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AVA vs TestCafe comparison of testing frameworks
What are the differences between AVA and TestCafe?

AVA

https://github.com/avajs/ava

TestCafe

https://devexpress.github.io/testcafe/
Programming language

JavaScript

JavaScript

Category

Unit Testing, Intergration Testing

End-to-End Testing, Regression Testing

General info

Futuristic, new, fast and concurrent JavaScript test runner with simple test syntax

AVA is a test runner for Node.js with a concise API, detailed error output. JS is a single-threaded but Node.JS is a parallel due to it's async behaviour. Ava leverages that and it can run tests concurrently

TestCafe is a Node.js tool to automate end-to-end web testing.

TestCafe runs on Windows, MacOs, and Linux and supports mobile, remote and cloud browsers (UI or headless). It is also free and open source
xUnit
Set of frameworks originating from SUnit (Smalltalk's testing framework). They share similar structure and functionality.

No

However Ava supports the TAP format which allows us to use the tap-xunit reporter to produce xUnit (JUnit) XML

No

Client-side
Allows testing code execution on the client, such as a web browser

Yes

You can write tests for the DOM with Ava, testing front-end components is easy with Ava

Yes

TestCafe is primarily a front-end testing tool
Server-side
Allows testing the bahovior of a server-side code

Yes

Ava utilizes the async I/O nature of Node and runs concurrent tests on NodeJs applications' back-endsA node server can have its endpoints tested with Ava

No

Fixtures
Allows defining a fixed, specific states of data (fixtures) that are test-local. This ensures specific environment for a single test

Yes

Using Ava's ava-fixture library it supports fixtures

Yes

You can create fixtures with TestCafe
Group fixtures
Allows defining a fixed, specific states of data for a group of tests (group-fixtures). This ensures specific environment for a given group of tests.

Yes

Ava has support for group fixtures

N/A

Generators
Supports data generators for tests. Data generators generate input data for test. The test is then run for each input data produced in this way.

N/A

N/A

Licence
Licence type governing the use and redistribution of the software

MIT License

MIT License

Mocks
Mocks are objects that simulate the behavior of real objects. Using mocks allows testing some part of the code in isolation (with other parts mocked when needed)

AVA has no mocking built in, to mock functions you can use third party libraries like Sinon.js.

Yes

We can mock requests with the 'RequestMock' hook
Grouping
Allows organizing tests in groups

No

There is no support for grouping tests

N/A

Other
Other useful information about the testing framework