Qase vs TestRail – How test management helps achieve faster results

Test management helps manage multiple processes involved in testing and create a single collective system. Test management tools can overlook each process and connect every single test case to every other module for better analysis and scrutiny once execution is completed. They are used by developers, testers, and often by stakeholders to get a gist of how everything is functioning at all levels. Today, its market stands at $1.1 billion and is set to reach $3.92 billion by 2032 (a 16% CAGR).

To achieve all the benefits of test management, a tester needs to select a tool that suits their requirement and matches their needs. When such a situation arises, Qase vs.Testrail is a popular comparison that testers look to. However, a thoughtful and intelligent decision can only be made if the tester is aware of these tools and can compare them with respect to the current project requirements. This post aims to establish that knowledge base and uncover the benefits and demerits of using these tools.

What is Qase?

Qase is a test management software that provides an easy-to-use interface for test execution, reporting, and analysis. Branding itself as an “All-in-one” tool, Qase is available for both manual and automation testing with a gist of artificial intelligence that enhances the testing quality as well as the application quality.

Qase screenshot showcasing its modules

For testers who wish to adopt this tool, they get many benefits along with it:

• Excellent UI: Qase provides excellent UI which is smooth and attractive. It helps engage the testers which in turn increases their productivity.

• Extremely fast: Qase claims to execute the tests 60 times faster than other tools.

• Support for automation: The platform supports both manual and automation testing. It helps centralize all types of tests into one single domain.

Screenshot of the manual testing panel on Qase

• AI-enabled: Manual tests can be converted to automated tests through artificial intelligence embedded in the tool.

• Informed analysis: Qase provides deep analytical reports after test execution with charts and graphs to help understand the results quicker. The tester can analyze the report to make further decisions.

Report analysis of test execution using Qase

• Role-based restrictions: Qase can force restrictions on certain users for performing certain actions or viewing data that may not concern them. It is a great way to collaborate without worrying about leakage or access-related issues.

Qase also ensures that their systems are always up (claiming 99.99% uptime), secure and respect the data privacy of their clients. It provides a reliable and secure environment to the testers to execute tests efficiently and in a short time.

What is TestRail?

TestRail is an extremely popular test management software that provides a centralized system with smooth scalability. TestRail aims to collaborate with different departments of the organization often working as a bridge between development, QA, and DevOps. It is a great tool for people looking to increase their test coverage, and test visibility, and perform deep analysis without compromising security.

A sample screen showcasing different modules of Testrail

TestRail comes with the following key features:

• Single screen centralization: TestRail tries to bring every detail on a single screen to provide a better view of all the metrics. This includes data from manual testing, automated testing, exploratory testing, and many more.

• Reusable and custom test cases: Reusable test cases help testers eliminate duplicate work and share the same case across different domains. It also helps in maintenance as changes in test cases will be required only in a single place. These test cases can be customized with unique test fields according to the needs.

• Planning and organizing: TestRail helps in the careful planning of the test case execution from assigning them to investigating the progress and defining the complete process as one streamlined step. Such organization of test cases helps keep a check on progress and ensures the understanding of the system is clear.

• Comprehensive reporting: TestRail provides comprehensive reporting of all the test execution (such as automation and manual) and other involved processes in detailed and attractive reports. The reports can be real-time, on-demand, or scheduled at regular intervals so that data metrics are shared frequently.

A report sample from Testrail

• Integration: TestRail comes with a wide variety of integrations that include GitLab, Jenkins, Selenium, Pytest, and Bugzilla.

TestRail comes with many other important features such as designing a personalized to-do list to keep track of the tasks, defining milestones with a due date to keep timelines in check, and multi-factor authentication to allow only authorized individuals to access the platform’s modules. Adopting all these features in our test cycles, as claimed by TestRail, can increase our efficiency and productivity by 89%.

Qase vs TestRail – A direct comparison

The earlier sections of this post provide a deeper view of Qase and TestRail but as individual test management software. They introduce us to their world without comparing them with other platforms. However, when a tester has to select a test management tool for their test cycles, they cannot view these tools as individual powerhouses. They must be compared with each other to not only expose the weaknesses but also make sure that the selection they are making is the most suitable for their project, requirements, and most importantly, the team.

When it comes to the comparison of Qase vs. TestRail, we can weigh them on the following parameters:

Parameter	Qase	TestRail
Uptime	99.99% uptime with quick query support.	TestRail faces downtime frequently.
Suitable for	Small and medium-sized businesses.	Medium to large-sized businesses including enterprises.
Strength	Feasible, easy to use, and excellent integration support.	Creating a streamlined flow of complete process by bringing as many things as possible under a single roof.
Market share	0.54%	51.36%
User interface	Better user interface than TestRail	TestRail’s user interface is not intuitive but has a classic feel to it.
Ease of learning	Qase is easier to learn as the features are limited and the UI is intuitive.	Too many features cluttered in a few panels make TestRail a comparatively difficult software to learn.
Pricing	A free trial is available and paid plans start from $20.	No free trial is available. The base plan starts from $37.
User experience	A better user experience when it comes to operating the application and performing multiple actions on it.	TestRail often faces complains regarding multiple bugs on the online forums. This hinders the user experience.
Feature comparison	Qase has fewer features than TestRail.	TestRail comes with a long list of features that are optimized for scalability.
Integrations	12 integrations but all essential ones.	35 integrations but still lack a few essential ones. This includes Slack which is often used as a medium of communication in an organization before, during, and after test runs.
Customers	Rakuten, Wolt, SUSE	Adobe, Sony, Paypal
Preferred by	Beginners, new in the industry or testing domain.	Experts and professionals who have experience working in testing and know test management very well.

This comparison of Qase vs. TestRail completes the window of analyzing these tools inside out. It helps us analyze whether we should opt for TestRail or Qase based on the current requirements. 

When we move beyond “what they provide” to “how have they adopted”, we find that TestRail which was launched 14 years ago and was sold to IDERA has been slow in adopting the current standards. A big example of this is the lack of integration with Slack which is standard in the industry today and not inducting artificial intelligence which has an adoption rate of over 60%. 

Qase on the other hand is newer but lacks the scalability and infrastructure required for enterprise-level testing. In such situations where we need scalable solutions that move ahead with the market and come with AI, we look beyond Qase and TestRail towards Testsigma TMS.

What is Testsigma TMS? – An alternative to Qase and TestRail

Testsigma TMS is abbreviated for “Testsigma Test Management System, ” a test management tool offered by the cloud-based test automation platform Testsigma. Testsigma TMS comes with an easy-to-use interface and features limited to what is currently required by the entire industry rather than trying to cover each requirement and cluttering the software. Testsigma TMS is cloud-based, eliminates overheads, and does not consume the system’s essential resources. 

Apart from being a light-weight and fast tool, it provides many other features:

• Extremely simplified: Having simplified and de-cluttered software is a concern for many teams and Testsigma TMS fits well into this category. It helps new team members learn the tool easily and perform quick maintenance of test cases.

• Template-based test case creation: Testsigma TMS provides a TCDT (Test Case Documentation Template) for test case creation. It is a pre-defined template with options such as “Preconditions”, “Steps”, and “Expected Result”. The tester can fill in these options and start testing right away.

• Step-based test creation: In step-based test creation, the tester can create the tests by writing the steps and the expected results for each of them. These can be matched and labeled “Passed” or “Failed” depending on whether they match the expected result.

• Eliminate duplicate test efforts: Testsigma’s TMS provides a step-group feature where the tester can create a collection of steps and save them as a group. Now, when they are creating test cases, they can pick step groups to include all the steps directly without any duplicate efforts. It also helps when any change is required in any step. When we are using a step group, the changes have to be done in a single place only.

• In-built defect upload: In case of failure for any test case, the tester can create a defect out of that test case and upload it to JIRA as an issue directly from within the test management panel.

• Organized test runs: Test cases in Testsigma TMS can be combined to create a test run. It helps bring together logically similar test cases. Multiple test runs can then be combined to create a test plan which is often related to a future target such as a release coming up. It helps analyze and monitor multiple test cases associated with a test plan at a single place.

Testsigma TMS is also equipped with artificial intelligence and since it is a part of the test automation module offered by Testsigma, the testers get benefit from both ends by adopting this tool. Moreover, Testsigma TMS is also highly scalable, and quick to adapt to changes that happen in the testing world. It tries to bring most of the things in a single screen helping increase the viewing angle and facilitating quick decisions for further tasks.

Qase vs TestRail vs Testsigma TMS – Which one should you choose?

Whenever the question of test management software comes, Qase vs TestRail is often the first comparison we talk about. But when we dig deep into their characteristics, we find a few anomalies that can change our decision and opt for alternatives.

Qase is a light-weight tool, launched in 2018, and comes with an intuitive user interface and great user experience. It is smooth and is one of the easiest tools to run automation tests. However, Qase suffers from not being too scalable. It means that when the application starts to grow (which eventually it will), Qase will not be able to cope with its growth rate and start to break. Such events force the organization to change tools which in itself is a very time-consuming process and no team would want to walk down that lane.

TestRail on the other hand is an extremely scalable tool and fits well with enterprise-level applications or medium-scaled businesses. However, TestRail is complex, not as easy to learn, and is a huge expense in the pockets of the testers. TestRail has also been constantly blamed for having too many bugs, especially in recent times. This hinders the performance of the team and will trouble the team in big projects where many modules of software are used. 

Testsigma TMS, a tool offered by Testsigma for test case management, is a rather simplistic tool that might not provide a high-end user interface as Qase but gets the work done. It is highly scalable and comes with all the necessary features required for test case management. Testsigma TMS is also extremely easy to learn as it has simpler modules and an organized screen panel where elements are logically separated. Unlike TestRail, it does not consume too many resources and is an excellent tool to collaborate as well.

While the choice of a test case management tool depends upon your specific project requirements and preferences, Testsigma TMS seems to have an upper edge in the Qase vs TestRail vs Testsigma TMS comparison. If not for the complete project, it is advisable to give it a try through its free tier. 

Conclusion

Test management in an organization is as important as test case creation. It helps streamline the process and monitor all the activities at the lowest possible level for better optimization and figuring out the anomalies at the micro level. However, this is not possible without a tool that has been built specifically for this purpose and this is where the discussion of Qase vs TestRail comes into the picture.

Qase and TestRail are both established test management tools that have proven their worth in the market over the years. They come with their own set of strengths that help accomplish a lot of the tasks quicker. However, they are not perfect and lack in a few areas that might become a deal breaker for the team or the organization. This post aims to explore all these points without bias to distinguish these two tools and help testers choose the best one for them based on their project, the team’s requirement, the project requirement, and of course, the budget.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is a test management tool?

A test management tool manages all the processes that relate to the testing cycle. It includes assigning tasks and goals for each task to the tester, monitoring all the activities at a granular level, and planning every testing activity effectively.

What is Qase used for?

Qase is a test management tool used for managing testing processes that includes assigning tasks to team members, executing automation and manual tests, collecting results, and generating reports of each type of tests as a collaborated document.