A Maestro alternative for iOS, Android and web
mini vs Maestro.
Maestro runs the flows your team writes. mini writes and maintains its own.
| Capability | Maestro | mini |
|---|---|---|
| Writes the tests itself | Via its MCP server and your coding agent | A scenario and its acceptance criteria |
| Keeps them current as the app changes | Automatic with GitHub; via your coding agent otherwise | |
| Flags issues no test asked about | AI defect checks where you add them | UI/UX suggestions, never blocking |
| iOS, Android and web | Web support is newer | No desktop Safari or Edge |
| Physical phones | Android phones; iPhones via a device cloud | iPhones (TestFlight) and Android phones, on request |
| Hundreds of device models | Via a device cloud | Few models: simulators, emulators, some phones |
| Video, repro steps and fix prompt by default | In Maestro Cloud: recordings, AI analysis | Plus steps to reproduce |
| Same path on every run | Path varies; criteria stay fixed | |
| Open source, free to self-host | A hosted service |
Same release. Different hands.
One pull request renames Pay and adds PayPal. Your team edits the flow; mini edits its own test.
Pick the one that fits.
Checked against Maestro’s public docs on 5 October 2026.
Pick Maestro if…
- You want flows as code your team owns and reviews.
- You want a free, open-source runner on your laptop and CI.
- You want exact, scripted checks that run the same way every time.
Pick mini if…
- You’d rather mini write the suite and keep it current.
- Your flows need several phones in one test, and you’d rather not script them.
- You want mini to flag UI/UX issues nobody wrote a test for.
Move over one flow at a time.
Run both
Keep Maestro in CI while mini writes its own suite.
Read both reports
Compare what each caught on the same builds.
Retire by upkeep
Retire the flows you edit most. Keep the rest.
Can mini run alongside Maestro?
Yes. mini doesn’t touch your Maestro setup. Run both on the same builds, and retire a Maestro test only once mini covers it.
Is an agent less predictable than a script?
Yes, the path can vary: mini picks each action from the screen. The acceptance criteria stay fixed; an ungradable run is marked Unprocessable, never guessed.
Is mini as fast as Maestro?
No. Maestro replays what you wrote; mini reads each screen first, so tests take longer. Keep Maestro where per-commit speed matters most.
How does mini fit into our CI?
On GitHub, mini posts a check and a pull-request comment; the check is informational until you choose to block merges. Any other CI uses the minitest CLI.
What build does mini need?
mini builds the commit or takes an upload from the CLI. Emulators need x86_64; iOS needs a Simulator build, or TestFlight on physical iPhones (on request).
Does mini run on real iPhones?
Yes: physical iPhones and Android phones, switched on per workspace on request, plus simulators, emulators and browsers. Maestro runs iOS on simulators locally, and on real iPhones through a device cloud.
Does mini convert my Maestro flows?
No. mini reads them with your repository to learn what you cover, then writes its own tests: a scenario and acceptance criteria. No line-by-line conversion.
Do I need accessibility IDs for mini?
No. mini reads the screen as a user does. Keep your labels and IDs anyway: screen-reader users need them.
Keep the flows you trust. Hand over the upkeep.
Bring a build and your costliest flows. We’ll run mini beside Maestro.