# Chromatic vs Argos

> Choose Argos if your visual tests run in Playwright, Cypress or Vitest as well as Storybook, if you want screenshots taken in your own CI browser, or a lower flat price. Choose Chromatic if your team works entirely in Storybook and wants the tool built by its maintainers.

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

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

## Verdict

Choose Argos if:

- Your visual tests run in Playwright, Cypress or Vitest, not only Storybook.
- You want screenshots taken in your own CI browser, the one your tests already run in.
- You want a flat price: $100/month for 35,000 screenshots, then $0.0015 per Storybook screenshot.
- You want preview deployments for any static build, not only Storybook.
- You want open-source code you can read and audit.

Choose Chromatic if:

- Your UI work happens entirely in Storybook, and you want the tool made by its maintainers.
- You want stories rendered in several cloud browsers without running them in your CI.
- You rely on TurboSnap to bill unchanged stories at a fraction of a snapshot.

## Feature comparison

| Feature | Argos | Chromatic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **[Monthly pricing](https://argos-ci.com/pricing)** — How much it costs per month | $100/mo | $179/mo |
| **[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 | Storybook only |
| **[Collaborative reviews](https://argos-ci.com/review)** — Pinned comments, threads, reactions, real-time presence | Yes | Yes |
| **[Agent-ready CLI & API](https://argos-ci.com/ai-agents)** — Agents inspect and review builds from the CLI and REST API | Yes | Docs-only MCP |
| **[Screenshot in Play function](https://argos-ci.com/docs/reference/storybook#interactions-using-the-play-function)** — Take screenshots during the test | Yes | No |
| **No time-limit for Play function** — Take screenshots of long-running tests | 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 | Yes |
| **[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 | No |
| **[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 | Yes |
| **[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 |
| **[Monitoring mode](https://argos-ci.com/changelog/2024-05-28-monitoring-mode)** — Run periodic checks on your website | Yes | Yes |

Sources for Chromatic: [Chromatic pricing](https://www.chromatic.com/pricing), [Chromatic billing](https://www.chromatic.com/docs/billing/), [Diff threshold](https://www.chromatic.com/docs/threshold/), [Interaction tests](https://www.chromatic.com/docs/interactions/), [Collaborators](https://www.chromatic.com/docs/collaborators/), [Chromatic MCP](https://www.chromatic.com/docs/mcp) (checked 2026-10-04).

## Pricing

Argos Pro is $100/month including 35,000 screenshots, then $0.004 per extra screenshot ($0.0015 for Storybook screenshots). The estimate uses the same assumptions as the calculator on the page: Chromatic at $179/month for 35,000 screenshots, then $399/month for 85,000 screenshots, and $0.008 per additional screenshot.

| Screenshots per month | Argos | Chromatic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10,000 | $100 | $179 |
| 50,000 | $160 | $299 |
| 100,000 | $360 | $519 |

Chromatic prices from chromatic.com/pricing (checked October 2026). The estimate assumes 80% of Storybook snapshots are TurboSnap copies, billed at a fifth.

Argos pricing in full: https://argos-ci.com/pricing

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Argos a good Chromatic alternative for Storybook?

Yes. Argos captures every story through the Storybook Vitest addon (Storybook 9 and later) or the test runner (Storybook 8), compares each one with its baseline from your Git history, and puts the review on the pull request. It also deploys the built Storybook to a preview URL on every pull request. See [visual testing for Storybook](https://argos-ci.com/integrations/storybook).

### What's the difference between a Chromatic snapshot and an Argos screenshot?

Where it's taken and how it's billed. Chromatic renders your stories in its cloud browsers, and every story, browser and viewport combination is a billed snapshot. Argos takes the screenshot in your CI browser during the test run and bills each uploaded file, with Storybook screenshots at a lower rate.

### How do Chromatic and Argos prices compare?

As of October 2026, Chromatic Starter is $179/month for 35,000 snapshots and Pro $399/month for 85,000, then $0.008 per snapshot; TurboSnap bills an unchanged story at a fifth of a snapshot. Argos Pro is $100/month for 35,000 screenshots, then $0.004 per screenshot, or $0.0015 per Storybook screenshot. Both have a free plan with 5,000 a month; Argos's is for personal projects.

### Does Argos support story modes and play functions?

Yes. Story modes capture each story in several themes or viewports, from the globals your stories already use, and argosScreenshot(ctx, name) captures extra states inside a play function, as many as you need. Chromatic takes one snapshot when the play function ends.

### Can Argos replace Chromatic for Playwright and Cypress tests?

Yes. Chromatic archives the DOM from your Playwright or Cypress tests and renders it in its cloud. Argos takes the screenshot inside the test with argosScreenshot(), so the diff shows what your test displayed. See [Playwright](https://argos-ci.com/integrations/playwright) and [Cypress](https://argos-ci.com/integrations/cypress).

### Can I set a diff threshold per story?

On both. Chromatic has diffThreshold per story, component or project. Argos has a threshold from 0 to 1 (default 0.5) per screenshot, and per upload with the CLI.

### How do I migrate from Chromatic to Argos?

Install the Argos Storybook SDK, add its Vitest plugin next to storybookTest(), and replace the Chromatic step in CI with a Vitest run and, if you want previews, argos deploy. The [migration guide](https://argos-ci.com/docs/learn/how-to-guides/migrate-to-argos/from-chromatic) maps each Chromatic concept to Argos.

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