Forge QA, compared
Side-by-side facts from each vendor's public pricing pages and docs, checked in October 2026. Where another tool is the better fit, we say so.
The verdict
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Price you can see
Forge QA starts at €19 a month, published on our site. Reflect and mabl don't publish prices: you ask sales for a quote.
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Every browser
Your site is tested in Chromium, Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari (WebKit), on every plan. BugBug runs Chromium-based browsers only.
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Security check on every run
Every Forge QA run also checks the page for redirects to other sites, card skimmers and injected scripts. We found no such scan at the other four tools.
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Evidence
When a test fails, you see a screenshot of every step, a video and a Playwright trace. Others keep results longer: Ghost Inspector 6 months, mabl 13 months, Forge QA 14–60 days.
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When another tool fits better
You need API or mobile app tests too: Reflect or mabl. You need 100,000 runs a month: Ghost Inspector costs less per run. Chromium-based browsers are enough: BugBug has unlimited runs.
Side by side
| Feature | Forge QA | Reflect by SmartBear | Ghost Inspector | BugBug | mabl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices published | Yes | No, contact sales | Yes | Yes, except Business | No, quote |
| Entry price | €19/month | Not published | $125/month | $119/month | Not published |
| Unit | Runs | Credits | Runs | Unlimited runs¹ | Credits |
| Seats | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5 / 15 / 40 | 1 / 3 / unlimited | Unlimited participants |
| Browsers | All five browsers² | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari | Chrome, Firefox³ | Chromium-based only | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari (WebKit)⁴ |
| Recorder | Cloud browser⁵ | Cloud browser | Browser extension | Chrome extension | Desktop app |
| Self-healing at run time | Fallbacks, then AI | Selectors, then AI | Backup selectors | Not found | Auto-heal and AI |
| Page security scan | Every run, every plan | Not found | Not found | Not found | Not found |
| Playwright trace | Every run | Not found | Not found | Not found | Step trace⁶ |
| Evidence kept | 14–60 days | Not found | 6 months | 1 to 3 months | 13 months |
| API, mobile, email testing | No | Yes⁷ | Email inbox⁸ | Email inbox | Yes⁹ |
- BugBug: unlimited cloud runs; the Core plan allows up to 50 tests.
- Forge QA: Chromium, Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari (WebKit).
- Ghost Inspector's docs list Chrome and Firefox runners, while its marketing pages also list Edge and Safari.
- mabl: Safari via WebKit.
- Forge QA: a real browser that runs inside the app, nothing to install.
- mabl: "step trace", opt-in, in Chrome and Edge only.
- Reflect: yes, some as add-ons.
- Ghost Inspector: email inbox from the Growth plan.
- mabl: yes, mobile as add-on.
"Not found" means we searched the vendor's public pages and docs and found no statement; it doesn't prove the feature is missing. Prices in the vendor's currency, billed monthly.
Detailed comparisons
Full feature tables, and when each tool is the better choice.
- vs ReflectWeb, API, mobile, email and SMS, sold through sales. Strong if you need all of those.Read
- vs Ghost InspectorPublished prices and big run allowances. Cheaper per run at very high volume.Read
- vs BugBugUnlimited runs and free local runs, on Chromium-based browsers only.Read
- vs mablAn enterprise platform on custom quotes, with API and mobile testing.Read
Other options
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Rainforest QA
No-code testing with AI test planning. Prices aren't published. It lists Safari on emulated macOS virtual machines.
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Testim
Test automation from Tricentis. Prices aren't published; plans are "Contact us".
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Checkly
Code-first monitoring built on Playwright. Free Hobby plan; paid plans from $24 a month billed annually. A good fit if your team writes Playwright code and wants uptime-style checks.
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Playwright, self-run
Free and open source, and what Forge QA uses underneath. You build and run the rest: browsers on CI, schedules, evidence storage, alerts and a way for non-developers to write tests.
Compare it on your own site.
7 days, 100 runs, five browsers, no credit card.