Comparing Selenium, Cypress, and Playwright

 When it comes to web automation and testing, Selenium, Cypress, and Playwright are three of the most popular tools. Each has its own strengths and ideal use cases. Understanding their differences helps testers and developers choose the right tool based on project needs.

Here’s a detailed comparison across key categories:


Language Support

Feature         Selenium                                 Cypress                         Playwright

Languages Java, Python, C#, Ruby, JS JavaScript, TypeScript JavaScript, TypeScript, Python,                                                                                                                    C#, Java

Flexibility  High                                 Medium                        High


Verdict: Selenium and Playwright support multiple languages. Cypress is JavaScript-focused.


Architecture

Feature                 Selenium                                 Cypress                            Playwright

Execution Layer Runs outside the browser Runs inside the browser    Runs outside, but hooks                                                                                                                                 into browser APIs

Browser Control WebDriver-based                 Native browser APIs    Native browser control


Verdict: Cypress offers fast and stable in-browser execution. Playwright provides powerful browser automation like Selenium but with newer technology.


Browser Support

Feature                 Selenium           Cypress                 Playwright

Chrome                ✅                          ✅                                ✅

Firefox                ✅                          ✅ (limited)                ✅

Safari/WebKit        ✅ (limited)          ❌ (workaround)        ✅

Edge                ✅                          ✅                                ✅

Mobile                ✅ (via Appium)  ❌                                ✅ (WebKit/Android)


Verdict: Playwright has the best cross-browser support, including mobile emulation.


Installation & Setup

Feature                Selenium          Cypress       Playwright

Setup                Moderate          Easy       Easy

Dependencies        WebDriver  Bundled       Bundled

Verdict: Cypress and Playwright offer simpler, faster setup out of the box.


Performance and Speed

Cypress is faster due to running directly in the browser.

Playwright also offers high speed and parallel execution support.

Selenium is slower due to WebDriver overhead.


Features

Feature                                 Selenium                     Cypress                 Playwright

Screenshots                         ✅                             ✅                        ✅

Video Recording                 ❌ (via tools)             ✅                        ✅

Auto-waiting                         ❌                             ✅                        ✅

Network Interception         ❌                             ✅ (limited)        ✅ (advanced)

Test Runner                         ❌ (external)             ✅                        ✅


Community and Maturity

Selenium: Most mature, large community, widely adopted.

Cypress: Growing quickly, strong support, but JS-only.

Playwright: New but rapidly evolving, backed by Microsoft.


Conclusion

Tool                                    Best For

Selenium                            Projects needing cross-language support or legacy compatibility

Cypress                            Fast testing for modern web apps using JavaScript

Playwright                    Modern apps needing full browser coverage and advanced automation


Choose Selenium for flexibility, Cypress for simplicity and speed in JS projects, and Playwright for powerful, modern automation with multi-browser and language support.

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