Testing · head to head
Applitools vs mabl
Applitools
Testing
AI-based visual regression testing, priced on component and page checkpoint volume
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
mabl
Testing
Low-code browser and API test automation with hosted runners and self-healing selectors
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Applitools the entry tier alone costs 667 US dollars a month on annual billing, a genuinely high floor compared to Percy's tiers or a plain screenshot-diffing open source approach.; mabl tests are stored in a proprietary format and cannot be exported as runnable code, so migrating to Playwright or Cypress later means re authoring every test by hand.
- They diverge on capability: Applitools covers Visual AI comparison, mabl covers Trainer recorder.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Applitools and mabl actually diverge.
| Attribute | Applitools | mabl |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per month by checkpoint volume | quote |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux |
Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Testing).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Applitools
- Visual AI comparison
- Storybook component testing
- Figma design comparison
- Cross-browser and device visual testing
- Accessibility testing
- NLP-based test authoring
Only in mabl
- Trainer recorder
- Auto healing selectors
- API testing
- Accessibility checks
- Cross browser cloud runs
- CI and issue tracker hooks
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Applitools
- A team that abandoned pixel-diffing visual regression testing because of false-positive fatigue and wants a lower-noise alternativenot mabl
- A design system team wanting component-level visual testing against Storybook rather than only full-page checksnot mabl
- An organisation wanting automated verification that shipped UI matches its Figma source designnot mabl
- A team wanting NLP-based visual test authoring to reduce the coding overhead of writing visual test scripts, available at Professional tiernot mabl
mabl
- A QA team of two or three people responsible for regression coverage across a web application released weeklynot Applitools
- An organisation that abandoned a Selenium suite because maintenance consumed more time than manual testing didnot Applitools
- Teams that need accessibility scanning and functional regression reported in the same runnot Applitools
- Product companies where non engineers, such as support or business analysts, are expected to author testsnot Applitools
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Applitools
- The entry tier alone costs 667 US dollars a month on annual billing, a genuinely high floor compared to Percy's tiers or a plain screenshot-diffing open source approach.
- Professional and Enterprise tiers, which hold the more advanced authoring and unlimited execution features, are quote-only, removing pricing transparency exactly where a large buyer most needs it.
- Visual AI still occasionally flags false positives on genuinely novel layouts or animation-heavy interfaces, so a baseline review process is still needed, not eliminated.
- Checkpoint-based pricing means cost is directly tied to test suite size and coverage breadth, so expanding visual test coverage has a direct, compounding cost impact unlike time-based or seat-based pricing models.
- Teams migrating from a simpler pixel-diffing tool face real setup and baseline migration work to establish Applitools baselines correctly across a large existing UI.
mabl
- Tests are stored in a proprietary format and cannot be exported as runnable code, so migrating to Playwright or Cypress later means re authoring every test by hand.
- Auto healing can mask a genuine defect: if an element is removed and a similar one takes its place, the test adapts and passes when a user facing regression has actually shipped.
- Pricing is not published and is driven by concurrent run capacity, so the cost of shortening a two hour suite to twenty minutes is a renegotiation rather than a configuration change.
- Debugging a failure happens inside a hosted runner you do not control, which makes flakiness caused by test data or environment timing harder to reproduce locally than with a suite you run yourself.
- Native mobile application coverage is thin compared with the browser product, so teams with an iOS or Android app still need a second tool such as Appium or Maestro.
Pricing, plan by plan
Applitools
On request- Starter$667/month
- Billed annually
- 100,000 component checkpoints or 1,000 page checkpoints
- Visual AI, Storybook and Figma integration, accessibility testing
- Professional$undefined/month
- Custom quote, starting around 150 active pages or 1,500 components
- Unlimited executions, NLP-based test authoring
- Priority support with a dedicated Slack channel
- Enterprise$undefined/year
- Custom quote, starting around 350 active pages or 1,500 components
- SSO and dedicated or private cloud
- Custom SLAs and a weekly account manager
mabl
On request- mabl$undefined/year
- Annual subscription quoted per organisation, with the number of concurrent cloud runs as the main cost driver
- Trial available without a sales call, full pricing is not published
Which should you pick?
Choose Applitools if
- You need visual ai comparison.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want storybook component testing.
Choose mabl if
- You need trainer recorder.
- You work on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- You also want auto healing selectors.
Questions people ask
- Is Applitools or mabl better?
- Neither clearly leads. Applitools starts at On request and mabl at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Applitools or mabl?
- Applitools starts at On request and mabl at On request.
- Does Applitools or mabl run on more platforms?
- Applitools runs on Web, iOS, Android. mabl runs on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- What is Applitools best used for?
- Applitools is most often used for a team that abandoned pixel-diffing visual regression testing because of false-positive fatigue and wants a lower-noise alternative, a design system team wanting component-level visual testing against storybook rather than only full-page checks, an organisation wanting automated verification that shipped ui matches its figma source design, a team wanting nlp-based visual test authoring to reduce the coding overhead of writing visual test scripts, available at professional tier. Of those, a team that abandoned pixel-diffing visual regression testing because of false-positive fatigue and wants a lower-noise alternative and a design system team wanting component-level visual testing against storybook rather than only full-page checks are not what mabl is typically brought in for.
- What can Applitools do that mabl cannot?
- Applitools covers Visual AI comparison, Storybook component testing, Figma design comparison, Cross-browser and device visual testing. mabl covers Trainer recorder, Auto healing selectors, API testing, Accessibility checks.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Applitools: How is Applitools priced?
By checkpoint volume, component or page-level screenshot comparisons, with the entry Starter tier at 667 US dollars a month for 100,000 component or 1,000 page checkpoints.
mabl: Can I export mabl tests to Playwright if we leave?
No. You can export documentation of the steps, but not runnable code. Budget for re authoring the suite.
Applitools: How is it different from Percy?
Applitools uses an AI-based perceptual comparison model designed to reduce false positives from rendering noise; Percy is generally pixel-diffing based and lower cost per screenshot.
mabl: Does auto healing actually work?
It works often enough to be the reason people buy it, but it cannot be verified from a demo. Trial it against your own application through at least two real releases.
Applitools: Does it test individual components or only full pages?
Both; Storybook integration allows component-level visual testing in addition to full-page checks.
mabl: Is mabl a replacement for unit tests?
No. It covers end to end journeys through a running application. Unit and integration coverage still belongs in your repository.
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