Side-by-side NPM package comparison
Version 15.11.0
Cypress is a next generation front end testing tool built for the modern web
Version 1.58.2
A high-level API to automate web browsers
Choosing between Cypress and Playwright? Here's a data-driven comparison based on real npm data — downloads, bundle size, health scores, and more — to help you decide which package fits your project best.
Playwright leads with 31.9M weekly downloads — roughly 4.6x more. Cypress has 7.0M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.
Cypress has the smallest gzipped bundle at 328.0 B. Playwright comes in at 1.1 MB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.
Cypress has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Playwright has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.
Choose Cypress if you value large community support, minimal bundle footprint, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Playwright if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record.
Both Cypress and Playwright are solid choices for JavaScript development. Cypress has the edge in overall health score (85/100), while each package brings unique strengths to the table. Evaluate them based on your project's priorities — whether that's community size, bundle efficiency, or maintenance activity — and choose the one that aligns best with your requirements.