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Testing · head to head

Cucumber vs Hasura

Cucumber logo

Cucumber

Testing

Behaviour-driven development testing framework that returned to community ownership after nine years under SmartBear

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hasura logo

Hasura

APIs

GraphQL engine that instantly creates production-ready GraphQL API from databases

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cucumber gherkin's plain-language layer adds a real maintenance burden, keeping feature files, step definitions and implementation code synchronised across a large suite is a known source of drift and duplicated effort.; Hasura active model definition: model/command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly
  • They diverge on capability: Cucumber covers Gherkin syntax, Hasura covers GraphQL API.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cucumber and Hasura actually diverge.

Attributes where Cucumber and Hasura differ
AttributeCucumberHasura
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feefreemium
PlatformsLinux, macOS, WindowsWeb
CategoryTestingAPIs
FoundedUnknown2017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Cucumber

  • Gherkin syntax
  • Step definition binding
  • Multi-language support
  • Living documentation
  • Tagging and scenario outlines
  • Reporting plugins

Only in Hasura

  • GraphQL API
  • Real-time subscriptions
  • Access control
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • Webhooks
  • REST APIs
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cucumber

  • A team practising behaviour-driven development that wants shared, readable specifications between product owners and engineersnot Hasura
  • An organisation wanting living documentation that stays synchronised with actual test coverage rather than a separate specification documentnot Hasura
  • A QA team migrating acceptance tests from a proprietary BDD tool to an open source, community-governed alternativenot Hasura
  • A Java, JavaScript or Ruby project needing a mature BDD framework rather than building Gherkin-style parsing from scratchnot Hasura

Hasura

  • Automatic GraphQL API generation from existing databasesnot Cucumber
  • Real-time data subscriptions for modern applicationsnot Cucumber
  • Backend infrastructure for web and mobile applicationsnot Cucumber
  • Event-triggered webhooks for database changesnot Cucumber

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cucumber

  • Gherkin's plain-language layer adds a real maintenance burden, keeping feature files, step definitions and implementation code synchronised across a large suite is a known source of drift and duplicated effort.
  • Ownership has moved twice in under a decade, from independent to SmartBear-owned to independent community ownership again, which should temper confidence in any specific long-range roadmap claim.
  • Non-technical stakeholders who are meant to read and write Gherkin scenarios often do not engage with them in practice, leaving the readability benefit unrealised while the maintenance cost remains.
  • Step definition reuse across a large feature file set can become tangled, with ambiguous step matching causing hard-to-debug failures as a suite grows.
  • As a community-owned project without a corporate backer's support infrastructure, enterprise buyers wanting a formal support contract have no vendor to buy one from, unlike some competing BDD tools still sold commercially.

Hasura

  • Active model definition: model/command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly
  • Private DDN requires Base or Advanced plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Cucumber

Free
  • CucumberFree
    • Full functionality across Cucumber-JVM, Cucumber-JS, Cucumber-Ruby and other implementations
    • Community support via GitHub
    • Returned to independent community ownership in December 2024 after nine years connected to SmartBear

Hasura

Free
  • DDN FreeFree
    • Unlimited models
    • 1 supergraph developer
    • 15-minute observability retention
  • DDN Base$5/month
    • Per active model billing
    • Unlimited developers
    • 30-day observability retention
  • DDN Advanced$30/month
    • Per active model billing
    • Federated collaboration
    • Multi-repo CI/CD

Which should you pick?

Choose Cucumber if

  • You need gherkin syntax.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want step definition binding.
Cucumber review

Choose Hasura if

  • You need graphql api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want real-time subscriptions.
Hasura review

Questions people ask

Is Cucumber or Hasura better?
Neither clearly leads. Cucumber starts at Free and Hasura at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cucumber or Hasura?
Cucumber starts at Free and Hasura at Free.
Does Cucumber or Hasura run on more platforms?
Cucumber runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. Hasura runs on Web.
Can I use Cucumber for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cucumber best used for?
Cucumber is most often used for a team practising behaviour-driven development that wants shared, readable specifications between product owners and engineers, an organisation wanting living documentation that stays synchronised with actual test coverage rather than a separate specification document, a qa team migrating acceptance tests from a proprietary bdd tool to an open source, community-governed alternative, a java, javascript or ruby project needing a mature bdd framework rather than building gherkin-style parsing from scratch. Of those, a team practising behaviour-driven development that wants shared, readable specifications between product owners and engineers and an organisation wanting living documentation that stays synchronised with actual test coverage rather than a separate specification document are not what Hasura is typically brought in for.
What can Cucumber do that Hasura cannot?
Cucumber covers Gherkin syntax, Step definition binding, Multi-language support, Living documentation. Hasura covers GraphQL API, Real-time subscriptions, Access control, PostgreSQL.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cucumber: Is Cucumber owned by SmartBear?

No, not currently. SmartBear acquired Cucumber Ltd in 2019 but the open source project returned to independent community ownership in December 2024.

Hasura: How much does Hasura cost?

Hasura DDN Free is free. DDN Base starts at $5/active model/month, and DDN Advanced starts at $30/active model/month.

Source
Cucumber: Is Cucumber free?

Yes, entirely open source with no licence fee across all its language implementations.

Hasura: What is an active model in Hasura pricing?

An active model is defined as any model or command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly.

Source
Cucumber: Does Cucumber replace Selenium or Appium?

No, Cucumber provides the Gherkin specification layer and step definition binding; the actual browser or mobile automation still needs a driver such as Selenium or Appium underneath.

Hasura: Is there a free version of Hasura?

Yes, Hasura DDN Free is always free and includes unlimited models, 1 supergraph developer, and 15-minute observability retention.

Source
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