Cypress vs Playwright (2026)
Head-to-head comparison for vibe coders: scores, free tiers, pricing and best-for, using the same evidence-based methodology. Rankings are never for sale.
Open-source browser E2E and component testing with optional Cypress Cloud
Open-source end-to-end browser testing
Side-by-side comparison
| Criterion | Cypress | Playwright |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 88/100 | 92/100 |
| Free tier | Yes: Cypress App is free MIT open source; Cloud Starter is free with 10 users, 500 recorded test results/mo and 100 cy.prompt executions/mo (no card); free Cloud upgrades available for qualified public OSS | Yes: free Apache-2.0 framework |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Cypress App free (MIT). Cypress Cloud: Starter free (10 users, 500 test results/mo, 100 prompt execs/mo); Team $67/mo ($799/yr); Business from $267/mo ($3,199/yr); Enterprise custom. Extra test results on-demand ~$5–6 per 1,000 on paid plans. Free Cloud for qualified non-commercial public OSS | Free (open source) |
| Best for | Teams that want interactive browser E2E/component tests with excellent DX, and optional Cloud for CI scale and agent debugging | E2E tests written or generated by AI agents |
| Category | Testing & code review | Testing & code review |
Score breakdown
| Criterion | Cypress | Playwright |
|---|---|---|
| Fit for the use case /25 | 22 | 23 |
| Vibe-coder friendliness /15 | 11 | 9 |
| Output quality & reliability /15 | 14 | 15 |
| Pricing & free tier /15 | 13 | 15 |
| Ecosystem & integrations /10 | 10 | 10 |
| Momentum /10 | 9 | 10 |
| Code ownership & lock-in /10 | 9 | 10 |
Based on desk research of official pricing pages and docs; see methodology.
How they differ
Both are free, open-source frameworks for end-to-end tests in real browsers. Playwright (92) from Microsoft (Apache-2.0, about 97k GitHub stars) drives Chromium, Firefox and WebKit and is the default many coding agents generate today, with a first-party MCP server. Cypress (88) is MIT (~51k stars, 6M+ weekly npm downloads) with a uniquely interactive runner: time-travel snapshots, Studio recording and cy.prompt natural-language test generation, plus optional Cypress Cloud for CI scale.
What you pay
Both Apps are free forever. Playwright has no paid product. Cypress Cloud is optional: Starter free (10 users, 500 recorded test results/mo, 100 prompt execs/mo), Team $67/mo billed annually at $799/yr (50 users, 120k test results/yr), Business from $267/mo ($3,199/yr), Enterprise custom. Qualified non-commercial public OSS can get free Cloud.
DX and agents
Cypress wins on interactive debugging and AI-assisted authoring (cy.prompt, Studio, Cloud MCP/CLI for coding agents). Playwright wins on multi-browser coverage out of the box, parallel local runs without a Cloud meter, and being the script format Checkly and many agent tools already expect.
Which to pick
Playwright for most vibe-coded apps: free, agent-friendly, no Cloud bill. Cypress if your team wants the interactive App DX, cy.prompt, or Cypress Cloud features (Test Replay, flake detection, Branch Review) and can live with the recorded-result meter on paid Cloud.
Who wins: Cypress or Playwright?
By score, Playwright wins Cypress vs Playwright at 92/100 vs 88/100. Playwright: The standard for reliable E2E testing (~97k stars, frequent releases) and free. Code-first, so less friendly for non-coders. Cypress: Still one of the best DX E2E runners: free MIT App, huge ecosystem (~51k stars), cy.prompt and Cloud MCP for coding agents, and a usable free Cloud starter. Scores below Playwright (92) because Playwright is fully free with no Cloud meter and is the default agents generate today; Cypress Cloud’s free tier is thin at 500 recorded results/mo and Team jumps to $799/yr. Playwright is best for E2E tests written or generated by AI agents. Cypress is best for Teams that want interactive browser E2E/component tests with excellent DX, and optional Cloud for CI scale and agent debugging.
FAQ
- Which is better, Cypress or Playwright?
- By our score, Playwright (92/100) ranks above Cypress (88/100). Playwright is best for E2E tests written or generated by AI agents. The right pick still depends on your workflow; see the side-by-side table.
- What is the Cypress vs Playwright score?
- Cypress scores 88/100 and Playwright scores 92/100 on PromptToProd's evidence-based ranking. Scores are never for sale.
- Is Cypress free?
- Yes. The Cypress App is free under MIT. Cypress Cloud Starter is also free with 500 recorded test results a month; paid Cloud starts at Team, $799/yr.
- Is Playwright better than Cypress?
- By our score Playwright leads, 92 to 88, mainly because it is fully free with no Cloud meter and agents generate it by default. Cypress still leads on interactive DX and cy.prompt.
- Can coding agents use Cypress?
- Yes. Cypress Cloud includes Cloud MCP and Cloud CLI so agents can run specs and debug with recorded runs; cy.prompt generates tests from natural language inside the App.