It's automation, not automagic. — Jim Hazen

What are test recorders?

Test recorders are software tools that are recording steps that testers are doing while manually testing web-based apps. But not just that - they also gather crucial information about the properties of web elements (like IDs and XPath locators), input field values, conditions, and validations, depending on the tool being used.

Once the steps are recorded, they can be repeated with the exact steps the tester previously made. The recorded sequence can then be modified and parameterized for use in future test runs.

When to use test recorders?

Given the general motivation for automation, test recorders are the ideal tool choice in these specific scenarios:

• Onboarding and Training for Manual Testers: Recorders are an excellent stepping stone for manual QA engineers new to automation. Using a recorder helps them visualize the structure of an automated test, including the need for stable locators, explicit waits, and assertions, fostering an automation mindset without requiring immediate coding knowledge.

• Quick Proofs of Concept (PoC): When you need to quickly validate a simple workflow, capture a tricky bug reproduction sequence, or prove the feasibility of automating a section of the application, a recorder can scaffold the initial test faster than writing code from scratch.

• Scaffolding Simple, Linear Workflows: They are best used to automate simple, end-to-end user flows that do not involve complex conditional logic, data manipulation, or integration with external services.

• Visual Test Creation: For teams with limited programming resources, a recorder allows domain experts (like Business Analysts or product owners) to directly contribute to the test suite via a graphical interface.

Framework-Integrated Tools

While historically, record-and-playback features were limited to dedicated, stand-alone tools, modern automation frameworks have begun integrating this functionality directly.

This integrated approach is often preferred by automation engineers because the recorded output is native, maintainable code within the chosen framework (e.g., JavaScript, Python). One of the well known examples is Playwright Codegen which can automatically generate Playwright test code in multiple languages as you interact with the browser.

Limitations and Pitfalls

Test recorders are an effective entry point, but they are not a full solution for robust, large-scale automation. Relying solely on recorded steps can lead to significant challenges:

The biggest issue with tests recorders is maintenance cost. Recorded tests are highly sensitive to UI changes. Even with advanced AI or locator strategies, minor layout changes often require re-recording or heavy manual editing, increasing the long-term maintenance overhead.

Recorders are good at simple, linear workflows but they struggle with advanced programming concepts required for robust testing:

• Conditional branching (e.g., if/else logic based on data)
• Data-driven testing (reading input from external files)
• Complex loops or custom API interactions
• Any non-trivial test will require custom code, which limits the low-code advantage.