# Playwright screenshots vs Argos

> Keep your Playwright tests, drop the committed PNG baselines. Argos moves toHaveScreenshot() to cloud baselines you review on the pull request.

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

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

## Feature comparison

| Feature | Argos | Playwright screenshots |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **[Snapshot testing for any file](https://argos-ci.com/diff)** — Diff Markdown, JSON, HTML and more, not just images | Yes | Local only |
| **[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)** — No committed *-snapshots/ PNGs in Git | Yes | No |
| **[Review UI on the pull request](https://argos-ci.com/docs/learn/review-workflow/review-a-build)** — Approve changes without --update-snapshots | Yes | No |
| **Cross-platform consistency** — No -darwin vs -linux baseline mismatches | Yes | No |
| **[Playwright debugging](https://argos-ci.com/stabilize#debug)** — Playwright trace viewer and failure screenshots | Yes | Local only |
| **[Playwright test retries](https://argos-ci.com/changelog/2024-04-29-retried-failures)** — Separate test retries to have a clear overview | Yes | Local only |
| **[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 | Per assertion |
| **[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 | No |

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Argos replace Playwright?

No. Argos runs on top of Playwright. You keep your Playwright tests and config, and swap toHaveScreenshot() for argosScreenshot(). Argos adds cloud baselines, a review UI, and pull request checks around the tests you already have.

### What happens to my committed PNG baselines?

You delete them. With native snapshots, baselines live in *-snapshots/ folders in Git. With Argos, baselines are selected from your Git history in the cloud, so there are no PNGs to commit, no merge conflicts, and no repo bloat.

### How do I approve an intended visual change?

In the Argos review UI, right on the pull request. A visual difference becomes a check you review and approve, instead of a failed test you fix by re-running with --update-snapshots and committing new images.

### Do I still get cross-browser and cross-platform consistency?

Yes. Native snapshots are platform-specific (-darwin vs -linux), so teams run them only in Docker or CI to stay consistent. Argos renders and compares in the cloud the same way every run, so you are not fighting environment mismatches.

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