All comparisons

Roundup

The best Xray alternatives for 2026

Nine tools worth evaluating when you leave Xray, ours included, ranked on where tests live, how much of Xray comes across, automation and BDD support, and price.

How we picked

Xray, from Xblend, part of Idera's Sembi portfolio alongside TestRail and Testmo, is the most-installed test management app for Jira Cloud: tests are Jira issues, BDD scenarios sit beside the stories they test, and results import from JUnit, Cucumber, Robot Framework, TestNG and more. Teams look elsewhere for three reasons. Its licence must cover every user on the Jira site, not only the testers, so the bill grows with the company. Atlassian stopped selling Data Center apps to new customers on March 30, 2026, and Data Center reaches end of life on March 28, 2029, so Data Center teams must move anyway. And some want test management outside Jira altogether.

We ranked the nine tools below on four things a team leaving Xray needs, in this order: where tests live, inside Jira or in a standalone tool beside it, and how close the model is to Xray's; a documented way to bring Xray tests across, and how much it carries; support for automated results and BDD; and the price for a team. Teams that stay on Jira will look at the Jira apps first, so they lead, with Zephyr, the closest match to Xray's model, first despite its thinner migration path. The paths differ widely, some moving executions and results and others only manual test cases, and none carries everything, so each entry says what its path moves.

Two ownership facts shape the list. Sembi, which owns Xray, also owns TestRail and Testmo, and SmartBear owns both Zephyr and QMetry, so four of the others come from two companies; each write-up says so.

Zephyr, TestRail and qTest link to a full comparison with Stride; the other picks carry their write-ups here. Stride, our own product, is on the list too, and these criteria rank it last; its entry says why. Every price was checked on the vendor's own site or Atlassian Marketplace listing in November 2026.

Where Stride fits

Stride is our product, and it ranks last in the list below, labelled as ours. It fits the team that is leaving Jira as well as Xray: in Stride, test cases, runs and defects sit in the same graph as the stories they verify, and a case can link to the acceptance criterion it covers. A team staying on Jira should choose from the Jira apps at the top of the list.

For how Stride drafts test cases from acceptance criteria and keeps the link, see AI test generation in Stride.

When to choose Stride

  • You are replacing Jira and Xray together.
  • You want each test case linked to the acceptance criterion it covers, with AI drafting cases from those criteria.
  • Your results come from JUnit XML or from coding agents over MCP.

When Stride isn't the fit

  • You are staying on Jira.
  • You need to carry Xray executions, test sets or feature files across.
  • Your BDD suites depend on importing .feature files.

How Stride differs

CompetitorHow Stride differs
XrayXray keeps tests as Jira issues and needs Jira underneath. Stride replaces the tracker and the test manager together.
ZephyrZephyr is the closest swap inside Jira. Stride is the option for leaving Jira altogether, with tests linked to acceptance criteria.

At a glance

Disclosure: Stride is our product. We rank it by the same criteria as every other tool on this list, and its entry says where it falls short.

The best Xray alternatives for 2026: ranked picks with the best fit for each tool
RankToolBest for
1ZephyrThe closest like-for-like inside Jira, priced within cents of Xray per user, with Rovo skills and an MCP integration in its Standard and Advanced editions.
2QMetry Test Management for JiraFree for small teams and about a third cheaper than Xray per user above that, with AI test generation, flaky-test detection and a migration utility for Xray customers.
3AIO TestsThe cheapest Jira app here, with an Xray migration utility that moves test cases, folders, cycles, plans and execution results.
4TestRailThe standalone default, with migration guides for Xray Cloud and Data Center, AI on every plan and an on-premises option. A Sembi product, like Xray.
5QaseA documented move from Xray Cloud that carries folders, executions with results and attachments, plus a free plan and an MCP server.
6TestmoFlat team pricing with users bundled in, and manual runs beside automated results on every plan. A Sembi product, like Xray and TestRail.
7PractiTestRequirements, tests, runs and issues in one hierarchy, with SmartFox AI and published Team pricing, for teams that want reporting beyond Jira.
8qTestThe enterprise option, SaaS or on-premises, with Copilot and an AI chat and a pairing with Tricentis automation, priced on request.
9Stride(our product)The narrowest fit here: for teams leaving Jira as well as Xray, who want test cases linked to the acceptance criteria and stories they verify.

Quick answers

What are the best Xray alternatives for test management?

Inside Jira, Zephyr is the closest swap, QMetry is free for up to 10 users and about a third cheaper per user beyond that, and AIO Tests costs least and migrates executions. Outside Jira, TestRail is the standard choice and Qase documents a migration tool for Xray Cloud. Testmo and PractiTest suit smaller and reporting-heavy teams, qTest suits enterprises, and Stride, our own product, suits teams leaving Jira too.

How do I migrate test cases out of Xray?

Export first: Xray's Document Generator builds a spreadsheet of tests with their steps from a template, and its REST API exports Cucumber tests as .feature files. Then pick a documented path: AIO Tests' utility moves cases, folders, cycles, plans and results; Qase's tool for Xray Cloud moves folders, executions and attachments; TestRail's guides import manual tests with steps through CSV. Zephyr Cloud has no Xray importer.

The ranking

  1. 1

    Zephyr

    The closest like-for-like inside Jira, priced within cents of Xray per user, with Rovo skills and an MCP integration in its Standard and Advanced editions.

    Zephyr, from SmartBear, keeps test cases, cycles and executions inside Jira as Xray does, with Gherkin support, JUnit XML result imports (Robot Framework results go in as JUnit XML) and documented routes for Cucumber, NUnit, TestNG and pytest. Standard costs $7.42 per user a month for 11 to 100 users, against Xray Standard's $7.28, and both its editions include Zephyr Skills for Rovo, which bulk-generates test cases, and the SmartBear MCP integration. Best fit: Jira teams that want the same model from a different vendor. The trade-off is the move itself: Zephyr Cloud has no Xray importer and takes CSV, so tests come across through an export you build, and only its Data Center docs describe a converter script from Xray.

    Jira app from SmartBear · Standard $10 a month for up to 10 users, then $7.42 per user for 11 to 100 · Advanced $15, then $9.52 · Cloud and Data Center

    Stride vs Zephyr

  2. 2

    QMetry Test Management for Jira

    Free for small teams and about a third cheaper than Xray per user above that, with AI test generation, flaky-test detection and a migration utility for Xray customers.

    QMetry, which SmartBear bought in December 2024 and sells beside Zephyr, is free for up to 10 users and $4.81 per user a month from 11 to 100, about a third below Xray Standard. It adds AI test case generation, flaky test detection, smart search, a Rovo agent and the SmartBear MCP integration, a Gherkin editor whose feature files sync with Bitbucket, GitHub or GitLab, and result imports for Cucumber, TestNG, JUnit, QAF, HP UFT and SpecFlow. SmartBear advertises a migration utility for teams moving from Xray, and a special price for Xray Data Center customers. Best fit: Jira teams cutting the per-user bill. The trade-offs: Robot Framework is not on its result-import list, and SmartBear's page does not say what the Xray utility carries across.

    Jira app from SmartBear · free for up to 10 users, then $4.81 per user a month for 11 to 100 · Cloud and Data Center

  3. 3

    AIO Tests

    The cheapest Jira app here, with an Xray migration utility that moves test cases, folders, cycles, plans and execution results.

    AIO Tests' Standard edition is free for up to 10 users and $2.30 per user a month from 11 to 100, and its Xray migration utility moves test cases, folders, cycles and execution results, with plans added on its support page. Both editions include AI case and step generation, in classic or BDD form, and an MCP server, with 250,000 free AI tokens on Standard and 2,500,000 on Advanced; Gherkin feature files import and export, and results arrive from TestNG, JUnit, Cucumber, NUnit, Robot Framework and Newman. Best fit: cost-conscious Jira teams that want their execution history to survive the move. The trade-off it shares with every Jira app here: the licence covers every user on the Jira site.

    Jira app from Navarambh Software · Standard free for up to 10 users, then $2.30 per user a month for 11 to 100 · Cloud and Data Center

  4. 4

    TestRail

    The standalone default, with migration guides for Xray Cloud and Data Center, AI on every plan and an on-premises option. A Sembi product, like Xray.

    TestRail runs outside Jira with a Jira integration, and it is the standalone test manager most QA teams already know: suites, runs, milestones and reports, Gherkin authoring on every plan, and AI for test case, BDD scenario and script generation and prioritisation, with an MCP server, on every plan. Its guides for Xray Cloud and Xray Server or Data Center move manual tests through a Document Generator export saved as CSV, keeping fields, preconditions and separate steps, but not attachments, test sets, executions or history. Its command-line tool imports JUnit, Robot Framework and Cucumber JSON results. Sembi owns TestRail, Xray and Testmo. Best fit: teams leaving Jira-native testing for a dedicated tool. The trade-offs: no free plan, and a second system beside Jira to keep in step.

    A Sembi product · Essentials $22 (cloud, up to 5 users), Professional $39 and Enterprise $78 per user a month billed annually · 30-day trial

    Stride vs TestRail

  5. 5

    Qase

    A documented move from Xray Cloud that carries folders, executions with results and attachments, plus a free plan and an MCP server.

    Qase documents two routes from Xray: an in-app XML import for test cases, steps and priority, and a separate migration tool for Xray Cloud that adds folders, executions with their results, and attachments; test plans, test sets and preconditions do not migrate. It supports Gherkin steps, its command-line tool reads JUnit, Allure and other formats, and its reporters cover TestNG, JUnit, Cucumber, pytest, Robot Framework and Behave. Teams includes 2,000 AI credits a month and Enterprise 4,000. Best fit: Xray Cloud teams moving to a standalone tool. The trade-off: the migration tool covers Xray Cloud only.

    Free for up to 4 users and 2 projects · Teams $35 per user a month billed annually, $42 monthly, from 5 users · Enterprise on quote

  6. 6

    Testmo

    Flat team pricing with users bundled in, and manual runs beside automated results on every plan. A Sembi product, like Xray and TestRail.

    Testmo prices by plan rather than per Jira user: Team is $59 a month with 5 users, Business $249 with 15 and Enterprise $599 with 25, each with unlimited projects, cases, runs and automation results. Automated runs submit JUnit XML through its command-line tool, and Testmo AI, including test case generation, comes with every plan. Its importers cover TestRail, its API and CSV or Excel, and an AI case-importer skill, in open beta since October 2026, reads exports from other tools, so Xray tests arrive through an export you build. Sembi owns Testmo, Xray and TestRail. Best fit: small QA teams that want a simple, flat bill. The trade-offs: no Xray importer, and it runs in the cloud only.

    A Sembi product · Team $59 a month with 5 users · Business $249 with 15 · Enterprise $599 with 25 · cloud only

  7. 7

    PractiTest

    Requirements, tests, runs and issues in one hierarchy, with SmartFox AI and published Team pricing, for teams that want reporting beyond Jira.

    PractiTest keeps requirements, the test library, test sets and runs, and issues in one hierarchy, and its uploader takes JUnit-style XML results, including TestNG and Robot Framework output. Team is published at $47 per user a month for a 10-licence pack billed yearly, $5,640 a year; Corporate, quoted and billed yearly with a 10-licence minimum, adds an MCP integration and concurrent licensing. The SmartFox AI assistant comes with both plans. Best fit: QA organisations that want management reporting outside Jira. The trade-off: there is no Xray importer, so tests arrive through CSV or XML.

    Team $47 per user a month for a 10-licence pack, billed yearly · Corporate on quote, 10-licence minimum

  8. 8

    qTest

    The enterprise option, SaaS or on-premises, with Copilot and an AI chat and a pairing with Tricentis automation, priced on request.

    qTest, from Tricentis, is built for large and regulated QA organisations, as SaaS or on-premises, with BDD through qTest Scenario, JUnit and Cucumber result parsers, and a pairing with Tricentis Tosca for automation. Its AI includes qTest Copilot and an AI chat that draws on AI credits. Best fit: enterprises that need an on-premises test manager after Atlassian's Data Center end of life. The trade-offs: no published price, and we found no documented Xray importer.

    From Tricentis · priced on request · SaaS or on-premises

    Stride vs qTest

  9. 9

    Stride

    Our product

    The narrowest fit here: for teams leaving Jira as well as Xray, who want test cases linked to the acceptance criteria and stories they verify.

    In Stride, a test case can link to the acceptance criterion it covers, AI drafts cases from those criteria with the link kept, results come from JUnit XML uploads, a coding agent over MCP or the API, and quality gates check pass rate, open critical defects and coverage before a release. Criteria can be written as Given/When/Then, and AI-drafted tests export as a .feature file. It ranks last because these criteria weigh life inside Jira and migration from Xray: Stride replaces Jira rather than living in it, imports no Xray tests or feature files (a JUnit XML upload creates cases from test names, but steps and executions must be rebuilt), and parses result files only as JUnit XML. The trade-off in its favour: tests, stories and defects share one graph and one bill, priced from $12 a seat a month, billed yearly.

    Our product · Starter $15, Pro $39, Enterprise from $69 per seat a month · No free plan · 14-day free trial

    Stride vs Xray

Honourable mentions

  • Azure Test PlansTest management in Azure DevOps, at $52 per user a month for Basic plus Test Plans, with test cases imported and exported by CSV or Excel and results published from JUnit, NUnit, VSTest, xUnit and CTest; the natural home for teams on Azure DevOps.
  • Kiwi TCMSOpen-source test management under GPL-2.0, free to self-host, with a $35-a-month Self Support plan that adds tagged builds and add-ons but no technical support, or a supported private hosted tenant from $150 a month; plugins cover JUnit XML, JUnit 5, Robot Framework and pytest.
  • TestLinkThe long-running open-source test manager, under GPL-2.0; its maintainers say 1.9.20 will be the last of the 1.9 line and 2.x is unfinished, so it suits only teams already on it.

FAQ

Xray vs Zephyr: which is better?
They are close: both are Jira apps that keep tests, cycles and executions in Jira and charge for every Jira user, Xray Standard at $7.28 and Zephyr Standard at $7.42 per user a month for 11 to 100 users. Xray models tests as Jira issue types and is the most-installed test app for Jira Cloud; Zephyr, from SmartBear, includes Rovo skills and the SmartBear MCP integration in Standard and Advanced. Xray belongs to Sembi, Zephyr to SmartBear.
What happens to Xray Data Center when Atlassian ends Data Center?
Atlassian stopped selling Data Center subscriptions and Data Center Marketplace apps to new customers on March 30, 2026; existing customers can buy and expand until March 30, 2028, and on March 28, 2029 Data Center subscriptions and their apps expire and instances become read-only. A team on Xray Data Center has until then to move, to Xray Cloud or to another tool on this list; qTest and TestRail are the picks here with on-premises hosting that does not depend on Jira Data Center; TestRail's needs its Professional or Enterprise plan, 10 or more seats and a 12-month contract.
Does Xray's licence have to cover every Jira user?
Yes. Like every Jira Marketplace app, Xray is priced on the number of users on your Jira site, not only the testers, and each band is charged at its own rate: Xray Standard is $10 a month in total for up to 10 users, then $7.28 per user for 11 to 100. Testmo, TestRail, Qase and PractiTest charge for the seats you buy rather than every Jira user, though Testmo bundles users into plans, Qase Teams starts at 5 users and PractiTest sells licence packs.
Is there a free alternative to Xray?
For small teams in Jira, yes: QMetry and AIO Tests are free for up to 10 users, against Xray's $10 a month. Outside Jira, Qase has a free plan for up to 4 users and 2 projects, with 30 days of test history, and Kiwi TCMS and TestLink are open source to self-host.

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