# Argent vs. Maestro MCP

Your Maestro flows guard the release. Then a flow goes red, and the report says step 4 failed. Accurate, and not much help.

Maestro MCP lets the agent write those flows, run them and keep them for CI. Argent helps the agent find out why step 4 failed: it drives the app, checks each screen, reads network requests on iOS and profiles the slow parts.

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

## Debugging loop or release gate: Argent and Maestro MCP side by side

Both put a coding agent in front of a live iOS simulator or Android emulator. Maestro MCP is built around the test the agent leaves behind. Argent is built around what the agent can find out while the app is still running.

| Feature | Argent | Maestro MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Built for | An agent that builds, debugs and profiles the app in one session | An agent that writes and maintains end-to-end UI tests |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Electron and Chromium apps | iOS, Android and web (Chromium, in beta) |
| Physical iPhones | Over USB, with a subset of the simulator tools | Not supported yet. iOS simulators only |
| Physical Android devices | Over adb | Supported |
| When a step fails | Screenshots and the element tree on demand, plus the native view tree on iOS. In React Native apps, also console logs | No debugging tools. Screen hierarchy and screenshots only |
| Network requests | Request URLs and status codes on the iOS simulator, no proxy. On Android, JavaScript apps only. Not in Flutter apps yet | Not included |
| Performance profiling | Xcode Instruments on iOS, with a severity and a suggested fix for each finding. Perfetto on Android, with the UI freezes it found | Not included |
| Saved test flows | Recorded YAML flows, replayed by the agent or by `argent e2e run` in CI | Maestro YAML flows, Maestro Studio and the Maestro CLI |
| Device clouds | BrowserStack, AWS Device Farm, Limrun and TestMu AI, plus Argent Cloud with dedicated iOS simulators | Maestro Cloud with hosted Android, iOS and web devices. Maestro flows also run on BrowserStack (beta) |

Sources: docs.swmansion.com/argent, docs.maestro.dev. Checked October 20, 2026.

## Tested where e2e frameworks stop

> I've been using argent almost daily since last week. Really simplifies my workflow. I've noticed it's faster than maestro in reading screens and finding things on the screen.

— [torilaure745 on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/reactnative/comments/1x6gynu/comment/ph5tbp1/)

### 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/)

## What the agent can do after a Maestro flow goes red

### Step 4 failed

The flow report stops at the tap. With Argent, the agent keeps going: it checks the screen, whether the button sent its request on iOS and what covers the button.

### A green flow on a slow screen

Flows check that things happen, not how fast. Argent profiles the slow screen and shows the agent each freeze, and on iOS what caused it.

### The bug only shows up on a real iPhone

Maestro doesn't support physical iPhones yet. Argent drives one over USB, signed with a free Apple Personal Team.

### Your flows on Argent Cloud, too

Argent Cloud runs the stock Maestro CLI on hosted iOS simulators, even from Linux CI. When a flow fails, the agent can debug it there with Argent.

## Questions from Maestro users

### Is Argent a replacement for Maestro MCP?

No, they do different jobs. Maestro MCP helps an agent write and run Maestro YAML tests. Argent gives the agent the running app. The agent can tap through it, check network traffic on iOS and profile it. If you need a regression suite and a debugging loop, you can run both.

### Does Maestro MCP work with physical iPhones?

Not yet. Maestro's documentation says tests on physical iOS devices are not supported; it covers iOS simulators, Android emulators and physical Android devices. Argent handles a physical iPhone over USB, though only part of its simulator toolset works there.

### Can Maestro MCP profile my app?

No. The Maestro MCP tool list covers devices, screen inspection, screenshots, running flows and Maestro Cloud, with no profiling tools. Argent profiles iOS apps on the simulator with Xcode Instruments and Android apps with Perfetto, in less detail, and saves each session so the agent can compare before and after a fix.

### Does Argent have its own test flows?

Yes. The agent can record a path as a YAML flow and replay it later, and `argent e2e run` replays it in CI. If your suite already lives in Maestro, there is no need to move it.

### Can I run my Maestro flows on Argent Cloud?

Yes. Argent Cloud is a pool of network-accessible iOS simulators. Argent, Maestro, Appium, CI jobs or your own scripts can all connect to it.

### Which coding agents work with Maestro MCP and Argent?

Both work with Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and other MCP clients. Argent also works with any agent that can run shell commands.

## Fix it before the flow goes red

Keep running your Maestro flows while your agent debugs and profiles the app with Argent. When it suits you, record them again in Argent, one at a time.

- [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, maestro.dev and docs.maestro.dev. Maestro is a product of mobile.dev Inc. 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.