Every day, quality assurance engineers are faced with a multitude of tasks that demand their time and attention. However, test case management software has alleviated some of the burdens associated with these routine activities. By automating and streamlining certain processes, QA engineers can now dedicate more of their work time to solving complex and non-standard challenges.
Nevertheless, what happens when a team is constrained by budget limitations and cannot afford a commercial test case management system? In this article, we have compiled a list of 11 free test case management tools. All of them are free, offer good functionality, and can significantly enhance the QA process, especially in cases where budget constraints are a concern.
Before we delve into the world of free test management tools, let's first understand the various tasks that make up a testers’ daily routine.
Processing of requirements. QA engineers need to review and analyze project requirements to understand the scope of testing. In addition, testers should work in cooperation with stakeholders to clarify any ambiguities or inconsistencies in the requirements.
Work with test documentation. The next type of routine activity means creating and maintaining test plans, test scenarios, and test scripts as well as updating test documentation based on changes in requirements or test coverage.
Managing test cases, suites, etc. QA engineers organize and structure test cases into logical test suites for efficient test execution. They also ensure test cases are up-to-date, accurate, and aligned with the project requirements.
Traceability establishing. Testers establish traceability links between test cases, requirements, and other project artifacts. In addition, they ensure that test coverage adequately addresses the specified requirements.
Test execution. This is one of the key testers’ work responsibilities. They execute test cases and document the results. Moreover, they identify and report any defects or issues encountered during the testing process.
Test metrics gathering. QA engineers collect relevant test metrics, such as test coverage, pass/fail rates, and defect densities. Next, they analyze test metrics to identify trends, areas for improvement, and overall test progress.
Test reporting. Testers create test reports to provide stakeholders with a comprehensive overview of the testing activities and results.
Bug tracking. Testers’ routine obligatory includes logging and tracking defects using a bug-tracking system. In addition, they provide detailed information about the discovered issues, including steps to reproduce, expected behavior, and severity.
Team communication. This is a very important part of the tester’s daily routine. They take part in meetings, and stand-ups, and collaborate with team members, developers, and other stakeholders to discuss testing progress and resolve any issues.
The workload of testers is substantial, encompassing a multitude of tasks throughout the day. However, it is indeed possible to effectively manage these tasks, especially with the assistance of robust test case management tools. Now, let's explore how a test case management system can simplify the testers' daily routine.
Firstly, a test management system makes it easy to create, edit, and manage test cases. It ensures greater traceability and visibility throughout the testing process, as all relevant information is centralized within the system.
Secondly, test management software generates reports, simplifying collaboration with project stakeholders. This not only saves time for the QA team but also enhances the potential for delivering a high-quality product.
Thirdly, test case management software prioritizes user-friendliness, enabling the QA team to quickly adapt to the new tool without extensive training. It also supports data import from spreadsheets and integrates with other third-party systems, ensuring seamless data migration.
Next, customizability is another key aspect of a quality test management system, allowing teams to tailor the test case layout to their specific preferences.
As we can see, by investing in a comprehensive test case management solution, organizations can streamline their testing processes, enhance collaboration, and ultimately achieve higher levels of quality in their product releases.
In scenarios where budget constraints limit the acquisition of commercial test case management software, there are alternative solutions available to address certain challenges faced by QA teams.
A free online test case writing tool, as well as the free versions of commercial software, may offer a more limited range of functionalities. However, we have conducted extensive research on this matter and compiled a list of the top 8 free test case management tools. Each solution on the list has been evaluated, considering its strengths and weaknesses, which we will outline for you below.
In selecting our top choices, we have thoroughly evaluated specific criteria, including the functionality provided by the free version, overall functionality, integrations, and other important factors that need to be considered.
Zebrunner stands out as our top choice in free test case management solutions. It encompasses the necessary functionality to streamline testers’ daily routines effectively. Zebrunner Test Case Management is available free of charge for small teams with up to 5 users, offering a range of essential features.
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The free version includes 1 project, 5 GB of file storage, capabilities for managing test cases and suites, executing test runs and milestones, shared steps, test case configuration, and access to online user guides.
Zebrunner simplifies the creation, editing, and management of test cases. Notably, it offers a convenient feature for cloning cases, enabling quick coverage expansion. The solution facilitates the direct linking of issues to test executions, ensuring comprehensive traceability and enhanced visibility throughout the testing process.
With Zebrunner Test Case Management, you don’t need to spend hours exploring the tool and onboarding. The UI is intuitive, allowing you to start working with the software without any prior preparation.
The free version includes the option for CSV data import.
Regarding administration, the free version of TCM offers user groups, role-based access control, automatic data backups, and data encryption.
The free version of Zebrunner Test Management offers features typically found in paid subscriptions of well-known test management tools. Below is a comparison of Zebrunner with TestRail, Zephyr, and Xray.
Qase is a robust and user-friendly test case management tool that offers a range of powerful features for effective test case management.
The free version of this software is designed for individual quality assurance engineers and small companies. It offers a range of complimentary features, including support for up to 3 users in a team, 2 concurrent test runs, 500 Mb of storage for attachments, defect management capabilities, shared steps functionality, API access, and community support. With Qase, you can create and organize test cases within test suites, execute test runs, and generate comprehensive test reports. This is one of the best manual free test case management tools.
Qase integrates with popular project management and collaboration tools such as Jira, Asana, Redmine, YouTrack, Slack, Monday.com, and more.
Testomat test case management provides functionality for test case creation and management.
The free version is ideal for solo projects and offers a range of features, including support for 2 users or 2 projects, 2 Mb attachments, manual and automated test support, real-time reports and metrics, multi-environment runs, a BDD/Gherkin editor, Agile test management capabilities, task assignment, email notifications, and integration with CI/CD pipelines.
In general, Testomat offers comprehensive functionality for planning testing activities, executing test plans, and organizing projects, allowing for efficient management of both manual and automated test cases within a unified platform. This software also ensures that testing activities are transparent and accessible to all team members. This fosters effective communication and collaboration, enabling teams to stay informed and make well-informed decisions throughout the testing process.
Testomat integrates with tools like Jira, GitLab, GitHub, Confluence, Jenkins, and more, enabling smooth collaboration and synchronization with existing workflows and systems.
QA Touch is a user-friendly test case management tool that offers in-built bug tracking, comprehensive reports, agile boards, and seamless dashboards.
The free version is available for QA teams with basic test management needs and includes support for 2 users. With features such as an audit log, in-built bug tracking, a seamless dashboard, and an inbuilt mind map, QA Touch provides a comprehensive set of tools for streamlined test management.
QA Touch integrates with major testing, development, and team collaboration apps like Cypress, Monday.com, Jenkins, Webdriver, TestCafe, Lighthouse, Bugzilla, YouTrack, Redline, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Assembla, Slack, Jira, Trello.
QACoverage is a comprehensive test case management tool that streamlines testing processes, ensuring efficient management and delivery of high-quality, bug-free products.
The free basic plan offers support for up to 3 users and 3 projects, along with 100 Mb of file storage. It includes essential modules such as requirements management, test case management, test execution management, a ticket repository, an Agile board, sub-tasks, import/export capabilities with Ms Excel, export to Ms Word, dashboards and metrics, and project settings.
QACoverage offers a range of features including project and test case management, customizable user and project roles, and real-time tracking of testing progress.
The solution integrates with Katalon, Cypress, Jira, Jenkins, and other tools.
TestCollab is a robust test management tool designed to facilitate effective testing and prevent functional and compliance failures.
The free version for individual QA engineers or small teams includes 200 test cases, 300 test runs, 1 GB of file storage, unlimited projects and test plans, Jira Integration, To-do list, time tracking, import test cases, and 7 days Activity Log.
This solution offers a centralized test repository, collaborative test plan and checklist creation capabilities, and customization options to accommodate specific QA workflows.
TestCollab integrates with Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Pivotal Tracker, Azure Devops, and Cypress.
TestFirst is a cloud-based test management tool designed to enhance the quality and productivity of the testing process. It offers features such as streamlined test case creation, efficient test execution, and easy test maintenance.
TestFirst provides free unlimited users, free unlimited features, and free unlimited storage. With TestFirst, users can quickly create, execute, and maintain test cases, enabling efficient testing operations.
TestFirst integrates with Jira.
Testiny is a comprehensive test case and test run management tool that supports both manual and automated testing.
The free version includes support for 3 users and also provides a 14-day trial of the Advanced plan without the requirement of a credit card. The free version offers 500 MB of storage/1 Mb per file, 1 500 test cases/test runs/executions, 30-day history, manual reports, and Jira integrations.
Testiny provides a range of functionalities, including test case creation and editing, assigning test case owners, managing test plans, running tests, and collecting and analyzing test results. It also offers customization options and facilitates team collaboration.
Testiny integrates with Jira.
TestLink is an open-source, web-based test management system.
It supports the management of test cases, suites, plans, projects, and users, along with offering various reports and statistics.
Key features of TestLink include user roles and management, the grouping of test cases within test specifications, versioning and revisioning of test plans and requirements, support for testing multiple software builds, and a variety of reports, charts, and monitors. The platform also allows for UI customization using Smarty templates.
TestLink integrates with tools like Jira, Mantis, Bugzilla, FogBugz, Redmine, and other software via its API.
Tuskr is a test management software designed for simplicity and efficiency.
The free version supports teams of up to 5 users. Its feature set includes tools for writing test cases, such as a rich-text editor with technical formatting, HTML tables for organizing test data, image insertion from the clipboard or files, support for multiple steps and expected results per test case, custom fields, spreadsheet imports, and bulk test case editing. Additionally, Tuskr offers features for creating test runs and monitoring progress.
Tuskr integrates with tools like Pytest, Cypress, Playwright, Jenkins, and more.
LambdaTest Test Management is a new AI-powered, unified tool that streamlines test authoring, management, execution, and reporting.
This tool is free. It allows for the management, creation, execution, and tracking of both automated and manual tests. LambdaTest Test Management offers dashboards with real-time metrics and statuses. Intuitive hotkeys simplify the creation and management of detailed test cases.
The software integrates with Zephyr, TestRail, Xray, and Qtest for seamless platform migration. Additionally, it provides two-way integration with Jira.
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