Key findings
- Selenium is named in 1,366 postings (35%), Playwright in 1,309 (34%), Cypress in 787 (20%).
- In the 1,381 automation postings (QA Automation Engineer and SDET), Selenium reaches 52%, Playwright 58% and Cypress 34%.
- 1,000 of the 1,882 postings naming any of the three (53%) name two or more. Only 882 name exactly one.
- No tool wins everywhere: Selenium leads in 14 of 27 country and industry segments with at least 40 and 80 postings respectively.
01The headline numbers
We counted how often each tool name appears in the stack of every public QA posting in our 20 Oct 2026 snapshot (3,863 postings). A tool is counted once per posting, whatever the number of mentions.
Test-management and API tools sit next to the frameworks: Jira (38%), Postman (27%) and TestRail (13%) appear in a large share of postings. Playwright, Selenium and Cypress together are named in 49% of all postings, which includes manual, lead and specialist roles.
02Automation roles only
Frameworks matter most where people write test code. In the 1,381 postings classed as QA Automation Engineer or SDET, the picture shifts.
| Tool | All postings (n=3,863) | Automation roles (n=1,381) |
|---|---|---|
| Selenium | 35% (1,366) | 52% (720) |
| Playwright | 34% (1,309) | 58% (803) |
| Cypress | 20% (787) | 34% (476) |
The gap between the two columns is the part of the market where nobody asks for a framework: manual testers, QA leads, game testers and other non-automation roles. In automation roles Selenium is written into about 52 of every 100 postings.
API testing follows the same pattern. Postman is named in 27% of all postings and 18% of automation postings, while REST Assured is named in 7% overall and 15% of automation postings.
03Employers rarely pick one
A common question is whether to learn Playwright or Selenium. The postings suggest it is not a one-or-the-other choice for employers.
| Combination | Postings | Share of all 3,863 |
|---|---|---|
| Playwright and Selenium | 816 | 21% |
| Playwright and Cypress | 688 | 18% |
| Selenium and Cypress | 656 | 17% |
| All three | 580 | 15% |
| Selenium only (of the three) | 474 | 12% |
| Playwright only (of the three) | 385 | 10% |
| Cypress only (of the three) | 23 | 1% |
1,000 postings name two or more of the three. That is 53% of the 1,882 postings that name any of them. Part of this is how ads are written: a posting lists the tools in use today and the tools the team is migrating to. Part is that a hiring manager wants a candidate who can read an existing suite and write a new one.
04By level, industry and country
The tool mix changes with seniority, industry and country. Percentages below are the share of postings in each segment that name the tool. Segments under 40 postings (countries) or 80 postings (industries) are left out.
| Level | Selenium | Playwright | Cypress |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior (n=272) | 31% | 27% | 17% |
| Mid (n=2,200) | 36% | 34% | 21% |
| Senior (n=830) | 36% | 36% | 21% |
| Lead (n=561) | 32% | 34% | 21% |
| Industry | Selenium | Playwright | Cypress |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI / ML (n=1,007) | 31% | 43% | 23% |
| SaaS (n=870) | 43% | 36% | 24% |
| Fintech (n=464) | 41% | 27% | 19% |
| Gaming (n=427) | 26% | 21% | 14% |
| Healthcare / MedTech (n=337) | 30% | 29% | 18% |
| Cybersecurity (n=290) | 31% | 28% | 18% |
| E-commerce (n=288) | 44% | 36% | 23% |
| Automotive (n=109) | 29% | 39% | 17% |
| Country | Selenium | Playwright | Cypress |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (n=1,127) | 29% | 29% | 15% |
| India (n=540) | 47% | 48% | 24% |
| Canada (n=313) | 45% | 26% | 21% |
| Poland (n=194) | 22% | 32% | 19% |
| United Kingdom (n=172) | 34% | 35% | 26% |
| Philippines (n=121) | 32% | 26% | 14% |
| Indonesia (n=109) | 38% | 20% | 11% |
| Netherlands (n=91) | 44% | 42% | 31% |
| Singapore (n=89) | 43% | 27% | 16% |
| Mexico (n=84) | 42% | 40% | 27% |
| Australia (n=79) | 47% | 51% | 27% |
| Spain (n=72) | 7% | 14% | 8% |
| Germany (n=70) | 31% | 37% | 30% |
| Portugal (n=61) | 23% | 28% | 13% |
| Malaysia (n=57) | 46% | 30% | 25% |
| Greece (n=57) | 35% | 35% | 21% |
| Brazil (n=52) | 37% | 46% | 40% |
| Thailand (n=46) | 54% | 54% | 48% |
| Argentina (n=46) | 41% | 48% | 30% |
Across these 27 segments Selenium leads in 14. Playwright leads in 13. Read the rows for the market you want to work in, not the global average.
05What to learn first
The data says what employers write down. It does not say how well they test. Use it to prioritise, not to pick a side.
- Target the leader in your segment first. Check the row for your country and industry above before you choose.
- Add a second framework as a reader, not an expert. 53% of framework postings name more than one.
- Do not skip the supporting tools. Jira (38%), Postman (27%) and Python (20%) sit next to the frameworks; Cypress is named in 20%.
- Show a suite, not a certificate. Postings name tools; interviews test whether you can structure tests, handle flaky runs and report results.
Practise with the Interview Vault by tool, check your level with the QA Level Test, and see open roles on the Playwright, Selenium and Cypress pages.
06Method and limits
Sample: 3,863 public postings harvested 20 Oct 2026 from employer career pages and public job feeds. Listings are postings, not people or confirmed openings: one role open in several cities counts several times (2,417 distinct titles across 3,863 postings). PassRidge talent-pipeline roles (149) are excluded from every statistic.
A tool is counted when our normaliser finds its name in the posting text; it is a mention, not a weighting. A tool listed as nice-to-have counts the same as a required one. Unusual spellings can be missed, so counts are lower bounds.
The method for roles, tools and pay is documented on our salary methodology page. Spot an error? Write to [email protected].
Go deeper
Sources
- PassRidge public listing snapshot, 20 Oct 2026