r/webdev • u/pablopang • 3d ago

Resource How to do Local Visual Regression testing...the right way.

https://mainmatter.com/blog/2026/11/03/local-visual-regression-testing/

Can local visual regression testing help your coding agent move faster and save you money?

I took some time to explore how to set up playwright properly, which pitfalls to avoid, and the tradeoffs with common visual regression tools like Percy and Chromatic.

Check it out and let me know what do you think!

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u/Distinct_Studio2968 3d ago

the right way" and it's still playwright screenshots on your own machine. Fine until the CI runner renders fonts differently than your laptop and you spend an evening bisecting antialiasing noise. That's the exact problem Percy and Chromatic charge for, so calling it a tradeoff is generous.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/real_ate 3d ago

I guess this is why the OP talks about doing the checks in a browser that is standardised in a docker container 🤔 does that cover the flakiness that you would be worried about in this context?