Keep explicit tests. Add agents where they help.
Playwright provides browser automation and a test runner for repeatable checks. Molar uses browser agents to explore an app or carry out a task described in plain English, with captured steps to inspect afterward.
This is a choice about the work you need done. A maintained regression suite and an agent investigating an unfamiliar flow can both be useful in the same project.
Compare the task you give each tool.
| Work | Playwright | Molar |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat a known test | Run test code with explicit actions and assertions. | Run a scenario file with the Molar CLI or the Guard GitHub Action. |
| Investigate a page | Use browser automation and available authoring tools. | Give the browser agent a URL, a task, and a success condition. |
| Test connected services | Use fixtures or service integrations your project configures. | Connect supported Clones for the service behavior your test needs. |
Playwright’s official introduction covers the runner and browser support. Existing Playwright tests remain valuable when adding Molar.
Evaluate a missing test, such as account access after payment.
Start from the same test account and payment state. Check the confirmation screen, then verify that the account receives the purchased access. Change the callback timing and repeat.
Compare the assertions, reproducibility, captured failure details, and work required to maintain the test. A successful browser task is only one part of that evaluation.
Review generated code before relying on it.
Molar’s generated Playwright tests are plain Playwright files and in beta, so review each one before adding it to your repository or a release gate.
When to choose which
Choose Playwright alone when your team writes and maintains its own browser tests, and your flows don’t depend on services you can’t control in tests. Add Molar when you want an agent to explore a flow and export a Playwright test for you, when checkout, email or SMS steps need resettable test services, or when a coding agent needs to check its own changes in a browser. Molar is in beta. Its exported tests are plain Playwright, so you keep them if you stop using Molar.