PerfectPixel popularized overlay-based QA, but it’s a solo tool that requires manual screenshot management. Pixelay builds on the same idea with Figma sync, annotations, and shareable links. If you’re deciding between the two, consider how important collaboration and live environments are to your workflow.

Live overlays vs static workflows

PerfectPixel works best with exported PNGs. Pixelay overlays live sites, including behind-login staging environments. That means you catch responsive bugs, interactive states, and dynamic content issues that static screenshots miss.

Collaboration tools

Pixelay includes comments, annotations, and shareable links. PerfectPixel is mostly single-player—great for designers auditing solo, less helpful when engineers need context. If an alternative can’t show teams exactly what’s wrong in the browser, it won’t save time.

Budget and setup

Full-blown visual regression platforms can be powerful but heavy to set up. Pixelay strikes a balance: install the extension, connect Figma, start working. Unless you need enterprise automation across hundreds of pages, Pixelay remains the pragmatic choice.

Evaluate with real projects

Test alternatives on behind-login environments, authenticated staging servers, and responsive layouts. Pixelay shines because it handles all of those scenarios without extra tooling. If a new tool fails even one of those tests, it’s probably not worth the switch.