We mainly use HQ for UI automation and some of the main functions of test cases. We are customers of Selenium.
Quality Assurance Architect at TimeXperts Pvt Ltd
Great for automation, enables customization; access to a lot of online support
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The best thing about the product is that it is open-source and free, which is why we opted for it. It's also customizable which is great for us. There is a lot of online assistance available in forums and support on the Stack overflow. HQ is continually updated and supported by Selenium. You can write your own scripts without needing to depend on what's already there. The UI is automation friendly. When there's a slow network and an older application, the waves get very flaky and Selenium can handle that. Setting up and working with Chrome and Firefox is easy on Selenium.
What needs improvement?
The solution is intended for browser automation so it's not a support testing tool and there are no features. I'd like to see some flavors of test case management available that don't require any additions and there could be some improvement in the fluid-based area as well. Selenium is meant for developers but QA people cannot write test cases very easily on it. If you don't have a development background, it's tough.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for eight years.
Buyer's Guide
Selenium HQ
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about Selenium HQ. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
861,390 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We had a few stability issues initially but it's very stable now.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable. We have around 40 to 50 QA users in the company.
How are customer service and support?
We reported a few bugs on Selenium and they were resolved. The support was mediocre. Because it's open source there's not much support available.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy but it requires certain development skills to set up. Without that, it's not easy. The difficulty is in creating a framework and that requires thinking about the maintainability and scalability aspects.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We went with Selenium for several reasons; it's open source and free, they provide a lot of support, and we can use Java technology which Selenium has available. Other tools generally don't provide perpetual licenses.
What other advice do I have?
It's important to get hands-on experience with the program. I would also suggest getting your frame pyramid in order. You need to decide on the language you're going to use and have that programming language support in your organization and decide which other tools you're going to use. Also, think of your application and whether Selenium is the appropriate solution.
This is the most widely used tool throughout the world in this space. It has so much support available and is a benchmark for other tools so I rate the solution eight out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Senior Automation Engineer at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Flexible with good integration capabilities and the ability to support multiple languages
Pros and Cons
- "We found the initial setup to be straightforward."
- "There's no in-built reporting available."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is for front-end testing. It is mainly a testing tool.
What is most valuable?
There is nothing I cannot do with Selenium. It's very good in terms of features.
The recent changes they've added have been positive.
The back-end integration and backend web driver supports are great. We integrate with Jira Confluence, Bitbucket, and Jenkins. There is no issue at all.
It has great Dev tools.
The Chrome debugging protocol has been helpful.
We found the initial setup to be straightforward.
The solution is stable.
It's quite scalable.
This is an open-source solution that is free to use.
It supports multiple languages. Many of my friends are working with Selenium with Python language. I am working in Java. People are working in Javascript also. Some people work in this Ruby, C#, et cetera.
In my previous company, I was using Selenium in my MacBook Air. They could handle iOS with no problem or Windows. It supports different operating systems and multiple browsers.
What needs improvement?
It's really not lacking in features at this time.
We'd like to have more support for Windows applications.
There's no in-built reporting available. They should work on their reporting functionality.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for five and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a pretty stable product. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. I have made many changes, and it is always scalable. It is adaptive, actually. Whatever I do on it, I can adjust. It is scalable.
We have maybe ten people using the solution right now.
We use it daily.
How are customer service and support?
Whenever we Google issues, we find it easy to find answers.
We've found support to be good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've also used Appium in the past.
How was the initial setup?
The solution offers a very easy initial setup. It's not overly complicated or difficult. Compared to Appium, for example, it's much easier.
I'd rate the ease of implementation five out of five.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is free to use and open-source.
What other advice do I have?
The framework and the language should be defined early if a new user plans to take this solution on long-term. It helps to have that figured out so you can implement it correctly. A few years back, I started with Java, however, given the choice, I would have preferred Python.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Selenium HQ
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about Selenium HQ. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
861,390 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Software Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
You can also connect to a database using your JVC to read and write the data, but it doesn't support Windows-based applications
Pros and Cons
- "Selenium HQ lets you create your customized functions with whatever language you want to use, like Python, Java, .NET, etc. You can integrate with Selenium and write."
- "Selenium HQ doesn't support Windows-based applications, so we need to integrate with the third-party vendor. It would be great if Selenium could include Windows-based automation. You need to integrate it with a third-party tool if you want to upload any files. When we interact with a Windows application, we usually use Tosca."
What is our primary use case?
The bank uses Selenium HQ for web application automation. We write functions in Java with the TestNG framework. Working with a reusable library, we develop classes for the login, homepage, and remaining components. Once you create everything for the web application, we run scripts in Jenkins overnight, and then come back to our framework if there are issues. Finally, we use Eclipse to debug the code.
What is most valuable?
Selenium HQ lets you create your customized functions with whatever language you want to use, like Python, Java, .NET, etc. You can integrate with Selenium and write.
You can also connect to a database using your JVC to read and write the data. This is the best feature. You can create your functions here, so it's scalable in that sense. You can make any custom function. You need to write the code.
What needs improvement?
Selenium HQ doesn't support Windows-based applications, so we need to integrate with the third-party vendor. It would be great if Selenium could include Windows-based automation. You need to integrate it with a third-party tool if you want to upload any files. When we interact with a Windows application, we usually use Tosca.
It also doesn't support dynamic capture, graphical presentation, or cloud functionality. We need to integrate with multiple things.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Selenium HQ for four or five years.
How are customer service and support?
Support team? No. We actually made a request ... actually, there is no such support, but we extended the Selenium, whatever, we have it, we extended in our COE team, center of excellence. So wherever we are facing the issue, we just contact them. So they try to resolve our issue.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is effortless. We only need to download Selenium HQ from the Oracle site and follow some steps, then it's installed. You install the correct version for Java and configure Selenium. It's complex compared to Tosca, but if you have some knowledge on the programming side, you can easily do it.
The time needed for deployment depends on the code, the complexity of the application, and the number of restrictions you have. Deployment takes around 30 minutes to an hour.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is no license. It's open-source and there are no additional costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The bank chose Selenium HQ because it's open-source. It's scalable and we can extend it as needed. That's why we decided to use it.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Selenium six out of 10. If you want to use Selenium, you need basic programming skills in Java, .NET, or Python as well as knowledge of the TestNG framework. You should know how to identify the object from the application and use the developer tool.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Director at Finding Technology Company
Good documentation, with the ability to optimize resources and lower the cost of regression tests
Pros and Cons
- "The main characteristic that is useful is that the tool is completely free."
- "If the test scenarios are not subdivided correctly, it is very likely that maintenance will become very expensive and re-use is unlikely."
What is our primary use case?
I have led regression testing projects involving CRM, employee registration, and eCommerce. In each of these test cases, we have used the automation tool which has brought us benefits in time savings, shortening schedules, or recovering lost time - all of this leading to money savings.
It's very useful when there are constant changes in the back-end. If the changes are constant in the source end it is not a good idea to use it. It is very important to previously evaluate the use of the tool depending on the characteristics.
How has it helped my organization?
The main improvement is the lower cost of regression tests. It will probably be more expensive in the first iteration (more or less 30%), however, we can save up to 40% or 50% in the next runs.
Another benefit is that, once the test scripts have been built, it is not necessary for the person executing the test processes to be an expert, allowing resources and costs to be optimized with lower costs in human talent.
In addition, the barrier of functional knowledge is eliminated; specialization is not necessary during the life cycle of the tests.
What is most valuable?
The main characteristic that is useful is that the tool is completely free.
Additionally, currently, you can find resources that handle the characteristics of the tool very well.
The range of web platforms it supports is also wide, including the operating system platforms. It is possible to reuse the test scenarios that have been built in iterations after the first one or in the improvements of the systems that are part of the normal maintenance and updating that must be done periodically and that imply an investment in tests.
What needs improvement?
A great improvement could be in the user experience which is necessary as it does not have much. The use is too technical; it is not designed for the end-user. The best way to maintain the test scenarios over time should be considered. If the test scenarios are not subdivided correctly, it is very likely that maintenance will become very expensive and re-use is unlikely. This would ultimately mean that it would reflect the possible benefits in the projects and, on the contrary, the use of the solution ends up being more expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Selenium for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The latest version should always be treated with care. Being open-source it can be unstable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability will depend on where the tool is installed.
How are customer service and support?
Until now, I have not used the support service. Everything has been done using the documentation that is registered in the forums.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In the past, I used a very good solution. However, it had a high cost and had to be used by more than one resource.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup can be very complex.
What about the implementation team?
In my case, the initial setup was done internally.
What was our ROI?
The ROI can be between 20% to 50% in the testing process in the medium and long term. In the short term, it can be 10% or less.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
As for the license, there is not much to say. It is free, however, the configuration must be done correctly or it can be very expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Other options that I evaluated were TestComplete, Kathalon, and IBM.
What other advice do I have?
It must be evaluated very well before being used. In my case, we implemented a front-end that facilitates the use. If you want to use it in the future I can give you some access.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Open source, easy to install, detailed documentation, and easy to integrate
Pros and Cons
- "Data parametrization and parallelization are the most important features in any automation tool."
- "I continuously see failures in threads when it is running in parallel."
What is our primary use case?
We are still testing Selenium HQ.
The client is based in the U.S. They process the code checking, and we work on the script.
When we get storage or requirements for manual testing, we begin the automation once it is stabilized.
How has it helped my organization?
We work in the healthcare domain.
If for example, I get a diagnosis for a particular patient, it continuously changes as there are at least 100 sets of data. It's impossible to make that work for each and every build manually. The parameterization and parallelization have helped us with the inputting.
Every week we have reviews. We have automated the stabilized areas. It has helped us to add speed to our cycles.
What is most valuable?
Data parametrization and parallelization are the most important features in any automation tool.
Speed is very important for continuous integrations and deployments. The team gets more time to focus on other new areas.
The configuration of different data sets is also very important.
With Selenium, it is an open-line, I can integrate at any time, from anywhere.
What needs improvement?
There are some network issues, as the line is not very clear.
There are some areas that need improvement. I continuously see failures in threads when it is running in parallel.
I find that it fails, especially when I use APM automation on the mobile side. I have experienced these issues, and since the APM is also based on the Selenium pack.
It is a challenge to locate them, or knowing the location of the unique elements on the APM application. I don't see many issues with the Web applications but there are several with the APM.
As an open-source solution, there is no dedicated support.
Extending functions on the codes would be very helpful.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Selenium WebDriver for four to five years but in the last year, it has been working mostly on the functional testing.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are some issues with the stability of Selenium HQ.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, we don't use many distributed systems. It is for a limited number of users. We have one lead architect and three senior QAs.
How are customer service and technical support?
We don't deal with technical support. Our clients handle that on their end, but there is no direct technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have some experience with Selenium WebDriver and Rest Assured API automation.
In regards to mobile automation, we use Appium.
Six months ago, I work on Selenium NUnit.
How was the initial setup?
Clear instructions were provided to complete the installation. It was very straightforward. There were no issues when installing this solution.
APM setups are a bit more of a challenge. It takes longer to set up APM.
There were no issues in the installation of WebDriver. From the end-to-end process to deployment, to the automation code.
What about the implementation team?
We have one dedicated assigned person for continuous integration and deployment. We check in with him before we complete any code. We provide him with our test and script, and the integration is done with him present to avoid any issues.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Selenium is open-source. There are no licensing fees with Selenium.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are currently evaluating functional testing tools, both manual and automation testing.
We are looking for codeless automation with support for codeless automation.
In my evaluations, I have seen that some are tools are lacking.
What other advice do I have?
I have worked full-fledged on Selenium WebDriver along with the multi-tenancy for the JavaScript framework.
I have hands-on experience with the Selenium framework, and I also worked on, API for APA automation Currently I am working in the healthcare domain.
In my opinion, it is a complete end-to-end solution.
As of now, it's for only web APIs. It provides a complete solution.
I don't see that it's many disadvantages, except when doing the coding. A person should have perfect coding skill sets. If they don't have a coding skillset, it's a little difficult for them to get started.
We had completed multiple POCs to present to our clients.
It was pretty straightforward for me. I didn't experience a lot of difficulties getting into Selenium. If your framework with Selenium is good, then it gives you the correct output.
I would rate Selenium an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Software quality engineer at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Saves a lot of testing time but needs better integration with third party tools
Pros and Cons
- "My customer previously validated every file and it would take almost 15-20 minutes for a document. They used to randomly select and test only 100 out of the thousands, maybe 85,000, files, to pick up sampling. Each file would take around 20 to 25 minutes, so we were not able to do it manually, but with the help of Selenium, we were able to test all the files in two days. It saves a lot of time."
- "Sometimes we face challenges with Selenium HQ. There are third party tools that we use, for example for reading the images, that are not easy to plug in. The third party add-ons are difficult to get good configuration and do not have good support. I would like to see better integration with other products."
How has it helped my organization?
My customer previously validated every file and it would take almost 15-20 minutes for a document. They used to randomly select and test only 100 out of the thousands, maybe 85,000, files, to pick up sampling. Each file would take around 20 to 25 minutes, so we were not able to do it manually, but with the help of Selenium, we were able to test all the files in two days. It saves a lot of time.
What is most valuable?
Selenium HQ is open source, which is one thing that I like about it. Whatever you want to find, it's already there. If you'd like to add some features, you can. You can also contribute to it. Whatever problems we face, we can go and add. It is most like Eggplant, which is a paid tool, but here we don't have to pay for anything.
What needs improvement?
In terms of what could be improved, there are some glitches with it, but whenever you report it, the open source community works on it and fixes it. There is no support here. If I say in the user community that it's not working, I have to go and check Openstack and extract questions and answers from the community. There is not any company that is supporting it that could help me. There is no particular documentation about it that can help me in a technical way. I would have to see people's user experience and see what they have done in such and such scenarios.
Sometimes we face challenges with Selenium HQ. There are third party tools that we use, for example for reading the images. They are not easy to plug in. The third party add-ons are difficult to get good configuration and do not have good support. I would like to see better integration with other products.
In the next release, I would like OCR, image recognition, to be built-in. Sometimes there are no code elements that are detectable so finding x paths is tough. Whenever there are some challenges here, we could use OCR or something similar, with good image recognition.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Selenium HQ for the last couple of months.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Selenium HQ's scalability depends on the modularity of the product. Our product was more modular. When we made the product testable for one document, we were able to test 20,000 documents with it. So the scalability was quite impressive.
We have three people in the testing team who are using it.
We are considering expanding usage. Since it has reduced the business time, there are new scenarios that other business teams were using it for. So they asked us to include those scenarios as well, reducing the time.
How are customer service and technical support?
There is no tech support because it's open source in Selenium.
You just have to raise the bugs in the community and if someone has time, they can fix it. So it's not so quick.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straight forward. We don't use it in deployment, we just use Selenium for testing in our organization. The code which was deployed was tested before.
There are four developers in my team who are working on it.
It was not a Selenium deployment because the deployment was of code, and we only use Selenium for testing purposes. We did not deploy with Selenium code anywhere on production.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In terms of pricing, it is open source, so we don't have to pay anything for Selenium.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to anyone considering using Selenium is that using their libraries is good but the focus should be on finding the elements. Element location is a tough part. There are plugins that are available so don't waste time creating your own locators. You can use ready-made built-in solutions that would reduce your time a lot.
On a scale of one to ten, I would give Selenium HQ a six.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Associate QA Manager at Xcel Serv Solution
Easy to set up and customize but is difficult for beginners to use
Pros and Cons
- "We can run multiple projects at the same time and we can design both types of framework, including data-driven or hybrid. We have got a lot of flexibility here."
- "The latest versions are often unstable."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution as a functional testing tool.
What is most valuable?
Selenium is a freeware tool, through which I am using Java for automating our project testing and with its feature grid and a different browser, I can do the functional testing. We can automate our functional testing through a browser. It supports all types of browsers including Firefox and Chrome.
We can run multiple projects at the same time and we can design both types of framework, including data-driven or hybrid. We have got a lot of flexibility here.
It's easy to customize according to our needs.
Now we are getting lots of extensions such as BlazeMeter, where you can record and generate the script and modify, et cetera.
The initial setup is easy.
What needs improvement?
The parallel testing in Selenium is lacking.
The latest versions are often unstable.
There's no UI in Selenium. Beginners who want to start using it must have knowledge of Java, Python, or any programming language. If you are using a Chrome extension, that is a BlazeMeter extension, you can record and make the script, however, that is not very helpful for beginners.
The editor is based on Eclipse. It would be nice if there was some in-built UI for this.
I am leading a 20 person team where I have some junior staff and we have to set up lots of demos and training for them to be comfortable with Selenium.
Occasionally, if someone is downloading the latest version of Java, it might not align with the Selenium version. There needs to be a way for Selenium to alert you if there will be a conflict between versions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The level of stability depends on the version you are referencing. For example, Version 3.1.46 is very stable, however, Version 4.0.0, the latest version, is not.
How are customer service and technical support?
There is no technical support available for Selenium, as it is an open-source product. There is a blog where you can find answers to questions, however, there's no one to actually reach out to.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, I was using VSTS Ultimate.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty straightforward and simple.
You first have to install Java, JDK, in your system. Then you can install an editor such as Eclipse. In Eclipse, you can incorporate all the Selenium jar files.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is free to use.
What other advice do I have?
The reason we are using version 3.14.1 and not the latest version is that this version is the latest most stable option. The most recent versions are often not the most stable.
I'd rate the solution at a six out of ten.
There are lots of tools in the market that are paid versions, such as QTP. Those have got lots of features. While Selenium has some good features, due to the fact that it's free, you cannot get support, which is why I have reduced my rating by a few points.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
QA Lead at Bahwan CyberTek
Good functionality and helps us maintain a certain quality of work
Pros and Cons
- "It is a scalable solution."
- "They should add more functionality to the solution."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution to perform tests and robotic process automation.
How has it helped my organization?
The solution helps us improve and maintain a specific set of work quality. Also, it saves a lot of time for us.
What is most valuable?
The solution's core functionality is excellent.
What needs improvement?
They should add more functionality to the solution. Also, they should provide technical support services.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution's stability a ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. I rate its scalability a ten. It is easy to deploy on any device.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Micro Focus UFT One earlier.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup takes time. I rate the process as one. We require a specialist to download and install it manually. Later, we need to create a framework and set it for an automation process. The entire process is quite complicated for new users.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is an open-source tool.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution to others. Its learning curve is very high for Java and comparatively less for Python. Apart from this, it is highly stable. A lot of documentation is available for it in case of any queries. I rate the solution a nine.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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