14 Best Free Test Management Tools For 2024
10 Best Free Test Management Tools List
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 15 tools reviewed.
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
With so many different free test management tools available, figuring out which is right for you is tough. You know you want to affordably manage your software testing process but need to figure out which tool is best. I've got you! In this post I'll help make your choice easy, sharing my personal experiences using dozens of different free test management software with various projects, with my picks of the best free test management tools.
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The Best Free Test Management Tools Summary
| Tools | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| New Relic | From $25/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
| Loadium | No details | Website |
| Swing2App | No details | Website |
| Perforce Helix TeamHub | No details | Website |
| Qase | From $20/month | Website |
| qaManager | No details | Website |
| RedLine13 | No details | Website |
| Appium | Free to use | Website |
| QADeputy | $18 per mont | Website |
| Obkio | No details | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareHow To Choose Free Test Management Tools
With so many different free test management tools available, it can be challenging to make decisions on what tools are going to be the best fit for your needs.
As you're shortlisting, trialing, and selecting free test management tools, consider:
- What problem are you trying to solve - Start by identifying the free test management tool feature gap you're trying to fill to clarify the features and functionality the tool needs to provide.
- Who will need to use it - To evaluate cost and requirements, consider who'll be using the software and how many licenses you'll need. You'll need to evaluate if it'll just be the QA software testers or the whole organization that will require access. When that's clear, it's worth considering if you're prioritizing ease of use for all or speed for your free test management tool power users.
- What other tools it needs to work with - Clarify what tools you're replacing, what tools are staying, and the tools you'll need to integrate with, such as other testing tools, automation tools, or bug tracking software. You'll need to decide if the tools will need to integrate together or if you can replace multiple tools with one consolidated free test management tool.
- What outcomes are important - Consider the result that the software needs to deliver to be considered a success. Consider what capability you want to gain or what you want to improve and how you will be measuring success. For example, an outcome could be the ability to get greater visibility into performance. You could compare free test management tool features until you’re blue in the face but if you aren’t thinking about the outcomes you want to drive, you could be wasting a lot of valuable time.
- How it would work within your organization - Consider the software selection alongside your workflows and delivery methodology. Evaluate what's working well, and the areas that are causing issues that need to be addressed. Remember every business is different — don’t assume that because a tool is popular that it'll work in your organization.
Best Free Test Management Tool Reviews
Here’s a brief description of each of the 10 best free test management tools on my list, showing what the specific tool does best, plus screenshots to showcase some of the features.
New Relic is a performance monitoring and management platform that helps you keep an eye on your applications, infrastructure, and customer experience. It's designed to help you identify and fix issues before you roll them out.
With New Relic, you can test apps for user errors before they happen. Being proactive with error management can help you improve user retention and improve the quality of your builds. Among its many features, Synthetic Monitoring is the one that lets you simulate entire user journeys that let you test for traffic across thousands of public and private locations.
Additionally, you can identify underperforming users by testing different browsers, devices, and operating systems. As the system identifies failures, you can see if these come from AWS, your backend services or other third-party resources you may be using.
New Relic's free version includes up to 5 full users and gives you access to unlimited hosts and CPUs, alerts and notifications, and up to 100GB of data ingest before you start paying your first cent. Integrations include over 600 applications within the categories of application monitoring, infrastructure, security, traffic simulation, logging, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Services, open-source monitoring, machine learning ops, and Prometheus.
For teams involved in performance and load testing, Loadium comes with some of the most valuable features an open-source tool can have. For instance, users can use automated test scripts developed using Selenium when testing for performance. The software provides reporting features with graphic or tabular data.
The Loadium free trial lasts an entire month with all the features. After the free trial, you can decide between one of the paid plans or the free Basic plan. The free basic plan only allows for 15 tests, while the first paid plan allows for 250 tests.
Swing2App is a free no-code mobile app builder. Its user-friendly drag-and-drop editor makes it easy for businesses without mobile developers to build a new application from scratch. Users can also use Swing2App to import data from their existing website to create a professional-looking mobile app version of their site.
Perforce Helix TeamHub provides development and QA teams with a solution for storing their source code. Users can also add multiple repositories in a single project and create a distinct repository for every project they are running.
A free Perforce Helix TeamHub account accommodates up to five users and 1 GB of data. It also allows for integration with common tools like Jira, Slack, and Jenkins.
Qase is a TestOps system that allows you to manage every aspect of QA in a single collaborative workspace, arming you with tools for test management, test execution and results reporting, extensive analytical capabilities, requirement and defect management, and integrations with 3rd party project management tools as well as automated testing frameworks.
Qase boasts a clean, modern UI which makes it easy to understand and to start working in. It also comes with a read-only type of license available for invitees: these are free of charge and unlimited in number, allowing you to collaborate not only with the QA department peers, but to involve the wider organization into the quality assurance process. The quality of your end product benefits from the collaboration, but the subscription cost is based on the power-users only.
Qase provides native integrations with the most popular automated testing frameworks and tools, so that you can finally have a single source of truth about all testing efforts, no more fragmentation of results between manual and automated runs. And with all the data points you have at your disposal, you can utilize Qase’s Dashboards and Query Language to extract the necessary insights and understand the trends in your testing to follow up with informed actions.
There are plenty of integrations with 3rd party software available (Jira, Github, Slack) with more coming soon. And there are endless possibilities opening for custom integrations as Qase provides their API even for the free plan users.
Qase has a free plan available which provides basic functionality for small teams.
qaManager is a free platform-agnostic web app for managing QA projects. Its features include project tracking, test case management, and resource management. Powered by OpenXava, it also offers an online library and allows testers to set up alerts, restrict user roles, and generate detailed reports.
RedLine13’s is great for teams that are scaling. The tool makes it possible to customize tests that can be reused several times, saving time in the process. It also allows users to create their own open-source load testing plugins or use ready-made ones.
RedLine13’s free plan lasts for one day and includes all the features that are part of the paid version. This makes the tool more suitable for teams that want to quickly determine if this is the tool they want to use.
The developers of Appium describe it as “an open-source test automation framework for use with native, hybrid and mobile web apps,” which “drives iOS, Android, and Windows apps using the WebDriver protocol.” The tool is designed based on the idea that testing native apps should not involve an SDK or recompiling your app.
To use Appium for free, there is no need to download or install anything on your device. Also, you can use any testing framework with the tool.
QADeputy is a testing management tool that can easily integrate with most existing tools. The software facilitates efficient communication between stakeholders while also allowing teams to customize the tool based on their unique needs.
QADeputy’s free trial allows for one user and one test suite. It also comes with 100 test cases. Free plan users can also run unlimited tests, customize the platform, and use integrations.
One great feature of Obkio is the tool’s ability to speed things up for development and QA teams. For instance, the copy and paste command or typing the hardware’s serial number in the app can get you started with your test management task. The ability to detect a failure within 5 seconds and the deployment of automatic updates are other features you can expect from this tool.
The Obkio free trial lasts 14 days and gives users access to all the tool’s premium features. However, you can register for the free plan that comes with limited features. The free plan only includes one customer device, standard device polling of 5 minutes, two agents maximum, seven days history, and one monitoring session.
Related Free Test Management Tool Reviews
If you still haven't found what you're looking for here, check out these tools closely related to free test management tools that we've tested and evaluated.
- CI/CD Tools
- Incident Management Software
- Code Review Tools
- Issue Tracking Software
- Bug Tracking Software
- DevOps Deployment Tools
Selection Criteria For Free Test Management Tools
Free test management tools provide essential functionalities to manage, track, and execute tests, all while aligning with the financial constraints of your project or organization. Through rigorous personal testing and research, I've identified key criteria that these tools must meet to address the core needs and challenges of software testing teams effectively.
Core Free Test Management Tool Functionality: 25% of total weighting score
To be considered for inclusion on my list of the best free test management tools, the solution had to support the ability to fulfill common use cases:
- Managing and organizing test cases efficiently.
- Tracking the progress and results of test executions.
- Integrating seamlessly with issue tracking tools.
- Supporting collaboration among team members.
- Providing clear and actionable insights through reporting.
Additional Standout Features: 25% of total weighting score
- Advanced analytics and dashboard customization for deeper insights.
- Real-time collaboration tools that enhance team communication.
- API integrations that extend the tool's capabilities and flexibility.
- Mobile accessibility to manage tests on the go.
- Robust security features ensuring data protection and compliance.
Usability: 10% of total weighting score
- Intuitive interface design that minimizes learning curves.
- Clear and concise documentation that supports user onboarding.
- Drag-and-drop functionalities for easy test organization.
- Responsive design for cross-device compatibility.
- Customizable views and filters to streamline workflows.
Onboarding: 10% of total weighting score
- Comprehensive guides and tutorials to facilitate quick start.
- Interactive product tours that highlight key features.
- Template libraries to accelerate test setup.
- Active user communities for peer support and best practices exchange.
- Responsive customer support, even for free users.
Customer Support: 10% of total weighting score
- Accessible and helpful community forums.
- Direct support channels such as email or chat, even for free versions.
- Regular updates and clear communication of new features.
- Engagement with users to gather feedback and drive improvements.
Value For Money: 10% of total weighting score
- Clearly defined feature set without hidden costs.
- Transparent upgrade paths for additional features.
- Evidence of continuous improvement and maintenance.
- Positive impact on testing efficiency and effectiveness without financial investment.
Customer Reviews: 10% of total weighting score
- Strong user testimonials regarding ease of use and feature set.
- Positive feedback on community and customer support.
- High ratings for reliability and performance.
- Recommendations from industry peers and thought leaders.
By carefully evaluating these criteria, you can choose a free test management tool that not only fits your budget but also significantly contributes to the success of your testing processes, ultimately ensuring higher quality software releases.
Trends In Free Test Management Tools For 2024
Free test management tools have become indispensable for QA teams, particularly those at startups or under budget constraints. By analyzing recent product updates, press releases, and release logs from leading tools in this category, we can discern several key trends that are shaping the future of free test management software:
- Enhanced Integration Capabilities:
- There is a noticeable trend towards improved integration with popular CI/CD tools, issue tracking systems, and other QA tools to streamline the testing process.
- This reflects the industry's move towards more interconnected and automated workflows, requiring tools that can seamlessly communicate and function within broader ecosystems.
- Richer Analytics and Reporting Features:
- Rapid advancements are being made in analytics and reporting functionalities, providing teams with deeper insights into their testing processes.
- This trend addresses the need for data-driven decision-making, enabling teams to quickly identify trends, pinpoint bottlenecks, and improve overall testing efficiency.
- Expansion of Cloud-Based Offerings:
- There is a growing trend towards cloud-based or SaaS models even within the free tier, providing users with flexibility, scalability, and remote accessibility.
- This shift aligns with the broader industry trend towards cloud solutions, reflecting the need for tools that support distributed teams and remote work environments.
- Increased Support for Agile and DevOps Practices:
- Enhancements that support agile methodologies and DevOps practices are becoming more common, indicating a move towards more dynamic and continuous testing approaches.
- These features are crucial for teams looking to integrate testing more closely with development and operations, highlighting a shift towards more iterative and integrated software development lifecycles.
As these tools continue to evolve, they offer tremendous value, enabling teams to maintain rigorous testing standards without incurring additional costs. When selecting a free test management tool, it's essential to consider these trends to choose a solution that will not only meet your current needs but also adapt to future industry shifts.
What Are Free Test Management Tools?
Free test management tools are software that offer functionalities for organizing, executing, and tracking software testing processes without any cost. They provide a structured environment for managing test cases, defects, and reporting, catering to the needs of software development and quality assurance teams.
The benefits and uses of free test management tools include cost-effectiveness, making them accessible to small teams, startups, or individual developers with limited budgets. They improve the organization and efficiency of the testing process, facilitate better collaboration within teams, and provide basic reporting capabilities. These tools are valuable for maintaining a systematic approach to software testing, ensuring thorough coverage and tracking of test cases and defects, even for projects with limited resources.
Features Of Free Test Management Tools
Free test management tools should not only accommodate your current testing requirements but also align with industry best practices and evolving testing paradigms. Here are the most important features to look for in free test management tools:
- Comprehensive Test Case Management: Enables organized creation, modification, and archiving of test cases. Efficient test case management is crucial for maintaining a structured approach to testing, allowing easy access and reuse of test cases, which enhances test consistency and coverage.
- Integration with Issue Tracking Systems: Facilitates a seamless connection with bug tracking tools. This integration is essential for efficiently tracking and managing defects discovered during testing, ensuring that issues are promptly addressed and resolved.
- Real-Time Collaboration: Supports team collaboration within the tool. Effective collaboration features are key to maintaining clear communication among team members, allowing for quicker decision-making and issue resolution.
- Customizable Reports and Dashboards: Offers tailored reporting capabilities. Customizable reports are vital for analyzing test results, monitoring progress, and making informed decisions based on testing data.
- Support for Various Testing Methodologies: Accommodates different testing frameworks and methodologies. Flexibility in supporting various methodologies ensures that the tool can adapt to your team's specific testing processes and preferences.
- Test Execution Tracking: Allows monitoring of test execution progress and results. Tracking test execution is crucial for understanding test progress, identifying blocking issues early, and ensuring that testing milestones are met.
- Requirement Traceability: Enables linking of test cases to requirements. Requirement traceability ensures that all test cases are aligned with the defined requirements, facilitating comprehensive test coverage and validation of application functionality.
- User Role Management: Provides configurable access control based on user roles. Effective role management ensures that team members have the appropriate access rights, enhancing security and facilitating efficient workflow management.
- Accessible User Interface: Features an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface. An accessible user interface reduces the learning curve for new users and enhances productivity by enabling team members to utilize the tool's features effectively.
- Scalability: Easily accommodates growing project needs. A scalable test management tool can grow with your project, supporting an increasing number of test cases and users without compromising performance.
In selecting a free test management tool, it's essential to consider these features to ensure the tool not only meets your team's immediate testing needs but also supports effective and efficient test processes. The right tool can significantly impact your team's ability to deliver high-quality software and adapt to changing testing requirements.
Benefits Of Free Test Management Tools
Whether you are part of a small startup or a large enterprise seeking to optimize your testing practices, free test management tools provide essential functionalities without the added cost. Here are five primary benefits of leveraging free test management tools for users and organizations:
- Cost Savings: Eliminates the financial investment in software. Utilizing a free test management tool reduces operational costs, enabling organizations, especially startups and small teams, to allocate their resources more strategically toward other critical areas of development.
- Improved Test Organization: Facilitates structured test planning and execution. By providing a centralized platform for managing test cases, plans, and results, free test management tools help streamline the testing process, making it easier to organize, execute, and track testing activities.
- Enhanced Collaboration: Fosters better team coordination and communication. These tools often include features that support real-time collaboration, allowing team members to share insights, update statuses, and work together more effectively, regardless of their location.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Offers reporting and analytics capabilities. Even free tools can provide valuable insights into testing progress and outcomes, enabling teams to make informed decisions based on data, identify trends, and improve their testing strategies over time.
- Accessibility and Scalability: Ensures easy access and adaptability to changing needs. Free test management tools are typically designed to be accessible and user-friendly, with the flexibility to scale as project demands grow, ensuring that teams can continue to rely on them as their testing requirements evolve.
Costs & Pricing For Free Test Management Tools
Free test management tools offer a variety of functionalities to support your testing processes without incurring additional costs. While primarily designed to be cost-effective, these tools also come with different plan options to cater to various user needs, ensuring scalability and additional features if and when required. Below is an overview of typical plan options and their features for free test management tools:
Plan Comparison Table For Free Test Management Tools
| Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features Included |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Plan | $50 - $100 per user/month | Advanced analytics, unlimited test cases, full integration capabilities, priority support, and advanced security features |
| Standard Plan | $20 - $50 per user/month | Enhanced test case management, integration with common tools, increased user limit, and better reporting features |
| Basic Plan | $0 - $20 per user/month | Basic test case management, limited integrations, essential reporting, and community support |
| Free Plan | $0 | Core test management functionalities, community forum support, limited integrations, and basic user limit |
When evaluating free test management tools, it is essential to consider not only the immediate cost savings but also the tool's ability to meet your specific testing requirements and adapt to your team's growth. While free plans offer significant value, they may come with limitations that could impact scalability and feature access, so understanding the trade-offs between different plans is crucial for making an informed decision.
Free Test Management Tool Frequently Asked Questions
Why Do Software Makers Provide Free Test Management Software?
Most businesses commit some of their resources to community development and ensuring that people that don’t have the means can also access services.
For instance, students studying quality assurance may need tools to develop test plans, test cases, or gain other test management and execution skills. Companies that offer such tools may be paying it forward because students may end up working for them.
A developer of a test management tool may also offer the software for free as a test drive. Using a free version can help a user try some functionalities and get a practical example of the tool’s features such as traceability, provision of real-time reports, or requirements management. The hope is that the user will be so pleased as to decide to pay to use the software after the free trial.
Free test management tools can provide software as a service (SaaS) companies with a great marketing opportunity.
What is Exploratory Testing?
Exploratory testing looks at a product from a user perspective, and is most valuable as an early iteration in test cycles. In this type of testing, there’s not as much structure as with other types of automated testing. Thus, it’s great at uncovering edge cases, identifying potential for new features, and overall improving the software application.
What are Open Source Test Management Tools?
Open source test management tools provide QA teams with full visibility of the code base, improved security, and much more flexibility. You can plan, build, and execute tests in accordance with your needs, and with fewer restrictions than other tools.
Why Is Free Test Management Software Useful For QA Teams?
Quality assurance and project management teams can take advantage of a free test management solution to determine whether a particular software type is suitable for their long-term needs.
QA teams in smaller companies with tight budgets could also use free test management software for different testing processes, to run tests, and to manage testers. Free tools allow such teams to try the functionalities of tools without the need to commit scarce resources.
Additional Relevant Software
- How To Enable Reusability With Object Repositories In Automation Testing
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- Best Agile Test Management Tools
- What Are Test Management Tools? 6 Key Features
- Best Test Data Management Tools
Conclusion
What do you think about the free test management tools I have listed here? Have you used any, or any other test management tools? If so, tell us about your experience in the comments section.
If you have used the free versions of other tools we haven't listed here, we would like to hear your evaluation of the tools as well. And if you're looking for tools to use specifically with Jira, here's our list of the Best Test Management Tools For Jira.
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