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If you’ve ever heard people talking about software testing or automation testing, two names come up again and again: Selenium and Playwright.

But what do these tools actually do?
How are they different?
And most importantly — which one should you choose and when?

Don’t worry. You don’t need a technical background to understand this article. Let’s break it down in the simplest possible way 😊

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First Things First: What Is Automation Testing?

Imagine this 👇

You have a website like Amazon, Flipkart, or a banking app.

Before releasing it to users, the company must check:

• Does login work?
• Can users add items to cart?
• Does payment succeed?
• Does the app break after changes?

Instead of a human clicking the same buttons again and again, we use automation tools to do this work automatically.

👉 Selenium and Playwright are tools that behave like a robot user:

• Open a browser
• Click buttons
• Enter text
• Verify results

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What Is Selenium? (In Simple Words)

Selenium is an old and very popular automation tool.

Think of Selenium like a manual car:

• Very powerful
• Works everywhere
• But you need more effort and experience to drive it well

Key Points About Selenium

• Launched around 2004
• Used by millions of testers worldwide
• Supports many programming languages:
  • Java
  • Python
  • C#
  • JavaScript
• Works on all browsers:
  • Chrome
  • Firefox
  • Edge
  • Safari

Simple Example

Imagine telling a robot:

“Open Chrome → Go to Google → Type ‘Shoes’ → Press Enter”

Selenium can do exactly this.

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What Is Playwright? (In Simple Words)

Playwright is a new-generation automation tool created by Microsoft.

Think of Playwright like an automatic car:

• Faster
• Smarter
• Easier to use
• Less setup headache

Key Points About Playwright

• Released around 2020
• Built for modern web applications
• Supports:
  • JavaScript / TypeScript
  • Python
  • Java
  • C#
• Works out of the box with:
  • Chrome
  • Firefox
  • Edge
  • WebKit (Safari engine)

Simple Example

Instead of giving many instructions, Playwright understands:

“Click the login button when it appears”

It automatically waits for things to load — no extra effort needed.

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Selenium vs Playwright: Easy Comparison Table

Feature	Selenium	Playwright
Year Released	2004	2020
Speed	Slower	Faster
Setup	More configuration	Very easy
Auto-wait	❌ Manual	✅ Built-in
Mobile testing	✅ Yes (with Appium)	❌ Limited
Modern apps	Okay	Excellent
Beginner-friendly	❌ Medium	✅ Very friendly

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Real-Life Example (Non-Technical)

Scenario: Booking a Movie Ticket 🎬

Using Selenium

• Selenium clicks the button before the page loads
• Page crashes ❌
• Tester adds extra waiting code
• More maintenance work

Using Playwright

• Playwright waits until the button is ready
• Then clicks
• Test passes smoothly ✅

👉 That’s why people say Playwright is smarter.

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Which One Should You Choose and When?

✅ Choose Selenium When:

• Your company already uses Selenium
• You need mobile app testing
• Project is very large and old
• Team has strong Selenium experience

Example:
A 10-year-old banking project → Selenium is safer.

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✅ Choose Playwright When:

• You are starting a new project
• You want fast and stable tests
• Your app is modern (React, Angular, Vue)
• You want less code and less maintenance

Example:
A startup building a new web app → Playwright is perfect.

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Why Many Companies Are Moving to Playwright

• Faster test execution 🚀
• Less flaky (less random failures)
• Easier for beginners
• Built-in screenshots, videos, and reports
• Better support for modern websites

That’s why Playwright is becoming very popular in 2024–2025.

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Final Verdict (Simple Answer)

👉 Selenium = Experience & Stability
👉 Playwright = Speed & Simplicity

If you’re new to automation or starting a fresh project,
Playwright is the better choice.

If you’re maintaining an old system,
Selenium still makes sense.