Top 5 Alternatives to Playwright for Cross Browser Testing

People have become massively dependent on digital devices and it is imperative to have reliable software testing tools. As of April 2024, there were 5.44 billion internet users worldwide, which is 67.1 percent of the global population. More and more users are now becoming aware and to meet their expectations in terms of performance or interface, companies must adapt to new techniques to provide users with the best apps.

Cross-browser testing ensures that a website is working optimally on different browsers, it improves overall efficiency, while reducing unnecessary errors and saving time. There are several testing tools in the market. However, it may be challenging to find the best fit for your needs. While Playwright is a powerful testing tool, you must note that it has certain limitations due to which you may want to explore other effective alternatives.

This blog will walk you through the basics of Playwright for cross-browser testing. If you are looking for a new substitute tool to perform this test, this blog lists some of the best options available in the market that you can check out.

Learning About Playwright

Playwright is a widely used, robust testing tool developed by Microsoft. It is an open-source tool used by developers and testers worldwide, it is flexible and has excellent cross-browser compatibility.

Features:

• Playwright facilitates cross-browser testing across Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit.
• It is user-friendly and has an easy setup process which reduces the entry barrier for beginners.
• It allows testers to comprehensively test websites and modern browsers using a single API.
• It supports multiple languages, including Java, JavaScript, Python, C#, and TypeScript.
• It enables you to capture screenshots and record videos of the test runs with a single line of code.

Playwright is accessible to many users and offers reliability. However, it has some drawbacks and may not be suitable for some testing projects, so you will need to look for alternatives.

Disadvantages of using Playwright:

• It is specifically designed for web applications and is not suitable for native desktop or native mobile application testing.
• People without coding knowledge will find it difficult to access Playwright.
• It may not meet specific testing requirements related to integrations or support.

In this blog, we will learn more about the most used Playwright substitutes that you can find in the market.

Top 5 Playwright Alternatives

Check out these five tools if you are looking for easy and better alternatives to Playwright testing tool:

1.   TestGrid:

TestGrid is a popularly used platform for scriptless test automation. It can be seamlessly used and managed by people who do not have coding knowledge. It fulfills all your testing needs while providing 100% security of your data and maximum accuracy.

Features:

• It consists of a real device cloud, it runs cross-browser tests on multiple browsers and more than 1000 real devices.
• It can conduct automated cross-browser testing on multiple browsers and OS simultaneously.
• With the help of codeless testing and AI, it successfully speeds up cross-browser testing.
• It enables you to perform geolocation testing using GPS. You can run cross-browser testing from different IP locations to check browser compatibility.
• It has a performance tracking feature which helps in understanding the areas of concern as far as the performance of the application is concerned.
• It can integrate with CI/CD tools for continuous testing, such as Jenkins and many others.
• You can execute both manual and automated tests to ensure faster release time.
• It is designed to handle both small and large scale test projects.

2.   Cypress

A widely used open-source and comprehensive tool, Cypress offers a lot of flexibility, it supports cross-browser and cross-platform testing.

Features:

• When it comes to Cypress vs Playwright, they are both effective tools for cross-browser testing. However, Cypress is faster and more reliable in conducting tests.
• It is capable of executing tests across prominent browsers like Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
• Cross browser testing with Cypress helps testers identify any issues before the website or app is released to the public.
• Cross-browser testing with Cypress enables you to test the front end of your web application.

3.   Puppeteer

It is another excellent and capable open-source test automation framework developed and maintained by Google. It is a simple and reliable tool and is extremely easy to use.

Features:

• It supports top browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, Chromium, and Microsoft Edge. It performs cross-browser and cross-platform testing as it is compatible with a variety of operating systems and programming languages.
• It is easy to set up and configure, reducing the initial learning curve.
• It is known for its swift test execution times, which improve efficiency.
• It enables you to run Chrome extensions in headfull mode.

4.   Selenium

Another significant alternative to Playwright, Selenium, is an open-source, popular cross-browser testing tool. It is capable of catering to different test automation needs and is used by many testers worldwide.

Features:

• It is compatible with popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge, and Safari.
• It aims to provide all users with a positive experience irrespective of their OS or browser version. It allows developers to test web apps across different operating systems and browser configurations.
• During cross-browser testing, you can automate tests and explore an array of integrative tools for complex testing cases.
• Selenium IDE is an add-on, which makes it easy to record and replay script interactions with browsers.

5.   Watir

It’s a tool popular for web testing that offers free open-source libraries in Ruby for cross-browser testing. As  it uses Selenium under the hood, it allows users to Selenium’s common API.

Features:

• Is compatible with Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and IE
• It supports the programming language, Ruby
• Allows you to take screenshots of the tests when needed
• Lets you easily test file downloads for websites

Conclusion

To choose the right alternative of Playwright for cross-browser testing, you must first identify your testing needs and assess your team skills. Each testing framework has its own set of strengths and drawbacks. Using efficient Playwright alternatives will boost an organization by enhancing the overall quality of its products and processing.

You must look for features such as testing simultaneously of various browsers, real device testing, and AI-powered testing, to provide users a high-quality, uninterrupted experience. This will not only help in the development of your organization but also allow you to innovate, expand and stay ahead of your competitors.

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