Testpad vs TestRail – Which is Better?

There are many test management tools in the market. Testpad, TestRail, and Testsigma TMS are some of the popular ones. Let’s compare Testpad vs TestRail in detail.

Testpad vs TestRail – Overview

What is Testpad?

Testpad is a lightweight checklist-style test management tool. It is more suitable for the teams that prefers more flexibility with test management and exploratory testing. 

Testpad claims it is designed for simplicity. Testpad is good for ad-hoc, exploratory and manual testing. 

Unlike traditional test management tools, Testpad provides unstructured testing by allowing mindmap-style test case management. It comes with a rich visual-based keyboard-driven editor. It can also be integrated with many tools including Trello, Jira, etc.

What is TestRail?

TestRail is a test management tool that aims to build, connect, and optimize all of your testing needs in one place. It is an end-to-end testing activity management platform that supports test case creation, execution, maintenance, reporting, and dashboard. Its features allow you to streamline the testing activity by encouraging collaboration. 

Unlike Testpad, TestRail provides a more structured approach that can be used by even large-size projects. TestRail can be integrated with the most popular automation tools, CI/CD tools, and defect-tracking tools. It supports integration by providing API, CLI, and Webhooks. Additionally, it offers a centralized reporting system which can help in analyzing reports from multiple sources in the DevOps ecosystem and aids in making strategic decisions.

What is Testsigma TMS?

Testsigma has recently announced Test Management features in the Testsigma platform. It is also called Testsigma Test Management System(TMS). 

Testsigma is popular for no-code automation, it has quickly become popular in the advanced codeless automation space. With Testsigma TMS, customers can use test management features with codeless test automation. Users can design, create, and execute test cases with a rich and simple interface.

Testsigma TMS also provides many advanced features such as AI-based test case generation, test step grouping, and integration with bug tracking tools. Additionally, it focuses on reusability to reduce the effort of testers and ease of maintenance.

Testsigma TMS vs Testpad vs TestRail – Table Comparison

Given quick comparison for Testpad vs TestRail.

Features	Testsigma TMS	Testpad	TestRail
Purpose	Testsigma TMS is a modern test management tool to streamline end-to-end testing activities with ease.	Testpad is a checkstyle-based test management platform that provides a simple interface. Good for ad-hoc and exploratory testing.	Testrail is a test management platform that aims to support all testing activities in one place by supporting integration with automation tools.
Usability	Rich and intuitive UI. Easy to use	Simple UI good for smaller projects	UI requires improvement not as good as competitors
Pricing	Flexible budget-friendly pricing plan	Offers different pricing plans starting with $49	Supports Professional Cloud, Enterprise Cloud, and Enterprise server plans and may not be budget-friendly
Core Test management features	Supports all core-testing features with many customizations	Doesn’t support traditional test management features	Supports all core-testing feature
Reporting and Dashboard	Provides rich dashboards and reports with graphs and visualizations	Provides basic reporting	Provides good reports and dashboards
Integration capabilities	Supports integration with many tools including Jira	Supports integration with limited tools	Supports integration with many tools including Jira, Selenium, Jenkins, etc.
Customization	Yes, supports	Limited support	Limited support
Test step grouping and re-usability	Yes, supported	NA	Yes, supported
Support for in-sprint testing	Yes, it can also be used for in-sprint testing	Yes, it can be used for in-sprint testing with some limitation	Yes, it can be used for in-sprint testing with some limitation
AI capabilities	Yes, supports AI-based features for test case creation	No	No
Customer Support	Provides technical support irrespective of your subscription plans	Supported	Supported

Pros and Cons mentioned for these tools will help you decide further:

Testpad vs TestRail – Pros and Cons

Pros and Cons of Testpad

Testpad is a simple tool for unstructured test management, it is easy to use. It has changed the mindset of test management by providing the platform with unique features, unlike the traditional way of testing. Let’s understand the pros and cons of Testpad.

Pros of Testpad

• Simple checklist-based interface
• Easy and Flexible test case creation
• Keyboard-driven interface helps in increasing the productivity
• Supports exploratory testing and ad hoc testing
• Provides reports and dashboards instantly
• Lower cost and minimal setup required to use
• Encourages collaboration between cross-teams
• Guest testing features allows testers to help with testruns without login to the Testpad platform.
• Supports tags and filtering test cases
• Mobile friendly interface
• Supports integration with Jira, Pivotal, and GitHub tools
• Cloud-based tool backed by Amazon AWS
• Supports template for common scripts
• Provides drag and drop capability for a smoother user experience
• Supports uploading screenshot images and other files

Cons of Testpad

• Testpad does not support structured testing, it follows checklist-style test case creation.
• Does not support automation tool integration
• Minimal support for third-party tools
• Lacks advanced reporting mechanism
• No advanced features like AI-based test case creation
• May not scale well for enterprise-level projects
• Testers who are familiar with other test management tools may easily get confused with Testpad’s way of testing.
• Doesn’t provide API for custom integrations
• Does not provide role-based access control
• Difficult to create complex scenarios

Pros and Cons of TestRail

TestRail is a popular test management tool, it is a tool for manual testing that allows integration of automation testing tools. It provides a structured interface with reporting and dashboard capabilities. It encourages collaboration by allowing role-based access to team members. 

Below are the pros and cons of TestRail.

Pros of TestRail

• Provides comprehensive test management for all testing activities
• Provides good reporting and analytics
• Supports reusable test cases with shared steps, custom fields, and templates
• One can quickly add test cases by importing test cases from CSV files from other tools.
• Provides test case versioning and coverage reports
• The test case review process can be streamlined with the approvals feature
• It helps to build the most effective test plans with milestones, todo lists, estimation, and forecasting
• It allows test case creation with Test Parameterization
• It can be integrated with popular CI/CD pipeline tools
• It supports integration with most used automation tools like Selenium
• TestRail also supports custom integration with API, CLI, and Webhooks
• Test reports are stored centrally by fetching from different sources, which enables transparency and aids in decision-making.
• It provides comprehensive reports with logging, traceability reports, etc.
• Efficient workflows, push defects, rerun tests, freeze results, live dashboards, shareable reports, and customizable charts are some of the additional features that TestRail provides.

Cons of TestRail

• TestRail can be expensive for smaller organizations or small teams
• It has a steep learning curve, interface may not be user-friendly
• Limited support for automation testing  tools integrations
• Many users opined that the recent version is buggy and lags very frequently
• Does not support inbuilt defect tracking
• No support for automation executions out of the box
• Limited support for exploratory testing
• Test data management can be challenging
• Limited customization compared to other competitor’s tools
• Limited support for third-party tools integration
• Lacks advanced capabilities like AI/ML features
• Does not support the required input module

Key features of the Testsigma TMS

Below are notable features of Testsigma TMS.

• Supports end-to-end use cases of test management activities throughout the testing life cycle
• Core testing tasks such as test creation, test execution, test plan, and reporting can be carried out effortlessly.
• It is a self-explanatory tool that requires minimal learning
• It has a budget-friendly pricing structure and can fit into any type of organization such as small-scale, large-scale, and medium-scale companies
• Supports AI-driven test case creation using text or image
• Allows tagging, status assignment, and filtering with ease
• One can group the test steps and reduce the maintenance effort
• Allows to track multiple test runs by grouping the test cases
• Test plans can be created by combining multiple test runs
• Supports in-sprint testing and increases the productivity with simplest interface
• One can attach the evidence and comment in the test execution
• It allows to track and monitor the testing activities in real-time, this not only helps in test monitoring but also helps in tracking productivity
• Supports integration with project management tools like Jira
• One can create the reports and easily share them with stakeholders
• Provides the dashboard with rich graphs, charts, and detailed metrics

Testsigma TMS vs Testpad vs TestRail – Which is Best for Your Project?

Testpad is simple and easy to use but it doesn’t follow a traditional testing approach. Many teams may consider this as a good option. However, for large organizations or teams looking to follow the traditional process, this tool may be challenging. 

TestRail is a popular tool, however many users opined that the tool has a lot of defects including data loss. Additionally, TestRail is not focused on advanced capabilities like AI/ML. TestRail supports the management of test cases, both automation and manual but it doesn’t support inbuilt automation capabilities. Automation can be done using integration with third-party tools. The out-of-the-box integration capability is limited. Custom integration is supported using the APIs, CLIs, and Webhooks but it requires a lot of technical expertise. Considering the pricing option, it may not be budget-friendly for small-scale organizations. 

Testsigma TMS is an advanced tool and has a lot of advanced capabilities including AI-based test case creation. It provides a simple and easy-to-use interface which reduces the learning curve and increases productivity. Considering pricing, Testsigma TMS is budget-friendly as it provides flexibility in pricing. It also supports integration with third-party tools. Testsigma TMS has a native test automation execution feature so users do not need to integrate third-party automation tools. Interestingly Testsgima also supports cloud-based test execution which decreases the cost by lowering the number of licenses required for different tools. 

Every tool has its limitations and advantages however the limitations should not be blockers for your organization. The best test management tool can be considered by evaluating the scope and requirements of your organization. Keep in mind that, migration effort is much costlier so you should choose the test management tool carefully.

Conclusion

Modern testing scope has increased; it may not be possible to manage testing activities efficiently without test management tools. Many test management tools lose their customers due to a lack of enhancement and limitations. Some tools even quit the game as they could not keep the tool up to date with the latest technology trends. 

Nowadays, testing is a combination of automation and manual, and organizations are demanding the tool that supports both. It’s hard to find a tool that supports both automation and manual testing, some tools provide the automation capability with third-party integration. However, these integrations will have many limitations, and maintaining them will be difficult. Testsigma TMS is one of the advanced tools that supports both manual and automation testing natively. Testsigma TMS can increase productivity with its simplest and smoothest user experience.

Frequently Asked Question

Is Testsigma a test automation tool or a test management tool?

Testsigma has two types of applications one for no-code automation and one for test management. Testsigma’s Test Management System popularly known as Testsigma TMS supports end-to-end testing life cycle support with AI capability.

Does Testpad provide structured test case management?

Testpad does not provide the same level of structured test case management as other test management tools do. It provides a checklist-based approach for managing tests. Many organizations find this more useful but it may be challenging for large-scale organizations and those who want to follow traditional testing patterns.

What is the best alternative to TestRail?

Testsigma TMS is the best and closest alternative to TestRail. Testsigma TMS supports almost all the features that TestRail supports, in addition to that it also supports AI capability and a smoother user experience that can accelerate the testing activities.

Can Testsigma TMS replace existing test management tools for any organization?

Yes, any test management tools can be replaced with Testsigma TMS and customers can benefit from the quality of process, accuracy, and speed. Testsigma TMS has a technical support team of experts that can help assist in the migration process.