Seeking Zephyr Alternatives? Discover the TOP 10 Best Test Management Tools in 2024

This post was originally published on August 29, 2019, and has been updated for accuracy on February 22, 2024.
If you’re into software testing, you’ve probably heard of Zephyr. But guess what? There are other tools out there that might suit your team even better. In this quick guide, we’ll check out the top 10 Zephyr alternatives. Ready to find a testing tool that clicks with your team? We’ll also compare features with other test management tools to help you make an informed decision.
Table of contents
- About Zephyr
- Is Zephyr a good test case management software? Pros of using Zephyr for testing
- Zephyr limitations. Why might you consider the Zephyr alternatives?
- What are the Zephyr alternatives (Free and Paid) for 2024?
- Conclusion: Zephyr alternatives comparison table
- Evaluating Zephyr alternatives: what to consider?
About Zephyr
Zephyr Squad is a test management software by Smartbear company. The plugin seamlessly integrates with Jira. It offers comprehensive features for test case management, test execution, and reporting.
Smartbear presents two separate test management solutions for Jira. Zephyr Squad is for teams planning and executing tests within one Jira project. On the other hand, there’s the Zephyr Scale app dedicated to teams that test across multiple Jira projects.
Is Zephyr a good test case management software? Pros of using Zephyr for testing
Zephyr has earned the trust of numerous QA engineers worldwide. The plugin is designed to support Agile development methodologies, providing features like burndown charts, test boards, and integration with popular Agile frameworks.
Moreover, Zephyr largely supports automated testing. It allows connecting automated test results from Cucumber, Jenkins, Selenium, and Junit into a unified platform.
Finally, Zephyr claims to back up BDD (Behavior-Driven Development). It makes it easier for the testing teams to create test cases using a more intuitive language that resonates with stakeholders better.
Zephyr limitations. Why might you consider the Zephyr alternatives?
Lack of intuitive user interface
While Zephyr is a popular test management tool, it has several limitations that might prompt users to seek alternatives. One of the most significant issues is its steep learning curve. New users often find Zephyr’s interface overwhelming, making it challenging to onboard new team members quickly. This can slow down the testing process and reduce overall productivity.
Sometimes clunky interface and changes not reflected. Addon goes to idle and requires a refresh every now and then. Also there are several additional features that can be implemented too.
Rakesh T. (review from Capterra)
Customization options in Zephyr are limited, making it difficult for users to tailor the tool to their specific needs. This can be a hindrance for teams that require a more flexible and adaptable test management solution.
Performance issues
In their reviews on the Atlassian Marketplace, users often say that the biggest problem with Zephyr is its performance issues. Some QA teams have reported that the test management software is slow to load and can take a long time to perform even simple tasks. Frequent outages can be frustrating and make testing take longer than it should.
Integration capabilities are another limitation. Zephyr’s ability to integrate with other tools and platforms is not as seamless as some of its competitors. This can make it challenging to create a seamless testing environment.
Support delays
When it comes to customer support, many users say they have to wait a long time for their issues to get fixed. This causes problems for businesses, especially during busy times, as the lack of responsiveness can significantly disrupt work.
What are the Zephyr alternatives (Free and Paid) for 2024?
Given the limitations of Zephyr, exploring alternative test management tools can be a wise decision. A good Zephyr alternative should offer an intuitive user interface that is easy to navigate, even for new users. This can significantly reduce the learning curve and make onboarding new team members more efficient.
Scalability is another crucial factor. A robust test management tool should be able to grow with your team and handle complex projects with ease. This ensures that the tool remains effective as your testing needs evolve.
Responsive and knowledgeable customer support is essential. Quick and effective support can help resolve issues promptly, minimizing disruptions to your testing process.
Customization options are also important. A flexible tool that allows you to tailor workflows, reports, and dashboards to your specific needs can enhance your testing efficiency and effectiveness.
Integration capabilities are a must. A good test management tool should seamlessly integrate with other tools and platforms, creating a cohesive testing environment. This can streamline your workflows and improve overall productivity.
Lastly, cost-effectiveness is key. Look for a tool that offers competitive pricing plans, especially if you are a small team or individual. This ensures that you get the best value for your investment.
If you’re facing challenges with Zephyr, consider exploring a new option. Reliable test management tools listed below not only address the issues you might be dealing with in Zephyr. They can also provide you with numerous benefits to improve your testing experience even more:
- Requirements and Test Management for Jira
- TestFLO – Test Management for Jira
- XRay
- TestRail
- TestLink
- Practitest
- Tricentis
- QMetry
- Allure Reports
- Qase
Let’s dive deeper into the features of each of these Zephyr alternatives:
Requirements and Test Management for Jira
Requirements and Test Management for Jira (RTM) is a test management tool for Jira available for Cloud and Data Center hostings. It aims to be the most intuitive test case management tool that provides its users with easy to use, modern interface. The functionalities of RTM for Jira make it sufficient for both beginners and advanced testers.
The main goal of the app is to bring the whole development process to a single place. RTM for Jira supports real-time collaboration between testers, developers, analysts, product owners, and other stakeholders. The tool makes communication easier thanks to the built-in transparent reports with graphs and tables.
RTM for Jira stands out from the competition by including requirements in the entire testing process. Furthermore, the app provides a tree-structured view with folders and subfolders for all testing objects. Your team can also track the relations between testing elements at each stage on the dedicated tab or the Requirement Traceability Matrix in Jira.
Features:
- Intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface
- Centralized requirements and test case management
- Full traceability of requirements from specifications to potential defects
- Transparent tree-structured view for all testing objects
- Streamlined testing process through the creation of test cases directly from requirements
- Continuous integration
- Customizable workflow
- Comprehensive real-time reports on requirements status, traceability, test coverage, and other key metrics
Pricing:
- Free 30-day trial
Cloud:
- Free up to 10 users
- $165/month for 100 users
Data Center:
- $2,200/year for 100 users
TestFLO – Test Management for Jira for test automation
TestFLO – Test Management for Jira is only available for Data Center hosting. It’s because the app is dedicated to large-scale enterprises and highly regulated industries. It focuses on scalability, flexibility, and compliance. TestFLO stands out as the most adaptable test management solution for Jira, integrating seamlessly with various test automation tools to streamline testing operations and improve efficiency for QA teams.
TestFLO enables you to organize your test cases, transform the structure into templates, and reuse them across different projects. Integration possibilities (Cucumber, JUnit, TestNG, NUnit) enable you to connect TestFLO with your automated testing framework. This feature makes it a perfect Zephyr alternative for more demanding teams.
Features:
- Centralized test management tool
- Requirement traceability
- Visual test plans
- Automated testing
- Interactive test results
- Customizable workflows
- Collaborative testing
- Easy integrations
- Comprehensive reporting
Pricing (Data Center):
- Free 30-day trial
- $825/year for 50 users
- $1,925/year for 100 users
XRay
Xray is a well-known scalable testing tool that can accommodate teams of any size. It’s a native Jira add-on. It eliminates the need for switching between tools during test runs. The plugin allows testers to manage their test cases, plans, and results directly within Jira.
Xray integrates with popular test automation frameworks like Cucumber, Selenium, and JUnit. It also offers advanced test case management capabilities, including BDD support (just like in Zephyr), test case prioritization, test case templates, and test case traceability. The disadvantage of this test management software is that some users find its interface overly complex.
Features:
- Native test management for Jira
- Real-time test progress tracking
- Advanced coverage analysis
- Native integration with leading testing automation frameworks like Selenium, JUnit, and Cucumber
- Exploratory testing app
- Customizable dashboards and reports
- Data-driven insights for improving test quality and efficiency
Pricing:
- Free 30-day trial
Cloud:
- $10/month for 10 users
- $500/month for 100 users
Data Center:
- $1,740/year for 50 users
- $4,140/year for 100 users
TestRail
TestRail is a software testing tool designed for managing tests. It works through a web-based interface and can also be used on mobile devices. On the Atlassian Marketplace, you can find the free TestRail Jira app, but it still requires a paid TestRail license.
The tool offers complete support for test management, from exploratory to automated tests. TestRail helps keep track of testing history and provides users with interactive charts and dedicated QA reports.
Features:
- Centralized test management platform test cases, test plans, test results, and defect tracking
- Supports a variety of test case formats, including plain text, XML, and HTML
- Agile test planning and execution
- Automated test execution
- Comprehensive reporting and analytics
- Integrations with popular tools including Jira, Confluence, Jenkins, and Selenium.
- Customizable workflows and environments
Pricing:
- Free 14-day trial
- Professional Cloud: $370/month for 10 users, $2,415/month for 100 users
- Enterprise Cloud: $8,251/year for 10 users, $47,962/year for 100 users,
- Professional Server: $26,565/year per 100 users
- Enterprise Server: $47,975/year per 100 users
TestLink
TestLink is a free tool for managing tests on the web or mobile with full integration possibilities. It’s simple to set up and maintain and this is why it’s commonly used by testing teams to make sure software works well. It has helpful features like test automation and a history of testing activities. TestLink integrates well with the majority of the DevOps tools. The weak point of TestLink is its interface. Users often point out that the design could be improved with a more modern look, as the current one appears a bit outdated.
Features:
- Easy-to-use web interface
- Requirement traceability
- Comprehensive test case management
- Manual and automated test execution
- Integrations with requirement management and bug-tracking tools
- Customizable project workflows
Pricing:
- Free
PractiTest
PractiTest provides a structured framework for managing testing operations. Just like TestLink, it’s not a plugin for Jira but offers integration possibilities. Because of its steep learning curve, it may not be suitable for beginners.
PractiTest uses organized fields, filters, and links. The solution seamlessly connects with other tools, including bug-tracking systems, project management tools, and CI/CD pipelines. In addition, PractiTest includes reporting options that help managers identify areas for improvement.
Features:
- Visual test case management with drag-and-drop tools
- Automated test execution with popular testing automation frameworks like Selenium, JMeter, and SoapUI
- Real-time test progress tracking
- Comprehensive reporting
- Customizable workflows
- Integrations with systems, such as Jira, Git, and Jenkins
- Mobile app
- Test plans
Pricing:
- Free 14-day trial
- Team: $47per user/month, $5,640/year for 10 users
- Corporate (10 Testers and above): contact PractiTest
Tricentis
Tricentis Tosca focuses on streamlined, model-driven test automation. It helps users with no coding knowledge build an automated test suite. Tricentis integrates with the most popular Agile and DevOps tools, like for example Jira. It uses advanced ML technologies to enable smarter testing.
The drawback is that tracking tests within Tricentis becomes difficult when an organization also uses numerous frameworks and dependencies. In this case, the tool requires significant manual effort from QA teams and performance issues may appear.
Features:
- AI-powered test management tool
- End-to-end test automation covering web applications, APIs, mobile apps, and custom code.
- Integration with DevOps pipelines and CI/CD tools
- Risk-based testing
- Reusable test cases across different environments and data sets
- Test plans for test runs
- Test execution management
- Test reporting and analysis
Pricing:
- Free 14-day trial
- For pricing information contact Tricentis
QMetry (QTM4J)
QMetry Test Management (QTM4J) provides AI-driven test management tool for Jira. It is available on the Atlassian Marketplace for all hostings. It gives users end-to-end traceability from bugs to Jira stories. QMetry includes an AI-powered search feature that enables testers to access information easily. The app fully supports test automation popular frameworks and CI/CD testing tools. With the tool, you can also reuse your test cases in different projects. Overall, it’s a good Zephyr alternative with positive reviews. The only disadvantages frequently noticed by users involve the pricing and complexity of the tool.
Features:
- Deep traceability between test cases, requirements, and development artifacts
- Test automation support with integrations for popular testing automation frameworks like Selenium, Appium, and UFT
- Real-time test execution monitoring
- Comprehensive reporting
- Integrations with popular tools like Jira, Confluence, Jenkins, and Git
- AI-powered insights into test results, defects, and coverage
Pricing:
- Free 15-day trial
- For more pricing information contact QMetry
Allure Report
Allure Reports supports over 50 testing tools and frameworks. It can be Zephyr alternative when it comes to reporting, but it doesn’t cover all test management features. Allure Report makes it possible for teams of all sizes to provide clear reports of their test results. It supports communication between testers, developers, and other stakeholders during the software development process. The reports inside the app can be customized with metadata like labels or descriptions.
Features:
- Open-source test reporting tool
- Visual and interactive reporting
- Rich customization
- Support for multiple test frameworks
- Flexible data aggregation
- Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) integration
- Scalability
Pricing:
- Community Plan: Free for personal and non-commercial use.
- Enterprise Plan: Contact Allure for pricing information
Qase
Qase is a unified platform for QA testing. It helps keep track of test cases, gathers reports from both manual and automatic tests, and gives you insights based on past data. With Jira integration, users can link their test cases to Jira issues and seamlessly track defects from the test runs.
Qase distinguishes itself from the competition with a modern interface. Nevertheless, users notice the tool isn’t flexible when it comes to customizing tests.
Features:
- Manual and automated testing support
- Real-time test results
- Detailed reporting on test coverage, defect trends, and other key metrics
- Integrations with popular tools like Jira, Confluence, GitHub, and Git
- SaaS and self-hosted options
- Interactive test case editor
- Test case prioritization
- Defect management
Pricing:
- Free 14-day trial
- Free for personal and non-commercial use
- Startup Plan (up to 20 users): $20 user/month billed annually
- Business Plan (up to 100 users): $30 user/month billed annually
- Enterprise: contact Qase for custom pricing
Conclusion: Zephyr alternatives comparison table
Are you still having trouble making your final decision? Check out the table that compares the pros and cons of Zephyr’s alternatives based on G2 reviews.
Test management tool | Pros | Cons |
Requirements and Test Management for Jira | – built-in requirements management – intuitive beginner-friendly interface – real-time collaboration support – transparent reports | – limited automation features |
TestFlo | – scalable and flexible test management – focuses on security and compliance – reusable test cases – supports popular test automation frameworks | – may not be suitable for small teams – only available for Data Center |
XRay | – enables integrated testing – supports popular test automation frameworks – advanced test case management capabilities | – complex interface, some users find it difficult to use |
TestRail | – complete support for test management, from exploratory to automated tests – interactive charts and dedicated QA reports | – limited built-in integrations – UI could be more user-friendly |
TestLink | – free tool – simple to set up and maintain – helpful features like a history of testing – integrates well with the majority of DevOps tools | – outdated interface – lack of support for automation |
Practitest | – seamlessly connects with other tools – includes reporting options that help managers identify areas for improvement | – steep learning curve – not suitable for beginners |
Tricentis | – streamlined, model-driven test automation – helps users with no coding knowledge build an automated test suite – integrates with the most popular Agile and DevOps tools – uses advanced ML technologies | – difficult to track tests when using numerous frameworks and dependencies |
QMetry | – end-to-end traceability – AI-powered search – full support for test automation popular frameworks and CI/CD testing tools | – expensive – complex to use |
Allure Report | – clear and visually appealing reports of test results – customization features to adjust reports | – not as comprehensive as a full test management tool |
Qase | – a unified platform for QA testing – provides reports from both manual and automatic tests – Jira integration – modern interface | – limited customization options |
Evaluating Zephyr alternatives: what to consider?
When evaluating Zephyr alternatives, it’s essential to consider several key factors. They ensure you choose the best test management tool for your needs:
- Features: Assess the tool’s features. Make sure they meet your specific testing requirements. Look for comprehensive test management capabilities. They include test case creation, execution, defect tracking, and reporting.
- Scalability. Make sure the tool can scale to accommodate your team’s size and the complexity of your projects. A scalable tool will grow with your organization and remain effective as your testing needs evolve.
- Customer support. Evaluate the quality of customer support. Responsive and knowledgeable support helps resolve issues quickly. It minimizes disruptions to your testing process.
- Customization options. Look for a tool that offers flexible customization options. This allows you to tailor workflows, reports, and dashboards to your specific needs. It improves your testing efficiency.
- Integration capabilities. Ensure the tool integrates seamlessly with other tools and platforms you use. Robust integration capabilities can streamline your workflows and improve overall productivity.
- Cost. Compare the pricing plans of different tools to ensure they are competitive and fit within your budget. Consider both the initial cost and any ongoing expenses.
- User reviews. Read user reviews to gain insights into the tool’s performance and reliability. Reviews can provide valuable information about the tool’s strengths and weaknesses.
By looking up these factors, you make an informed decision when choosing Zephyr alternatives. You get a test management tool that meets your needs and supports your overall testing workflow
Frequently Asked Questions about Zephyr Alternatives
-
Is Zephyr free with Jira?
No, Zephyr is not free with Jira. It is a separate product that requires a separate license. However, Zephyr offers a free trial so you can try it out before you purchase it.
-
Is Zephyr paid?
Yes, Zephyr is a paid product. The license price depends on the number of users and the features you need. Read more about Zephyr’s pricing plans.
-
Are there any free or open-source alternatives included in the list?
All pricing information is included in the article above. There are free tools like TestLink and Allure Reports. Also, Requirements and Test Management for Jira app is free on Cloud hosting for up to 10 users.
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What do users say about the usability of these tools compared to Zephyr? Are there any reviews available?
-
How scalable are these tools in comparison to Zephyr?
Most of the tools are scalable to support large teams. Some tools (e.g., TestFLO, XRay, PractiTest, QMetry) are specifically designed for complex projects.
-
What kind of customer support and community resources are available for these tools?
All tools offer some form of customer support, ranging from email and phone support to dedicated support teams. Some tools have active community support forums, like Atlassian Community, or dedicated Slack groups.
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If switching from Zephyr, what does the migration process look like?
The migration process varies from tool to tool. Some of them offer automated migration features, while others require manual approach. It is important to carefully plan the migration process and to have a backup of the Zephyr data in case of any issues.
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Are these tools accessible on mobile devices?
TestLink, PractiTest, and Qase offer mobile apps.
Learn more on topic
Katarzyna Kornaga
Katarzyna is a Content Specialist, responsible for writing on the Deviniti blog. She values helpful, unique content where users can find answers to their questions. When not writing, you can find her walking her dog, Loki, flowing through Ashtanga yoga classes, or curled up with a good book at home.
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