Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SlimerJS VS Selenium

Compare SlimerJS VS Selenium and see what are their differences

SlimerJS logo SlimerJS

A scriptable web browser for web testing, web scraping, network monitoring...

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.
  • SlimerJS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-21
  • Selenium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-08-22

SlimerJS features and specs

  • Compatibility
    SlimerJS is scriptable with JavaScript, which makes it easy to use for developers familiar with web technologies. Its API is compatible with PhantomJS, allowing users to switch with minimal changes.
  • Gecko Engine
    It runs on the Gecko engine (used by Firefox), which means it can support more modern web standards and functionalities compared to PhantomJS, which relies on the older WebKit.
  • Headless Mode
    The software can run in headless mode, making it great for running automated tests without a GUI, which can be resource-intensive.
  • Active and open-source
    SlimerJS is open-source, meaning the community can contribute to its development, and users can modify the code for their specific needs.
  • Cross-platform
    SlimerJS is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing for versatility in different development environments.

Possible disadvantages of SlimerJS

  • Firefox Dependency
    SlimerJS requires Firefox to be installed on the system, which can be an additional setup step and dependency compared to some headless browsers.
  • Performance
    Because it relies on the full Firefox browser rather than a lightweight engine, SlimerJS can be slower and use more resources compared to alternatives.
  • Project Activity
    SlimerJS development has slowed down, which might make it less appealing due to diminishing support and fewer updates.
  • Limited Features Compared to Modern Alternatives
    With newer headless browser testing frameworks available (like Puppeteer or Playwright), SlimerJS may lack some of the convenient features and performance enhancements they provide.
  • Gecko-specific Bugs
    Depending on Gecko makes SlimerJS susceptible to browser-specific bugs, which could cause inconsistencies in behavior compared to other engines.

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.

SlimerJS videos

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Selenium videos

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SlimerJS and Selenium)
Browser Testing
3 3%
97% 97
Automated Testing
3 3%
97% 97
Testing
4 4%
96% 96
Website Testing
2 2%
98% 98

User comments

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Reviews

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

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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.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Selenium seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 8 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.

SlimerJS mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of SlimerJS yet. Tracking of SlimerJS recommendations started around Mar 2021.

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: over 2 years ago
  • Issues with Selenium 4.8.0
    This is the code again after checking selenium's official site :. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Having Issues with selenium
    I also tried the following code seen on the selenium.dev website. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Document Object Model Specification
    The following functions are defined within the Selenium project, at revision 1721e627e3b5ab90a06e82df1b088a33a8d11c20. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing SlimerJS and Selenium, you can also consider the following products

httest - The httest provides a large variety of HTTP-related functionality, useful for implementing all...

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.

Webinject - WebInject is a free tool for automated testing of web applications and web services.

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.

Screenster - 10x faster UI testing without a line of code.

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