Why Businesses Should Invest in Automated End-to-End Testing with Playwright

With increasingly complex software and faster release cycles, development teams face a significant challenge in maintaining consistent quality. Despite this, the State of Quality Report 2025 indicates that 82% of organizations still heavily rely on manual testing. While 55% report that they don’t have enough time to conduct comprehensive testing before release. This imbalance often forces businesses to compromise on testing depth in an effort to meet tight deadlines.

In this environment, automation is no longer just a technical improvement but a necessity. Automated end-to-end testing tools like Playwright enable companies to streamline QA workflows and maintain high product reliability even under tight deadlines.

To understand why Playwright is gaining such traction, it’s essential to start with the foundation: what end-to-end testing actually means and why it plays such a critical role in modern software quality assurance.

End-to-end (E2E) testing is a comprehensive approach that verifies how an entire application works from the user’s perspective. Unlike isolated testing of individual features, E2E testing simulates complete, real-world customer journeys across various browsers, devices, and platforms. Such an approach allows verifying that every system component functions as expected.

For businesses, an end-to-end testing process is vital as modern software rarely operates in isolation. Applications are often hosted in cloud-based environments and depend on interconnected services, APIs, and third-party integrations. A single failure in these interactions can result in transaction errors or data loss.

In fact, research from the University of Illinois found that at least 20% of severe failures in cloud applications result from cross-system interaction errors. For open-source apps, the number of cases is almost twice as high, with 37% of reported issues stemming from such failures. These numbers emphasize that testing workflows end-to-end can be more effective in avoiding cross-system interaction errors than testing individual units of code.

Yet, manual testing alone is no longer sufficient to handle this complexity. As release cycles accelerate and businesses adopt agile and DevOps practices, QA teams must verify dozens of user journeys across multiple environments in short timeframes.

Given that manual E2E testing is time-consuming and difficult to scale, it becomes challenging for teams to keep up with frequent product updates. Automation, by contrast, enables the continuous validation of business-critical processes to ensure that every new release maintains optimal performance and functionality. That’s where Playwright steps in.

Playwright is a modern open-source automation framework developed by Microsoft in 2020 as a next-generation solution for reliable, scalable web testing. It was built by the same team that previously worked on Puppeteer, another automation framework. Their goal was to address many of the challenges faced by QA engineers using older frameworks, particularly around cross-browser testing.

The framework has quickly become one of the most trusted tools for modern end-to-end testing. On GitHub, Playwright has gained over 79,000 stars and is used in more than 425,474 repositories, surpassing even long-established tools like Selenium. Such popularity is a remarkable achievement for a relatively new tool.

Here’s what makes Playwright stand out:

• Cross-browser and cross-platform coverage. Playwright supports three major rendering engines: Chromium (used by Chrome, Edge, and Opera), Firefox (Gecko), and WebKit (Safari). It allows QA teams to validate how their applications perform across all major browsers without maintaining separate configurations or scripts. Playwright also supports cross-platform execution on Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as containerized environments such as Docker.
• One API for multiple programming languages. Playwright offers exceptional flexibility by supporting a wide array of programming languages, including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, and .NET. This flexibility makes it easy to integrate into existing tech stacks and CI/CD pipelines without requiring teams to change their core development tools or workflows.
• Support for parallel execution and native CI/CD compatibility. This feature significantly speeds up automated testing pipelines. Tests can run concurrently across different browsers and configurations. This helps to shorten feedback loops and accelerate time-to-market, which is a critical factor for businesses that release frequent updates.
• Rich debugging and reporting capabilities. From a productivity standpoint, Playwright offers detailed trace views, screenshots, and video recordings of each test run. These artifacts allow teams to replay entire test executions, inspect every DOM change, and quickly pinpoint the root cause of failures.

All these benefits make Playwright a great option for end-to-end testing automation. However, as of today, many organizations still rely on tools like Selenium, Cypress, or Puppeteer. A closer look at how these frameworks differ can help you determine which tool will best support your goals for scalability, maintainability, and long-term ROI.

When evaluating end-to-end test automation frameworks, most businesses compare Playwright with three popular alternatives — Selenium, Cypress, and Puppeteer. Each of them has its strengths, but their capabilities and focus areas differ. Let’s take a closer look.

For almost twenty years, Selenium has been the foundation for web test automation. It was first introduced in 2004 as a straightforward JavaScript framework designed to automate repetitive web browser testing tasks. Since then, this initial tool has grown into a comprehensive, open-source suite.

Today, its components include several core tools that together form a comprehensive automation suite:

• Selenium WebDriver. The main component that enables direct interaction with web browsers, allowing automated scripts to simulate real user actions.
• Selenium Grid. Used for running tests across multiple machines, browsers, and operating systems in parallel, improving efficiency and scalability.
• Selenium IDE. A lightweight, record-and-playback tool that helps testers quickly create scripts without deep programming knowledge.

Its longevity and versatility made Selenium the industry standard for end-to-end test automation throughout the 2010s. It supports all major browsers and a wide range of programming languages, including Java, Python, C#, Ruby, and JavaScript. As of today, Selenium maintains a strong community presence, with 33,600 stars and approximately 357,470 repositories depending on it.

However, Selenium’s client-server architecture is now showing its age. Its design often necessitates extra configuration for parallel execution and continuous integration. While still highly compatible, Selenium sometimes struggles to handle the dynamic, asynchronous behavior of modern single-page applications (SPAs) as efficiently as newer frameworks, such as Playwright.

Despite these limitations, Selenium remains a reliable and flexible option for organizations that already maintain large, established testing infrastructures.

Cypress was launched in 2015 by Brian Mann with the goal of making front-end testing faster, simpler, and more developer-friendly. Unlike older testing frameworks such as Selenium, which rely on remote browser drivers, Cypress runs directly within the browser. This architectural choice provides significant benefits for the developer experience, all of which stem from its direct access to the application under test.

Cypress quickly gained traction among modern JavaScript and front-end teams, particularly those working with SPAs and frameworks like React.js, Angular, and Vue.js. From a popularity standpoint, Cypress has a strong and growing community on GitHub, with 49,400 stars and over 87,700 repositories referencing it. Its adoption is especially high among startups and product teams focused on agile development and continuous delivery. This is largely due to the fact that speed and ease of use are often prioritized over full cross-platform coverage in software development for startups.

That said, Cypress comes with certain limitations that can make it less suitable for enterprise-level automation. It supports only JavaScript and TypeScript, and until recently, it offered limited cross-browser testing, mainly Chrome and Chromium-based browsers. While newer versions have improved Firefox and WebKit support, the framework still lacks the multi-language flexibility and scalability of tools like Playwright.

Puppeteer was introduced by Google in 2017 as a Node.js library that provides a high-level API for controlling Chrome or Chromium through the DevTools Protocol. Its primary goal was to simplify browser automation for developers, particularly for tasks such as web scraping, UI testing, and generating PDFs or screenshots from web pages.

Because Puppeteer interacts directly with the browser without a middle layer, it delivers fast execution and precise control over browser behavior. This makes Puppeteer an excellent option for performance monitoring, visual regression testing, and automating repetitive browser-based workflows. Its simplicity and strong documentation have made Puppeteer popular among developers who need a lightweight automation tool rather than a full-scale testing framework.

On GitHub, Puppeteer maintains an active developer community, with over 92,800 stars and more than 562,100 repositories referencing it. Its tight integration with Chromium ensures reliability and speed, especially for Chrome-based environments — one of the reasons it remains a favorite for internal automation and continuous integration pipelines focused on Chrome testing.

However, as we have previously mentioned, Puppeteer’s scope is intentionally limited. It originally supported only Chromium-based browsers, and while experimental support for Firefox was later introduced, it still lacks full cross-browser compatibility. Puppeteer also supports only JavaScript and TypeScript. This limited support restricts its use in diverse enterprise environments that require multiple language bindings or platform integrations.

As of today, Puppeteer has shown great results in targeted automation tasks where speed and control matter more than broad coverage (e.g., testing a Chrome-centric web app or automating browser actions in a CI environment). Yet, for comprehensive end-to-end testing across browsers and languages, businesses often transition from Puppeteer to Playwright, which builds upon Puppeteer’s foundation while addressing its limitations.

Here’s a comparison table to better understand the differences between these four frameworks.

Investing in Playwright for automated end-to-end testing goes beyond improving QA efficiency. The following key benefits demonstrate how Playwright delivers tangible business value.

Playwright enables teams to automate complex user journeys and execute tests across multiple browsers in parallel. Its seamless integration with CI/CD pipelines allows automated tests to continuously run during development. This reduces bottlenecks in QA cycles, allowing businesses to release updates, new features, and fixes more frequently. Faster feedback loops result in faster product iterations — a critical advantage in competitive markets, where time-to-market can significantly impact success.

Manual end-to-end testing is labor-intensive and becomes increasingly expensive as applications grow in complexity. By automating repetitive and high-volume test cases, Playwright significantly reduces the amount of manual effort required in each release cycle.

Once created, Playwright scripts can be reused and maintained with minimal adjustments, lowering long-term QA costs. Over time, organizations see substantial savings in both labor and infrastructure while improving the reliability of their testing processes.

Playwright’s ability to simulate real user interactions across different browsers and devices ensures that potential issues are detected early — before they reach production. Automated tests run consistently and precisely, eliminating the human error that often occurs in manual testing. This leads to fewer production defects and also improves application stability.

Playwright supports scalable, distributed test execution that allows organizations to increase coverage without slowing down delivery. Its flexibility and robust automation features make it easier to test new modules, microservices, or integrations as applications evolve. This scalability ensures that testing processes grow in line with business and product expansion.

Playwright’s single API and comprehensive reporting tools allow QA and development teams to write, review, and debug tests in the same workflow. Built-in features like detailed trace views, screenshots, and video recordings make it easier to quickly identify and resolve issues.

This unified approach shortens feedback loops because both teams can access the same test artifacts, logs, and reports, allowing them to align on priorities, address issues more quickly, and maintain a shared understanding of product quality.

In essence, Playwright transforms automated testing from a technical task into a strategic business enabler — one that accelerates development, reduces operational costs, and ensures consistent digital experiences for users.

Successfully adopting Playwright requires aligning automation practices with business goals, team capabilities, and existing delivery pipelines. At Leobit, we suggest using a structured approach to minimize disruptions to ongoing development.

Here are four major steps you should follow to gradually implement Playwright.

The first step is to evaluate your organization’s current testing processes, tools, and level of automation. According to the State of Quality Report 2025, only 11% of QA teams reached the highest stage of maturity. The same research found that high-maturity QA teams prioritize automation, with 45% implementing automated regression testing and 37% focusing on API testing as key components of their testing strategy.

Performing an assessment will help you understand where manual testing dominates or where legacy frameworks create bottlenecks. So you can start introducing Playwright where it can deliver the highest return on investment. This could be, for instance, replacing outdated browser automation or expanding test coverage for complex workflows.

Before scaling organization-wide, businesses should begin with a pilot project focused on high-priority user journeys or critical system components. This allows QA and development teams to validate Playwright’s benefits in real-world scenarios. Early success in these pilot tests helps build internal confidence and creates a framework for wider adoption.

Once validated, the next step is to embed Playwright tests into existing CI/CD pipelines. Playwright integrates natively with tools like GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, and GitLab CI, and enables fully automated testing during each build and deployment.

After establishing Playwright as part of regular delivery workflows, teams can gradually expand automation coverage. This may include adding regression, performance, and cross-device testing, as well as implementing advanced reporting and analytics. Over time, the goal is to achieve comprehensive test automation that scales in line with application growth.

Integrating Playwright effectively requires both technical expertise and a deep understanding of automation strategy and continuous delivery of best practices. Yet despite the rapid evolution of testing tools, the global QA industry continues to face a significant skills shortage. In 2023, over 41% of enterprises reported a talent gap in areas such as AI-driven testing, performance testing, and automation frameworks like Selenium, Cypress, and Playwright.

As applications become increasingly complex, the need for professionals who combine both development and testing expertise is growing. However, this hybrid skill set remains rare and creates a barrier for many companies trying to scale automation.

Partnering with an experienced software development and QA provider, such as Leobit, can bridge this gap. A qualified partner can help design a testing architecture tailored to your business needs and guide your company through each phase of automation adoption.

Leobit combines deep technical expertise with proven QA methodologies to help companies seamlessly integrate Playwright or any other end-to-end testing solution into their development workflows.

With over 100 successful QA projects delivered, Leobit has extensive experience in helping businesses across fintech, healthcare, real estate, and other industries achieve faster, more reliable software releases. Our team of 30+ certified QA engineers brings hands-on expertise in test automation, continuous integration, performance testing, and quality assurance strategy.

As an ICTQB Platinum Partner, Leobit adheres to internationally recognized testing standards and best practices, ensuring the highest levels of precision and consistency in every engagement. Our commitment to delivering secure, efficient, and high-quality QA solutions is also backed by ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management) and ISO 27001:2022 (Information Security) certifications.

Leobit partnered with an education-focused consulting company that helps disabled veterans explore eligibility for increased VA disability benefits. The client’s platform required robust regression and end-to-end testing to ensure reliability across functional and UI flows. However, manual testing was no longer scalable due to frequent releases, time constraints, and dependencies on third-party integrations, which capped achievable coverage at about 50%.

To address these challenges, Leobit implemented a Playwright-based automation framework covering critical workflows and integrated it into the CI/CD pipeline for continuous testing. The solution featured a dual-pipeline setup, one executing 1,200 standard tests daily and another running 140 specialized performance tests weekly. Such an approach improved testing efficiency, ensured consistent product quality, and maintained reliable 50% coverage despite external limitations. As a result, the client achieved faster release cycles and significantly reduced manual effort.

As digital products evolve and release cycles shorten, manual QA alone can no longer keep pace. Playwright E2E testing gives businesses the ability to automate critical end-to-end workflows, ensure consistent user experiences across platforms, and accelerate time-to-market while reducing long-term QA costs.

Beyond the technical advantages, adopting Playwright enables companies to turn testing from a reactive process into a proactive quality strategy. Continuous validation and instant feedback help teams make smarter development decisions and maintain higher product reliability.

If your organization is ready to strengthen its quality assurance strategy and accelerate delivery through automation, Leobit’s QA experts can help. Our team can assess your current testing framework, design a Playwright-based automation solution, and integrate it into your development workflow for measurable results. Contact us today to learn how we can help you build faster, more reliable software with confidence.