# BackstopJS vs Argos

> Keep the visit-screenshot-diff workflow, drop the self-hosting. Argos moves your BackstopJS scenarios to cloud baselines reviewed on the pull request.

Canonical: https://argos-ci.com/compare/backstopjs

Migration guide: https://argos-ci.com/docs/learn/how-to-guides/migrate-to-argos/from-backstopjs

## Feature comparison

| Feature | Argos | BackstopJS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **[Snapshot testing for any file](https://argos-ci.com/diff)** — Diff Markdown, JSON, HTML and more, not just images | Yes | No |
| **[Deployments & PR previews](https://argos-ci.com/deploy)** — Host Storybook or any static build on a live URL | Yes | No |
| **[Collaborative reviews](https://argos-ci.com/review)** — Pinned comments, threads, reactions, real-time presence | Yes | No |
| **[Agent-ready CLI & API](https://argos-ci.com/ai-agents)** — Agents inspect and review builds from the CLI and REST API | Yes | No |
| **[Cloud baselines](https://argos-ci.com/docs/learn/platform-fundamentals/baseline-build)** — Selected from Git history, not a local folder | Yes | No |
| **[Pull request review & approval](https://argos-ci.com/docs/learn/review-workflow/review-a-build)** — Shared review, not backstop approve on one machine | Yes | No |
| **Managed infrastructure** — Browsers, storage, and parallelization handled | Yes | No |
| **[Playwright debugging](https://argos-ci.com/stabilize#debug)** — Playwright trace viewer and failure screenshots | Yes | No |
| **[Playwright test retries](https://argos-ci.com/changelog/2024-04-29-retried-failures)** — Separate test retries to have a clear overview | Yes | No |
| **[GitHub SSO](https://argos-ci.com/changelog/2024-02-28-github-sso)** — Synchronize your GitHub users with Argos | Yes | No |
| **[Spend Management](https://argos-ci.com/docs/learn/billing-and-subscription/spend-management)** — Control your spendings by setting a budget limit | Yes | No |
| **[Open Source](https://github.com/argos-ci)** — SDK and platform code available | Yes | Yes |
| **[GitHub integration without code access](https://argos-ci.com/docs/learn/integrations/github-integration)** — Offer a mode without content permission required | Yes | No |
| **[Sensitivity threshold per screenshot](https://argos-ci.com/changelog/2024-07-09-sensitivity-threshold)** — Set a threshold by screenshot to reduce flakiness | Yes | Global only |
| **[GitHub Actions partial re-runs](https://argos-ci.com/changelog/2024-06-17-partial-re-runs-github-actions)** — Save time and resources with partial re-runs | Yes | No |
| **[High screenshot quality](https://argos-ci.com/changelog/2024-06-13-enhanced-screenshot-quality)** — Don’t miss any detail with enhanced quality | Yes | No |
| **[Monitoring mode](https://argos-ci.com/changelog/2024-05-28-monitoring-mode)** — Run periodic checks on your website | Yes | No |
| **Beautiful and intuitive UI** — Designed to be effective | Yes | Local HTML report |

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between BackstopJS and Argos?

BackstopJS is a self-hosted tool: you describe scenarios in backstop.json, capture baselines to a local folder, and diff them on your machine or CI. Argos keeps the same idea but selects baselines from your Git history in the cloud, runs the comparison consistently across machines, and turns every change into a reviewable pull request check.

### Do I have to rewrite my backstop.json scenarios?

You translate them into a small Playwright test: scenario URLs and selectors become argosScreenshot() calls, and viewports become responsive viewports. The migration guide maps every BackstopJS concept to its Argos equivalent.

### Where do baselines and approvals live?

In the cloud. BackstopJS stores baselines in a local bitmaps_reference/ folder and approves with backstop approve on one machine. Argos stores baselines from your Git history and lets your whole team review and approve changes on the pull request, with full history.

### Is Argos also open source?

Yes. Like BackstopJS, Argos is open source. The difference is you no longer maintain the infrastructure: browsers, parallelization, storage, and pull request integration are handled for you.

Ready to switch to Argos? Get started for free, no credit card required: https://app.argos-ci.com/signup