Robot Framework Browser

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Introduction

Robot Framework Browser, usually called the Browser library, brings Playwright to Robot Framework. Tests are written in Robot Framework’s keyword-driven, tabular syntax, while the library uses Playwright underneath to control Chromium, Firefox and WebKit.

The project’s tagline is ‘speed, reliability and visibility’. Keywords auto-wait for elements, assertions are built into getter keywords, and the library can record traces, videos and screenshots. It is maintained under the MarketSquare organisation, the community home for Robot Framework libraries.

Installation needs Python 3.11 or newer. The library talks to a Node.js Playwright process; you can either install Node.js and run rfbrowser init, or install the robotframework-browser-batteries package, which bundles precompiled Node.js binaries so testers do not need Node.js at all.

In the quality loop it sits at the end-to-end stage for teams that already use Robot Framework for acceptance tests, RPA or mixed web, API and desktop automation.

The source code is at MarketSquare/robotframework-browser on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 licence, with about 665 stars; the most recent commit was on 10 November 2026.

Features

1. Playwright engine: Chromium, Firefox and WebKit with auto-waiting.
2. Keyword-driven tests: Readable Robot Framework keywords for navigation, clicks, typing and assertions.
3. Assertion engine: Getter keywords accept inline assertions, such as Get Text h1 == Welcome.
4. Traces and videos: Playwright traces, videos and screenshots for debugging.
5. BrowserBatteries: Optional package with bundled Node.js so testers can skip installing Node.
6. Contexts and pages: Multiple browser contexts and pages in one test.

Pros

1. Modern engine for Robot users: Faster and more reliable than WebDriver-based keywords for many apps.
2. Free to use: Open source under the Apache-2.0 licence, so the core tool costs nothing to use.
3. Actively maintained: The repository had commits as recent as 10 November 2026.

Cons

1. Two runtimes: Python plus a Node.js Playwright process adds moving parts.
2. Migration effort: Keywords differ from SeleniumLibrary, so existing suites need changes.
3. Smaller community: About 650 GitHub stars.

Usage and Links (Example)

pip install robotframework-browser robotframework-browser-batteries

*** Settings ***
Library    Browser

*** Test Cases ***
User Can Sign In
    New Page    https://example.com/login
    Fill Text    id=email    user@example.com
    Click    text=Sign in
    Get Text    h1    ==    Welcome

Run with robot tests/.

Resources:

• Robot Framework Browser website
• GitHub repository

Pricing

Robot Framework Browser is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 licence.

Recommended for?

1. Robot Framework teams that want Playwright’s speed and reliability.
2. Keyword-driven QA teams who prefer tabular tests to code.
3. Not a fit if you do not use Robot Framework already; Playwright Test is simpler.

Conclusion

The Browser library is the modern way to do web testing in Robot Framework, combining Playwright’s engine with Robot’s readable keywords.

On CheckOps, Robot Framework Browser is filed under the End-to-end & functional stage. Related tools listed here include Robot Framework, Robot Framework SeleniumLibrary, Playwright, SeleniumBase, CodeceptJS and Copado Robotic Testing. Before choosing, compare them on licence, supported languages and platforms, hosting model, and how well each fits your existing CI pipeline. Facts on this page were checked against the official website, documentation and repository on 11 November 2026; statements the vendor makes about its own product are marked as vendor claims.