Reduce your costs by choosing a cheaper Zephyr Squad alternative

6 minutes read

You need a test management app for Jira, and think of investing in Zephyr Squad? Think twice. There are less pricey alternatives that can save you money, and still provide you with the functionality that you require.

In this article we will compare Zephyr Squad with a less-known, but more cost-efficient solution – QAlity Plus.

QAlity Plus is integrated with Jira issue page and supports dark mode

Test writing

Test writing features lay at the foundation of test management apps. They allow you to create and modify your tests, and should be flexible and comfortable to use. QAlity Plus and Zephyr Squad have many test writing features in common. In both apps you can:

The apps also have their own distinct features. In QAlity Plus you can expand and collapse the view of your test steps, while Zephyr Squad allows you to add additional columns to the view, according to your preference. They also approach editing differently. In QAlity Plus there is an inline editing feature available. In Zephyr Squad, on the other hand, you need to enter edit mode to modify your test steps.

<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">Although slightly different, both apps are equipped with all the basic features needed to easily create tests and edit their contents.

In Qality Plus, you can edit test cases in full screen mode
In QAlity Plus you can write test cases directly in the issue page

Test cycles

Once you’ve prepared your tests, the next step is arranging them. Both QAlity Plus and Zephyr Squad are equipped with features for test organization.

They provide you with an option to create groups of tests called Test Cycles. Within a Test Cycle, you can rearrange the order of tests with a drag & drop feature. Furthermore, both applications offer an overview of each Test Cycle, gathering essential information related to test executions and their respective statuses.

However, the distinction between the two applications lies in their approaches. QAlity Plus employs a simpler and more straightforward system for grouping tests, while Zephyr Squad presents a more advanced test organization framework, involving folders. There is also more information displayed on the Zephyr Squad Test Cycle Summary page, which can be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on what your preferences are. Additionally, Zephyr Squad permits you to customize the columns in your Test Cycle Summary.

Nevertheless, if your main requirement is a simple and clear test organization feature, QAlity Plus is undoubtedly adequate for your needs.

In QAlity Plus, you can organize your test cases in cycles

Test execution

Both apps provide a diverse set of test execution features, enabling users to conduct tests, modify their statuses, and oversee the overall execution status.

QAlity Plus and Zephyr Squad have a comparable set of test execution statuses available:

QAlity Plus:

Zephyr Squad:

The main difference between the two apps lies in the overall test execution status. In QAlity Plus, if all tests are passed, overall execution status will automatically be set to Passed as well. In Zephyr Squad, however, the overall execution status does not update automatically, and can only be changed manually.

Adding attachments to your test steps is also available in both apps. Additionally, in Zephyr Squad you can add attachments to the whole test execution as well.

Overally, Zephyr Squad is equipped with more flexible test execution options, such as custom statuses. QAlity Plus, on the other hand, supports more automation when it comes to overall test execution status. Despite these differences, both apps allow the user to effectively execute tests, which is the primal function of every test management app.

In QAlity Plus you can link bugs directly from the execution page

Reporting

Reporting is a crucial feature that enables you to monitor the testing process and its outcomes. As a vital part of every test management app, reports should be acknowledged when selecting a fitting solution for your team.

<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">QAlity Plus and Zephyr Squad offer various reporting options. The most fundamental types of reports – Test Execution Report, Test Coverage Report, and Traceability Report, are all available in both apps.

Test Execution Report

In QAlity Plus this report serves as a simple overview of all test executions for a chosen period of time. In Zephyr Squad you can access Test Metrics (Daily Test Execution Progress by status, Test Executions by Test Cycle, Test Executions by Tester, Number of executions per day, List of executions with their details), or reports for specific projects (Test Execution Chart, Test Execution Burndown Chart, Top Defects Impacting Testing Report).

<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">QAlity Plus allows you to export the Test Execution Report to an .XLSX file. In Zephyr Squad, however, there is no exporting option available for these reports.

Try it yourself. Check Test Execution Report on our demo server

Test Coverage & Traceability Reports

In both apps these two elements are combined into one comprehensive report. In QAlity Plus it is called Traceability Report, while in Zephyr Squad it is Traceability Matrix, with forward and backward reports available. The report can be exported to an .XLSX file (Zephyr Squad only).

Try it yourself. Check Traceability Report on our demo server

QAlity Plus

Functionality

Zephyr Squad

✅​

Free up to 10 users​

Available for the Jira Cloud and the Jira Data Center​

✅​

Possibility to group executions​

✅​

Past executions history accessible from the execution page​

⛔️

Quickly raise and link bugs to the execution with automatically filled reproduction steps​

⛔️

✅​

Requirements and bugs traceability Report​

✅​

✅​

Test Execution Reporting​

✅​

Pay three times less

As you could see in the sections above, when it comes to functionality, QAlity Plus doesn’t stay much behind Zephyr Squad. What sets these two apps apart is their pricing.

Since quality is often associated with a higher investment, options that come at a lower cost are easily overshadowed. Due to a prevailing belief that only expensive solutions hold merit, individuals tend to remain unaware of valuable alternatives well within their grasp. QAlity Plus is a great example of this mechanism.

Here’s a short cloud pricing comparison of QAlity Plus and Zephyr Squad. As you can see, Zephyr Squad is about three times more expensive than QAlity Plus.

QAlity Plus

FREE

USD 150

USD 370

USD 570

USD 1 770

USD 2 770

USD 3 770

Users

Up to 10 (Flat fee)

100

500

1 000

5 000

10 000

20 000

Zephyr Squad

USD 10

USD 511

USD 1 289.50

USD 1 874.50

USD 3 314.50

USD 4 214.50

USD 6 014.50

Pricing for monthly cloud payments based on Vendor’s Marketplace Pricing Pages.

Summary

Undoubtedly, Zephyr Squad offers some advantages in certain aspects when compared to QAlity Plus. However, it’s important to note that not every user will require these supplementary features to ensure a seamless and successful testing experience. In fact, QAlity Plus stands out for its simplicity, which contributes to a more user-friendly interface – a merit in itself.

Nonetheless, the responsibility lies with each individual user to weigh the options and assess whether the extra features provided by Zephyr Squad are necessary for their testing demands, and whether they justify the investment that is triple the cost of QAlity Plus.

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Marta - QA Team

Marta

qa specialist

A fan of a healthy lifestyle with a professional background in physics and management. She loves that her current position allows her to be creative and independent.

Monika - QA Team

Monika

QA TEAM LEAD

She got a PhD in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography but decided to develop professionally in a different field. Her favorite thing about her current job is that it’s challenging, never stagnant, and requires continuous growth. She enjoys the process of creating a digital product from the very beginning – watching it sprout from a single idea to a mature application.

Dominika - QA Team Member

Dominika

qa specialist

An ex-internal auditor with a degree in Finance and Accounting who decided to work for the IT industry. She especially likes the opportunity to perform both logical and creative tasks in her position. Working in the Product department has taught her openness to change. She’s into coffee, running, and playing the violin.

Piotr - QA Team

Michał

CUSTOMER CARE

Working with a cooperative team in a very positive atmosphere where problems and challenges are handled with a team effort – it’s his favorite thing about the Product Department. He spends his free time cycling, reading fantasy books, and chilling with good music.

Ewa - Customer Care

Ewa

CUSTOMER CARE SPECIALIST

Psychology in Business graduate. Her favorite aspect of work is the diversity of businesses looking for our solutions. This makes her customer-related tasks ambitious and never the same. When she’s not helping our clients she’s exploring Japanese cuisine, playing board games, and solving puzzles.

Edyta - Designer

Edyta

product designer

Her initial career plan was to be an auditor but then she learned how to code and switched the industry to IT. There, she’d fallen in love with design. This love (and a year of learning) have led her to her current position. The creative and problem-solving aspects of it are her favorites. After work, she enjoys Scandinavian crime novels, discovering new food, board games, and chess.

Michał - Customer Care

Michał

CUSTOMER CARE SPECIALIST

Working with a cooperative team in a very positive atmosphere where problems and challenges are handled with a team effort – it’s his favorite thing about the Product Department. He spends his free time cycling, reading fantasy books, and chilling with good music.

Nikola - Software Developer

Nikola

Dev Team Lead

Biomedical Engineering graduate, currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Management. She finds great satisfaction in creating products that are used by people all over the world and being able to do it together with a diverse team. In her free time, she indulges herself in crime fiction and horror novels.

Wojtek - Software Developer

Wojtek

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

IT was the path he chose to take at university and after graduation. He likes how the product department works towards a common goal – discussing issues and looking for solutions together. Outside of work, he enjoys playing board games.

Krystian - CEO

Krystian

CEO

As a co-founder and CEO of our company for 14 years, he has learned that with the right tools and a team of engaged, motivated individuals, you can achieve excellent results. One of the things Krystian enjoys most about his position is the opportunity to collaborate to work with brilliant people and continue learning every day.

Julia - Software Developer

Julia

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

A student at the Military University of Technology and a fan of video games and outdoor activities. At work, she appreciates how helpful and supportive her team is. Working in the Product department has helped her hone her communication skills.

Daniel - Software Developer

Daniel

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Computer science graduate. Working in the Product Department has been for him a chance for constant personal development while learning how to see the bigger picture of client-oriented software development. He’s a fan of photography and sports.

Kamil - Software Developer

Kamil

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Working in the product department has allowed him to improve his programming skills and learn coding best practices. His free time is devoted to reading, swimming, gaming with friends, or assembling and painting small soldiers such as Warhammer 40k.

Jakub - CTO

Jakub

cto

He’s been with the company from the very beginning, as he co-founded it 14 years ago. Jakub is passionate about solving real business problems and delivering effective solutions, which is one of his favorite aspects of being the CTO. He’s always eager to hear clients’ perspectives, recognizing the priceless value of their feedback. 

Paulina - Software Developer

Paulina

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

As an International Business graduate, she spent some time working in non-IT-related industries. But, she decided to study Computer Science and transition into the IT industry. Developing useful apps brings her a large dose of daily satisfaction. She loves that she now works in a peaceful and frustration-free environment, with no frequent and sudden changes.

Piotr - QA Team

Piotr

senior software developer

SolDevelo’s employee since 2010. All those years have given him many opportunities to solve different non-trivial problems and it’s one of his favorite things about his position. After work, he likes watching movies, cooking, and playing board games.

Michał - Software Developer

Michał

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Working with a cooperative team in a very positive atmosphere where problems and challenges are handled with a team effort – it’s his favorite thing about the Product Department. He spends his free time cycling, reading fantasy books, and chilling with good music.

Sebastian - Head of Department

Sebastian

HEAD OF PRODUCTS

Computer Science graduate who has worked in SolDevelo since 2013. What excites him is the opportunity to work with multiple teams and align them to reach common goals. He enjoys music, trips, and board & digital gaming.

Dominika - QA Team Member

qa team

Dominika

An ex-internal auditor with a degree in Finance and Accounting who decided to work for the IT industry. She especially likes the opportunity to perform both logical and creative tasks in her position. Working in the Product department has taught her openness to change. She’s into coffee, running, and playing the violin.