Testing · head to head
Applitools vs Selenium
Applitools
Testing
AI-based visual regression testing, priced on component and page checkpoint volume
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Selenium
Testing
Browser automation framework and the W3C WebDriver standard
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Selenium has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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.; Selenium flaky tests are the standing complaint: explicit waits and synchronisation are the tester’s job, where newer tools handle it automatically
- They diverge on capability: Applitools covers Visual AI comparison, Selenium covers W3C WebDriver.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Applitools and Selenium actually diverge.
| Attribute | Applitools | Selenium |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | Per month by checkpoint volume | Open source, no licence fee |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Linux, macOS, Windows, Web |
Identical on both: 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 Selenium
- W3C WebDriver
- Many language bindings
- Selenium Grid
- Broad browser support
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 Selenium
- A design system team wanting component-level visual testing against Storybook rather than only full-page checksnot Selenium
- An organisation wanting automated verification that shipped UI matches its Figma source designnot Selenium
- A team wanting NLP-based visual test authoring to reduce the coding overhead of writing visual test scripts, available at Professional tiernot Selenium
Selenium
- Cross-browser testing where Safari and legacy browsers must be coverednot Applitools
- Teams whose test suites are written in Java or C# rather than JavaScriptnot Applitools
- Distributing a large suite across a grid of machinesnot 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.
Selenium
- Flaky tests are the standing complaint: explicit waits and synchronisation are the tester’s job, where newer tools handle it automatically
- Setup involves drivers, versions and grid infrastructure that Playwright and Cypress bundle away
- Slower to run than tools that talk to browsers over a debugging protocol rather than WebDriver
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
Selenium
Free- SeleniumFree
- Full functionality
- Unlimited tests
- Community support
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 Selenium if
- You need w3c webdriver.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Web.
- You also want many language bindings.
Questions people ask
- Is Applitools or Selenium better?
- Neither clearly leads. Applitools starts at On request and Selenium at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Applitools or Selenium?
- Selenium has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Applitools and Free for Selenium.
- Does Applitools or Selenium run on more platforms?
- Applitools runs on Web, iOS, Android. Selenium runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Web.
- Can I use Selenium for free?
- Yes. Selenium has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Applitools starts at On request.
- 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 Selenium is typically brought in for.
- What can Applitools do that Selenium cannot?
- Applitools covers Visual AI comparison, Storybook component testing, Figma design comparison, Cross-browser and device visual testing. Selenium covers W3C WebDriver, Many language bindings, Selenium Grid, Broad browser support.
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.
Selenium: Is Selenium free?
Yes, open source with no licence fee. Paid costs come from grid infrastructure or services like BrowserStack.
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.
Selenium: Selenium or Playwright?
Playwright handles waiting automatically and is faster to set up, which removes most flakiness complaints. Selenium wins on language breadth, browser coverage including Safari, and existing suites you already have.
Applitools: Does it test individual components or only full pages?
Both; Storybook integration allows component-level visual testing in addition to full-page checks.
Selenium: Is Selenium still relevant?
Yes. Its WebDriver protocol is a W3C standard implemented by every major browser, and very large existing suites are not rewritten cheaply.
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