Building a skilled team and defining clear testing objectives are essential for QA success, but choosing the right test management tool is equally important. While spreadsheets and general document management systems can be limiting, dedicated test case management solutions offer optimized organization and efficiency. In this article, we'll compare popular tools: Zebrunner, TestRail, Zephyr, and Xray.
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Zebrunner
Zebrunner is a modern test case management solution known for its user-friendly interface, great performance, and AI-powered features.
Key strengths:
- Clean & intuitive interface with smooth navigation
- AI-assisted test case creation
- Great performance, even with thousands of test cases in the project
- Expansive integration capabilities, including bidirectional integration with Jira
Key weaknesses:
- Less seamless integration with Jira compared to Jira-native add-ons
Ideal For: Teams any size looking for an easy-to-use solution with AI capabilities
Notable Feature: AI-powered suggestions for missing test cases
TestRail
TestRail is one of the most established players in the test management market, offering a comprehensive set of features.
Key strengths:
- Rich functionality
Key weaknesses:
- Repeated outages
- Poor support
- Not-so-useful reports
- Weak administration capabilities
- Inflated price
Ideal For: Teams with complex test management needs and those requiring extensive customization, which are less price-sensitive
Notable Feature: Structured test plans with reusable test cases
Zephyr
Zephyr is a popular test management tool that provides solutions for both Jira (Zephyr Squad and Zephyr Scale) and as a standalone tool (Zephyr Enterprise) with real-time Jira integration.
Key strengths:
- Native Jira integration
- Powerful real-time reporting and customizable dashboards
Key weaknesses:
- The UX can be cumbersome, especially when handling repetitive tasks
- Search functionality could be improved, with better filtering options.
- Being locked into Jira
Ideal For: Organizations heavily invested in the Atlassian ecosystem
Notable Feature: BDD test case support for Agile workflows
Xray
Xray is a Jira native test management app Jira that supports both manual and automated tests.
Key strengths:
- Fully integrated with Jira, enabling QA teams to manage testing within their existing project environment.
- Reporting features provide detailed insights and a clear testing overview, aiding decision-making
Key weaknesses:
- A sluggish, unresponsive interface
- Steep learning curve, especially for teams new to Jira
- Being locked into Jira
Ideal For: Teams looking for a tightly integrated Jira solution
Notable Feature: Full BDD support with Gherkin syntax
Zebrunner is intuitively easy to set up. It provides a cloud solution, so for test case management capabilities, you just need to create a Zebrunner account. You can then start working with the system without any additional onboarding sessions. As for configuration, this includes user interface settings and user management, file and directory configuration, integration settings, and environment configuration. All these actions are relatively easy to perform in Zebrunner through the Global settings option.
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TestRail is a bit more complicated. This software provides both cloud and server solutions, and for the latter, you will need to install the TestRail application and complete some initial steps before starting your work with the software. Speaking about configuration, some options might be challenging for absolute newbies due to the variety of settings and integrations involved. While user interface settings, user management, and file and directory configuration are fairly easy, integration settings and environment configuration require some specific knowledge and understanding.
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Zephyr (Zephyr Squad and Zephyr Scale) can be installed from Jira Apps. Simply log in to your Jira account as an admin, go to Apps, find Zephyr Squad/Zephyr Scale, and click "Try it free" or "Buy it now" when the "Add to Jira" screen appears. The app will then install. Zephyr Enterprise is an on-demand Test Management Platform, typically available as subscription software and hosted either in the cloud or on-premises at your location (i.e., behind your firewall). No hardware or additional software is needed, and very minimal (if any) IT support is required if the cloud deployment option is chosen. Zephyr configuration is straightforward; simply visit the upper-right corner menu, where you can find the Configuration section.
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Xray installation in Jira is similar to Zephyr installation. For configuration, just follow the Xray documentation. Although versatile, the initial setup requires significant configuration effort, which may deter teams looking for plug-and-play solutions.
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Zebrunner is easy to use. After registration, users can start working with this tool without any onboarding sessions.
TestRail has a modern interface that prioritizes usability. The well-organized menu system helps users quickly access different sections of the tool. It is generally considered user-friendly with a relatively short learning curve for new users.
Zephyr has an easy-to-understand interface with a top-level navigation bar featuring Dashboards, Projects, Issues, Boards, Tests, and other important items. There is no need for a special onboarding session to start working with Zephyr. Its documentation, along with the intuitive interface, simplifies the initial experience.
Navigating Xray can be challenging initially, especially for those new to Jira or quality management software. Its deep integration with Jira requires a solid understanding of both platforms to fully leverage its capabilities.
All these tools are specifically designed for test case management. They make it easy and convenient to create and manage test cases, as well as perform test runs and track results.
Zebrunner offers features such as linking issues directly to test executions, easy import of test cases from third-party systems, cloning test cases, reusing steps, drag-and-drop for reorganizing test suites, and a “quick case” feature for rapid creation of cases and checklists. Additional functionality includes rich text formatting, the ability to create test steps with their own expected results and attachments, defining priorities for cases to indicate risks and importance, and distributing test cases among team members to speed up acceptance. It also tracks automated results alongside manual ones for a comprehensive QA picture.
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TestRail provides a suite of capabilities for QA teams, including test case creation and management, test plan development, and test execution tracking. It supports bug and defect tracking and integrates seamlessly with third-party tools such as Jira. Users benefit from a real-time results dashboard and customizable reporting features, which enhance team collaboration. TestRail facilitates scheduling test runs, comparing historical data and test results, and ensuring requirement traceability.
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Zephyr offers a centralized hub for creating, organizing, and managing your test cases. You can structure your test cases efficiently using folders, hierarchies, or custom arrangements for easy access and management.
Xray provides comprehensive test case management, enabling users to create, edit, and remove test cases while maintaining exceptional organization and traceability.
Zebrunner offers features for test case creation, organization, configuration, execution, and presentation of testing data. This tool facilitates easy and fast migration of tests from third-party tools and provides smooth integration with Jira and other tools used by QA teams. Notable features of Zebrunner include shared steps, restorable test cases, requirement and defect linking, custom test case fields, an executions API, and more.
As one of the leaders in the test case management solutions market, TestRail provides a wide range of features for various testing methodologies, including test case creation, organization, management, execution tracking, notifications, reporting, and more.
Zephyr allows you to track bugs and customize bug workflows, create test cycles for test executions, generate cross-project reports, and view change history. It also offers built-in automation features, including no-code test automation, test step suggestions, and a record-and-playback feature, among others.
Xray provides functionality for bug tracking, requirement management, automated test execution, cross-project reusability, traceability matrices, historical data/change logs, test scheduling, user management/roles, and more.
Zebrunner’s AI autocompletion feature streamlines and accelerates the creation of test cases by automatically populating all empty fields. Its Generative AI further enhances the process by analyzing suite details, identifying gaps, and suggesting new test cases for user review. No special settings are required to use this feature.
TestRail, while lacking native AI capabilities, integrates with TestRigor, enabling automated test run creation. Zephyr also supports AI integration through the AI Test Case Generator, facilitating automatic test case generation. Similarly, Xray integrates with the AI Test Case Generator but does not offer its own built-in AI features.
Zebrunner provides a list of options for customization. Users can change the theme (from light to dark and vice-versa) and customize some settings on the account settings page. Additionally, users can choose which page will be the homepage – Projects, Test Cases, or Automation Launches. Zebrunner dashboards are highly customizable and always up-to-date. It also allows customization of an unlimited number of dashboards. Regarding test case creation, users can alter the test case layout used for a particular project. Users can enable or disable predefined test case fields, provide additional or change default values for them (if applicable), and add custom fields with one of the available data types. The last feature is available for the Professional+ plan.
TestRail allows users to customize test fields, dropdown lists, and numeric fields. It’s also possible to customize layouts, dashboards, reports, and extensions.
Zephyr allows you to customize environments, labels, datasets, and statuses, as well as fields for test cases, cycles, plans, steps, and executions.
Xray allows you to customize fields, screens, statuses, and reports.
As a developer of an automation reporting solution, Zebrunner also provides reporting functionality in its test case management tool. The Test Execution Duration Analysis report offers insights into the test execution results for all test cases and individually for each test case. This report gives you advanced information on test case durations by calculating key metrics such as average, median, and P95 (95th percentile) values. Additionally, it identifies slow-performing test cases that may be suitable candidates for automation. The Test Execution Summary report provides insights into the test execution results for all test cases and individually for each test case. It offers a perspective on automation coverage, identified issues, and presents data aggregated by test suite or priority. This report includes both manual and automated test execution results.
TestRail provides the ability to generate reports that aggregate different types of data to offer deep insights into your testing process.
Zephyr offers detailed reports to track your testing progress, including test results, coverage, and key metrics. Choose from pre-built templates or create custom reports to fit your specific needs. Zephyr also provides cross-project reporting for a broader view of your testing activities.
Xray with customizable reporting features helps QA teams create detailed test reports.
Jira is a versatile tool for managing work processes such as requirements, test cases, and agile development. For test management tools, integration with Jira is essential. While Zephyr (Zephyr Squad and Zephyr Scale) and Xray are add-ons for Jira, Zebrunner and TestRail also offer seamless integrations with Jira.
Zebrunner integrates seamlessly with both Jira Cloud and Jira Server/Data Center, allowing you to connect Jira issues to test case executions, view issue histories linked to test cases, and access Jira issues directly from Zebrunner. This integration streamlines your workflow by consolidating testing and issue tracking in one place.
TestRail works seamlessly with all major Jira versions, including Cloud, Server, and Data Center. You can quickly connect the two tools in just a few minutes. Once integrated, easily link Jira issues to your test cases, create new Jira issues directly from TestRail, and track how well your tests cover requirements.
Suppose, you have found an ideal test case management solution that suits all your needs, is easy to use and provides all necessary features. But QA teams don’t work just with one solution and one type of tool as well; they also do different tasks that require various tools. To be on the same page with all the project team, QA engineers prefer to integrate their tools.
Zebrunner supports integrations with the most popular project management systems, test management systems, collaboration tools, testing platforms and CI solutions.
TestRail integrates with requirements and issue tracking tools, automation solutions, CI/CD and reporting tools.
Zephyr allows you to synchronize test results from various commercial and open-source automation frameworks.
Xray works with popular CI/CD tools and offers add-ons for advanced features like reporting.
Collaborative communication involves the seamless exchange of information and collective discussions within a team to achieve a shared objective. While this might seem like a fundamental aspect of teamwork, most employees report that it is not commonly practiced.
Zebrunner integrates with business communication platforms like Slack and chat-based collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams. Additionally, Zebrunner's test case management features streamline communication and collaboration within QA teams. For instance, the ability to link issues directly to test executions enhances traceability throughout the testing process. Zebrunner also enables testers to link test cases to specific requirements, ensuring that all requirements are tested and any defects or issues are properly recorded and traced back to their source. Another feature that improves team collaboration is public access to test runs. Any project team member (excluding users with guest access) can share a test run with someone who does not have access to Zebrunner. This link can be deactivated at any time and can be password-protected for added security.
TestRail integrates with team collaboration tools, such as Slack. It facilitates collaboration among team members by providing a platform for communication and discussion about test cases, test results, and issues. Comments can be added to individual test cases, enhancing communication and knowledge sharing. TestRail provides email notifications for specific tasks. Stakeholders can track progress using voting and watching features and easily engage team members by using @mentions in comments and descriptions.
Zephyr provides mailing lists for project members, contributors, and the community to communicate, with some lists being public. Bugs and issues should be reported on GitHub rather than through mailing lists, and code reviews should also be conducted on GitHub.
Xray enhances team synergy through real-time collaboration features, ensuring that all stakeholders can contribute to and stay informed about the testing process, fostering a unified approach.
Zebrunner provides three plans for test case management: Free (available for small teams), Professional ($25 per user per month/$255 per user per year), and Enterprise.
TestRail has three plans: Professional Cloud ($37 per user per month/$408 per user per year), Enterprise Cloud (billed annually, $826 per user per year). The third plan, Enterprise Server is billed annually and costs $16 500 per year (1 to 20 users).
Zephyr Squad and Zephyr Scale cost from $10 per month or $100 per year. Xray has the same pricing as Zephyr.
Based on this comparison Zebrunner seems a suitable tool for most users, particularly those looking for ease of use, minimal setup, and comprehensive configuration options. Reasons:
- Ease of setup: Zebrunner requires only creating an account to get started, making it user-friendly and accessible without needing extensive onboarding or installation steps.
- Intuitive configuration: The configuration process in Zebrunner is straightforward and easily accessible through the Global settings option, allowing users to manage various settings without much hassle.
- Convenient AI-powered test management functionality: It streamlines test case creation by automatically filling fields and suggesting new cases without requiring any special setup.
- Customization: Zebrunner offers a wide range of customization options, including themes, dashboards, test case layouts, and fields, catering to different user preferences and project needs.
- User interface: The interface is designed to be intuitive and easy to navigate, reducing the learning curve and facilitating quick adoption by new users.
- Comprehensive features: Zebrunner provides extensive functionalities such as test case creation, organization, execution, and integration with third-party tools, making it a robust solution for test case management.
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