Selenium vs Playwright: Which to Choose in 2026

TL;DR

• Playwright: Modern, faster, auto-waiting, better debugging, Microsoft-backed
• Selenium: Mature, larger ecosystem, more languages, enterprise-proven
• Speed: Playwright 2-3x faster due to architecture
• Stability: Playwright has built-in auto-waiting, Selenium needs explicit waits
• Choose Playwright for: new projects, modern web apps, TypeScript teams
• Choose Selenium for: legacy apps, existing infrastructure, exotic languages

Reading time: 11 minutes

Selenium has been the industry standard for 20 years. Playwright arrived in 2020 and quickly gained traction. If you’re starting a new project or considering migration, this comparison will help you decide.

Quick Comparison

Architecture Comparison

Selenium WebDriver

Selenium uses the WebDriver protocol — a W3C standard for browser automation:

Test Code → WebDriver → Browser Driver → Browser

Each browser requires a separate driver (ChromeDriver, GeckoDriver). The HTTP-based protocol adds latency.

// Selenium - explicit waits needed
WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
WebElement element = wait.until(
    ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("submit"))
);
element.click();

Playwright

Playwright communicates directly with browsers via native protocols:

Test Code → Playwright → Browser (direct connection)

No separate drivers needed. Direct protocol means faster execution.

// Playwright - auto-waiting built-in
await page.click('#submit');  // Waits automatically

Speed Comparison

Real-World Benchmark

Test suite: 50 tests, login flow, CRUD operations, form validations.

Why Playwright is faster:

• No HTTP overhead (direct browser connection)
• Built-in auto-waiting eliminates sleep statements
• Browser contexts for fast isolation
• Parallel execution without Grid

Test Stability

Selenium Flakiness

Common causes of flaky Selenium tests:

• Missing or incorrect waits
• Element not interactable errors
• Stale element references
• Timing issues

// Common Selenium pattern - lots of waits
driver.get(url);
Thread.sleep(2000);  // Bad practice but common
wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("form")));
driver.findElement(By.id("email")).sendKeys("test@example.com");
wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("submit")));
driver.findElement(By.id("submit")).click();

Playwright Stability

Auto-waiting handles most timing issues:

// Playwright - cleaner, more stable
await page.goto(url);
await page.fill('#email', 'test@example.com');
await page.click('#submit');
// All actions auto-wait for elements

Ecosystem and Community

Selenium Ecosystem

• 20+ years of development
• Selenium Grid for distributed testing
• Massive community and learning resources
• Enterprise adoption — most companies have Selenium experience
• Appium for mobile (built on WebDriver)

Playwright Ecosystem

• Rapid growth since 2020
• Built-in features reduce dependency on plugins
• Microsoft backing ensures long-term support
• Modern tooling — VS Code extension, trace viewer
• Growing community — catching up fast

Code Comparison

Page Object Model

Selenium (Java):

public class LoginPage {
    private WebDriver driver;

    @FindBy(id = "email")
    private WebElement emailInput;

    @FindBy(id = "password")
    private WebElement passwordInput;

    public LoginPage(WebDriver driver) {
        this.driver = driver;
        PageFactory.initElements(driver, this);
    }

    public void login(String email, String password) {
        emailInput.sendKeys(email);
        passwordInput.sendKeys(password);
        driver.findElement(By.id("submit")).click();
    }
}

Playwright (TypeScript):

class LoginPage {
    constructor(private page: Page) {}

    async login(email: string, password: string) {
        await this.page.fill('#email', email);
        await this.page.fill('#password', password);
        await this.page.click('#submit');
    }
}

When to Choose Selenium

1. Legacy browser support — need IE11 or old browser versions
2. Existing infrastructure — Grid already deployed, team trained
3. Mobile testing — need Appium integration
4. Specific languages — Ruby, Kotlin bindings needed
5. Enterprise requirements — corporate standards mandate Selenium

When to Choose Playwright

1. New projects — starting fresh without legacy constraints
2. Modern web apps — SPAs, dynamic content, WebSocket apps
3. Speed matters — CI/CD pipeline optimization
4. TypeScript teams — excellent TypeScript support
5. Cross-browser testing — need WebKit/Safari testing on any OS

Migration Strategy

Gradual Migration

1. Run both frameworks — new tests in Playwright, maintain Selenium
2. Migrate by feature — start with least critical areas
3. Measure improvements — track speed and stability gains
4. Full migration — once team is comfortable

Code Translation

// Selenium
driver.findElement(By.cssSelector(".btn")).click();
driver.findElement(By.id("input")).sendKeys("text");
String text = driver.findElement(By.className("result")).getText();

// Playwright equivalent
await page.click('.btn');
await page.fill('#input', 'text');
const text = await page.textContent('.result');

AI-Assisted Migration

AI tools can help with Selenium to Playwright migration.

What AI does well:

• Converting Selenium code to Playwright syntax
• Identifying equivalent locator strategies
• Generating Page Object patterns
• Suggesting modern testing patterns

What still needs humans:

• Evaluating migration ROI
• Handling custom framework integrations
• Managing parallel test infrastructure
• Training team on new patterns

FAQ

Is Playwright better than Selenium?

For modern web applications, Playwright often provides better developer experience. It has built-in auto-waiting that reduces flaky tests, faster execution due to direct browser protocols, and simpler setup. However, Selenium has broader browser support, larger ecosystem, and more language bindings. “Better” depends on your specific requirements.

Should I migrate from Selenium to Playwright?

Consider migration if you frequently deal with flaky tests, slow execution times, or need better support for modern web features. Keep Selenium if you require legacy browser support (IE11), have extensive existing infrastructure, or use languages Playwright doesn’t support well. Many teams run both during gradual migration.

Is Playwright replacing Selenium?

Playwright is not replacing Selenium but becoming the preferred choice for new projects. Selenium remains dominant in enterprise environments with existing investments in Grid infrastructure and trained teams. Market data shows Playwright adoption growing rapidly while Selenium maintains stable usage.

Can Playwright and Selenium work together?

Yes, you can run both in the same project. Some teams migrate gradually, writing new tests in Playwright while maintaining existing Selenium tests. This isn’t recommended long-term due to maintenance overhead of two frameworks, but it’s a valid migration strategy.

See Also

• Selenium Tutorial - Complete Selenium guide
• Playwright Tutorial - Modern web testing
• Playwright vs Cypress - Modern tools comparison
• Test Automation Tutorial - Automation fundamentals