TL;DR

Percy by BrowserStack is a visual testing and review platform. It captures screenshots of web apps, compares them across builds, and highlights visual changes so teams can catch UI bugs before they reach production.

Introduction

Code can pass functional tests but still break the user interface. A missing CSS rule, a shifted layout, or a color mismatch might not stop an app from working, but it can hurt user experience. That’s where visual testing comes in. 

Percy, acquired by BrowserStack, focuses on catching these UI regressions. Instead of relying on manual visual checks, Percy automates the process by capturing screenshots, comparing them pixel by pixel, and flagging differences. With Percy integrated into your CI/CD pipeline, every commit can be visually validated alongside functional and automated tests.

What Percy by BrowserStack Offers

Automated screenshot capture  Percy takes screenshots of your app across multiple browsers and viewports. 

Visual diffs  Screenshots from the new build are compared against a baseline. Any changes are highlighted for review. 

Cross-browser and responsive checks  Catch issues that only show up on certain browsers or screen sizes. 

CI/CD integration  Percy integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Jenkins, and other pipelines. Visual tests run automatically on pull requests. 

Team collaboration  Developers, designers, and QA can review visual changes together. Approving or rejecting changes becomes part of the workflow. 

Real-world environments  Because Percy runs on BrowserStack’s infrastructure, screenshots come from real browsers, not just headless emulators. 

Why Teams Use Percy BrowserStack

  • Confidence in UI: Catch unintended design changes early. 
  • Speed: Automated checks replace slow manual reviews. 
  • Collaboration: Shared review interface helps designers and developers stay aligned. 
  • Scalability: Works for small front-end projects and large enterprise apps. 
  • Accuracy: Real browsers ensure differences are true to user environments. 

Example Workflow

A front-end team pushes a new update to their e-commerce site. Percy runs automatically during the CI pipeline: 

  1. Screenshots are captured for product pages, cart, and checkout flows. 
  2. Percy compares them to the baseline from the last release. 
  3. Differences show up as highlighted diffs. A CSS change caused the “Add to Cart” button to shift position. 
  4. Designers review and reject the change, sending the fix back before release. 

Without Percy, this issue could have gone unnoticed until users complained.

Percy BrowserStack vs Alternatives

  • Applitools: Uses AI-powered visual testing and has more advanced algorithms. 
  • Chromatic: Focuses on component-level visual testing for Storybook. 
  • Manual review: Time-consuming and unreliable. 

Percy by BrowserStack is often chosen for its simplicity, CI/CD integrations, and being part of the broader BrowserStack ecosystem.

FAQs

Is Percy included in BrowserStack subscriptions?  Percy is available as a separate product but integrates tightly with other BrowserStack tools.

Can Percy test mobile layouts?  Yes, Percy captures responsive snapshots across multiple viewports.

Does Percy only test static pages?  No, you can configure it to capture dynamic states and flows.

How are differences shown?  Percy highlights visual diffs directly on screenshots, making them easy to spot.

Can designers use Percy too?  Yes, Percy is built for collaboration between developers, QA, and design teams.

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Conclusion

Percy by BrowserStack makes visual testing simple and scalable. By automating screenshot capture, comparison, and review, it helps teams catch UI regressions that functional tests miss. Integrated with CI/CD pipelines and supported by real browsers, Percy ensures design consistency and reduces the risk of broken layouts reaching production. For any team that cares about user experience, Percy is a valuable addition to the BrowserStack toolkit.