Comparison
TraceLoom vs Cypress Cloud
Cypress Cloud is the official companion for Cypress testing. TraceLoom is built for Playwright with BYOC compute and full trace capture. Different frameworks, different architectures — here's how they compare.
Bottom line: Cypress Cloud only works with the Cypress framework and starts at $75/month for 3 users. TraceLoom is built for Playwright with unlimited users, BYOC architecture that keeps test data in your AWS account, and full trace capture — not just screenshots and video.
Last updated: March 2026
| Cypress Cloud | TraceLoom | |
|---|---|---|
| Data ownership | Cypress Cloud infrastructure — data leaves your network | Your AWS account — traces never leave your VPC |
| Cost at scale | ~$300/mo base + $6/1K results overage | ~$50–300/mo compute (AWS Spot) + from $79/mo platform |
| Parallel workers | Automatic parallelization across CI runners | 50+ concurrent workers on EC2 Spot |
| Trace capture | Cypress-native recordings (not Playwright traces) | Full Playwright traces for every test, every run |
| CI integration | GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, Jenkins | GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, CircleCI |
| Setup complexity | One-line config in cypress.config.ts | 10-min CloudFormation deploy, then connect |
| Compliance / data residency | Data on Cypress infrastructure, no self-hosted option | Data stays in your VPC and chosen AWS region |
Pricing based on publicly available information as of March 2026. Your actual costs will vary.
Playwright vs Cypress
This comparison is really about two different testing ecosystems. Cypress Cloud is tightly integrated with the Cypress framework — automatic parallelization, built-in recording, flake detection, and analytics all work seamlessly with Cypress tests. If your team is committed to Cypress, Cypress Cloud is the natural companion.
TraceLoom is built exclusively for Playwright. It captures full
.trace.zip files on every test, provides native Playwright Trace Viewer
integration, and optimizes sharding for Playwright's parallelism model. If you've
chosen Playwright — or are migrating from Cypress to Playwright — TraceLoom gives
you Playwright-native depth that Cypress Cloud can't provide.
Pricing at Scale
Cypress Cloud's Business plan starts at ~$300/month for 40 users, with $6 per 1,000 additional test results. For a team running 10,000 tests/month on Business, that's roughly $300 + $54 = $354/month. At 50,000 tests/month, it's $300 + $294 = $594/month. The per-result pricing means costs scale directly with test volume.
TraceLoom's platform fee is flat per tier (Free, $79/month, $179/month) with no per-result charges. Your variable cost is AWS Spot compute in your own account, typically $50–$300/month depending on test volume and instance types. The platform fee doesn't grow with test count — only compute does, and Spot pricing is significantly cheaper than on-demand.
Data Ownership & Browser Support
Cypress Cloud stores test recordings on Cypress' infrastructure — there's no self-hosted or BYOC option. Cypress itself is also limited to Chromium-family browsers (Chrome, Edge, Electron), with experimental Firefox support. WebKit (Safari) is not supported.
TraceLoom runs tests in your AWS account, and traces stay in your S3 bucket. Playwright supports Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit natively, so TraceLoom inherits full cross-browser coverage. If Safari testing matters, Playwright + TraceLoom handles it without extra infrastructure.
Who Each Is Best For
Cypress Cloud is the right choice for teams committed to the Cypress framework. The tight integration, free tier for small teams, automatic parallelization, and rich analytics make it the obvious companion service for Cypress users.
TraceLoom is for teams on Playwright (or migrating to it) who want BYOC data ownership, full trace capture, and cost-efficient parallelism. TraceLoom is pre-revenue, AWS-only, and Playwright-only — those are real limitations, but for the right team, the depth and data ownership are the deciding factors.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How does TraceLoom compare to Cypress Cloud?
- TraceLoom and Cypress Cloud serve different testing frameworks. Cypress Cloud is the official companion service for the Cypress test framework — it records Cypress test results, provides parallelization, and offers analytics. TraceLoom is built exclusively for Playwright, running tests on EC2 Spot instances in your own AWS account with full Playwright trace capture. If you're on Cypress, Cypress Cloud is the natural choice. If you're on Playwright or migrating to it, TraceLoom is purpose-built.
- Is TraceLoom cheaper than Cypress Cloud?
- Cypress Cloud has a free tier (500 results/month, 3 users) and paid plans starting at ~$75/month. The Business plan at ~$300/month includes $6 per 1K additional results, which can add up for large suites. TraceLoom is also free for 500 runs/month, with Pro at $79/month and no per-result overage charges. Your AWS Spot compute is a separate cost, typically $50–$300/month. For large Playwright suites, TraceLoom's flat pricing tends to be more predictable. Pricing as of March 2026.
- When should I choose TraceLoom over Cypress Cloud?
- Choose TraceLoom when your team has migrated (or is migrating) from Cypress to Playwright. Cypress Cloud does not run Playwright at all — it is the official companion service for the Cypress framework. TraceLoom is Playwright-native: tests run on EC2 Spot instances in your own AWS account, every test produces a full Playwright trace, and the free tier lets you evaluate during a migration without commitment. Cypress Cloud remains the correct choice only if you plan to stay on Cypress for the long term.
- Does TraceLoom support BYOC testing?
- Yes, BYOC is TraceLoom's core model. Tests run on EC2 Spot instances in your AWS account, and all Playwright traces are stored in your S3 bucket. TraceLoom only stores run metadata. Cypress Cloud does not offer BYOC — all test recordings are stored on Cypress' infrastructure.
- Can I use TraceLoom if I'm migrating from Cypress to Playwright?
- Yes. TraceLoom is Playwright-native, so once your tests are in Playwright, you can connect TraceLoom and start running them immediately. There's no Cypress-specific tooling to unwind. The 10-minute CloudFormation setup gets you running, and the free tier lets you evaluate without commitment while your migration is in progress.
Looking for more options? See our full Best Cypress Cloud Alternatives roundup.
Related Reading
- What is BYOC Testing? A Guide for Engineering Teams
How BYOC works, why it matters for compliance, and how it compares to managed testing platforms.
- Playwright Test Sharding: How to Split Tests Across Workers
How Playwright's --shard flag works and when to use duration-aware sharding.
- How to Debug Playwright Test Failures with Trace Files
Enable traces, open them in the trace viewer, and systematically debug failures.
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