5 best open source tools for cross-browser CSS testing
1. Playwright
What Playwright does
Playwright is an open source testing framework that automates browser interactions across Chromium (Chrome and Edge), WebKit (Safari), and Firefox.
How it helps with CSS testing
- Playwright can take screenshots of rendered pages for visual comparison
- It can run visual regression tests to detect layout shifts and UI inconsistencies
- Tests interactions like hover effects, responsive layouts, and media queries
- Runs tests in both headless and headed modes
Key features
- Multi-browser support
- Headless and headed testing options
- UI consistency testing with screenshots and visual regression tests
- Mobile emulation for Chrome and Safari
- Parallel testing for faster results
Best use cases
- Testing CSS consistency across different browsers
- Validating responsive designs and interactions
- Running visual regression tests for layout shifts
- Checking UI consistency in headless and headed modes
Installation and setup
Installing Playwright is straightforward.
How to use Playwright for cross-browser CSS testing
Here’s an example test script to capture screenshots in Chromium, WebKit, and Firefox for CSS rendering comparison.
What sets Playwright apart from other tools?
- Multi-browser testing in one framework
- Visual and interaction testing combined
- Native mobile emulation support
- Headless and headed testing modes
2. Selenium WebDriver
What Selenium WebDriver does
Selenium WebDriver is an open source automation framework for controlling web browsers for testing purposes, enabling cross-browser testing with Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.
Key features
- Works with multiple browsers
- Headless testing option
- Cross-platform support
- Supports multiple programming languages
- Integrates with popular test frameworks
Installation and setup
- Download and set up the appropriate Selenium web driver.
How to use Selenium WebDriver for cross-browser testing
Check UI consistency across different browsers using Selenium WebDriver with an example test script.
Additional notes
- Works with JUnit, TestNG, PyTest, and Mocha
- Supports various browser interactions
- Can run tests without opening a visible browser window
3. PostCSS + Stylelint
What PostCSS + Stylelint does
PostCSS and Stylelint work together to keep CSS clean, error-free, and compatible across browsers.
How it helps with CSS testing
- Automatically adds vendor prefixes
- Flags outdated or incorrect CSS properties
- Enforces consistency
- Integrates into CI/CD pipelines
- Compatible with popular CSS frameworks
Best use cases
- Maintaining clean and error-free CSS
- Ensuring CSS compatibility across browsers
- Enforcing coding standards and best practices
Installation and setup
PostCSS and Stylelint can be easily integrated into your project.
Additional notes
- Helps catch invalid CSS properties
- Enforces coding standards
- Works well with modern CSS frameworks
This comprehensive guide covers five of the best open source tools for cross-browser CSS testing, highlighting their features, use cases, and installation/setup instructions.