Two popular tools stand out in web test automation: Selenium and Playwright. Both provide browser automation; differences show in performance, API, and browser support.
Selenium: Long-standing, with a large community and language support (Java, Python, C#, JavaScript). Compatible with many browsers and versions.
Playwright: Developed by Microsoft, modern and fast. Auto-wait, network interception, and multi-browser support (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit) in a single API. Reliable selectors and parallel test execution are key advantages.
For new projects, Playwright is worth considering for speed and maintainability; gradual migration is possible if you already have Selenium in place.