Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Browsersync VS Browsershots

Compare Browsersync VS Browsershots and see what are their differences

Browsersync logo Browsersync

Browsersync makes your tweaking and testing faster by synchronising file changes and interactions...

Browsershots logo Browsershots

Browsershots makes screenshots of your web design in different browsers.
  • Browsersync Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-22
  • Browsershots Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-15

Browsersync features and specs

  • Live Reloading
    Browsersync automatically refreshes your browser whenever you make changes to your files, saving time and reducing the manual effort required for refreshing the page.
  • Cross-Browser Testing
    It allows for synchronized testing across multiple browsers and devices, ensuring consistency and compatibility of web applications in different environments.
  • Easy Setup
    Browsersync is relatively easy to set up with extensive documentation and a range of configuration options that make it adaptable to different workflows.
  • CSS Injection
    Changes to CSS files can be injected into the browser without a full page reload, speeding up the development process by reducing wait times.
  • URL Syncing
    Synchronizes interactions such as clicks, scrolls, and forms across multiple devices, which is helpful for testing and demonstrating application functionality.

Possible disadvantages of Browsersync

  • Performance Overhead
    Running Browsersync can lead to increased CPU and memory usage, potentially slowing down development, especially on lower-end machines.
  • Complex Configuration
    For more advanced scenarios, setting up Browsersync can become complex and require additional time and effort to configure properly.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some plugins or complex setups might experience compatibility issues, necessitating additional troubleshooting or workarounds.
  • Network Dependency
    Browsersync requires a stable network connection to synchronize across devices, which can be an issue in environments with unreliable connectivity.
  • Learning Curve
    Although basic use is straightforward, leveraging the full suite of features may require learning additional commands and configuration options.

Browsershots features and specs

  • Wide Browser Coverage
    Browsershots supports a large variety of browsers across different operating systems, making it easier for developers to see how their website looks in multiple scenarios.
  • Free to Use
    The service offers a free version which allows users to test their websites in numerous browsers without any cost.
  • Screenshot Capability
    It provides screenshots of how websites are rendered in different browsers, enabling developers to quickly identify rendering issues.
  • No Installation Required
    As a web-based tool, Browsershots doesn't require any software installation, making it easily accessible from any machine with an internet connection.

Possible disadvantages of Browsershots

  • Limited Interactivity
    Being a screenshot service, it doesn't support interactive testing, such as click events or navigation within the website.
  • Queue Times
    During peak times, there can be significant delays in getting screenshots due to the queuing system, especially for free users.
  • Outdated Browsers
    Some of the browsers offered for testing are outdated, which may not be useful for modern web development needs.
  • No Real-time Testing
    The service does not offer real-time testing capabilities, which means developers cannot debug issues immediately as they would in a local development environment.

Analysis of Browsershots

Overall verdict

  • Browsershots can be a useful tool for testing website compatibility across different browsers.

Why this product is good

  • It offers a simple way to capture screenshots of a web page as rendered by various browser versions and operating systems, which is helpful for web developers looking to ensure their sites are visually consistent and functional across different environments.

Recommended for

    Web developers and designers who need to check the appearance and functionality of their websites across multiple browser configurations without installing multiple browsers on their machines.

Browsersync videos

Browsersync Tutorial for Beginners

More videos:

  • Review - Browser Live Reload while Coding with Browsersync

Browsershots videos

Browsershots.org behind the scenes

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Browsersync and Browsershots)
Browser Testing
36 36%
64% 64
Website Testing
22 22%
78% 78
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Automated Testing
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Browsersync and Browsershots

Browsersync Reviews

Top 10 Best Selenium Alternatives You Should Try
Browsersync has many remarkable features like install and run anywhere, File sync, synchronized navigation, sync customization and compatible with build tools.

Browsershots Reviews

We have no reviews of Browsershots yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Browsersync seems to be a lot more popular than Browsershots. While we know about 22 links to Browsersync, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Browsershots. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Browsersync mentions (22)

  • Show HN: Wd-40, a static webserver with automatic hot-reloads
    I thought the name was inspired by a cheap, easily available lubricant that comes in handy for every home. I've tried many simple servers for experimenting with simple static websites (HTML, CSS, JS). I'm currently settled on LiveReload[1] and BrowserSync[2]. LiveReload attaches to other tooling and is more straightforward, while Brower-Sync when looking across a few multiple browsers (out of habit). I'm not... - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Eleventy vs. Next.js for static site generation
    Eleventy offers a great developer experience. For example, it includes an inbuilt --serve flag that uses Browsersync to enable serving the site locally and with hot reload upon file changes. This is a huge convenience. Another distinctive feature is its capability to choose from and combine up to ten different templating languages, such as JavaScript, Haml, Pug, Liquid, and more. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Deno 1.38: HTML doc generator and HMR
    I was looking for something like HMR for client side reloading a little while ago (HTML, CSS, etc), and ended up with just using the CLI of Browsersync[1] with a barebones config. It works, but feels shoehorned and wonky. It would be nice to do this with something native to Deno, which this HMR implementation seems to enable! 1. https://browsersync.io/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Materio Open Source Bootstrap 5 HTML Admin Template Is Here...!!🤩
    4.Now, that you are ready to run npm tasks, the below command will start the server and watch the code using browsersync. Open http://localhost:3000/ to check your development 🚀. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Simulate your website across many devices all in the same browser tab! Proof of concept for a micro saas I'm building in public :)
    I use browsersync to do this with an actual device. It's worth trying out if you haven't already. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

Browsershots mentions (2)

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Browsersync and Browsershots, you can also consider the following products

LiveReload - LiveReload 2 proudly presents… The Web Developer Wonderland. (a happy land where browsers don't need a Refresh button). CSS edits and image changes apply live. CoffeeScript, SASS, LESS and others just work.

browserling - Live interactive cross-browser testing from your browser.

Ghostlab - Ghostlab allows you to test out a newly developed website on a variety of browsers and mobile devices at the same time. To get started, simply drag the web address to the Ghostlab system and press the play button. Read more about Ghostlab.

Sauce Labs - Test mobile or web apps instantly across 700+ browser/OS/device platform combinations - without infrastructure setup.

CodeKit - CodeKit allows you to optimize the performance of your website by automatically and efficiently compiling a variety of popular languages.

BrowserStack - BrowserStack is a software testing platform for developers to comprehensively test websites and mobile applications for quality.