Playwright or Selenium?

Playwright if you want one API and bundled browsers. Selenium if you already have WebDriver tests or need Grid. Pick one runner on day one.

Do I get real iPhones?

No. This is browsers you run. Real-device clouds are the product this page leaves.

Can I deploy this on Railway?

The tests are CI. Grid can be a cluster of nodes. Railway is optional for Grid, not required for Playwright.

Stacks / Backend

Easy

Playwright / Selenium

Browser tests you run. Playwright is Apache-2.0; Selenium is Apache-2.0 — BrowserStack without the parallel-session meter.

The problem

BrowserStack sells real-device and browser-cloud sessions. You wanted the same tests on machines you control. Playwright is Apache-2.0 (microsoft/playwright). Selenium is Apache-2.0 (SeleniumHQ/selenium), including Grid if you need a farm. This is not every real iOS/Android device SKU, Safari on a Mac farm you do not own, or BrowserStack's visual-testing add-on. You still need browsers; you stop paying per parallel session.

Replaces

BrowserStack

Replace BrowserStack

Estimated SaaS saved

$1,200

per year, small team, before lock-in

Start on Railway

SonarQube if this is static analysis, not browser tests

Sponsor this stack Tip jar

These are CI jobs (and optionally a Selenium Grid). Playwright needs browser dependencies in the runner image. Grid is a set of nodes, not a single HTTP app. No one-click device-farm template in this repo — Start on Railway only if you also host Grid. Code quality stays on /stacks/sonarqube-lint.

The stack

Playwright
Apache-2.0 browser test framework (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit)
Catalog entry →
Selenium
Apache-2.0 browser automation and Grid if you need a farm
Catalog entry →

Cost table

You stop paying	Typical / year	Self-host instead
BrowserStack (small team)	$1,200	Playwright and/or Selenium Grid

Agent setup prompt

Replace BrowserStack with Playwright (preferred) or Selenium Grid.

- Run Playwright in CI with the browsers the project already uses. Selenium Grid if you need a farm of nodes you operate.
- Port one smoke test. Do not claim every real-device SKU. Write AGENT_PROMPT.md.

Also as markdown: /stacks/playwright-browsers.md

FAQ

Playwright or Selenium?: Playwright if you want one API and bundled browsers. Selenium if you already have WebDriver tests or need Grid. Pick one runner on day one.
Do I get real iPhones?: No. This is browsers you run. Real-device clouds are the product this page leaves.
Can I deploy this on Railway?: The tests are CI. Grid can be a cluster of nodes. Railway is optional for Grid, not required for Playwright.