Phantomjs vs puppeteer

Struggling to choose between Phantomjs and puppeteer? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Phantomjs is a Development solution with tags like headless, web-browser, automation, testing, scraping, screenshots.

It boasts features such as Headless web browser, JavaScript API for automating actions, Web page automation, Web scraping, Website screenshot capture, Support for web standards and pros including Headless operation without GUI, Scriptable for test automation, Renders web pages like a normal browser, Built on WebKit engine, Support for modern web technologies.

On the other hand, puppeteer is a Development product tagged with automation, testing, headless, browser, chromium, nodejs.

Its standout features include Headless Chrome/Chromium automation, Page screenshot capturing, PDF generation, Crawls pages, Executes JavaScript, Intercepts network requests, Emulate devices, Sandboxed execution, and it shines with pros like Powerful API for browser automation, Runs in a headless environment, Fast and lightweight, Built on top of DevTools Protocol, Supports latest Chrome features, Open source and free.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Phantomjs

Phantomjs

PhantomJS is an open-source headless web browser scriptable with JavaScript. It is used for automating web page interactions, testing, web scraping, and capturing website screenshots. PhantomJS implements web standards and runs the latest web technologies without requiring a visual browser.

Categories:
Development Web Testing
headless web-browser automation testing scraping screenshots

Phantomjs Features

  1. Headless web browser
  2. JavaScript API for automating actions
  3. Web page automation
  4. Web scraping
  5. Website screenshot capture
  6. Support for web standards

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Headless operation without GUI

Scriptable for test automation

Renders web pages like a normal browser

Built on WebKit engine

Support for modern web technologies

Cons

No longer actively maintained

May have compatibility issues with newer web standards

Limited support for newer JavaScript features

Not as fast as some newer headless browsers

puppeteer

puppeteer

Puppeteer is a Node.js library developed by Google which provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome or Chromium over the DevTools Protocol. It allows developers to automate browser testing and scraping tasks.

Categories:
Development Web Scraping
automation testing headless browser chromium nodejs

Puppeteer Features

  1. Headless Chrome/Chromium automation
  2. Page screenshot capturing
  3. PDF generation
  4. Crawls pages
  5. Executes JavaScript
  6. Intercepts network requests
  7. Emulate devices
  8. Sandboxed execution

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Powerful API for browser automation

Runs in a headless environment

Fast and lightweight

Built on top of DevTools Protocol

Supports latest Chrome features

Open source and free

Cons

Requires basic Node.js knowledge

Headless only, no visible UI

Limited to Chromium-based browsers

Steep learning curve for advanced usage

Requires managing browser lifecycle