The Top 10 Puppeteer Alternatives 2024

Puppeteer has pedigree. It’s quite a powerful tool in its own right, but attaching a name like Google to a front-end testing tool means that it should be perfect, right?

Well, the truth is that a lot of people would disagree with that statement. Although it packs a deadly punch, it’s not right for everyone, leading many people to search for alternatives. That’s probably what led you here today.

If you’re looking for Puppeteer alternatives, then you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to showcase 10 of the best competitors on the market today, and even dive deep into some of the specifics that make each one great.

But before we make that plunge, let’s look at Puppeteer under a lens.

Puppeteer key features

Like many of the tools that will be on this list, Puppeteer is 100% open-source and managed by the Chrome DevTools team. It offers flexibility in places that some other SaaS tools simply can’t offer.

With Puppeteer, you can execute tests directly in the browser and see the results in your terminal in real time. Puppeteer utilizes the WebDriver protocol and connects with the browser to mimic user interaction with HTML elements or pages.

In addition to the core functionality listed above, Puppeteer offers some key features that make it a fan favorite in the frontend testing field:

• Automation
• Headless browsing
• Testing
• Page manipulation
• PDF generation and screenshots
• Network monitoring
• Web scraping

Typically, this is where we’d look at the pricing of a tool. But, since Puppeteer is open-source, it’s free to use. But, it’s extremely important to note that being free to use doesn’t mean zero cost. Oftentimes, the cost of self-hosting and maintaining your own solution can be even more expensive than some of the paid tools out there. Keep that in mind as we’re going through this list!

Top 10 Puppeteer Alternatives 2024

1. Playwright

Playwright is an open-source automation library dedicated to web scraping and browser testing. Microsoft developed it in 2020, and since then it’s become very popular among programmers. Its ability to automate tasks in Chromium, Firefox, and Webkit with a single API is second to none, making it a popular choice amongst programmers.

Playwright boasts cross-platform testing capabilities, which means it allows you to test on macOS, Windows, and Linux CI or locally, headed or headless. It’s even cross-language, giving you the ability to use the Playwright API in Python, Typescript, Javascript, .NET, and Java.

Playwright is flake resilient. This means that before acting, it will wait until the elements are actionable. When you combine that with rich introspection events, it eliminates artificial timeouts, which are what usually cause flaky tests.

All of that said, Playwright (and most open-source tools) is unappealing to some because of the need for self-hosting. There is no out-of-the-box solution, which means you will be forced to maintain the server yourself, thus taking on all the burden…

Unless you use Better Stack.

Better Stack is primarily known for its monitoring capabilities that allow you to keep tabs on critical infrastructure elements, schedule on-call coverage, and resolve incidents before they affect the end user. Better Stack can also take on all the burden of self-hosting by allowing you to run/host Playwright script. We can help you monitor your front end, too! All you have to do is copy and paste, and we’ll take care of the rest.

Psst… Want to learn more about Playwright? Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Playwright testing essentials.

🌟Key features

• End-to-end browser testing

➕Pros

• Can be run using Better Stack
• Open-source
• Cross-language
• Cross-platform
• Fast and reliable
• Flake-resistant testing

➖Cons

• Cost of ownership can be very expensive

2. Selenium

Selenium is a great choice for automating applications for testing purposes, but it can be used for a lot more. Selenium promotes itself as a tool that automates browsers, giving you the power to do with it what you want. It’s a lot of power packed into a single tool, and it’s only limited to your imagination.

Selenium offers 3 solutions within the tool: IDE, WebDriver, and Grid. IDE allows you to playback recorded interactions with the browser through Chrome, Edge, and Firefox add-ons. WebDriver is a library full of language-specific, web-driving bindings. Lastly, Grid allows you to run tests against several different combinations of operating systems and browsers.

🌟Key features

• Automated web browser and mobile testing

➕Pros

• Open-source
• Cross-platform
• Full browser automation
• Parallel testing
• Language independent

➖Cons

• Cost of ownership can be very expensive
• Script-based approach means slow testing development
• Requires some 3rd-party tool bindings
• User reviews report Selenium struggling to generate test reports

3. Katalon

Katalon Studio blends the power of Selenium, which we just mentioned, and Appium. Combining these two forces makes it a decent testing solution that certainly rivals Puppeteer. It’s a versatile solution that allows you to test across multiple environments like web, desktop, mobile, and APIs.

Katalon’s interface is designed to be user-friendly, which simplifies complex testing tasks. One of the reasons Katalon is on this list is because it caters to both technical and non-technical people. On top of that, it offers quite a robust feature set, making it a good choice for diverse testing teams.

🌟Key features

• Automated web browser and mobile testing

➕Pros

• No technical skills required
• Paid and open-source options
• AI-driven
• Versatile testing capabilities
• Keyword-driven testing
• Fast scripting

➖Cons

• Cost of ownership can be very expensive
• User reviews report an inactive open-source community
• User reviews report specific hardware requirements
• User reviews report needing to pay for licensing to utilize CI/CD integration

💲Pricing

Katalon is one of the solutions on this list that isn’t completely open-source, meaning you have to pay to use anything above the base package. This could be a pro or a con, depending on who you ask.

The paid packages for Katalon start at $208/month. However, the $208 only covers Katalon Studio Enterprise. Katalon TestCloud is an extra $192 per month, and Katalon Runtime Engine is an extra $166. They also charge extra for Katalon TestOps, which is $41/month extra minimum.

4. Testim

Testim is another tool in this category that harnesses AI to improve the reliability and effectiveness of automated test results. Geared towards modern development teams, Testim provides Chrome extensions for capturing basic test actions and also offers the flexibility to incorporate more intricate JavaScript coding for advanced scenarios.

If you're in search of a solution that strikes a balance between simplicity and complexity, Testim is a suitable choice. It manages to combine user-friendliness with robust capabilities, positioning itself as sort of a mid-range testing solution.

🌟Key features

• Automated web browser and mobile testing

➕Pros

• AI-driven assistance
• Easily scalable
• Customizable with JavaScript
• Easy-to-use Chrome extension

➖Cons

• Utilizes some open-source frameworks, but is not open-source itself
• User reviews report limited integration options
• Very few reviews online

💲Pricing

Because Testim is not open-source, you'll need to pay for their services. Unfortunately, we can’t tell you exactly how much that will cost because they don't provide specific pricing details on their website. You will have to contact them directly to request a quote.

5. Jest

Since Puppeteer is managed by the Chrome DevTools team, it’s only natural to mention another tool managed by another tech giant.

Jest, which is managed by Meta, is a JavaScript testing framework designed to identify and correct issues within JavaScript codebases. It is primarily used in projects that utilize technologies such as Babel, React, Vue.js, Angular, TypeScript, Node.js, Svelte, and many others.

Jest is unique on this list because it has built-in mocking capabilities. These capabilities make it easier to test certain functions and modules. It’s particularly useful for isolating components and functions and testing them in isolation.

Perhaps the most useful thing about Jest is that it doesn’t require any sort of setup or configuration. You can get started quickly, and the defaults make it a lot easier for essentially any developer to adopt.

🌟Key features

• Automated web browser and mobile testing

➕Pros

• Open-source
• Mock testing
• Cross-platform testing capabilities
• Unit testing

➖Cons

• Cost of ownership can be very expensive
• User reviews report slow speeds with large amounts of code

6. Rainforest QA

Rainforest QA is an innovative, codeless software testing solution. It curates solutions that streamline the testing process and improve efficiency.

What sets Rainforest QA apart as an excellent Puppeteer alternative is its accessibility, as you don't need extensive coding expertise to get started. It is a great tool for beginners, but it's not limited to them exclusively. Rainforest QA's standardized testing approach reduces the time and resources required for any user, regardless of their skill level.

Moreover, Rainforest QA enhances your testing capabilities by executing actions outside the usual browser environment. It seamlessly integrates with existing CI/CD processes, only adding to your workflow efficiency with continuous deployment pipelines.

🌟Key features

• Automated web browser testing

➕Pros

• Open-source
• No coding skills required
• AI-driven
• Easy to integrate
• Broadens testing capabilities

➖Cons

• Cost of ownership can be very expensive
• No testing for mobile apps
• User reviews report occasional inaccurate tests
• User reviews report limited testing customization options
• User reviews report that RainforestQA is unable to test on local environments

7. Keploy

Keploy is an open-source automation tool created for converting real user traffic into test scenarios. It simplifies API testing, as its core function is automating test creation and simplifying the maintenance of test suites.

One standout feature that makes Keploy a fairly compelling alternative to Puppeteer is its automated test and stub generation. This innovative feature transforms real user interactions into test cases, significantly reducing the need for manual test script writing. This not only saves time and effort, which translates into money.

Keploy offers seamless integration with a wide range of popular tools and workflows that you probably already use. This versatility allows most teams to effortlessly incorporate Keploy into their existing development processes without any obstacles.

🌟Key features

• Automated API testing

➕Pros

• Open-source
• AI-driven
• Native integrations
• Automated test and stub generation

➖Cons

• Cost of ownership can be very expensive
• Almost zero reviews online

8. Webdriver

Webdriver is a versatile open-source solution designed for Node.js, facilitating both command-line and JavaScript-based automated testing. It boasts support for all major web browsers and offers an extensive array of integrations.

Webdriver can offer remarkable flexibility thanks to its open-source nature. The customizable framework is particularly tempting for developers because it can be tailored to accommodate various servers, plugins, and reporting needs.

Webdriver goes a step further by enabling testing in real environments utilized by actual users. Whether it's comprehensive end-to-end testing, unit testing, or component testing in browsers, Webdriver is a great choice. Additionally, its auto-wait feature automatically delays interactions with elements until they appear, making Webdriver a compelling alternative to Puppeteer.

🌟Key features

• Automated web browser and mobile testing

➕Pros

• Open-source
• Highly customizable framework
• Powerful automation protocol (Webdriver protocol)
• Compatible with every major browser, including cloud-based browsers

➖Cons

• Cost of ownership can be very expensive
• Zero recent reviews online

9. Cypress

Similar to Playwright (see #1 above), Cypress provides a high degree of flexibility. It's primarily known for its ability to test modern web applications directly within the browser. This approach allows you to observe components and end-to-end tests in real time, making it very valuable while developing your application.

One of Cypress' advantages is its streamlined approach to debugging failures. Being an in-browser tool, it seamlessly integrates with familiar developer tools, making the debugging process straightforward and very convenient.

Cypress stands out further by eliminating the need for servers, drivers, or complex dependencies with installations and configurations. This simplicity enables users to create passing tests quickly, often within a matter of minutes.

Not a big fan of Cypress? Check out some similar tools to Cypress.

🌟Key features

• Frontend testing
• API testing

➕Pros

• Easy setup and fast execution
• Open-source and paid options
• Cross-platform
• Cross-browser
• Real-time browser testing

➖Cons

• User reviews report issues with testing Chromium-based browsers
• Some important features like reports and XPath require third-party plugins
• Tests can not execute in multiple browser sessions

💲Pricing

As I mentioned in the pros section just above, Cypress has both an open-source and paid option. The biggest difference between these options is that with open-source you’re hosting the service yourself, and the paid version is hosted in their cloud.

The first paid plan is the Team plan at $75/month. This includes 50 users and up to 10,000 tests.

The Business plan starts at $300/month, coming with the same number of users and tests. However, with this tier, you unlock features like Spec Prioritization, Auto Cancellation, and SSO.

10. AskUI

Starting in 2021, AskUI swiftly gained popularity among UI testing enthusiasts. Its approach involves the execution of simulations and the automation of all user interface commands. These commands are carefully crafted to replicate authentic user interactions, utilizing collected data and advanced deep-learning technology to analyze and enhance UI elements.

AskUI is platform-independent and it utilizes AI to automate frameworks such as QT, Flutter, and Xamarin. It goes a step further by implementing cross-platform workflows, enabling end-to-end automation across a variety of applications.

AskUI excels in automating enterprise application testing. It offers valuable insights into platforms like Salesforce, Citrix, SAP, and ServiceNow. Additionally, it supports the testing of native mobile applications on both Android and iOS, with compatibility for both virtual and real devices.

🌟Key features

• Automated UI testing

➕Pros

• Open-source
• Cross-application
• Cross-platform
• Native mobile testing
• Enterprise application support

➖Cons

• Cost of ownership can be very expensive
• Almost zero reviews online

Top 10 Puppeteer Alternatives Comparison

Conclusion

If you’re in the market for a Puppeteer alternative, then feel free to reference this list any time you need. Just because it’s managed by the highly capable team over at Chrome DevTools doesn’t mean that Puppeteer is the right fit for everyone.

The most important advice anyone can give you when looking for an alternative is to take your time and do your research. Whether it’s open-source or paid, the tool should be tested to see if it meshes with your workflows.

We’ll take this final moment to restate that if you want to try Playwright but are scared of self-hosting, don’t panic. Better Stack can take all the burden of maintaining your own servers and still give you all the front-end testing power that Playwright has to offer.

Article by

Zach McDaniel

With his laptop as a sword and coffee machine as a shield, Zach is a content strategist here at Better Stack. When he's not wordsmithing, he's putting together PCs, working on cars, or scheming about how to own a zoo one day.

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