Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

WebdriverIO VS Cypress.io

Compare WebdriverIO VS Cypress.io and see what are their differences

WebdriverIO logo WebdriverIO

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

Cypress.io logo 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.
  • WebdriverIO Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-19
  • Cypress.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-17

WebdriverIO features and specs

  • Multi-browser Support
    WebdriverIO provides extensive support for multiple browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, making it versatile for cross-browser testing.
  • Rich Plug-in Ecosystem
    The framework has a robust plug-in system that allows users to customize and extend functionalities according to testing needs, enhancing flexibility.
  • Asynchronous Command Handling
    WebdriverIO handles commands asynchronously, which improves performance and allows better management of test execution flow.
  • Integrated Test Runner
    The built-in test runner simplifies the management of test suites, making it easier to manage and execute tests without needing additional tools.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    WebdriverIO boasts extensive and detailed documentation, which aids developers in efficiently setting up and using the tool.

Possible disadvantages of WebdriverIO

  • Initial Learning Curve
    New users may experience a steep learning curve due to the framework's asynchronous behavior and JavaScript promises.
  • JavaScript Only
    Being JavaScript-centric, it may not be ideal for teams or projects that prefer or require using other programming languages exclusively.
  • Complex Configuration
    Setting up the framework and configuring it properly can be complex and time-consuming, particularly for developers new to WebDriver-based testing.
  • Frequent Updates
    While updates are generally beneficial, the frequent release of updates can lead to compatibility issues and require maintenance time to keep up.

Cypress.io features and specs

  • Easy Setup and Configuration
    Cypress.io is known for its straightforward setup process, requiring minimal configuration to get started with writing and running tests, making it very accessible for developers new to end-to-end testing.
  • Real-time Reloads
    Cypress offers real-time reloading of tests, which improves the development experience by allowing instant feedback on test results as code changes are made.
  • Time Travel Debugging
    Cypress provides the ability to 'time travel' through tests by taking snapshots of the application state at different steps, making it easier to debug and understand failures.
  • Automatic Waiting
    Tests in Cypress automatically wait for commands and assertions, eliminating the need for manual waits and helping to avoid flaky tests due to timing issues.
  • Built-in Mocking and Stubbing
    Cypress has built-in capabilities for mocking and stubbing network requests, which simplifies testing of applications that depend on various services and APIs.
  • Rich Documentation and Community Support
    Cypress boasts comprehensive documentation and an active community, providing plenty of resources for learning and troubleshooting.
  • Cross Browser Testing
    Cypress supports testing in multiple browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, ensuring compatibility across different environments.

Possible disadvantages of Cypress.io

  • Limited Browser Support
    Although Cypress supports several major browsers, it does not support legacy browsers like Internet Explorer, which can be a disadvantage for projects that require testing across a wider range of browsers.
  • No Native Mobile App Testing
    Cypress does not natively support mobile app testing, limiting its use for projects that need end-to-end testing on mobile platforms.
  • Heavy Memory Usage
    Cypress can consume significant system resources, particularly memory, which may impact performance during large or complex test runs.
  • Limited Parallelism
    By default, Cypress's parallel execution capabilities are limited, which can slow down the test suite execution for larger projects, although this can be mitigated with the Dashboard Service (a paid feature).
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic tests are easy to set up, leveraging advanced features like custom commands, plugins, and complex test setups can require a steeper learning curve.
  • Incompatibility with Some Testing Ecosystems
    Cypress's architecture and testing approach can sometimes cause compatibility issues with certain testing frameworks and libraries, particularly those that are tightly coupled with traditional WebDriver-based tools.

Analysis of Cypress.io

Overall verdict

  • Cypress.io is considered a good testing tool for developers due to its efficiency, ease of use, and robust testing capabilities. Its growing community and continuous updates make it a worthwhile choice for web testing.

Why this product is good

  • Cypress.io is a powerful end-to-end testing framework for web applications. It offers a user-friendly interface, excellent documentation, and provides fast and reliable testing with real-time reloads and debugging. It also integrates well with CI/CD pipelines and supports modern JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js.

Recommended for

  • Frontend developers who need to test web applications.
  • Teams looking for a reliable end-to-end testing solution.
  • Projects using modern JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js.
  • Developers who require a tool with extensive documentation and community support.

WebdriverIO videos

WebdriverIO Tutorial Series Review | #20

More videos:

  • Review - Test React Apps with WebdriverIO
  • Review - Get Started With WebdriverIO - WebdriverIO Wednesdays

Cypress.io videos

Introduction to automation testing with Cypress.io (Non-selenium framework)

More videos:

  • Review - Testing Angular with Cypress.io | Joe Eames | AngularConnect 2018

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to WebdriverIO and Cypress.io)
Browser Testing
16 16%
84% 84
Automated Testing
11 11%
89% 89
Testing
29 29%
71% 71
Website 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 WebdriverIO and Cypress.io

WebdriverIO Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
While WebDriverIO utilizes the Selenium WebDriver for cross-browser testing, it simplifies interaction by providing a more JavaScript-friendly API and a robust plugin system. This makes it more approachable for developers familiar with JavaScript ecosystems compared to the traditional, more language-agnostic Selenium WebDriver.
Source: bugbug.io

Cypress.io Reviews

20 Best JavaScript Frameworks For 2023
Cypress is a holistic automation testing framework where the tester can perform unit, integration, end-to-end, and regression testing. Additionally, they may orchestrate and unify outcomes with quality measurements and useful insights that support the agile workplace by leveraging the Cypress cloud.
Top 10 Perfecto alternatives with Zebrunner on top
- is a SaaS web app for easy scaling test runs and debugging failed tests. Pairs with the open source Cypress Test Runner.
Source: zebrunner.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Cypress.io seems to be a lot more popular than WebdriverIO. While we know about 27 links to Cypress.io, we've tracked only 2 mentions of WebdriverIO. 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.

WebdriverIO mentions (2)

  • Node.js Packages and Resources
    WebdriverIO - Automated testing based on the WebDriver protocol. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • Cross Browser Testing With WebDriverIO
    The WebDriverIO project is available on GitHub and the overall statistics speak a lot about the popularity of this JavaScript framework. It has more than 6.7K stars and the project has been forked around 1.9K times. As of writing this blog, the latest version of the WebDriverIO JavaScript framework is 7.7.2. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago

Cypress.io mentions (27)

  • Ensuring Web Accessibility with Cypress: A Comprehensive Guide
    Feature: Web Accessibility Tests Feature: Web Accessibility Tests Scenario Outline: Verify all WCAG Violations Given I am on the "" page And Verify all Accessibility Violations Scenario Outline: Verify P1,P2 WCAG Violations Given I am on the "" page And Verify only P1, P2 issues Examples: | url | | https://google.com | | https://amazon.in | | https://agoda.com | |... - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Simulating Internet Outage and Recovery using Cypress
    In this blog post, we'll explore a Cypress test that replicates this scenario, utilizing the powerful intercept command to manipulate network requests and responses. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Scraping a site?
    Maybe something like Cypress is what you're looking for? Cypress.io. Source: about 2 years ago
  • 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
  • What's your CI/CD flow made of?
    How are they run (services (ie. GitHub Action Runners, SauceLabs, Cypress.io, etc.), or self hosted autoscaling infrastructures)? Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing WebdriverIO and Cypress.io, you can also consider the following products

Jasmine - Behavior-Driven JavaScript

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.

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.

Nightwatch.js - Write efficient and straightforward end-to-end tests in Node.js which run against a Selenium/WebDriver server.

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

Karma - Spectacular Test Runner for JavaScript