Puppeteer and Playwright are two prominent browser automation frameworks used for automated testing of web applications, each with its unique strengths. Puppeteer, developed by Google, offers deep integration with Chrome's DevTools, focusing on Chromium-based browsers and Firefox, making it ideal for JavaScript-centric teams needing tight control over Chrome. In contrast, Playwright, created by a team at Microsoft, provides broader cross-browser support, including Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit, and supports multiple languages like JavaScript, Python, C#, and Java. Playwright's standout feature is its built-in support for parallel testing, which allows tests to run across multiple browsers and device profiles simultaneously, while Puppeteer requires additional solutions for parallel execution. Both tools offer key functionalities such as headless browser operation, device emulation, and network throttling, but differ in their approach to performance monitoring and tracing. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of the development environment, including language compatibility, browser support needs, and the desired level of integration with Chrome DevTools.