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Head-to-head · End-to-End Testing Software

Selenium vs Cypress

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Selenium #3 in End-to-End Testing Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Selenium
Cypress #4 in End-to-End Testing Software 9.0/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Cypress

Selenium leads on 0 checks, Cypress on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreSelenium · 9.1/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Cypress
  • Most featuresCypress · 3 of 3

Selenium scores higher on our rubric for end-to-end testing software: 9.1 against 9.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #4.

On browser support, Cypress gives you Multi_engine where Selenium offers Cross_browser.

Selenium is the better fit for engineering teams wanting a free browser standard. Cypress is the better fit for javaScript teams needing web E2E and CI.

  • Selenium fits best

    Engineering teams wanting a free browser standard

  • Cypress fits best

    JavaScript teams needing web E2E and CI

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Side by side

Feature Selenium 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Cypress 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 9.0
Ranking #3 in End-to-End Testing Software #4 in End-to-End Testing Software
Best for Engineering teams wanting a free browser standard JavaScript teams needing web E2E and CI
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan $799/yr
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — 30 days
Deployment Self-hosted, Browser extension Cloud, Desktop
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome extension Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Selenium 2/3 · Cypress 3/3
Self-hosted runner ✓ ✓
Mobile web testing ✓ ✓
Visual testing Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Specs
Test authoring Code Code
Browser support Cross_browser Multi_engine
Parallel runs Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Free, open-source browser automation with Apache 2.0 licensing
  • WebDriver, Selenium IDE, Grid, parallel execution, and cross-browser testing
  • Supports multiple languages, remote execution, and self-hosted runners
  • Open-source end-to-end and component testing for web applications
  • Runs across Chromium browsers, Firefox, and WebKit
  • Supports CI parallelization, API testing, and visual integrations
Cons
  • Does not include a testing framework or built-in test runner
  • Requires teams to pair Selenium with a language-specific test runner
  • Broader setup and maintenance responsibilities than a hosted testing service
  • Cloud recording and collaboration features require a paid plan
  • Visual comparison requires plugins or integrations
  • The lowest paid tier has no stated parallel-run maximum
Our verdict

Selenium is an open-source suite for automating web browsers, aimed primarily at developers and QA teams building browser-based regression and end-to-end tests. Its WebDriver component provides language-specific client bindings and a…

Read the review →

Cypress is an open-source JavaScript and TypeScript testing framework for developers and QA teams building web applications. Its Cypress App runs end-to-end and component tests on Windows, macOS, Linux, and self-hosted infrastructure.…

Read the review →
  1. SeleniumEnd-to-End Testing Software 9.1Free plan
  2. CypressEnd-to-End Testing Software 9.0Free plan · 30-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Selenium — where it wins

    • Free, open-source browser automation with Apache 2.0 licensing
    • WebDriver, Selenium IDE, Grid, parallel execution, and cross-browser testing
    • Supports multiple languages, remote execution, and self-hosted runners

    Where it doesn't

    • Does not include a testing framework or built-in test runner
    • Requires teams to pair Selenium with a language-specific test runner
    • Broader setup and maintenance responsibilities than a hosted testing service

  • Cypress — where it wins

    • Open-source end-to-end and component testing for web applications
    • Runs across Chromium browsers, Firefox, and WebKit
    • Supports CI parallelization, API testing, and visual integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • Cloud recording and collaboration features require a paid plan
    • Visual comparison requires plugins or integrations
    • The lowest paid tier has no stated parallel-run maximum
  • Selenium9.1/10 · Free plan

    A free browser automation standard with broad language, browser, and execution options.

    Visit SeleniumFull verdict →
  • Cypress9.0/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

    A flexible JavaScript testing framework with free local execution and paid CI collaboration features.

    Visit CypressFull verdict →

More comparisons

All End-to-End testing software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update