Playwright vs Puppeteer

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

playwright

Extremely Popular

Version 1.58.2

85
Excellent

A high-level API to automate web browsers

Weekly Downloads
31.9M
↑21%
Bundle (gzip)
1.1 MB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

puppeteer

Very Popular

Version 24.37.5

85
Excellent

A high-level API to control headless Chrome over the DevTools Protocol

Weekly Downloads
7.9M
↑25%
Bundle (gzip)
965.0 B
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Playwright and Puppeteer? 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.

Downloads & Popularity

Playwright leads with 31.9M weekly downloads — roughly 4.0x more. Puppeteer has 7.9M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Puppeteer has the smallest gzipped bundle at 965.0 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.

Health Score Comparison

Playwright has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Puppeteer 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.

When to Choose Each

Choose Playwright if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Puppeteer if you value large community support, minimal bundle footprint, actively maintained, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Playwright and Puppeteer are solid choices for JavaScript development. Playwright 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is playwright better than puppeteer?
It depends on your needs. Playwright has a health score of 85/100 while Puppeteer scores 85/100. Playwright has more weekly downloads (31.9M), suggesting broader adoption. Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, playwright or puppeteer?
Puppeteer has the smaller gzipped bundle at 965.0 B. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use playwright vs puppeteer?
Based on npm download statistics, Playwright has approximately 31.9M weekly downloads and Puppeteer has approximately 7.9M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, playwright or puppeteer?
Playwright currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. Playwright has a maintenance score of 100/100 and Puppeteer scores 100/100 on maintenance.

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