# Cypress vs Playwright

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Playwright

| Attribute | Cypress | Playwright |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 69.6 (77% (high)) | 75.5 (77% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 126,733 | 17,326 |
| adoption.github_stars | 51,000 | 95,167 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 7,399,963 | 24,331,800 |
| adoption.stackoverflow_questions | 30,000 | 9,000 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Cypress is an open-source JavaScript-based testing framework designed for end-to-end and component testing of web applications. It executes tests directly in the browser, allowing developers to write tests using JavaScript and interact with the DOM as the browser renders content. The framework includes built-in features for test creation, debugging, and introspection of application state during test execution.","source":"https://www.cypress.io","question":"What is Cypress and what types of testing does it support?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Cypress is licensed under the MIT License and is completely free as an open-source project with millions of weekly downloads. The company also offers Cypress Cloud, a paid subscription service with tiered plans for teams needing advanced capabilities such as test parallelization, analytics, test replay, and CI/CD integration. The free tier includes basic cloud features; paid plans scale with test volume and additional enterprise features.","source":"https://www.cypress.io/pricing","question":"Is Cypress open source and what does it cost?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Cypress runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and supports testing in Chromium (via bundled Electron), Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browsers, with experimental WebKit support available. The framework requires Node.js 20.x or later. System requirements are modest for local development, though CI environments should have at least 2 CPUs and 4 GB of RAM for optimal performance.","source":"https://docs.cypress.io/guides/getting-started/installing-cypress","question":"What operating systems and browsers does Cypress support?","confidence":0.93},{"answer":"Cypress runs directly within the browser context rather than communicating with the browser remotely, which eliminates timing issues and provides instant, synchronous access to the DOM and application state. This architecture enables faster test execution, simpler debugging with browser developer tools, and more reliable handling of modern asynchronous web applications. Cypress is JavaScript-first, whereas Selenium supports multiple languages.","source":"https://www.cypress.io","question":"How does Cypress differ from Selenium and similar testing tools?","confidence":0.92},{"answer":"Cypress integrates seamlessly with popular CI/CD platforms including GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, Jenkins, and others through Cypress Cloud or self-hosted runners. The platform supports test parallelization and orchestration to distribute test execution across multiple machines, reducing overall CI run time and improving development feedback loops.","source":"https://www.cypress.io","question":"Can Cypress integrate with CI/CD pipelines and run tests in parallel?","confidence":0.94},{"answer":"Cypress tests are written in JavaScript or TypeScript, allowing developers to leverage JavaScript ecosystem tools and libraries. The framework works with npm, Yarn, pnpm, and Bun as package managers, providing flexibility for teams with different dependency management preferences.","source":"https://docs.cypress.io/guides/getting-started/installing-cypress","question":"What languages and package managers can I use with Cypress?","confidence":0.94},{"answer":"Cypress includes comprehensive debugging tools built into the test runner, including DOM inspection, network activity monitoring, and console access. For CI failures, Cypress Cloud offers test replay functionality that allows developers to rewind and examine test execution step-by-step, significantly reducing the time needed to diagnose flaky tests or failures in remote environments.","source":"https://www.cypress.io","question":"What debugging and troubleshooting capabilities does Cypress provide?","confidence":0.93}]` | `[{"answer":"Playwright is an open-source browser automation framework maintained by Microsoft that enables developers to control and test web applications programmatically. It provides a unified API for automating Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit browsers across Windows, macOS, and Linux. The framework serves multiple purposes: end-to-end testing, web scraping, performance testing, and visual regression testing. It can be used both as a complete testing framework (Playwright Test) or as a standalone library for custom automation workflows.","source":"https://playwright.dev","question":"What is Playwright and what does it do?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Playwright supports four main programming languages: TypeScript, Python, .NET, and Java. This allows developers to choose the language that best fits their existing tech stack and team preferences. Each language implementation uses the same underlying browser automation engine, ensuring consistent behavior and API design across all supported languages.","source":"https://playwright.dev","question":"What programming languages does Playwright support?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Playwright can automate three browser engines: Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit, supporting Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. Browsers can run in headless mode for CI/CD pipelines or headed mode for interactive debugging and visual testing. The framework also includes built-in mobile emulation for Chrome (Android) and Mobile Safari, allowing developers to test responsive web designs without physical mobile devices.","source":"https://playwright.dev/docs/intro","question":"What browsers can Playwright automate, and on which operating systems?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Playwright is an open-source project distributed under the Apache 2.0 license and is completely free to use with no licensing fees or commercial restrictions. The project is actively maintained and developed by Microsoft engineers and the open-source community. Users can freely modify, distribute, and use Playwright in commercial and personal projects without any cost.","source":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright","question":"Is Playwright open-source, and what does it cost?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Playwright can be used in two distinct ways: as a standalone library for custom automation scripts, or as the Playwright Test framework for comprehensive end-to-end testing. When using Playwright as a library, developers manually manage browser lifecycle and initialization, providing maximum flexibility. The Playwright Test framework automates resource management and includes built-in features like web-first assertions, test parallelization, HTML reporting, and automatic retries, making it more suitable for traditional test suites.","source":"https://playwright.dev/docs/library","question":"Can Playwright be used both as a testing framework and as a library?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"Playwright is primarily designed for end-to-end testing of modern web applications, providing test runners, assertions, and parallelization capabilities. Beyond testing, it supports web automation tasks such as scripting, performance benchmarking, and visual regression analysis. It is also used for AI agent workflows where automated browser interaction is required for data collection, task automation, or process orchestration.","source":"https://playwright.dev","question":"What are the primary use cases for Playwright?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"Playwright includes comprehensive debugging tools such as UI Mode with time-travel debugging, live step view, and watch mode for interactive test development. The framework generates detailed HTML test reports that allow filtering by browser type, test status, and include test inspection features for examining errors and attachments. Developers can also use the Codegen feature to automatically generate test scripts by recording browser interactions.","source":"https://playwright.dev/docs/intro","question":"What debugging and reporting features does Playwright provide?","confidence":0.9}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | An open-source testing framework for JavaScript applications that enables developers to write, run, and debug front-end tests. Supports end-to-end and component testing with a cloud-based service option available. | Playwright is an open-source framework for automating and testing web applications across Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit. It includes built-in waiting mechanisms, resilient element selection, and assertions designed to minimize test flakiness. |
| features.capabilities | `{"languages":"JavaScript/TypeScript","assertions":true,"ci_integration":true,"browser_automation":true}` | `{"mocking":true,"languages":"TypeScript, Python, .NET, Java","assertions":true,"ci_integration":true,"snapshot_testing":true,"browser_automation":true,"parallel_execution":true}` |
| integrations.count | 3 | 4 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Jira"},{"name":"GitHub Enterprise"},{"name":"GitLab Enterprise"}]` | `[{"name":"VS Code"},{"name":"Cursor"},{"name":"Claude Desktop"},{"name":"Windsurf"}]` |
| language.primary | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| license.spdx | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Starter","summary":"Free","features":["Parallelization","Test Replay","Project Analytics","Cloud MCP"],"description":"Free plan for teams starting with Cypress","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"50","prompt_execs":"100/month","test_results":"500/month","data_retention":"30 days"}},{"free":false,"name":"Team","summary":"$67/month or $799/year billed annually","features":["Parallelization","Test Replay","Project Analytics","Cloud MCP","Flake Detection","Flaky Test Analytics","Jira Integration","Email Support"],"minSeats":50,"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":67,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":799,"period":"year","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1000,"unit":"test_results"},"kind":"metered","amount":5.28,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1000,"unit":"test_results_ondemand"},"kind":"metered","amount":6,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"For growing teams optimizing their test suite quality","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"50","prompt_execs":"9k/year","test_results":"120k/year","data_retention":"90 days"}},{"free":false,"name":"Business","summary":"$267/month or $3,199/year billed annually","features":["Parallelization","Test Replay","Project Analytics","Cloud MCP","Flake Detection","Flaky Test Analytics","Jira Integration","Email Support","Spec Prioritization","Auto Cancellation","GitHub Enterprise","GitLab Enterprise","SSO"],"minSeats":50,"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":267,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":3199,"period":"year","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1000,"unit":"test_results"},"kind":"metered","amount":4.4,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1000,"unit":"test_results_ondemand"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"For businesses improving their quality and efficiency at scale","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"50","prompt_execs":"24k/year","test_results":"120k/year","data_retention":"90 days"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["Parallelization","Test Replay","Project Analytics","Cloud MCP","Flake Detection","Flaky Test Analytics","Jira Integration","Email Support","Spec Prioritization","Auto Cancellation","GitHub Enterprise","GitLab Enterprise","SSO","Enterprise Reporting","Data Extract API","Premium Support","Enterprise Roadmap","Technical Consultant"],"description":"For organizations with custom needs at enterprise scale","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"users":"Unlimited","prompt_execs":"60k/year","test_results":"1.8M/year","data_retention":"180 days"}}],"summary":"From $67/month. Free tier available. 30-day free trial of Enterprise features.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.cypress.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T13:09:17.696Z","freeTrialDays":30,"startingPrice":{"amount":4.4,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://playwright.dev","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T11:06:36.749Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | commercial | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | 13 | 13 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.21.1","date":"2026-08-25T16:56:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.21.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.21.0","date":"2026-08-18T19:47:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.21.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.20.1","date":"2026-08-10T17:56:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.20.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.20.0","date":"2026-08-04T21:53:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.20.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.19.0","date":"2026-07-21T17:46:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.19.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.18.1","date":"2026-07-07T17:57:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.18.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.18.0","date":"2026-06-23T17:51:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.18.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.17.0","date":"2026-06-09T16:32:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.17.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.16.0","date":"2026-05-26T21:57:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.16.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.15.0","date":"2026-05-12T18:02:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.15.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.14.2","date":"2026-04-29T18:39:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.14.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.14.1","date":"2026-04-21T17:22:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.14.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.14.0","date":"2026-04-16T18:45:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.14.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.13.1","date":"2026-04-07T19:41:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.13.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.13.0","date":"2026-03-24T18:20:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.13.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.12.0","date":"2026-03-13T17:54:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.12.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.11.0","date":"2026-02-25T17:14:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.11.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.10.0","date":"2026-02-03T22:18:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.10.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.9.0","date":"2026-01-13T20:46:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.9.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/releases/tag/v15.8.2","date":"2026-01-06T16:01:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.8.2"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.62.1","date":"2026-07-30T16:35:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.62.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.62.0","date":"2026-07-24T21:55:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.62.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.61.1","date":"2026-06-23T19:47:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.61.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.61.0","date":"2026-06-15T10:05:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.61.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.60.0","date":"2026-05-11T19:08:18Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.60.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.59.1","date":"2026-04-01T17:55:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.59.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.59.0","date":"2026-04-01T00:27:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.59.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.58.2","date":"2026-02-06T16:41:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.58.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.58.1","date":"2026-01-30T18:23:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.58.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.58.0","date":"2026-01-23T11:53:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.58.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.57.0","date":"2025-11-25T11:16:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.57.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.56.1","date":"2025-10-17T00:50:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.56.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.56.0","date":"2025-10-06T14:53:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.56.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.55.1","date":"2025-09-23T09:56:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.55.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.55.0","date":"2025-08-20T10:26:40Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.55.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.54.2","date":"2025-08-01T07:01:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.54.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.54.1","date":"2025-07-11T14:06:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.54.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.54.0","date":"2025-07-10T10:56:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.54.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.53.2","date":"2025-06-30T18:46:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.53.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.53.1","date":"2025-06-18T18:02:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.53.1"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 5.2 | 6.5 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=cypress&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=playwright-core&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Testing Tools)

| Capability | Cypress | Playwright |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Test types | - | - |
| Browser automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built-in assertion library | ✓ | ✓ |
| Languages | JavaScript/TypeScript | TypeScript, Python, .NET, Java |
| **Isolation** |  |  |
| Mocking / stubbing | - | ✓ |
| **Techniques** |  |  |
| Snapshot testing | - | ✓ |
| **Performance** |  |  |
| Parallel execution | - | ✓ |
| **Insight** |  |  |
| Code coverage | - | - |
| **DX** |  |  |
| Watch mode | - | - |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| CI integration | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T15:12:25.554Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*