# Playwright screenshots vs Argos

> Choose Argos when visual tests run in a team: baselines from your Git history, comparisons made in CI only and a review on the pull request. Stay with toHaveScreenshot() on a solo project where committing PNGs and regenerating them in Docker is fine.

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

## Verdict

Choose Argos if:

- Several people update baselines, and PNG merge conflicts slow you down.
- Screenshots differ between macOS and Linux CI, and you regenerate baselines in Docker.
- You want designers or product people to review changes on the pull request.
- You want Playwright traces, retries and flaky test detection next to the review.

Stay with toHaveScreenshot() if:

- You work alone or on a small project, and committed PNGs aren't a problem.
- Everything has to run offline, with no external service.
- You already generate baselines in a pinned Docker image and review them in Git.

## 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 |
| **[Monitoring mode](https://argos-ci.com/changelog/2024-05-28-monitoring-mode)** — Run periodic checks on your website | Yes | No |

Sources for Playwright screenshots: [Playwright visual comparisons](https://playwright.dev/docs/test-snapshots) (checked 2026-10-05).

## 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. With Argos, screenshots taken in CI are compared with baselines also taken in CI, so a laptop never produces a baseline and there is one set of images, not one per platform.

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