Playwright alternatives: 8 open-source browser automation tools
Metrics as of , from the GitHub or GitLab API of each repository. Refreshed monthly.
About Playwright
Playwright is a listed browser automation tool: Web automation and testing framework for Chromium, Firefox and WebKit, with a test runner, library, CLI and MCP server.
Order: Listed tools in the same category, with tools in the same primary language (GitHub API) first, then by GitHub stars. Each line gives one fact from the tool's own documentation where it differs from what Playwright's documentation states, with its source.
8 alternatives to Playwright
Cypress: Languages for writing tests: JavaScript and TypeScript (.js, .jsx, .ts, .tsx spec files). source: Docs: Writing and Organizing Tests
WebdriverIO: Languages for writing tests: Node.js. source: README
Testplane: Languages for writing tests: TypeScript with ts-node. source: Docs: Testplane × Typescript
Selenium: Languages for writing tests: Java, Python, C#, Ruby, JavaScript, Kotlin. source: Docs: The Selenium Browser Automation Project
React Testing Library: Languages for writing tests: TypeScript, with types for react and react-dom. source: Docs: React Testing Library Introduction
Playwright for Python: Languages for writing tests: Python (sync and async APIs); Playwright also available for Node.js, .NET and Java. source: README
Nightwatch.js: Languages for writing tests: JavaScript or TypeScript (Node.js). source: Docs: Install Nightwatch
Robot Framework: Languages for writing tests: Robot Framework plain text syntax; Python as the primary language for extending it. source: README
Repository metrics
| Playwright | 96,5071 | 2026-09-041v1.63.0 | 2026-09-221 | Apache-2.0 | TypeScript | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cypress | 51,0211 | 2026-09-151v16.1.0 | 2026-09-221 | MIT | TypeScript | active |
| Selenium | 34,5111 | 2026-09-091selenium-4.49.0 | 2026-09-221 | Apache-2.0 | Java | active |
| React Testing Library | 19,6561 | 2026-08-271v16.3.3 | 2026-08-271 | MIT | JavaScript | active |
| Playwright for Python | 15,0151 | 2026-09-151v1.63.0 | 2026-09-151 | Apache-2.0 | Python | active |
| Nightwatch.js | 11,9531 | 2026-05-251v3.16.0 | 2026-05-251 | MIT | JavaScript | slow |
| Robot Framework | 11,9061 | 2026-09-141v7.5 | 2026-09-211 | Apache-2.0 | Python | active |
| WebdriverIO | 9,8401 | 2026-09-201v9.32.0 | 2026-09-221 | MIT | TypeScript | active |
| Testplane | 8301 | 2026-09-141v9.2.3 | 2026-09-141 | MIT | TypeScript | active |
1 Fetched from the GitHub or GitLab API on . Hover a value for its own date.