diff --git a/packages/test-utils/src/testUtils/appWrappers.test.tsx b/packages/test-utils/src/testUtils/appWrappers.test.tsx
index e46b6a95ce..a30e8f9823 100644
--- a/packages/test-utils/src/testUtils/appWrappers.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/test-utils/src/testUtils/appWrappers.test.tsx
@@ -14,22 +14,59 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import React from 'react';
+import React, { FC } from 'react';
 import { render } from '@testing-library/react';
-import { wrapInTestApp } from './appWrappers';
+import { wrapInTestApp, renderInTestApp } from './appWrappers';
 import { Route } from 'react-router';
+import { withLogCollector } from '@backstage/test-utils-core';
 
 describe('wrapInTestApp', () => {
-  it('should provide routing', () => {
-    const rendered = render(
-      wrapInTestApp(
-        <>
-          <Route path="/route1">Route 1</Route>
-          <Route path="/route2">Route 2</Route>
-        </>,
-        { routeEntries: ['/route2'] },
+  it('should provide routing and warn about missing act()', async () => {
+    const { error } = await withLogCollector(['error'], async () => {
+      const rendered = render(
+        wrapInTestApp(
+          <>
+            <Route path="/route1">Route 1</Route>
+            <Route path="/route2">Route 2</Route>
+          </>,
+          { routeEntries: ['/route2'] },
+        ),
+      );
+      expect(rendered.getByText('Route 2')).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+      // Wait for async actions to trigger the act() warnings that we assert below
+      await Promise.resolve();
+    });
+
+    expect(error).toEqual([
+      expect.stringMatching(
+        /^Warning: An update to %s inside a test was not wrapped in act\(...\)/,
       ),
-    );
-    expect(rendered.getByText('Route 2')).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect.stringMatching(
+        /^Warning: An update to %s inside a test was not wrapped in act\(...\)/,
+      ),
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('should render a component in a test app without warning about missing act()', async () => {
+    const { error } = await withLogCollector(['error'], async () => {
+      const Foo: FC<{}> = () => {
+        return <p>foo</p>;
+      };
+
+      const rendered = await renderInTestApp(Foo);
+      expect(rendered.getByText('foo')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
+    expect(error).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('should render a node in a test app', async () => {
+    const Foo: FC<{}> = () => {
+      return <p>foo</p>;
+    };
+
+    const rendered = await renderInTestApp(<Foo />);
+    expect(rendered.getByText('foo')).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/test-utils/src/testUtils/appWrappers.tsx b/packages/test-utils/src/testUtils/appWrappers.tsx
index 2450604976..6d48082b7c 100644
--- a/packages/test-utils/src/testUtils/appWrappers.tsx
+++ b/packages/test-utils/src/testUtils/appWrappers.tsx
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import React, { ComponentType, ReactNode, FunctionComponent, FC } from 'react';
+import React, { ComponentType, ReactNode, FC, ReactElement } from 'react';
 import { MemoryRouter } from 'react-router';
 import { Route } from 'react-router-dom';
 import { lightTheme } from '@backstage/theme';
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ import privateExports, {
   ApiTestRegistry,
   BootErrorPageProps,
 } from '@backstage/core-api';
+import { RenderResult } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { renderWithEffects } from '@backstage/test-utils-core';
 const { PrivateAppImpl } = privateExports;
 
 const NotFoundErrorPage = () => {
@@ -43,10 +45,17 @@ type TestAppOptions = {
   routeEntries?: string[];
 };
 
+/**
+ * Wraps a component inside a Backstage test app, providing a mocked theme
+ * and app context, along with mocked APIs.
+ *
+ * @param Component - A component or react node to render inside the test app.
+ * @param options - Additional options for the rendering.
+ */
 export function wrapInTestApp(
   Component: ComponentType | ReactNode,
   options: TestAppOptions = {},
-) {
+): ReactElement {
   const { routeEntries = ['/'] } = options;
 
   const app = new PrivateAppImpl({
@@ -72,7 +81,7 @@ export function wrapInTestApp(
   if (Component instanceof Function) {
     Wrapper = Component;
   } else {
-    Wrapper = (() => Component) as FunctionComponent;
+    Wrapper = (() => Component) as FC;
   }
 
   const AppProvider = app.getProvider();
@@ -85,3 +94,20 @@ export function wrapInTestApp(
     </AppProvider>
   );
 }
+
+/**
+ * Renders a component inside a Backstage test app, providing a mocked theme
+ * and app context, along with mocked APIs.
+ *
+ * The render executes async effects similar to `renderWithEffects`. To avoid this
+ * behavior, use a regular `render()` + `wrapInTestApp()` instead.
+ *
+ * @param Component - A component or react node to render inside the test app.
+ * @param options - Additional options for the rendering.
+ */
+export async function renderInTestApp(
+  Component: ComponentType | ReactNode,
+  options: TestAppOptions = {},
+): Promise<RenderResult> {
+  return renderWithEffects(wrapInTestApp(Component, options));
+}
diff --git a/packages/test-utils/src/testUtils/index.tsx b/packages/test-utils/src/testUtils/index.tsx
index ea33de2f31..302bdb405f 100644
--- a/packages/test-utils/src/testUtils/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/test-utils/src/testUtils/index.tsx
@@ -15,4 +15,4 @@
  */
 
 export { default as mockBreakpoint } from './mockBreakpoint';
-export * from './appWrappers';
+export { wrapInTestApp, renderInTestApp } from './appWrappers';