Deciding between Test Management Tools is difficult when there are many excellent free tools and paid test management tools are on the market. The three we will be comparing today are Zephyr vs qTest (built by qaSymphony and owned by Tricentis), along with our AccelaTest. Although each test case management tool has excellent options, deciding the right software tool for your QA team and development teams is a matter of cost, your software development process, and the features your team requires.
Summary of Comparison
Before getting into the details of each of the test case management tools, we will analyze the core features of the test management tools and how they will help your software testing efforts.
What is each of the tools going to cost?
qTest/qaSymphony vs Zephyr, they both require a monthly subscription to use the test case management tool. In contrast, the comprehensive test case management features in AccelaTest are, and always will be, completely free.
The pricing for each test case management tool is as follows:
- Zephyr: price starts at $10 per user per month
- qTest: Price not transparent, quote required
- AccelaTest: price starts at $0.00 per user per month
Additionally, both of these solutions do offer a free trial. In the pricing arena, AccelaTest is the clear winner for being the only no-cost offering that supports your entire testing process.
How do the tools rank as a Test Case Management Solution?
Test Case Management tools should allow you to create test suites, test plans and support the software development process. Fortunately, all three contenders deliver on their ability to manage test cases and include the ability to reuse test cases.
The most notable differences between the tools are a lack of Behavior Driven Development support natively for qTest and a lack of exploratory testing in Zephyr and AccelaTest.
As the core features offered by all the tools in this arena are roughly the same, and all teams may not need the different features, we declare a tie.
How do the tools rank on the ability to Manage Test Runs?
The ability to run your test cases and report the results out is of equal importance. Fortunately, once again, all three contenders deliver on this both the ability to manage test runs and report testing results.
The most notable differences between the tools are a lack of Behavior Driven Development support for qTest and the inability to quickly set test results in Zephyr. AccelaTest is still in active development and working towards adding more features, which is documented below.
Once all of the enhancements are complete, AccelaTest will be the clear winner in this category.
How well do the tools handle Defect Management?
Both qTest and Zephyr offer standalone defect management and integrate with other tools for issues. Due to the same functionality offered by all of the solutions, we declare Defect Management a tie.
What are the 39 qTest vs Zephyr Comparison Points?
In this comparison of qTest (formerly qaSymphony), Zephyr, and AccelaTest, we will be comparing these tool’s key features: Requirement Management, Test Cases, Execution of Test Cycles, Bugs or Defects, Integration Capabilities, Certifications, Support, Reporting, and finally finish up with Pricing.
There are pros and cons to every testing tool, so let’s get to it.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Requirement Management |
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| Hierarchical requirements support | ||||||
| Requirement and Defect Linking | ||||||
Test Case Management |
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| Add attachments to test steps | ||||||
| Duplicate tests between projects | ||||||
| Create, view, edit, clone tests within project | ||||||
| Reusable test repositories | ||||||
| Session-based exploratory testing | ||||||
| Gherkin/Cucumber (BDD) support | ||||||
| Summary / Pre-Conditions | ||||||
Test Sets and Execution Management |
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| Test execution and results audit history | ||||||
| Modify tests during test execution | 1 | |||||
| Report defects from test runner | 1 | |||||
| Assign tests to testers | ||||||
| Test Case Parameterization | ||||||
| Ability to Clone, Edit, and Delete Test Runs | ||||||
| Associate test repository to any test execution set | ||||||
| Set test result (pass/fail) status in one click. | ||||||
Bug Management |
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| Standalone issue management module | ||||||
| 3rd party issue tracking integrations | ||||||
| Ability to report issues directly (email, Slack, Teams) | ||||||
Integrations |
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| Integration with Test Automation Tools | ||||||
| Jira Issues | ||||||
| Zapier | ||||||
| API | ||||||
| Slack integration | ||||||
| Webhooks | ||||||
Customization |
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| Filter information hierarchically (examples: Test names, Test tree, Bug details) | ||||||
| Custom workflows | ||||||
| Custom tags or fields | ||||||
| Permission-Based Privileges | ||||||
Reporting |
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| Customizable graphs, dashboards, and metrics | ||||||
| Scheduled report delivery | ||||||
Additional Features |
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| Import & Export all data | ||||||
| Search (ability to add criteria) | ||||||
| Installation on-premises or Cloud | Cloud | Both | Both | |||
| Task Board | ||||||
Security and Certifications |
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| Soc 2 | ||||||
| ISO 27001 | ||||||
Service and Support |
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| Support | ||||||
Pricing |
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| Price |
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Not Transparent Quote Required |
Starting at $10 Start Monthly Subscription |
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Legend:
1: Functionality is on roadmap to be implemented.
2: Email support to activate for your project.
Test Case Management Tool Comparison – FAQ
What is AccelaTest?
Accelatest Test Runner Overview
Test Case Creation in AccelaTest
AccelaTest is different from many popular tools. We have made all core functionality our competitors charge money for entirely free. You read that right. We offer the ability to efficiently manage test plans, test runs, test results, and reporting at no cost.
What is qTest?
qTest was started by qaSymphony and is another comprehensive test case management application built to monitor testing progress and track progress.
Many agile teams use qTest to boost productivity and ensure the highest quality software is delivered. Users have found great success using this solution.
What is Zephyr?
Zephyr is owned by Smartbear and has been built to heavily integrate with Jira. In addition to Jira, Zephyr also integrates through many other third-party plugins available on the market like Bamboo, Jenkins, and many others.
Your QA team could join the many other happy users who have found much success with Zephyr.
qTest vs Zephyr Conclusion
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of qTest vs Zephyr, in addition to our Free Test Management tool. Many tools have similar features and will continue adding new features. This makes the cost of test management tools a significant difference. The test case management features of AccelaTest are forever free. Open your free account now or discover all the features offered here.
Resources:
- Zephyr website: https://smartbear.com/test-management/zephyr-enterprise/features/agile-testing/
- qTest (formerly qaSymphony) website: https://www.tricentis.com/products/unified-test-management-qtest/features/