chromedp vs Cypress
chromedp
github.com
Cypress
cypress.ioSide by side
| Figure | chromedp | Cypress |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $67/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Spec score · Browser Automation Tools | 8.6 (#12) | 9.2 (#1) |
| License | The repository identifies its license as MIT. | The Cypress App source repository is released under the MIT License. |
| Security | By default, chromedp starts Chrome with remote-debugging pipes, so Chrome opens no debugging port. | Cypress says Cypress Cloud maintains a SOC 2 Type 2 report and encrypts testing content in transit with TLS 1.2 or greater and at rest with AES-256 or greater. |
| Support | The project directs questions and feature suggestions to GitHub Discussions and Discord, and reserves the issue tracker for bugs. | The pricing comparison lists Community support for Starter, Email support for Team and Business, and Premium support for Enterprise. |
| What it does | chromedp is a Go package for driving browsers that support the Chrome DevTools Protocol, without an external driver. | Cypress combines a locally run open-source testing app with Cypress Cloud for browser application quality testing. |
Plans
In their own words
chromedp
chromedp is a Go package for driving browsers that support the Chrome DevTools Protocol without an external driver. It runs Chrome headlessly by default and supports actions such as navigating, clicking, reading page text, running JavaScript, filling forms, and waiting for elements. Its examples also cover cookies, HTTP headers, proxy authentication, request interception, session restoration, and HAR recording. For output, it can capture screenshots, print pages to PDF, and save screencast frames as JPEG files. Separate browser contexts can support parallel work, but sharing one context between goroutines can cause races. A separate remote module connects to an already-running browser over WebSocket, and the project provides a headless-shell Docker image. By default, Chrome communicates over remote-debugging pipes and does not open a debugging port; switching to WebSocket uses one. The package is available under the MIT license at free. The README requires Go 1.27 or newer.
Cypress
Cypress is a front-end testing tool for web applications, combining an open-source Cypress App with the cloud-based Cypress Cloud service. The App supports end-to-end and component testing, launching and controlling real browsers from Chrome-family browsers and Firefox; WebKit is experimental. For debugging, it offers time-travel snapshots, readable errors, stack traces, automatic waiting, and network stubbing. Cypress Cloud stores recorded CI test runs and adds debugging, analytics, and orchestration for teams. It connects with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Jira, and its MCP works with AI coding assistants including Claude, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot. The Starter plan costs nothing and includes 10 users, 500 test results per month, 100 prompt executions per month, and 30-day access to paid features. Team costs $67 a month, billed annually at $799. Cypress says Cloud test content is stored in the United States, and material in public projects is publicly accessible. It also says its AI models are not trained on customer data.