When to Choose Playwright Over Cypress: A Guide for SDETs

By Matías J. Magni

As Software Development Engineers in Test (SDETs), selecting the right automation framework is crucial for ensuring scalable, efficient, and maintainable test suites. Two of the most popular choices in the JavaScript ecosystem are Cypress and Playwright, each with its own strengths and limitations.

While Cypress is excellent for fast and reliable front-end testing, Playwright excels in more complex scenarios. If you're wondering when to opt for Playwright over Cypress, this guide will help you decide.

1. Applications with Multi-Tab Workflows

Cypress Limitation: Cypress does not natively support multiple tabs, making it challenging to test applications that dynamically open new tabs/windows.

Playwright Advantage: Playwright provides multi-tab and multi-context support, allowing seamless interaction across multiple browser tabs.

Use case examples:

• Dashboards that open reports in new tabs.
• Social media apps with pop-out chat windows.

2. Dynamic iFrame Interactions

Cypress Limitation: Cypress has limited and inconsistent support for iFrames, often requiring workarounds.

Playwright Advantage: Playwright treats iFrames as first-class elements, allowing direct interaction without additional configurations.

Use case examples:

• Applications embedding third-party widgets (e.g., payment gateways, maps).
• Legacy systems that rely on iFrames for modular UIs.

3. Cross-Browser Testing (Including Safari and Firefox)

Cypress Limitation: Cypress primarily supports Chromium-based browsers, with only experimental Firefox support and no Safari support.

Playwright Advantage: Playwright provides full compatibility with Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit (Safari), making it essential for apps requiring cross-browser validation.

Use case examples:

• Government portals requiring Safari compliance.
• Applications targeting global audiences using diverse browsers.

4. Mobile Device Emulation

Cypress Limitation: Cypress lacks native support for device emulation.

Playwright Advantage: Playwright supports built-in mobile emulation, allowing realistic testing of device-specific behaviors like touch gestures and screen orientations.

Use case examples:

• E-commerce applications with responsive designs.
• Progressive web apps (PWAs) that require touch interaction testing.

5. Large-Scale Test Suites with Parallel Execution

Cypress Limitation: Cypress requires additional setup (e.g., Cypress Cloud, a paid service) to achieve parallel test execution.

Playwright Advantage: Playwright supports parallel execution natively, significantly reducing execution time for large-scale test suites.

Use case examples:

• Enterprise platforms with 1000+ test cases.
• CI/CD pipelines requiring efficient parallel test execution.

6. Complex Network Interception and API Testing

Cypress Limitation: Cypress provides basic network stubbing but lacks advanced interception features.

Playwright Advantage: Playwright enables full control over network requests, including:

• Mocking API responses.
• Intercepting WebSocket traffic.
• Testing offline scenarios.

Use case examples:

• Stock trading platforms requiring real-time data validation.
• Applications that need to simulate different network conditions.

7. Summary Table: When to Choose Playwright Over Cypress

8. Key Takeaway

While Cypress is a great choice for simple, fast, front-end-focused testing, Playwright offers superior flexibility for applications requiring:

• Multi-tab workflows
• Cross-browser compatibility
• Complex DOM structures
• Advanced network interception
• Scalability with parallel execution

For SDETs working on large-scale projects with diverse testing needs, Playwright often proves to be the more powerful and future-proof option.

Reference List:

• Microsoft. (n.d.). Playwright Documentation. Retrieved from Playwright.dev
• Cypress.io. (n.d.). Cypress Documentation. Retrieved from Cypress.io
• W3C. (2022). WebDriver Specification. Retrieved from W3C.org
• Mozilla Developer Network (MDN). (n.d.). iFrames and Cross-Origin Security. Retrieved from MDN Web Docs