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Testing · head to head

Percy vs Sauce Labs

Percy logo

Percy

Testing

Visual regression testing owned by BrowserStack, with a permanent free tier for low screenshot volume

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sauce Labs logo

Sauce Labs

Testing

Cloud device and browser testing platform, priced per plan tier with unlimited testing minutes rather than metered by the minute

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Percy has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Percy pixel-based diffing generates more false positives from font rendering and anti-aliasing noise than Applitools' AI-based comparison, which trains some teams to start ignoring diff alerts over time.; Sauce Labs every published tier includes only a single parallel test session by default, so any team wanting to run multiple tests simultaneously needs to negotiate additional parallel sessions, which is not transparently priced on the public page.
  • They diverge on capability: Percy covers Screenshot diffing, Sauce Labs covers Real device cloud.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Percy and Sauce Labs actually diverge.

Attributes where Percy and Sauce Labs differ
AttributePercySauce Labs
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFreemium, paid tiers by screenshot volumePer month by parallel session count and device category
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android

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 Percy

  • Screenshot diffing
  • Framework integrations
  • Responsive and cross-browser snapshots
  • Review workflow
  • Build history
  • BrowserStack platform integration

Only in Sauce Labs

  • Real device cloud
  • Virtual device cloud
  • Live manual testing
  • Video and log capture
  • Sauce AI agents
  • Unlimited testing minutes and users

What people use each for

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

Percy

  • A team already on BrowserStack for device testing that wants to add visual regression without a separate vendor relationshipnot Sauce Labs
  • A low-traffic project that can run indefinitely on the 5,000-screenshot free tier without paying anythingnot Sauce Labs
  • A team wanting a lower cost per screenshot than Applitools and willing to tolerate more manual false-positive triagenot Sauce Labs
  • A Cypress or Playwright test suite adding visual checks without changing its existing test runnernot Sauce Labs

Sauce Labs

  • A QA team running Selenium or Appium test suites that needs cloud device and browser coverage without maintaining a physical labnot Percy
  • A team wanting manual live testing sessions on real devices for exploratory or accessibility testingnot Percy
  • An organisation needing video, screenshot and log capture on every automated test run for debugging flaky failuresnot Percy
  • An enterprise wanting AI-assisted test authoring and insights alongside device cloud executionnot Percy

Where each one falls short

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

Percy

  • Pixel-based diffing generates more false positives from font rendering and anti-aliasing noise than Applitools' AI-based comparison, which trains some teams to start ignoring diff alerts over time.
  • It is billed separately from core BrowserStack device testing, and stacking Percy with other BrowserStack modules such as Accessibility Testing materially increases total contract value beyond the headline device testing price.
  • Paid tier pricing above the free tier is not transparently published as a fixed number, requiring a quote to know actual cost at scale.
  • The free tier's 5,000-screenshot cap is easy to exceed for any team running visual tests across multiple browsers and viewports on every commit, pushing many active projects into a paid tier faster than the free number suggests.
  • As part of a larger acquired portfolio, Percy's roadmap priority within BrowserStack's broader product strategy is less certain than it would be as a standalone company's sole focus.

Sauce Labs

  • Every published tier includes only a single parallel test session by default, so any team wanting to run multiple tests simultaneously needs to negotiate additional parallel sessions, which is not transparently priced on the public page.
  • Enterprise pricing, where AI agents and SSO live, is quote-only, so the most capability-rich tier loses the pricing transparency of the lower tiers.
  • It competes directly with BrowserStack on almost identical device cloud fundamentals, and the two vendors leapfrog each other on device inventory and pricing often enough that a comparison made today can be outdated within a year.
  • Real device availability for less common device and OS combinations can queue during peak usage, which affects CI pipelines that expect on-demand execution.
  • The unlimited-minutes model rewards teams that run tests constantly and penalises smaller teams paying the same base price for occasional, low-volume use.

Pricing, plan by plan

Percy

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 5,000 screenshots a month
    • Unlimited users and projects
    • 30-day build history
  • Percy$undefined/month
    • Priced by screenshot volume above the free tier
    • Sold separately from core BrowserStack device testing plans
    • Get a current quote before assuming bundled pricing with other BrowserStack products

Sauce Labs

On request
  • Live Testing$39/month
    • Annual billing, 49 US dollars a month billed monthly
    • 1 parallel test, unlimited users and testing minutes
    • Manual cross-browser and mobile app testing
  • Virtual Device Cloud$149/month
    • Annual billing, 199 US dollars a month billed monthly
    • 1 parallel test, unlimited users and testing minutes
    • Automated and manual testing on emulators and simulators
  • Real Device Cloud$199/month
    • Annual billing, 249 US dollars a month billed monthly
    • 1 parallel test, unlimited users and testing minutes
    • Access to real mobile devices
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Custom parallel session count and pricing
    • Sauce AI Test Authoring and Insights agents
    • SSO, private device cloud, professional services

Which should you pick?

Choose Percy if

  • You need screenshot diffing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want framework integrations.
Percy review

Choose Sauce Labs if

  • You need real device cloud.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want virtual device cloud.
Sauce Labs review

Questions people ask

Is Percy or Sauce Labs better?
Neither clearly leads. Percy starts at Free and Sauce Labs at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Percy or Sauce Labs?
Percy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Percy and On request for Sauce Labs.
Does Percy or Sauce Labs run on more platforms?
Percy runs on Web. Sauce Labs runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Percy for free?
Yes. Percy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sauce Labs starts at On request.
What is Percy best used for?
Percy is most often used for a team already on browserstack for device testing that wants to add visual regression without a separate vendor relationship, a low-traffic project that can run indefinitely on the 5,000-screenshot free tier without paying anything, a team wanting a lower cost per screenshot than applitools and willing to tolerate more manual false-positive triage, a cypress or playwright test suite adding visual checks without changing its existing test runner. Of those, a team already on browserstack for device testing that wants to add visual regression without a separate vendor relationship and a low-traffic project that can run indefinitely on the 5,000-screenshot free tier without paying anything are not what Sauce Labs is typically brought in for.
What can Percy do that Sauce Labs cannot?
Percy covers Screenshot diffing, Framework integrations, Responsive and cross-browser snapshots, Review workflow. Sauce Labs covers Real device cloud, Virtual device cloud, Live manual testing, Video and log capture.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Percy: Is Percy free?

Yes for up to 5,000 screenshots a month with unlimited users and projects; beyond that it is a paid, quote-priced module.

Sauce Labs: Is Sauce Labs priced by testing minutes?

No, every published plan includes unlimited testing minutes and unlimited users; the pricing lever is the number of parallel test sessions and device category.

Percy: Is Percy included if I already pay for BrowserStack device testing?

No, it is billed separately by screenshot volume, not bundled into core device testing plans.

Sauce Labs: How does it differ from BrowserStack?

Both offer equivalent real and virtual device cloud testing for Selenium and Appium; differences are mainly in device inventory specifics, parallel session pricing and AI feature rollout, which change often enough to need a current comparison.

Percy: How does it compare to Applitools?

Percy uses pixel-based diffing, which is generally cheaper per screenshot but produces more false positives than Applitools' AI-based perceptual comparison.

Sauce Labs: Do I need Appium or Selenium separately?

Yes, Sauce Labs provides the device and browser infrastructure; test scripts are still written against the open source Selenium or Appium frameworks.

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