The Hidden Playwright Advantage Developers Miss - Maciej Kusz

🚨 Are we actually testing too much sometimes? Just because we run a lot of tests doesn’t mean we’ll find a lot of bugs. Here’s how we can solve this: Free Online Workshop

"Python by default is a synchronous language. You don't have this await, async and so on stuff that you have on the JavaScript and TypeScript stuff." - Maciej Kusz

In this episode, I talk with Maciej Kusz, program chair of the Testwarez conference in Poland, about why Playwright doesn't have to mean TypeScript. Maciej has been using Playwright with Python for years and shows that Python testers can leverage the framework just as effectively—if they know which PyTest plugins to use and where the documentation actually lives. We dig into the practical trade-offs: what TypeScript does better out of the box, where Python offers more flexibility for QA work beyond the browser, and why stable tests are surprisingly easier to achieve in Python's synchronous world.

With 17 years of experience as a QA and 14 years of test automation (Python and recently TypeScript), Maciej Kusz has been testing UI, API, IoT and has been a test lead and architect, mentor and keynote speaker. He is also a co-creator of the SlonzaczQA meetup and was part of the program committee of ConSelenium/Tada and TestWarez. He is also part of Polish Quality Retreat and shares his knowledge in his blog. After hours he is creating an open-source project called MkDocs Publisher, doing some DIY, and playing with 3D printing.

Highlights:

• Playwright's Python version requires PyTest plugins but offers easier debugging without async/await complexity of TypeScript.
• TypeScript Playwright gets new features first since it's the native implementation; Python is an adapter.
• Python enables broader testing beyond web—hardware, infrastructure, performance—making it more flexible for testers overall.
• Playwright's auto-waits, codegen, trace viewer, and bundled browsers solve Selenium's stability and maintenance problems.
• Visual regression and Electron app testing work better in TypeScript; Python lacks integrated support.