Playwright vs Cypress vs Selenium -- UK E2E Test Automation (2026)
Playwright is ClickMasters default for all UK regulated E2E testing: native axe-playwright integration (WCAG 2.1 AA automated -- NHS DTAC Domain 5, GDS Service Standard), multi-browser support (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit -- GDS accessibility requirement), and the best NHS clinical workflow and GDS journey testing. Cypress is right for developer-focused component testing with interactive debugging. Selenium is legacy -- new UK projects should use Playwright. E2E test framework choice affects NHS DTAC Domain 5 accessibility evidence, GDS Service Standard assessment, and FCA PS21/3 post-deployment smoke test reliability.
| Factor | Playwright | Cypress | Selenium |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHS DTAC D5 WCAG (axe integration) | BEST -- axe-playwright official, zero violations gate | axe-cypress available -- less integrated | axe-selenium -- more setup |
| GDS multi-browser testing | BEST -- Chromium + Firefox + WebKit in one run | Chromium only (natively) -- Firefox experimental | All browsers -- but more setup |
| FCA PS21/3 post-deploy smoke tests | BEST -- CI/CD integrated, API + UI combined | Good -- CI/CD integrated | More setup for CI/CD integration |
| NHS clinical workflow testing | BEST -- complex multi-step journeys, network mocking | Good -- simpler journeys | Good -- but verbose |
| NHSUK Frontend component testing | BEST -- full browser rendering | Good -- component-level testing native | Full browser -- more setup |
| Developer debugging experience | Good -- Playwright Inspector, trace viewer | BEST -- time-travel debugging, open browser | Less interactive -- more verbose |
| API testing combined with E2E | BEST -- Playwright request context (API + UI in one test) | Limited -- separate API testing tool needed | Limited |
| NHS screenshot on failure | BEST -- automatic screenshot + trace on failure | Screenshot available | Manual screenshot setup |
| ClickMasters default | All NHS, FCA, GDS production E2E testing | Developer-focused component testing | Legacy projects only |
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