Is Directus or Selenium better?

Neither clearly leads. Directus starts at Free and Selenium at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Directus or Selenium?

Directus starts at Free and Selenium at Free.

Does Directus or Selenium run on more platforms?

Directus runs on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker. Selenium runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Web.

What is Directus best used for?

Directus is most often used for wrapping an existing sql database in a rest and graphql api with an admin interface, running a self hosted headless cms over a schema you already own. Of those, wrapping an existing sql database in a rest and graphql api with an admin interface and running a self hosted headless cms over a schema you already own are not what Selenium is typically brought in for.

What can Directus do that Selenium cannot?

Directus covers REST API, GraphQL API, Database management, PostgreSQL. Selenium covers W3C WebDriver, Many language bindings, Selenium Grid, Broad browser support.

APIs · head to head

Directus vs Selenium

Directus

APIs

Open-source data platform providing REST and GraphQL APIs

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Selenium

Testing

Browser automation framework and the W3C WebDriver standard

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Directus free permissive use of the self hosted product is limited to organisations under $5M annual revenue with fewer than 50 employees, so crossing either threshold turns a free dependency into a paid licence; 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: Directus covers REST API, Selenium covers W3C WebDriver.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Directus and Selenium actually diverge.

Attributes where Directus and Selenium differ
Attribute	Directus	Selenium
Pricing model	open-source	Open source, no licence fee
Platforms	Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker	Linux, macOS, Windows, Web
Category	APIs	Testing
Founded	2014	Unknown

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 Directus

REST API
GraphQL API
Database management
PostgreSQL
MySQL
SQLite
Webhooks
Node.js support

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.

Directus

Wrapping an existing SQL database in a REST and GraphQL API with an admin interfacenot Selenium
Running a self hosted headless CMS over a schema you already ownnot Selenium

Selenium

Cross-browser testing where Safari and legacy browsers must be coverednot Directus
Teams whose test suites are written in Java or C# rather than JavaScriptnot Directus
Distributing a large suite across a grid of machinesnot Directus

Where each one falls short

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

Directus

Free permissive use of the self hosted product is limited to organisations under $5M annual revenue with fewer than 50 employees, so crossing either threshold turns a free dependency into a paid licence
The free Core tier is a hard limit of 3 seats, 25 collections and 5 flows
The Team plan is $499 a month billed annually, or $599 monthly, with extra seats at $50 each
Team caps collections at 50, expandable to 100, and flows at 20

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

Directus

Free

CommunityFree
- Self-hosted Directus
- Community support
Cloud$25/monthly
- Managed cloud
- Automatic updates
- Backups

Selenium

Free

SeleniumFree
- Full functionality
- Unlimited tests
- Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose Directus if

You need rest api.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker.
You also want graphql api.

Directus review

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.

Selenium review

Questions people ask

Is Directus or Selenium better?: Neither clearly leads. Directus starts at Free and Selenium at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Directus or Selenium?: Directus starts at Free and Selenium at Free.
Does Directus or Selenium run on more platforms?: Directus runs on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker. Selenium runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Web.
Can I use Directus for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Directus best used for?: Directus is most often used for wrapping an existing sql database in a rest and graphql api with an admin interface, running a self hosted headless cms over a schema you already own. Of those, wrapping an existing sql database in a rest and graphql api with an admin interface and running a self hosted headless cms over a schema you already own are not what Selenium is typically brought in for.
What can Directus do that Selenium cannot?: Directus covers REST API, GraphQL API, Database management, PostgreSQL. Selenium covers W3C WebDriver, Many language bindings, Selenium Grid, Broad browser support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Directus: What is Directus's pricing?

Directus Core is free and self-hosted. The Team tier costs $499/month (annual) or $599/month (rolling), including 10 user seats and cloud hosting at $99/month additional. Enterprise plans have custom pricing. Additional seats cost $50/month each.

Source

Selenium: Is Selenium free?

Yes, open source with no licence fee. Paid costs come from grid infrastructure or services like BrowserStack.

Directus: Can I use Directus for free?

Yes, Directus Core is completely free with 3 user seats, 25 Collections, 5 Flows, AI Assistant, and Advanced RBAC. Self-hosting is available at no cost.

Source

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.

Directus: How many user seats does each Directus tier include?

Core includes 3 user seats, Team includes 10 SSO seats, and Enterprise includes custom SSO seat counts. Additional Team seats cost $50/seat per month.

Source

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.

Directus: What happens to my monthly Directus plan if I switch?

Monthly plans are grandfathered for six months after switching, and annual plans are honored until renewal. Self-hosted licenses are handled case-by-case at renewal.

Source

Directus: Is there a free trial for Directus?

No trial period is mentioned. Users can start with the free Core tier immediately without a credit card.

Source

Directus vs Selenium

Directus

Selenium

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Directus

Only in Selenium

What people use each for

Directus

Selenium

Where each one falls short

Directus

Selenium

Pricing, plan by plan

Directus

Selenium

Which should you pick?

Choose Directus if

Choose Selenium if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Directus

More on Selenium

Keep looking

Other head to heads