Testing · head to head
Selenium vs Cypress
Selenium
Testing
Browser automation framework and the W3C WebDriver standard
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Cypress
Testing
JavaScript end-to-end testing framework with browser-based runner and cloud service
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Selenium flaky tests are the standing complaint: explicit waits and synchronisation are the tester’s job, where newer tools handle it automatically; Cypress limited to web applications; mobile and desktop app testing not supported
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Selenium and Cypress actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Selenium
- W3C WebDriver
- Many language bindings
- Selenium Grid
- Broad browser support
Only in Cypress
Nothing recorded that Selenium does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Selenium
- Cross-browser testing where Safari and legacy browsers must be coverednot Cypress
- Teams whose test suites are written in Java or C# rather than JavaScriptnot Cypress
- Distributing a large suite across a grid of machinesnot Cypress
Cypress
- End-to-end testing for modern JavaScript web applicationsnot Selenium
- Continuous integration pipelines with parallelised test executionnot Selenium
- Visual regression testing and accessibility verificationnot Selenium
- Flaky test detection and eliminationnot Selenium
- Team collaboration on test maintenance and debuggingnot Selenium
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Cypress
- Limited to web applications; mobile and desktop app testing not supported
- Free tier capped at 500 test results/month; insufficient for most development teams
- Paid features (flake detection, analytics) not included in free tier
- JavaScript/TypeScript focused; less suitable for polyglot organisations
Pricing, plan by plan
Selenium
Free- SeleniumFree
- Full functionality
- Unlimited tests
- Community support
Cypress
Free- Starter (Free)Free
- 500 test results/month
- 100 prompt executions/month
- Parallelisation
- Team$67/month
- 120k test results/year
- 9k prompt executions/year
- Flake detection
- Business$267/month
- 120k test results/year
- 24k prompt executions/year
- Spec prioritisation
- Enterprise$undefined/custom
- 1.8M test results/year
- 60k prompt executions/year
- Unlimited users
Which should you pick?
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 Selenium or Cypress better?
- Neither clearly leads. Selenium starts at Free and Cypress at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Selenium or Cypress?
- Selenium starts at Free and Cypress at Free.
- Does Selenium or Cypress run on more platforms?
- Selenium runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Web. Cypress runs on macOS, Windows, Linux.
- Can I use Selenium for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Selenium best used for?
- Selenium is most often used for cross-browser testing where safari and legacy browsers must be covered, teams whose test suites are written in java or c# rather than javascript, distributing a large suite across a grid of machines. Of those, cross-browser testing where safari and legacy browsers must be covered and teams whose test suites are written in java or c# rather than javascript are not what Cypress is typically brought in for.
- What can Selenium do that Cypress cannot?
- Selenium covers W3C WebDriver, Many language bindings, Selenium Grid, Broad browser support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Selenium: Is Selenium free?
Yes, open source with no licence fee. Paid costs come from grid infrastructure or services like BrowserStack.
Cypress: Is Cypress free?
Yes, Cypress offers a free Starter plan with 500 test results per month, 100 prompt executions monthly, 50 users, and 30-day data retention. No credit card is required.
SourceSelenium: 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.
Cypress: How much does Cypress Team cost?
Cypress Team costs $67 per month when billed monthly or $799 per year for annual billing (11% savings). It includes 120,000 annual test results, 9,000 yearly prompt executions, 50 users, 90-day data retention, flake detection, Jira integration, and email support.
SourceSelenium: 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.
Cypress: What is the difference between Cypress Team and Business?
Cypress Business costs $267 per month (or $3,199 annually) compared to Team's $67/month ($799/year). Business provides twice the prompt executions (24,000 vs. 9,000 yearly), spec prioritization, auto-cancellation, and enterprise GitHub/GitLab support.
SourceCypress: Can I purchase additional test results on Cypress?
Yes, Cypress allows purchasing bundled on-demand test results. Team costs $6 per 1,000 results, Business costs $5 per 1,000, and Enterprise pricing is custom. Open-source projects qualify for complimentary cloud services.
SourceRelated pages
Other head to heads
- Selenium vs CircleCI
- Selenium vs Insomnia
- Selenium vs BrowserStack
- Selenium vs BugHerd
- Selenium vs Playwright
- Selenium vs GitHub Actions
- Selenium vs Puppeteer
- Selenium vs Vitest
- Selenium vs Zephyr Scale
- Cypress vs CircleCI
- Cypress vs Insomnia
- Cypress vs BrowserStack
- Cypress vs BugHerd
- Cypress vs Playwright
- Cypress vs GitHub Actions
- Cypress vs Puppeteer
- Cypress vs Vitest
- Cypress vs Zephyr Scale