Playwright vs Puppeteer: Key Differences & When to Use Each

Comprehensive side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and metrics

Key Differences

Compare Playwright and Puppeteer across features, pricing, integrations, and community metrics. Playwright / Puppeteer.

Feature

Playwright

Testing

Puppeteer

Testing

Side-by-side comparison of developer tools
Cross-browser web automation
Puppeteer is a JavaScript API for automating Chrome and Firefox browsers, allowing developers to perform headless browser testing and automation.
GitHub Stars
⭐ 87,902
⭐ No data available
Contributors
👥 738
👥 No data available
Pricing
✓ Free
Enterprise: Contact sales
✓ Free
Languages
TypeScript
JavaScript TypeScript
Features
  • Automation
  • Chrome
  • Chromium
  • E2e Testing
  • Electron
  • Headless browser automation
  • Cross-browser support for Chrome and Firefox
  • JavaScript API
  • Node.js integration
Integrations
No integrations listed
  • • Chrome
  • • Firefox
  • • Node.js
Momentum Score
79/100 (slowing)
6/100 (stable)
Community Health
50/100 (developing)
6/100 (needs-attention)
Maturity Index
71/100 (established)
5/100 (experimental)
Innovation Score
76/100 (innovative)
7/100 (traditional)
Risk Score (higher is safer)
62/100 (low)
5/100 (high)
Developer Experience
68/100 (fair)
5/100 (poor)
Links

Playwright Strengths

  • ✓ More popular (87,902 stars)
  • ✓ Larger community (738 contributors)
  • ✓ More features (5 listed)

Puppeteer Strengths

When to Use Playwright vs Puppeteer

Use Playwright when its strengths align better with your stack and team needs, and choose Puppeteer when its ecosystem, integrations, or cost profile is a better fit.

Data source: GitHub API

Last updated: 5/4/2026