Compare / Playwright vs Selenium
Playwright vs Selenium
Pick Playwright if you want the published cross-browser spec (Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit from one API). Pick Selenium if you want that WebDriver and Grid lineage.
Facts checked 27 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
Playwright in the catalog Selenium in the catalog Start on Railway
How they compare
| Playwright | Selenium | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache License 2.0 (catalog) source | Apache License 2.0 (catalog) source |
| Language | TypeScript (catalog) | Java (catalog) |
| GitHub activity | 98,081 stars in the catalog source | 34,560 stars in the catalog source |
| Self-host | Official CLI in CI. Browsers you already have. | WebDriver plus an optional Grid. Official docs at selenium.dev. |
| Best for | The published cross-browser spec. | A Grid if Playwright is not the shape. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
These are CLIs and a Grid, not a c17 Railway lander. Playwright is microsoft/playwright (Apache-2.0; 98,081 stars in the catalog). Selenium is SeleniumHQ/selenium (Apache-2.0; 34,560 stars in the catalog). Browser Use is the MIT agent path, not this pair. API assertions stay on /stacks/hoppscotch-api.
FAQ
- Is this Maze?
- Maze is a recruited tester desk — /replace/maze. This pair is automation you run.
- Where is Browser Use?
- An MIT agent that drives a browser — /best/browser-testing. Not this pair.
- Are these free?
- Both are Apache-2.0. You pay CI machines.
- How do I run Playwright?
- Official docs. Add one spec to the pipeline that already builds the app.
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