Selenium vs Playwright in 2026 -- The Definitive Migration Guide

Selenium has been the backbone of browser automation for nearly two decades. It pioneered the WebDriver protocol, built an enormous ecosystem across every major programming language, and became the default choice for enterprise test automation. But in 2026, Playwright has emerged as a serious challenger -- offering a fundamentally different architecture, modern developer experience, and capabilities that Selenium cannot match without significant additional tooling.

This guide provides an honest, thorough comparison of Selenium and Playwright. We cover the architectural differences that explain why each tool behaves the way it does, show side-by-side code examples so you can see the practical impact, and lay out a concrete migration path for teams ready to move from Selenium to Playwright. Whether you are evaluating Playwright for the first time or planning a migration, this article will help you make the right call.

Key Takeaways

• Architecture: Selenium uses the WebDriver protocol as a middleman between your test code and the browser. Playwright communicates directly with browsers via the Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP), Firefox's debugging protocol, and a WebKit-specific protocol -- eliminating an entire layer of latency and complexity.
• Setup: Selenium requires separate driver management (ChromeDriver, GeckoDriver, etc.) and version alignment. Playwright bundles browser binaries and manages them automatically with a single npx playwright install command.
• Auto-waiting: Playwright auto-waits for elements to be actionable before performing actions. Selenium requires explicit WebDriverWait conditions, which are a leading source of flaky tests.
• Speed: Playwright is 2-5x faster than Selenium for equivalent test suites thanks to its protocol-level communication, lightweight browser contexts, and native parallel execution.
• Debugging: Playwright ships with Trace Viewer, UI mode, Inspector, and codegen. Selenium relies on screenshots, logs, and third-party tools for debugging.
• Migration: Moving from Selenium to Playwright is straightforward. Most Selenium patterns have direct Playwright equivalents, and the migration can be done incrementally.
• Selenium still makes sense for teams with large Java/C#/.NET codebases, multi-browser edge cases requiring the W3C WebDriver standard, or massive existing suites where migration cost outweighs the benefits.

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Architecture: WebDriver vs Chrome DevTools Protocol

The single most important difference between Selenium and Playwright is how they communicate with browsers. This architectural choice cascades into almost every practical difference you will encounter.

Selenium: The WebDriver Middleman

Selenium uses the W3C WebDriver protocol. When your test code calls a method like driver.findElement(), here is what happens:

1. Your test code sends an HTTP request to a WebDriver server (ChromeDriver, GeckoDriver, etc.)
2. The WebDriver server translates that request into browser-specific commands
3. The browser executes the command and returns a response
4. The WebDriver server translates the response back to the WebDriver protocol
5. Your test code receives the result

This three-tier architecture -- test code, WebDriver server, browser -- was revolutionary when it was introduced. It enabled a single API to work across all major browsers. But it introduces latency on every single operation: every click, every element lookup, every assertion requires a round trip through the WebDriver server.

Test Code --> HTTP --> WebDriver Server --> Browser
         <-- HTTP <-- WebDriver Server <-- Browser

Playwright: Direct Protocol Communication

Playwright takes a fundamentally different approach. It communicates directly with browsers using their native debugging protocols:

• Chromium: Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP)
• Firefox: A custom protocol built specifically for Playwright (not the standard remote debugging protocol)
• WebKit: A WebKit-specific inspection protocol

Your test code sends commands directly to the browser over a persistent WebSocket connection. There is no middleman, no HTTP round trips, no driver version management. This direct connection enables capabilities that are impossible with WebDriver: intercepting network requests at the protocol level, emulating devices and permissions, and receiving real-time events from the browser.

Test Code --> WebSocket --> Browser (direct, bidirectional)

Why This Matters

The architectural difference is not just academic. It explains:

• Why Playwright is faster: No HTTP overhead on every command
• Why Playwright can auto-wait: It receives real-time events from the browser about DOM mutations, network activity, and navigation state
• Why Playwright supports features Selenium cannot: Multi-tab control, network interception, geolocation emulation, and permission management all come from direct protocol access
• Why Selenium has broader browser support: The W3C WebDriver standard is implemented by every browser vendor, including niche browsers that Playwright does not target

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Setup Comparison

Getting started with each tool reveals immediate differences in developer experience.

Selenium Setup

Selenium requires installing the language binding, a browser driver, and ensuring the driver version matches the installed browser version. In Java (Selenium's most popular language):

// Maven dependency (pom.xml)
// <dependency>
//   <groupId>org.seleniumhq.selenium</groupId>
//   <artifactId>selenium-java</artifactId>
//   <version>4.18.0</version>
// </dependency>

// You also need ChromeDriver matching your Chrome version
// Option 1: Download manually from chromedriver.chromium.org
// Option 2: Use WebDriverManager (recommended)
// <dependency>
//   <groupId>io.github.bonigarcia</groupId>
//   <artifactId>webdrivermanager</artifactId>
//   <version>5.7.0</version>
// </dependency>

import io.github.bonigarcia.wdm.WebDriverManager;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

public class SetupExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        driver.get("https://example.com");
        System.out.println(driver.getTitle());
        driver.quit();
    }
}

Driver version mismatches are one of the most common sources of frustration with Selenium. When Chrome auto-updates but ChromeDriver does not, tests break with cryptic error messages. WebDriverManager helps, but it is an additional dependency and another point of failure.

Playwright Setup

Playwright bundles everything you need. One install command gets you the library and all browser binaries:

# Initialize a new Playwright project
npm init playwright@latest

# Or add to an existing project
npm install -D @playwright/test
npx playwright install

That is it. No driver management, no version alignment, no additional dependencies. Playwright downloads pinned browser builds that are guaranteed to work with the installed version of the library. Every developer and CI runner gets identical browser binaries.

// playwright.config.ts -- generated by init command
import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';

export default defineConfig({
  testDir: './tests',
  fullyParallel: true,
  retries: process.env.CI ? 2 : 0,
  workers: process.env.CI ? 1 : undefined,
  reporter: 'html',
  use: {
    baseURL: 'http://localhost:3000',
    trace: 'on-first-retry',
  },
  projects: [
    { name: 'chromium', use: { browserName: 'chromium' } },
    { name: 'firefox', use: { browserName: 'firefox' } },
    { name: 'webkit', use: { browserName: 'webkit' } },
  ],
});

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Side-by-Side Code Examples: The Same Login Test

Let us write the exact same test in both frameworks -- a login flow that enters credentials, submits the form, and verifies the user lands on the dashboard.

Selenium (Java)

import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.ExpectedConditions;
import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.WebDriverWait;
import io.github.bonigarcia.wdm.WebDriverManager;

import java.time.Duration;

import org.junit.jupiter.api.*;
import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;

public class LoginTest {

    private WebDriver driver;
    private WebDriverWait wait;

    @BeforeEach
    void setUp() {
        WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
        driver = new ChromeDriver();
        wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
    }

    @AfterEach
    void tearDown() {
        if (driver != null) {
            driver.quit();
        }
    }

    @Test
    void shouldLoginSuccessfully() {
        driver.get("https://myapp.com/login");

        // Find elements by ID and wait for visibility
        WebElement emailField = wait.until(
            ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("email"))
        );
        emailField.clear();
        emailField.sendKeys("user@example.com");

        WebElement passwordField = driver.findElement(By.id("password"));
        passwordField.clear();
        passwordField.sendKeys("securePassword123");

        // Click submit button using CSS selector
        WebElement submitButton = driver.findElement(
            By.cssSelector("button[type='submit']")
        );
        submitButton.click();

        // Wait for navigation and verify
        wait.until(
            ExpectedConditions.urlContains("/dashboard")
        );

        WebElement welcomeMessage = wait.until(
            ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(
                By.xpath("//h1[contains(text(), 'Welcome')]")
            )
        );

        assertTrue(welcomeMessage.isDisplayed());
        assertTrue(driver.getCurrentUrl().contains("/dashboard"));
    }
}

Playwright (TypeScript)

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('should login successfully', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://myapp.com/login');

  // Semantic locators -- no IDs or CSS selectors needed
  await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('user@example.com');
  await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('securePassword123');

  // Click by role and accessible name
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' }).click();

  // Auto-waits for navigation and element visibility
  await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/dashboard/);
  await expect(
    page.getByRole('heading', { name: /Welcome/ })
  ).toBeVisible();
});

The Playwright version is roughly one third the code. There is no explicit waiting, no driver setup, no teardown. The locators are semantic and accessible. The assertions auto-wait for the expected state.

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Selector Strategies Comparison

How you locate elements on the page is central to test reliability. Selenium and Playwright take very different approaches.

Selenium Selectors

Selenium provides the By class with these primary strategies:

// By ID -- most common in Selenium tests
driver.findElement(By.id("email"));

// By CSS Selector -- flexible but brittle
driver.findElement(By.cssSelector("button.submit-btn"));

// By XPath -- powerful but hard to read and maintain
driver.findElement(By.xpath("//div[@class='form']//input[@name='email']"));

// By Name attribute
driver.findElement(By.name("email"));

// By Class Name
driver.findElement(By.className("submit-button"));

// By Link Text
driver.findElement(By.linkText("Sign Up"));

// By Tag Name
driver.findElement(By.tagName("input"));

Selenium selectors are implementation-focused. They rely on HTML attributes, CSS classes, and DOM structure -- all of which change frequently during development. This is why Selenium tests are notorious for breaking when the UI is refactored, even when the user-facing behavior is unchanged.

Playwright Selectors

Playwright encourages user-facing locators that mirror how a real user finds elements:

// By accessible role -- the recommended default
page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' });
page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Dashboard' });
page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Email' });

// By label text -- for form fields
page.getByLabel('Email');
page.getByLabel('Password');

// By visible text content
page.getByText('Welcome back');

// By placeholder text
page.getByPlaceholder('Enter your email');

// By test ID -- fallback for elements without good accessible names
page.getByTestId('submit-button');

// CSS and XPath still available when needed
page.locator('css=button.submit');
page.locator('xpath=//div[@class="form"]');

Selector Strategy Summary

Strategy	Selenium	Playwright
By ID	By.id("email")	page.getByTestId("email")
By CSS	By.cssSelector(".btn")	page.locator(".btn")
By XPath	By.xpath("//div")	page.locator("xpath=//div")
By text	By.linkText("Click")	page.getByText("Click")
By role	Not built-in	page.getByRole("button")
By label	Not built-in	page.getByLabel("Email")
By placeholder	Not built-in	page.getByPlaceholder("Search")

Playwright's locator hierarchy -- role, label, text, test ID -- produces tests that are resilient to implementation changes. If a developer changes the button's CSS class or moves it to a different part of the DOM, the test still passes because it finds the button by its accessible role and name.

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Auto-Waiting: The Biggest Day-to-Day Difference

If there is one feature that makes the biggest practical difference between Selenium and Playwright, it is auto-waiting. Flaky tests caused by timing issues are the number one complaint about Selenium, and auto-waiting is Playwright's answer.

Selenium: Explicit Waits Required

In Selenium, you must explicitly wait for elements to be in the expected state:

// Without explicit wait -- FRAGILE, will fail intermittently
WebElement button = driver.findElement(By.id("submit"));
button.click(); // May fail if button is not yet clickable

// With explicit wait -- CORRECT but verbose
WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));

WebElement button = wait.until(
    ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("submit"))
);
button.click();

// Waiting for text to appear
wait.until(
    ExpectedConditions.textToBePresentInElementLocated(
        By.id("status"), "Success"
    )
);

// Waiting for element to disappear (loading spinner)
wait.until(
    ExpectedConditions.invisibilityOfElementLocated(
        By.className("loading-spinner")
    )
);

Every interaction requires a judgment call: do I need a wait here? What condition should I wait for? What timeout is appropriate? Forgetting a wait or choosing the wrong condition leads to flaky tests that pass locally but fail in CI.

Playwright: Auto-Waiting Built In

Playwright automatically waits for elements to be actionable before performing any action:

// Playwright auto-waits for the button to be:
// - Attached to DOM
// - Visible
// - Stable (not animating)
// - Enabled (not disabled)
// - Not obscured by other elements
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Submit' }).click();

// Assertions auto-retry until they pass or timeout
await expect(page.getByText('Success')).toBeVisible();

// Auto-waits for the spinner to disappear
await expect(page.locator('.loading-spinner')).toBeHidden();

// Even navigation is auto-waited
await page.goto('/dashboard');
// Playwright waits for the load event by default

There is no manual wait code. Playwright's auto-waiting checks multiple conditions before every action, and its assertions automatically retry with a configurable timeout. This eliminates an entire category of flaky tests.

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Parallel Execution

Running tests in parallel is critical for keeping CI pipelines fast as your test suite grows.

Selenium: Grid and Docker Required

Selenium does not have built-in parallel execution. To run tests in parallel, you need infrastructure:

# Option 1: Selenium Grid (requires setup and maintenance)
java -jar selenium-server-4.18.0.jar hub
java -jar selenium-server-4.18.0.jar node --hub http://hub:4444

# Option 2: Docker Compose with Selenium Grid
# docker-compose.yml with selenium/hub and selenium/node-chrome images

# Option 3: TestNG parallel attribute (Java-specific)
# testng.xml: <suite parallel="methods" thread-count="4">

Running Selenium tests in parallel requires either Selenium Grid (a separate infrastructure component), Docker containers, or test framework-level parallelism with careful thread safety. Each approach adds complexity and maintenance burden.

Playwright: Built-In Parallel Workers

Playwright runs tests in parallel by default with zero configuration:

# Runs with half your CPU cores as workers by default
npx playwright test

# Explicitly set worker count
npx playwright test --workers=4

# Shard across CI machines
npx playwright test --shard=1/4
npx playwright test --shard=2/4
npx playwright test --shard=3/4
npx playwright test --shard=4/4

Each worker gets its own browser instance with complete isolation. No shared state, no thread safety issues, no infrastructure to manage. On an 8-core CI runner, Playwright can execute 4 test files simultaneously out of the box.

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Debugging

When tests fail, you need to understand why. The debugging experience is dramatically different between the two tools.

Selenium: Limited Built-In Debugging

Selenium's debugging toolkit is minimal:

• Screenshots: driver.getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE) captures the page state at a specific moment
• Page source: driver.getPageSource() returns the current HTML
• Browser logs: driver.manage().logs().get(LogType.BROWSER) retrieves console logs
• Third-party tools: Most teams use Allure, ExtentReports, or similar frameworks for richer reporting

When a Selenium test fails in CI, you typically get a screenshot and a stack trace. Reconstructing what happened before the failure requires adding logging, recording videos (via external tools), or reproducing the issue locally.

Playwright: Comprehensive Debugging Suite

Playwright ships with an integrated debugging toolkit:

# Trace Viewer -- complete recording of test execution
# Enable in config: trace: 'on-first-retry'
npx playwright show-trace trace.zip
# Shows: screenshots at every step, DOM snapshots, network log,
# console output, and source code -- all synchronized on a timeline

# UI Mode -- interactive test runner with live browser
npx playwright test --ui

# Debug Mode -- step-through debugger with element inspector
npx playwright test --debug

# Codegen -- record actions and generate test code
npx playwright codegen https://example.com

The Trace Viewer alone is a game-changer. When a test fails in CI, the trace captures everything: before and after screenshots for every action, the complete DOM at each step, all network requests and responses, and console output. You can debug CI failures without reproducing them locally.

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Full Comparison Table

Feature	Selenium	Playwright
Architecture	WebDriver protocol (HTTP-based middleman)	Direct browser protocols (CDP, Firefox, WebKit)
Setup	Driver management required (ChromeDriver, GeckoDriver)	Bundled browsers, single install command
Languages	Java, Python, C#, Ruby, JavaScript, Kotlin	TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Java, C#
Browsers	Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, IE (legacy)	Chromium, Firefox, WebKit (covers Chrome, Edge, Safari)
Auto-Waiting	Manual (WebDriverWait + ExpectedConditions)	Built-in for all actions and assertions
Parallel Execution	Requires Grid, Docker, or test framework config	Native workers, built-in sharding
Speed (200-test suite)	~4-6 minutes (serial)	~35-60 seconds (parallel, 4 workers)
Mobile Testing	Appium required (separate tool)	Built-in device emulation (WebKit + profiles)
API Testing	Not supported (browser-only)	Built-in (page.request / APIRequestContext)
Visual Testing	Third-party tools required	Built-in (toHaveScreenshot)
Debugging	Screenshots, logs, third-party reporters	Trace Viewer, UI Mode, Inspector, Codegen
Network Interception	Not supported natively	Built-in route-based interception
Community Size	Largest (20+ years of ecosystem)	Fast-growing (72K+ GitHub stars)
Learning Curve	Moderate (verbose API, many concepts)	Moderate (modern async/await, excellent docs)
CI/CD Integration	Requires Grid or Docker for parallel CI	Native sharding, GitHub Actions template included
Documentation	Comprehensive but sprawling across languages	Excellent, well-organized, interactive examples
Multi-Tab / Multi-Window	Supported but complex (window handles)	Native (browser contexts and pages)
iFrame Support	switchTo().frame() (context switching)	frameLocator() (no context switching needed)
File Upload/Download	Complex (varies by browser)	Native API support
Auth State Reuse	Manual cookie/storage management	storageState (save and restore in one line)
Pricing	Free and open source	Free and open source
Backing	Selenium Project (community-governed)	Microsoft

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Migration Path: Selenium to Playwright

If you have decided to migrate from Selenium to Playwright, here is a systematic approach with concrete code mappings.

Step 1: Set Up Playwright Alongside Selenium

You do not need to remove Selenium first. Install Playwright in your project and start writing new tests with it:

npm init playwright@latest
# This creates playwright.config.ts, a tests/ folder, and installs browsers

Step 2: Learn the Code Mapping

Here is how common Selenium patterns translate to Playwright:

Navigation:

// Selenium
driver.get("https://example.com");
driver.navigate().back();
driver.navigate().refresh();
String title = driver.getTitle();

// Playwright
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.goBack();
await page.reload();
const title = await page.title();

Element Location:

Selenium	Playwright
findElement(By.id("x"))	page.getByTestId("x") or page.locator("#x")
findElement(By.cssSelector(".btn"))	page.locator(".btn")
findElement(By.xpath("//div"))	page.locator("xpath=//div")
findElement(By.linkText("Click"))	page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Click' })
findElement(By.name("email"))	page.getByLabel('Email')
findElements(By.className("item"))	page.locator(".item").all()

Interactions:

// Selenium
element.sendKeys("text");
element.clear();
element.click();
new Select(element).selectByVisibleText("Option");
element.sendKeys(Keys.ENTER);

// Playwright
await locator.fill('text');           // clears and types
await locator.clear();
await locator.click();
await locator.selectOption({ label: 'Option' });
await locator.press('Enter');

Waits:

Selenium Wait	Playwright Equivalent
ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated()	Just interact -- Playwright auto-waits
ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable()	await locator.click() -- auto-waits for clickability
ExpectedConditions.textToBePresentInElement()	await expect(locator).toHaveText() -- auto-retries
ExpectedConditions.urlContains()	await expect(page).toHaveURL() -- auto-retries
ExpectedConditions.invisibilityOfElementLocated()	await expect(locator).toBeHidden() -- auto-retries
Thread.sleep() / implicitlyWait()	Never needed in Playwright

Step 3: Migrate Page Objects

Selenium Page Object Model classes translate cleanly to Playwright:

// Selenium Page Object
public class LoginPage {
    private WebDriver driver;
    private WebDriverWait wait;
    private By emailField = By.id("email");
    private By passwordField = By.id("password");
    private By submitButton = By.cssSelector("button[type='submit']");

    public LoginPage(WebDriver driver) {
        this.driver = driver;
        this.wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
    }

    public void login(String email, String password) {
        wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(emailField));
        driver.findElement(emailField).sendKeys(email);
        driver.findElement(passwordField).sendKeys(password);
        driver.findElement(submitButton).click();
    }
}

// Playwright Page Object
import { type Page, type Locator } from '@playwright/test';

export class LoginPage {
  private readonly emailField: Locator;
  private readonly passwordField: Locator;
  private readonly submitButton: Locator;

  constructor(private readonly page: Page) {
    this.emailField = page.getByLabel('Email');
    this.passwordField = page.getByLabel('Password');
    this.submitButton = page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' });
  }

  async login(email: string, password: string) {
    await this.emailField.fill(email);
    await this.passwordField.fill(password);
    await this.submitButton.click();
  }
}

Notice how the Playwright version has no waits, no driver management boilerplate, and uses semantic locators instead of brittle CSS selectors and IDs.

Step 4: Migrate Incrementally

Follow this priority order:

1. New tests: Write all new tests in Playwright immediately
2. Flaky tests: Any Selenium test that fails intermittently is a prime migration candidate -- Playwright's auto-waiting usually fixes the flakiness
3. Critical path tests: Migrate login, checkout, registration flows next
4. Remaining tests: Migrate by feature area, one module at a time
5. Decommission: Remove Selenium dependencies once all tests are migrated

Run both suites in parallel during migration. This lets you validate that Playwright tests match Selenium behavior before removing the originals.

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When Selenium Still Makes Sense

Despite Playwright's advantages, there are legitimate reasons to stick with Selenium:

• Legacy Java/.NET codebases: If your entire test infrastructure is Java with TestNG/JUnit, Page Factory, and years of custom utilities, the migration cost may outweigh the benefits. Selenium 4.x is a capable tool.
• W3C WebDriver compliance requirements: Some enterprises require W3C-standard browser automation for compliance or audit reasons. Selenium is the reference implementation.
• Exotic browser support: If you need to test in Opera, Internet Explorer (legacy apps), or other niche browsers, Selenium's broad WebDriver ecosystem is the only option.
• Large existing suites: A team with 5,000+ Selenium tests and mature CI infrastructure may rationally decide that the migration risk is not worth the speed improvement.
• Appium integration: If you need native mobile testing (not just browser emulation), Selenium's integration with Appium for iOS and Android testing is more mature than Playwright's mobile story.
• Multi-language teams: If different teams within your organization use different languages (Java team, Ruby team, C# team), Selenium's broader language support may be more practical.

For teams that choose to stay with Selenium, the selenium-advanced QA skill can help your AI agent write better, more reliable Selenium tests:

npx @qaskills/cli add selenium-advanced

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How QA Skills Help You Master Either Framework

Whether you are migrating to Playwright or optimizing your Selenium suite, QA Skills can accelerate your work by encoding expert-level patterns directly into your AI coding agent.

The playwright-e2e Skill

Install the Playwright skill to teach your AI agent battle-tested Playwright patterns:

• Page Object Model with TypeScript and proper locator strategies
• Fixture-based authentication and test data management
• Network interception and API mocking patterns
• Visual regression testing with baseline management
• Parallel execution and CI sharding configuration
• Trace capture and debugging workflows

npx @qaskills/cli add playwright-e2e

The selenium-advanced Skill

For teams staying with Selenium, the advanced skill teaches your AI agent:

• Modern Selenium 4 patterns with explicit waits and fluent API
• Page Object Model with Page Factory and element caching
• Cross-browser test configuration with WebDriverManager
• Selenium Grid setup and parallel execution patterns
• Screenshot and reporting integration
• Robust selector strategies that minimize flakiness

npx @qaskills/cli add selenium-advanced

Building a Complete Testing Stack

Combine framework skills with complementary testing skills for comprehensive coverage:

# Playwright migration stack
npx @qaskills/cli add playwright-e2e
npx @qaskills/cli add visual-regression
npx @qaskills/cli add accessibility-axe
npx @qaskills/cli add api-testing-rest-assured
npx @qaskills/cli add k6-performance

Browse the full directory of testing skills at qaskills.sh/skills, explore skills by AI agent compatibility, or follow the getting started guide to install your first skill in under a minute.

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Conclusion

Selenium and Playwright are both capable browser automation tools, but they serve different eras of web development. Selenium was built for the world of 2004 -- multi-browser compatibility via a standardized protocol was the primary challenge. Playwright was built for the world of 2020 and beyond -- speed, developer experience, and modern web application complexity are the priorities.

Choose Playwright if you are starting a new project, need cross-browser coverage (including WebKit/Safari), want built-in parallel execution, or your tests suffer from flakiness caused by timing issues. Playwright's auto-waiting, Trace Viewer, and protocol-level browser control make it the stronger choice for most teams in 2026.

Choose Selenium if you have a large existing Java/.NET test suite, need W3C WebDriver compliance, require Appium integration for native mobile testing, or your organization has deep institutional knowledge in Selenium patterns.

For teams migrating, the path from Selenium to Playwright is well-trodden. The code mappings are straightforward, the migration can be done incrementally, and the payoff -- faster tests, fewer flaky failures, better debugging -- is substantial. Start by writing new tests in Playwright, migrate flaky tests next, and work through the rest at your own pace.

Whichever framework you choose, give your AI agent the specialized knowledge it needs to write production-grade tests. The playwright-e2e and selenium-advanced skills on QASkills.sh encode years of testing expertise into patterns your agent can apply immediately.

# Get started today
npx @qaskills/cli add playwright-e2e
# or
npx @qaskills/cli add selenium-advanced

For more framework comparisons, check out Cypress vs Playwright in 2026. Explore all available skills at qaskills.sh/skills or browse by AI agent.

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Written by Pramod Dutta, founder of The Testing Academy and QASkills.sh.