End-to-end testing is a crucial aspect of software quality assurance, especially when it comes to developing web applications. Among the available end-to-end testing tool, Playwright and Cypress have gained the most popularity, setting new standards in this field. In this article, we will take a detailed look at both frameworks, compare their strengths and weaknesses, and determine which one might be the better choice for your project.

Classification of end-to-end testing tools

End-to-end test automation tools can be divided into two main categories:

  1. Conventional – Based on the WebDriver Protocol:
  • Selenium
  • WebDriver.IO
  • Nightwatch.js
  1. Unconventional – Using Alternative Approaches:
  • Playwright and Puppeteer (Chrome DevTools Protocol – CDP)
  • Cypress and TestCafe (Native browser testing scripts)

Today, we will focus on two competitors that have dominated the E2E testing market: Playwright and Cypress.

Development history of testing tools

  • 2015 – Cypress is created.
  • 2016 – The first version of TestCafe is released.
  • 2017 – Google introduces Puppeteer.
  • 2020 – Microsoft develops Playwright following the mass migration of key developers from Google to Microsoft, leading to the creation of a new tool for testing web applications.

Playwright – tool overview

playwright as a end-to-end testing tool

Playwright is an open-source end-to-end testing tool, primarily written in TypeScript and supporting the Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP). Its biggest advantage is its broad support for multiple browsers and programming languages, along with its dynamic development under Microsoft’s leadership.

Advantages of Playwright:

✅ Supports all major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).

✅ Compatible with multiple programming languages (JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, C#).

✅ Built-in support for asynchronous operations (async/await instead of the heavier then() used in Cypress).

✅ Better performance and scalability (fewer dependencies, lighter Docker image).

✅ Full test parallelization – allows setting a different number of workers for local tests and CI/CD environments.

✅ Support for Testing Library – improves test code readability.

✅ TraceViewer – enables recording and debugging tests in a visual mode.

✅ Playwright Testing Service on Azure – allows cloud-based test execution; starting in 2025, additional regions and performance optimizations will enhance cloud testing efficiency.

✅ Improved mobile device emulation – recent versions have enhanced support for testing across various resolutions and mobile operating systems.

Disadvantages of Playwright:

⛔️ No official roadmap – the community can only track issues on GitHub.

⛔️ A younger framework – fewer conference talks and presentations compared to more established tools.

Cypress – tool overview

cypress as a great end-to-end testing tool.

Cypress, available on the market since 2015, is one of the most popular end-to-end testing tools. It is widely used within the front-end community and is known for its simplicity and the abundance of educational materials available.

Advantages of Cypress:

✅ Ease of learning – Cypress has a user-friendly API and simple configuration.

✅ Interactive UI testing – testers can observe tests running in real time.

✅ Large community and extensive documentation.

✅ Support for TypeScript and JavaScript.

✅ Improved test stability – as of 2024, some issues with asynchronicity have been resolved.

✅ New versions of Cypress Cloud offer more flexible pricing plans and better integration with CI/CD.

Disadvantages of Cypress:

⛔️ No native support for all browsers – testing in Safari requires installing Playwright WebKit.

⛔️ Asynchronicity issues – requires handling then(), making test code more complex.

⛔️ Test scalability limitations – parallel test execution is only available in the paid plan.

⛔️ Dependency management challenges – version compatibility issues may arise after updates1.

Summary: Will Playwright replace Cypress?

Both tools have their strengths and weaknesses, but Playwright is gaining popularity due to its broad language support, full test parallelization, and better CI/CD integration. While Cypress still has a strong community, its limitations in handling asynchronicity and the availability of key features only in paid plans may push teams toward migrating to Playwright.

  • For teams working primarily with JavaScript/TypeScript and valuing a simple setup – Cypress remains a solid choice.
  • For companies seeking greater flexibility, support for multiple languages and browsers, and better scalability in CI/CD – Playwright appears to be the more future-proof solution.

If you’re looking to implement Playwright or Cypress in your project, contact fireup.pro – we’ll help you optimize your testing processes and introduce test automation to your application!

  1. inspired by Arkadiusz Jelonek’s speech (TestWarez 2023) ↩︎