Visual Regression Tracker
What Visual Regression Tracker is
Visual Regression Tracker is a free, open-source, self-hosted tool for finding visual changes in screenshots. It compares submitted images with accepted baselines, keeps baseline history and lets teams ignore regions that should not affect results. Projects can choose Pixelmatch, Looks-Same, Odiff or a VLM comparison provider. A standalone JAR also compares PDFs and images. The dashboard offers side-by-side, diff, scrubber and onion-skin views, with one-click approval. Feature branches inherit the main branch baseline until changes are approved, and builds can post commit status to GitHub or GitLab for pull-request gating. Setup uses Docker images, and the project says self-hosting keeps data inside the user’s intranet. Integrations include agents for Playwright, Cypress, CodeceptJS and Robot Framework, SDKs for JavaScript, Java, Python and .NET, and a REST API for other languages. The documented maximum screenshot upload payload is 20 MB. Each project has one owner; members can view snapshots and approve changes, while owner-only actions remain restricted. The repository uses Apache-2.0 licensing.
Who it suits
It suits development teams running visual checks for web, mobile or desktop software wherever screenshots can be captured. Self-hosting may fit organizations wanting data kept inside their intranet.
What it does well
- Open-source and self-hosted
- Multiple image comparison methods
- Pull-request status for GitHub or GitLab
- SDKs and REST API
- Baseline history with region exclusions
What to know first
- Screenshot uploads limited to 20 MB
- Docker setup is required
- Some project actions are owner-only
- Optional Elasticsearch logging uses extra resources
Limits
The maximum documented screenshot upload payload is 20 MB. Each project has one owner, and some actions are unavailable to members.
Getting started
- Open the GitHub project website
- Deploy the self-hosted service with Docker images
- Connect a Playwright, Cypress, CodeceptJS, or Robot Framework agent
- Use an SDK or REST API to submit screenshots
- Choose a comparison method for each project
- Review differences and approve accepted baselines
Verdict
Visual Regression Tracker provides baseline comparison, review and CI/CD workflows without a listed license cost. Its self-hosted model and broad integrations are useful for teams able to manage Docker-based infrastructure.
Questions
Is Visual Regression Tracker free?
Yes. It is free and open source, with an Apache-2.0 license.
Where can it run?
It supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, web, API use, and self-hosted deployment.
Can it compare PDFs?
Yes. A standalone JAR compares PDF files and images from a folder.
Which test frameworks have agents?
The project lists native agents for Playwright, Cypress, CodeceptJS, and Robot Framework.
How are changes approved?
The dashboard offers side-by-side, diff, scrubber, and onion-skin views, with one-click approval.
Can it gate pull requests?
Builds can post commit status to GitHub or GitLab.
Facts from Visual Regression Tracker's own pages
- Access control
- The project documentation says each project has one owner, and members can view snapshots and approve changes while owner-only actions are restricted. · docs.vregt.com, 4 Oct 2026
- API
- The README says REST API interfaces allow use from programming languages beyond the listed SDKs. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Baseline history
- The tool tracks how baseline images change over time and supports ignoring selected image regions. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Branch baselines
- The documentation says feature branches inherit the main branch baseline until a change is approved. · docs.vregt.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Comparison methods
- Available comparison providers include Pixelmatch, Looks-Same, Odiff, and a vision-language-model option, configurable per project. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Data location
- The project describes its self-hosted deployment as keeping data inside the user's intranet. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- Setup uses Docker images, and Docker must be installed on the host machine. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Framework integrations
- The repository lists native agents for Playwright, Cypress, CodeceptJS, and Robot Framework. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Framework support
- The README lists agents for Playwright, Cypress, CodeceptJS, and Robot Framework, plus SDKs for JavaScript, Java, Python, and .NET. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
- How it works
- It compares submitted images pixel by pixel against accepted baseline images and reports unexpected changes. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- License
- The GitHub repository identifies its license as Apache-2.0. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Logging
- Optional Elasticsearch logging can be monitored through Kibana and uses additional memory and CPU. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- PDF comparison
- A standalone JAR can compare PDF files and images from a folder. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Platform coverage
- It supports visual testing for web, mobile, and desktop wherever a screenshot can be captured. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Pull request gating
- The documentation says builds can post commit status to GitHub or GitLab. · docs.vregt.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Visual Regression Tracker is an open-source, self-hosted tool for visual testing and managing test results. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Review workflow
- The dashboard supports side-by-side, diff, scrubber, and onion-skin comparisons, with one-click approval. · docs.vregt.com, 4 Oct 2026
- SDKs and API
- It provides JavaScript, Java, Python, and .NET SDKs, plus a REST API for other languages. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Support and community
- The README directs users to a Telegram group and invites bug reports, questions, ideas, and feedback through tickets. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Supported image inputs
- The README says it can compare PDFs as well as images using a standalone jar. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Upload limit
- The documented maximum screenshot upload payload is 20 MB. · docs.vregt.com, 4 Oct 2026
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