Difference Between System and Integration Testing

System testing is a level of testing where the application as a whole is tested for its compliance to functional and non-functional requirements.

Whereas, in integration testing, we test the interfacing between the modules which are interconnected with each other.

Let’s now see the difference between the two.

Content

System vs Integration Testing

System Testing	Integration Testing
In system testing, we check the system as a whole.	In integration testing, we check the interfacing between the inter-connected components.
It is performed after integration testing.	It is performed after unit testing.
It is carried out for performing both functional and non-functional testing(performance, usability, etc).	It is generally limited to functional aspects of the integrated components.
Since the testing is limited to the evaluation of functional requirements, hence, it includes black-box testing techniques only.	Since the interfacing logic is required to perform this testing, hence, it requires white/grey box testing techniques along with black-box techniques.
The different types of system testing are- Functional testing, Performance testing, Usability testing, Reliability testing, Security testing, Scalability testing, Installation testing, etc.	The different approaches of performing integration testing namely – Top-down, bottom-up, big-bang and hybrid integration.

Check the infographic below for a quick recap.

Manual vs Automation Testing	Smoke vs Sanity Testing
White-box vs Black-box Testing	System vs Integration Testing
Verification vs Validation	Quality Assurance vs Quality Control
SDLC vs STLC	Test Plan vs Test Strategy
Test Case vs Test Scenario	Agile vs Waterfall Model
Agile vs Scrum Methodology	REST vs SOAP Web Service
Web Application vs Desktop Application	Web Service vs Website
Assert vs Verify	Error, Defect, Fault, Failure & Bug

For details on the system and integration testing, check our tutorials – System Testing and Integration Testing. Also, check our complete Software Testing Tutorial.