Cypress vs Playwright(2026)
Cypress is better for teams that need great developer experience. Playwright is the stronger choice if auto-waiting (no flaky tests). Cypress is freemium (from $67/month) and Playwright is free.
Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.
By Bikram Nath
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Cypress
Cypress is a JavaScript-based end-to-end testing framework with real-time reloads and time-travel debugging.
Starting at $67/month
Visit CypressPlaywright
Playwright enables reliable end-to-end testing for modern web apps across Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit.
Visit PlaywrightHow Do Cypress and Playwright Compare on Features?
| Feature | Cypress | Playwright |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | free |
| Starting price | $67/month | Free |
| Real-time reloads | ✓ | — |
| Time-travel debugging | ✓ | — |
| Network stubbing | ✓ | — |
| Component testing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dashboard recording | ✓ | — |
| Cross-browser testing | — | ✓ |
| Auto-wait | — | ✓ |
| Network interception | — | ✓ |
| Trace viewer | — | ✓ |
| API testing | — | ✓ |
Cypress Pros and Cons vs Playwright
Cypress
Playwright
Should You Use Cypress or Playwright?
For most teams, Playwright is the better default: it offers auto-waiting (no flaky tests) and is free. Choose Cypress instead if great developer experience matters more than heavier than cypress for simple tests. There is no universal winner — the right pick depends on your budget, team size, and whether you value great developer experience or auto-waiting (no flaky tests) more.
Choose Cypress if…
- •Great developer experience
- •Time-travel UI
- •Easy setup
Choose Playwright if…
- •Auto-waiting (no flaky tests)
- •Multi-browser support
- •Trace viewer debugging