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TestRail is a separate tool next to Jira. If your team lives in Jira, an app inside Jira keeps tests, results and bugs on the stories they cover, so nobody switches tools to see whether a story is ready. Here's how four of them compare.
TestRail is one of the best-known test management tools. It runs as its own web app and connects to Jira through an integration. For teams that already work in Jira all day, that split shows up in small ways:
- testers move between TestRail and Jira for every run and every bug;
- developers and product owners leave Jira to see whether a story was tested;
- traceability depends on links between two systems staying in sync;
- the team looks after two tools, two sets of users and two logins.
A Jira test management app removes the split: test cases, runs and results live in Jira, next to the stories and bugs.
1. AIO Tests
Here's a release with AIO Tests. A tester writes test cases on the Jira story and adds them to a regression or UAT cycle; anyone on the team can run them. When a step fails, the bug arrives in Jira with the summary and steps filled in. The story shows its cases, their latest result and any bugs, so a developer or product owner sees status without leaving Jira. Automated results come in from CI through ready-made reporters (Cypress, Playwright, Postman/Newman, Katalon) or as JUnit, TestNG, Cucumber and Robot Framework results. Any of the 20+ reports can go out on a schedule as PDF or Excel.
Switching from TestRail: export your test cases and import them from Excel or CSV. Compare: AIO Tests vs TestRail.
2. Xray
The most installed test management app for Jira. Tests are Jira issues, so they work with Jira workflows and JQL, and they also appear in your backlog; each project needs its issue types and mappings set up. Compare: AIO Tests vs Xray.
3. Zephyr
SmartBear's Jira app. Tests live inside Zephyr, with folders, versioning, BDD, Call to Test and custom fields on individual test steps. Compare: AIO Tests vs Zephyr.
4. QMetry
A Jira app focused on reusable test cases for agile teams. We haven't tested it hands-on. Compare: AIO Tests vs QMetry.
The Jira apps, day to day
Checked by our product team in Xray and Zephyr trials (October 2026). We haven't checked QMetry or TestRail hands-on, so they're not in this table.
Before you switch from TestRail
- Export your test cases (CSV or Excel) and try the new tool's import on a sample.
- Decide what to do with history: keep TestRail read-only for audits, or move results through the new tool's API.
- Run one sprint in the new tool, with at least one developer taking part, before you cancel.
What it costs
The two pricing models differ. TestRail charges per tester (Essentials $22 a month up to 5 users, Professional $38, Enterprise $78, billed annually). Jira apps charge per Jira user on the site: AIO Tests is $575 a year for 25 users and $2,300 for 100, and free up to 10 users (Atlassian Marketplace, October 2026). With a few testers on a large Jira site, TestRail can cost less; when most of the team takes part in testing, a Jira app usually costs less.
Sources: AIO Tests on the Atlassian Marketplace and the TestRail pricing page, checked October 2026.
Still comparing? Read our guide to Jira test management tools. Moving from Xray or Zephyr? See how to keep your test history in our guide to Jira test management migration.
FAQ
Is there a TestRail alternative that works inside Jira? Yes: AIO Tests, Xray, Zephyr and QMetry all run inside Jira, so tests, results and bugs sit next to the stories.
Can I import TestRail test cases into AIO Tests? Yes, through Excel or CSV import.
Is TestRail cheaper than a Jira app? Sometimes. TestRail charges per tester, Jira apps per Jira user. With a few testers on a large Jira site, TestRail can cost less.
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