# Argent vs. Detox

Your Detox suite is green, and the agent says the new checkout screen is done. Did it ever open the app? Often it only checked that the code compiles.

Detox, from Wix, runs end-to-end tests for React Native that your team writes in JavaScript. Argent works with any iOS or Android app: the agent opens it, taps through what it built, fixes what it finds and can save the path as a test.

Based on each tool's public documentation, checked October 20, 2026.

## How the agent checks its own work

### It opens the app it just changed

Nobody writes a Detox test for a screen that's an hour old. With Argent, the agent opens the app and taps through the new flow itself.

### It looks while the app is still open

A failed Detox run leaves a screenshot and a log for the next morning. Argent's agent checks the live app instead: the screen, failed requests on iOS and, in React Native, the console and component tree.

### Why is this list slow?

Ask the agent why the list hitches. It profiles the app and gets back each freeze, with a suggested fix on iOS.

### A phone on the desk counts too

Detox doesn't run on physical iPhones yet. Argent can tap, type, take screenshots and replay flows on one.

## Built for AI agents

> In React Native Screens, we use Argent for the gestures, transitions, and edge-case interactions where e2e testing frameworks fall short.

— [The React Native Screens team at Software Mansion](/blog/argent-agentic-toolkit-to-control-debug-and-profile-ios-applications/)

### Built by Software Mansion

We are Software Mansion: we help our clients build software across mobile, web, and beyond, from native iOS and Android to cross-platform apps, open-source projects, and developer tools.

[Read the blog](/blog/)

## Reasons to stay with Detox

Detox is a long-standing testing framework for React Native, with tests your team writes in JavaScript. For some teams, that is still the better fit.

### Timing flakes are the enemy

Detox watches what the app is busy with and waits for it on its own. That removes many failures that happen only because a test moved on too early.

### The suite already works

Then there is no rush to rewrite it. Argent runs end-to-end tests too, as recorded flows in CI, so new tests can start there while the Detox ones keep running.

### Curious about LLM-written test steps?

Wix Pilot turns natural-language steps inside a Detox test into actions and assertions. Wix marks it as a work in progress, so expect it to change.

## What the agent covers, and what Detox covers

One runs tests your team wrote. The other hands a coding agent the running app. The rows below are the ones that matter if Detox already runs in your CI.

| Feature | Argent | Detox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The job | Lets a coding agent open, check and profile any iOS or Android app while it builds | Runs gray-box end-to-end tests your team writes for React Native |
| Coding agent access | MCP server and skills for Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and any agent that runs shell commands | No MCP server. Wix Pilot (work in progress) runs natural-language steps inside test code |
| Apps it can drive | Any iOS or Android app, whatever it is built with, plus TV, Electron and Chromium apps | React Native 0.77 to 0.84 on iOS and Android. Native iOS expected to work; native Android not supported |
| Physical iPhones | Over USB, with a subset of the simulator tools | Listed as not yet supported on iOS |
| Waiting for the app | Waits for elements and for the screen to settle | Automatic synchronization with async operations |
| When something breaks | Screenshots, the element tree and the iOS view tree for any app, plus console logs and the component tree in React Native, read live | Logs, screenshots, video and the iOS view hierarchy, saved as test artifacts |
| Network requests | Request URLs and status codes on the iOS simulator, no proxy. In React Native apps, fetch calls with responses on iOS and Android. Not in Flutter apps yet | Not included |
| Repeatable checks | Recorded YAML flows with optional screenshot checks, replayed by the agent or `argent e2e run` in CI | JavaScript test suites with Jest integration, on any CI |
| Device clouds | BrowserStack, AWS Device Farm, Limrun and TestMu AI, plus Argent Cloud with dedicated iOS simulators at a flat monthly price | No Wix cloud. Android devices on BrowserStack (beta) or Genymotion SaaS |

Sources: docs.swmansion.com/argent, github.com/wix/Detox, wix.github.io/Detox. Checked October 20, 2026.

## Detox questions we hear from React Native teams

### What is a good Detox alternative for AI coding agents?

It depends on the job. If you want a coded regression suite, Detox is still a good choice. If you want Claude Code or Cursor to open the app and check what it built, Argent does that over MCP, without test files. The two fit side by side, with Detox in CI and Argent while the agent works.

### Does Detox have an MCP server?

No. Its AI work is Wix Pilot, which turns natural-language steps inside a test into actions and assertions. Argent ships an MCP server and skills that work in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, VS Code and other agents.

### Can Detox run on a physical iPhone?

Not yet. Detox runs on physical Android devices, but not on physical iPhones. Argent works with a physical iPhone today, using a smaller set of the tools it has on simulators.

### Does Detox work with native iOS or Android apps?

Partly. Detox is built for React Native. Native iOS apps are expected to work, but Android apps not built with React Native are not supported. Argent reads the screen through the accessibility tree, so it works with any iOS or Android app. That includes Swift, Kotlin, Kotlin Multiplatform, Flutter and React Native apps.

### Is Detox free?

Yes, it's MIT licensed. Argent is free to use locally too. The paid part is Argent Cloud, at $299 a month for a Runner with up to six parallel iOS simulators.

### Can I record a flow in Argent instead of writing a Detox test?

For the checks your agent repeats, yes. Argent records the path as a YAML flow, with optional screenshot checks, which the agent can replay or `argent e2e run` can run in CI. For a suite your team writes and reviews as code, Detox can be a better fit.

## Let the agent check before Detox does

Install Argent with one command. From then on the agent has the simulator, the logs and the profiler, and your Detox suite gets branches that someone actually opened.

- [Get started](/)
- [Read the docs](https://docs.swmansion.com/argent/docs/fundamentals/getting-started)

Features checked October 20, 2026, from argent.swmansion.com, docs.swmansion.com/argent, github.com/wix/Detox and wix.github.io/Detox. Detox and Wix Pilot are projects of Wix.com Ltd. React Native, Swift, SwiftUI, Expo, Android, and Flutter are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Use of these names does not imply endorsement.