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Maestro vs WebdriverIO: open-source mobile automation tools compared

Metrics as of , from the GitHub or GitLab API of each repository. Refreshed monthly.

Summary

Maestro: Framework for UI and end-to-end testing of Android, iOS and web apps using YAML flows.

WebdriverIO: Node.js framework for browser and mobile test automation over WebDriver, WebDriver BiDi and Appium.

Both are listed under Mobile automation. The table gives repository metrics from the GitHub API with their fetch date, then the documented facts used for every comparison in this category, each linked to the README or docs page it comes from. A cell reads "not documented" when the fact was not found in the project's documentation; that does not mean the feature is absent.

Side by side

Maestro and WebdriverIO: metrics and documented facts, in the fixed row order used for mobile automation comparisons.
FactMaestroWebdriverIO
Stars15,75219,8401
Forks96612,6871
Contributors12117571
Last release2026-08-3112026-09-201
Last commit2026-09-1812026-09-221
Commits in 90 days9711851
LicenseApache-2.01MIT1
Primary languageKotlin1TypeScript1
Statusactive1active1
Languages for writing testsYAML flow files source: READMENode.js source: README
Mobile platformsAndroid, iOS and web on emulators, simulators, browsers and physical Android devices source: READMEMobile apps on iOS, Android and Tizen through Appium; desktop and TV apps source: Docs: Appium Setup
Test authoring formatYAML commands such as launchApp, tapOn, assertVisible; visual flow building in Maestro Studio source: READMECode with Mocha, Jasmine or Cucumber.js framework adapters source: Docs: Frameworks
Parallel or distributed executionCLI sharding across connected devices (--shards, --shard-split, --shard-all) source: Docs: Maestro CLI commands and optionsConcurrent workers per spec file and capability, set with maxInstances source: Docs: Organizing Test Suite
CI integrationReport formats for Jenkins, GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps source: Docs: Test reports and artifactsGuide pages for GitHub Actions, Jenkins and Bamboo; Docker page source: Docs: Jenkins
Report formatsJUnit XML, HTML, HTML detailed (--format flag) source: Docs: Test reports and artifactsReporter packages: spec, dot, concise, JUnit XML, Allure, Sumo Logic source: README
Install methodInstall script (curl -fsSL "https://get.maestro.mobile.dev" | bash); requires Java 17 or higher source: READMEnpm (npm init wdio@latest) source: Docs: Getting Started

1 Fetched from the GitHub or GitLab API on . Hover a value for its own date.

When each fits

Written from each project's documented scope, not from preference. Neither tool is ranked.

Maestro

Fits projects that run UI and end-to-end tests for Android, iOS and web apps; its README describes tests kept as a flat list of YAML commands. source: README

WebdriverIO

Fits projects that automate browsers and mobile apps from Node.js; its README describes e2e, unit and component testing based on WebDriver, WebDriver BiDi and Appium. source: README

More on these tools

Sources

  1. GitHub REST API: repository, read
  2. GitHub REST API: repository, read
  3. GitHub REST API: contributors, read
  4. GitHub REST API: contributors, read
  5. GitHub REST API: latest release, read
  6. GitHub REST API: latest release, read
  7. GitHub REST API: commits, read
  8. GitHub REST API: commits, read
  9. README, read
  10. README, read
  11. Docs: Appium Setup, read
  12. Docs: Frameworks, read
  13. Docs: Maestro CLI commands and options, read
  14. Docs: Organizing Test Suite, read
  15. Docs: Test reports and artifacts, read
  16. Docs: Jenkins, read
  17. Docs: Getting Started, read

Documented facts collected 2026-09-22. See the methodology for how metrics and facts are gathered.