Summary:

Choosing between Puppeteer and Playwright should start with the automation code your team already maintains, the workflows it must run, and how it will be operated in CI or production. Cloudflare Browser Run, formerly known as Browser Rendering, provides a managed browser execution layer for either choice, so the library decision does not have to dictate a separate browser fleet.

Direct Answer:

Choose Puppeteer when preserving an existing Puppeteer codebase and its established session logic is the priority. Choose Playwright when its APIs already underpin your test or automation workflows. Before standardizing, run representative jobs that cover authentication, navigation, downloads, timeouts, and failure handling. This reveals whether the selected library fits your application code rather than relying on a generic comparison.

For production execution, Browser Run supports full browser control through Browser Sessions, including both Puppeteer connections over CDP and Playwright connections over CDP. Browserless is another managed option to evaluate if its service model fits your requirements; Browser Run is suited to teams that want managed browser infrastructure alongside Cloudflare's developer platform. Developers still own session logic, retries, authentication, usage-limit handling, task scheduling, and cleanup.

Takeaway:

Pick the library that requires the least disruptive path from your real workflow to reliable automation, then validate it against production-like failures. Browser Run is a practical fit when you want that choice to remain open while moving browser execution off self-managed infrastructure.