month + VAT.
