Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Selenium VS Nightwatch.js

Compare Selenium VS Nightwatch.js and see what are their differences

Selenium logo Selenium

Selenium automates browsers. That's it! What you do with that power is entirely up to you. Primarily, it is for automating web applications for testing purposes, but is certainly not limited to just that.

Nightwatch.js logo Nightwatch.js

Write efficient and straightforward end-to-end tests in Node.js which run against a Selenium/WebDriver server.
  • Selenium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-08-22
  • Nightwatch.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-30

Selenium features and specs

  • Open Source
    Selenium is an open-source tool, which means it is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. This makes it a cost-effective choice for companies of all sizes.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility
    Selenium supports multiple browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. This allows testers to ensure that web applications work seamlessly across different browsers.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Selenium can run on various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This provides flexibility to test on multiple platforms to ensure consistent user experience.
  • Supports Multiple Programming Languages
    Selenium supports multiple programming languages such as Java, C#, Python, and JavaScript. This allows testers to write their scripts in the language they are most comfortable with.
  • Rich Community and Documentation
    Being a widely-used tool, Selenium has extensive community support and a wealth of documentation and tutorials available. This makes it easier for new users to get started and find solutions to problems.
  • Integration with Other Tools
    Selenium integrates well with various testing frameworks and tools like TestNG, JUnit, and Maven, as well as CI/CD tools like Jenkins and Docker. This makes it a versatile and comprehensive automation solution.

Possible disadvantages of Selenium

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Selenium requires knowledge of programming to create and maintain test scripts. For those new to automation or coding, the learning curve can be quite steep.
  • No Built-in Reporting
    Selenium does not come with built-in reporting features. Testers must rely on third-party tools or build custom reporting solutions to generate test reports.
  • Limited Support for Desktop Applications
    Selenium is designed primarily for web application testing and offers limited support for desktop applications. This limits its use in scenarios where desktop application testing is needed.
  • Manual Effort for Maintenance
    Test scripts require regular maintenance to accommodate changes in the web application, such as updates to the UI or changes in element identifiers. This can lead to significant manual effort.
  • Performance Issues
    Selenium can be slower compared to other automation tools, especially when running extensive test suites. This can affect the speed of the overall testing process.
  • Browser Compatibility Issues
    Although Selenium supports multiple browsers, each browser's implementation of WebDriver may have unique quirks and bugs. This occasionally leads to test script compatibility issues across different browsers.

Nightwatch.js features and specs

  • Simplicity
    Nightwatch.js is known for its simplicity and ease of use. It provides a straightforward syntax which makes it easier for developers to write and maintain test scripts.
  • Built-in Test Runner
    Nightwatch comes with a built-in test runner that is integrated into the framework, simplifying the testing setup and execution process.
  • Cross-Browser Testing
    It supports cross-browser testing by integrating with WebDriver, which allows you to run automated tests on various browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    Nightwatch.js offers comprehensive and detailed documentation which helps developers quickly understand and implement testing solutions without significant difficulty.
  • Community Support
    Nightwatch.js has an active community which can be helpful for finding solutions to common problems, sharing best practices, and staying updated with new features.
  • Integration with CI/CD Tools
    The framework can easily be integrated with continuous integration and continuous deployment tools, enhancing the automation of testing processes in development pipelines.

Possible disadvantages of Nightwatch.js

  • Dependency on Selenium
    Nightwatch.js relies on Selenium WebDriver, which can be a limitation in terms of setup complexity and potential issues related to WebDriver compatibility with browsers.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While the basic features are simple to use, advanced configurations and custom commands require a more in-depth understanding, which may increase the learning curve for some users.
  • Less Flexibility in Command Chaining
    Compared to some other testing frameworks like Cypress, Nightwatch.js might offer less flexibility in terms of chaining commands and writing more complex assertions.
  • Performance with Large Test Suites
    Some users have reported performance issues when executing large test suites, which can slow down the testing process significantly.
  • Limited Built-In Reporting
    Nightwatch.js has limited built-in reporting capabilities, often requiring additional plugins or tools to generate comprehensive test reports.

Selenium videos

What is Selenium | Selenium Explained in 2-minutes | Introduction to Selenium | Intellipaat

Nightwatch.js videos

De cero a héroe con Nightwatch.js - Rodrigo Godoy y Alejandra Silva

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Selenium and Nightwatch.js)
Automated Testing
94 94%
6% 6
Browser Testing
90 90%
10% 10
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Website Testing
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Selenium and Nightwatch.js

Selenium Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
Nightwatch.js simplifies the setup and use of Selenium WebDriver, providing an abstraction layer that is easier to work with for JavaScript developers. While it offers the broad compatibility and standardization of Selenium WebDriver, it aims to improve the development experience with its simplified syntax and support for the Page Object pattern, making it a middle ground...
Source: bugbug.io
Top 5 Selenium Alternatives for Less Maintenance
And that’s why code-free test automation is important. Implementing codeless Selenium alternatives can address the challenges posed by traditional Selenium testing. They help testers with various skill sets to contribute to the testing process, enhancing collaboration and accelerating the testing lifecycle. For an in-depth discussion on the significance of codeless Selenium,...
Best Automation Testing Tools (Free and Paid) | July 2022
Automation testing is the process of testing the software using an automation tool to find the defects. In this process, executing the test scripts and generating the results are performed automatically by automation tools. Some most popular tools to do automation testing are HP QTP/UFT, Selenium WebDriver, etc.,
20 BEST Selenium Alternatives in 2021
Selenium is an open-source automated testing tool. It can perform functional, regression, load testing on web applications across different browsers and platforms. Selenium is one of the finest tools, but it does have some drawbacks.
Source: www.guru99.com
Top 10 Best Selenium Alternatives You Should Try
Selenium is a convenient and portable software testing tool specifically used for testing web applications. It acts as an API (Application Program Interface) for browser automation. Selenium is the widely used free and open-source tool used for automation testing of web applications through various browsers and platforms.

Nightwatch.js Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
Nightwatch.js simplifies the setup and use of Selenium WebDriver, providing an abstraction layer that is easier to work with for JavaScript developers. While it offers the broad compatibility and standardization of Selenium WebDriver, it aims to improve the development experience with its simplified syntax and support for the Page Object pattern, making it a middle ground...
Source: bugbug.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Nightwatch.js should be more popular than Selenium. It has been mentiond 13 times since March 2021. 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.

Selenium mentions (8)

  • How to write tests in Django for JavaScript fetch
    You won't be able to test the javascript function itself from within python, but you can exercise the front-end code using something like cypress (https://cypress.io) or the older but still respectable selenium (https://selenium.dev). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Having Issues with selenium
    In addition, .find_element_by_class_name is deprecated since selenium 4.3.0 and the replacement is .find_element(By.CLASS_NAME, "class"). Check selenium's site for more info. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Issues with Selenium 4.8.0
    This is the code again after checking selenium's official site :. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Having Issues with selenium
    I also tried the following code seen on the selenium.dev website. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Document Object Model Specification
    The following functions are defined within the Selenium project, at revision 1721e627e3b5ab90a06e82df1b088a33a8d11c20. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
View more

Nightwatch.js mentions (13)

  • Automating Android TV app with Nightwatch
    Nightwatch which will prompt to create a boilerplate framework specifically for Mobile / TV apps. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Learn Automated Testing At Home: A Beginner's Guide
    6.NightwatchJS: NightwatchJS is a Node.js-based end-to-end testing framework. Key Features: Simplifies writing test scripts using a simple syntax. Supports parallel test execution. Integrates with Selenium WebDriver for cross-browser testing. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • CSS Selectors And XPath Locators In Selenium Test Automation Scripts
    I have shown you the examples of using selectors in the Google Chrome dev tools, but the idea is similar when you write your automation scripts. I will use the Nightwatch testing framework to write the following snippets which will navigate to some webpage, wait to ensure that an interactive element has appeared in the DOM, and finally click on it. If you want to learn using Javascript with Nightwatch framework... - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • How To Perform Automation Testing With Cucumber And Nightwatch JS?
    Nightwatch.js is a popular open-source, Selenium JavaScript-based test automation framework for automating browser-based web applications and websites. It is written in Node.js runtime and uses the W3C WebDriver API (formerly Selenium WebDriver) for interacting with various browsers to perform commands and assertions on DOM elements. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • Properly Configuring Nightwatch to Run Geckodriver
    I’ll get right to it: both the stock Nightwatch configuration file (as of at least Nightwatch v. 2.0.9) and the Nightwatch docs are inaccurate for using the geckodriver web driver (specifically, v. 0.30.0) to run tests. Here is what you need to do, isolated to the firefox environment portion of the test_settings object in a nightwatch.conf.js file:. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Selenium and Nightwatch.js, you can also consider the following products

Cypress.io - Slow, difficult and unreliable testing for anything that runs in a browser. Install Cypress in seconds and take the pain out of front-end testing.

puppeteer - Puppeteer is a Node library which provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome or Chromium...

Katalon - Built on the top of Selenium and Appium, Katalon Studio is a free and powerful automated testing tool for web testing, mobile testing, and API testing.

WebdriverIO - Webdriver module for Node.js. that makes it easier to write Selenium tests

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

Robot framework - Robot Framework is a generic test automation framework for acceptance testing and acceptance...