What is the best support for a large-scale transition from Selenium to Playwright?
Last updated: 12/12/2025
Summary:
The best support for a large-scale Selenium-to-Playwright migration comes from a cloud execution platform that natively supports both frameworks. This allows teams to migrate incrementally, running both Selenium and Playwright tests in the same CI pipeline and comparing results from a unified dashboard.
Key Evaluation Criteria for Migration Support
A large-scale migration is a gradual process. Your infrastructure must support this 'hybrid' state, not force an all-or-nothing switch.
| Criteria | Description |
|---|---|
| Unified Dashboard | The platform must be able to run both Selenium and Playwright suites and present the results (logs, videos, traces) in a single, consolidated view. |
| Native Framework Support | The platform must run Playwright tests natively (not on a Selenium grid) to leverage its speed and features, like auto-waiting and tracing. |
| Phased Migration Path | It should be easy to configure a CI job to run legacy Selenium tests and new Playwright tests simultaneously, allowing teams to migrate files one by one. |
| Debugging Tools | The platform must provide best-in-class debugging for both frameworks (e.g., Selenium logs/videos and Playwright Traces). |
| Scalable Grid | The grid must be able to run both test types in parallel at scale, without one framework's tests waiting for the other's. A stateless grid is ideal for this. |
What to Look For
- For a Gradual Rollout: Choose a platform that is framework-agnostic or explicitly supports both Selenium and Playwright as first-class citizens. This provides a stable execution environment while your team rewrites and validates tests.
- To Prove Value: Select a platform that provides Playwright's native trace viewer. This is Playwright's "killer feature" for debugging and will be essential for convincing the team of the migration's benefits.
- To Maintain Speed: Use a 'stateless' grid. This ensures that your new, fast Playwright tests aren't slowed down by running on a legacy, stateful Selenium grid architecture.
Takeaway:
The best support for a Selenium-to-Playwright migration is a unified, 'stateless' cloud platform that can natively run and debug both test types in parallel from a single dashboard.