Key Takeaways
- Jira excels at project management but falls short for test management as it lacks built-in support for test cases, execution tracking, and quality assurance reporting.
- aqua cloud offers seamless two-way sync with Jira, combining AI-powered test case generation with centralized test repository and one-click bug tracking capabilities.
- Zephyr for Jira suffers from performance issues including slow response times, frequent outages, and limited customization options making it unsuitable for large projects.
- Xray for Jira has scalability problems that cause slowdowns with larger test case volumes and presents a steep learning curve with complex test execution formatting.
- TestRail lacks true integration with Jira, with users reporting challenges in linking defects to user stories, slow updates, server errors, and limited text formatting options.
While Jira dominates project management, its test management capabilities require dedicated solutions to fill critical gaps. Discover which tool can transform your testing process without forcing your team to fight against workflow limitations š
Several shortcomings of using Jira for test management create a necessity for using a test management tool (of course, if efficiency is your goal). Not convinced? Letās look at what gaps Jira leaves in test management and how you will fill those gaps with top-notch test management solutions.
Why Use a Test Management Tool with Jira?
With Jira, tracking tasks and planning sprints is easy. But what about testing? If you try to manage test cases in Jira alone, you will probably feel the pain. Why? Because:
- Jira can be a bug-tracking tool, not a test management solution. While you can easily track defects in Jira, thatās just one piece of the QA puzzle. Managing test cases, running test executions, and tracking coverage? Thatās where Jira falls short. A dedicated test management tool will fix these important gaps.
- Jira isnāt built for test cases. Sure, you can hack your way through with custom issue types. But thatās just adding more clutter to your backlog. A proper test management tool frees you from the mess by delivering structured test case management, versioning, and execution tracking.
- Canāt escape basic reporting with Jira. Jira can show you burndown charts and velocity, but detailed test execution reports? Test coverage insights? A historical view of what passed and failed? Not happening. A test management tool delivers real QA reporting. Also, a dedicated test management system (TMS) will give you more customisable and visually appealing reports.
- QA shouldnāt feel like a workaround. If your team is using Jira as makeshift test cases, youāre slowing everything down. A real test management tool connects requirements, tests, and defects. You donāt need to force QA to fit into a dev-first workflow.
So, do you really want to keep fighting Jira to make it work for testing? Or would you rather use a tool thatās actually built for the job?
If you say yes to the second question, letās start with the list of the best Jira test management tools of 2025.
Jira isn't really designed to do what a test management application wants to do, so they basically have to perform a lot of heavy lifting with custom interfaces to make things work.
Best Jira Test Management Tools of 2025
So let’s start with our list of best test management tools for Jira.
#1. Aqua cloud for Jira
Aqua cloud is an AI-powered test management solution that streamlines everything related to software testing and management. It aims to take away the pain of testing, with its:Ā
- AI superpowers (requirements, test cases, and test data generation within seconds)
- Integrations (Jira, Azure DevOps, Selenium, Jenkins, Ranorex, and many more)
- Intuitive and customisable dashboardĀ
- Centralised repository (that combines all your manual and automated tests)
- Super-easy-to-follow workflows (The ones that your team can follow)
- 100% traceability, visibility, and test coverageĀ
- One click bug-tracking (with native bug recording integration Capture)
So you can already choose it as your testing project management or test management solution in 2025. Aqua is a standalone solution for all your testing needs, with 97% faster and 100% more stress-free test management process.
Use a standalone, AI-powered TMS for all your testing efforts
In case you are already using Jira and want to fill the gaps of test management, letās look at how aqua cloud closes those gaps.
Why You Should Choose aqua cloud with Jira
Here is the list of factors that make aqua cloud a top Jira test management tool:
Jira-Friendly Test Case Management
Jira doesnāt natively support test cases, but aqua cloud does. With aquaās Jira plugin, you can create and manage test cases directly in Jira. No more repurposing user stories or hacking workflows.
Seamless Two-Way Sync
QA and development should work together, not in silos. Aqua cloud syncs changes instantly between Jira and aqua. It does not matter whether itās a test case update, a bug fix, or a status change. You will have no more miscommunication or outdated information.
Real Test Reporting in Jira
Jiraās reporting is great for sprint tracking, but where are the detailed test execution reports? Aqua cloud sends test results straight to Jira. This way, you can track history, analyse failures, and improve test coverageāall without leaving your workflow.
Effortless Defect Tracking
Why manually link test results to bug reports? Aqua cloud automatically connects test cases to Jira issues. It makes defect tracking simple and transparent.
No More Manual Updates
Keeping test cases in sync across tools is a nightmareāunless it happens automatically. Aqua cloud mirrors changes in priorities, statuses, and custom attributes between tools. So you cut down on redundant data entry.
Clear Accountability with User Mapping
Wondering who updated what and when? Aqua cloudās user mapping makes every action traceable. Collaboration becomes a breeze and you easily avoid confusion.
Sync Attachments & Context
Itās time to stop digging through Jira comments or scattered emails. Descriptions, comments, and attachments are synced between aqua and Jira. All the context in one place – peace of mind for a person that is tired of switching between tools.
ā What QA Teams Say
Capterra: ā 4.7/5
G2: ā 4.7/5
"Aqua can connect to Jira seamlessly and many other Tools like Test automation (Ranorex, Powershell)"
"The tool can be used not only for Test Management, but also for Application Lifecycle Management, Requirements Management, Web Testing, Automation Management, User Acceptance Testing, Testing Tool for Jira".
So Jira is an incredible project management tool, but your test management efforts deserve a dedicated solution. Aqua cloud gives you full test case management inside Jira. It eliminates manual effort, and brings QA and development togetherāwithout the friction. Itās time to combine two superpowers of test management and project management for 100% efficiency.
Try 100% AI-powered TMS that makes Jira flawless
#2. Zephyr for Jira
Zephyr is one of the most popular test management tools for Jira. But it comes with its own set of challenges. It aims to deliver managing test cases, execute tests, and track results directly within the platform.
Key Features:
- Native Jira integration.
- Test case management and execution.
- Real-time reporting and dashboards.
- Support for manual and automated testing.
- Integration with CI/CD tools like Jenkins and Bamboo.
Strengths:
ā Easy to set up and use.
ā Reporting and analytics.
ā Supports both manual and automated testing.
Weaknesses:
ā Limited customisation options.
ā A lot of performance issues like slow response times and frequent outages.
ā No bulk updates.
ā Expensive for small teams.
ā Lack of rich text format for test case descriptions.
ā Import and export challenges (importing from Excel requires add-ons).
ā Not scalable.
User Ratings:
ā Capterra: 4.3/5
ā G2: 4.2/5
What Users Say:
"Zephyr is terrible. Or at least, not production grade for large projects. I'd avoid it like the plague and use something fast and functional.
Jira itself is also a lame bug tracker and support tool for TM/QA lifecycles even when tweaked, but sometimes it's impossible to escape integration with it if it has already spread out like a cancer on multiple departments /teams/projects in the organization. (I'm using it now, sadly).
#3. Xray for Jira
Xray is another test management tool you can use with Jira. It supports both manual and automated testing and delivers features like test planning, execution, and traceability.
Key Features:
- Test case management and execution.
- Support for BDD (Behavior-Driven Development).
- Traceability and requirement coverage.
- Integration with automation tools like Selenium and JUnit.
- Real-time reporting and dashboards.
Strengths:
ā Traceability and reporting.
ā Supports BDD and automation.
ā Highly customisable.
Weaknesses:
ā Complicated interface, steep learning curve for beginners.
ā Expensive for small teams.
ā Scalability issues, as Xray relies on Jiraās database for storage. The more test cases you have, the more slowdowns.
ā Complex test execution formatting.
ā Limited data retrieval, which leads to incomplete reports.
ā Lack of version control for test cases
ā Traceability issues that occur at scale.
User Ratings:
ā Capterra: 4.5/5
ā G2: 4.4/5
What Users Say:
"There are two most difficult things to achieve in the current test management software. I mostly have used JIRA with X-ray but also Zephyr. Also I encountered these issues at scale in a waterfall environment- e.g. a UAT phase with 600+ UAT testers. There are 2 main issues:
Traceability.
Test evidence assessments.
It really shouldn't be this hard to implement QA processes like this. But using JIRA is almost considered industry standard in some places and it's not made for test management. You are always hacking it up with JQL to get the info you need."
#4 TestRail for Jira
Including TestRail on our list, only because you will come across this name and need to know the truth. Although it is a standalone test management tool that integrates with Jira, it is now known for more problems than solutions. How?
Key Features:
- Test case management and execution.
- Customisable dashboards and reports.
- Integration with Jira and other tools.
- Support for manual and automated testing.
- Milestone tracking and progress metrics.
Strengths:
ā User-friendly interface.
ā Reporting and analytics.
ā Integration with Jira.
Weaknesses:
ā Requires a separate license (not native to Jira).
ā No seamless integration, you donāt even have a chance to search for defects through Jira.
ā Challenges in linking defects pushed from TestRail to user stories in Jira.
ā Comment integration, as comments added to Jira tickets do not appear in TestRail.
ā Slow updates and server errors.
ā Slow support responses, you can get your ticket closed without even being solved.
ā Text formatting issues that are limited to Markdown.
ā Super expensive for large teams, when your user number increases, the cost becomes unattainable.
User Ratings:
ā Capterra: 4.4/5
ā G2: 4.3/5
What Users Say:
"We are currently using TestRail as our test management system. We recently updated to Version 8 and it's just shocking rubbish compared to Version 7. The cloud version is fixed but we use self-hosted which they haven't updated with some of the major bug fixes. For example, we currently cannot copy and paste images which for storing test results is an epic pain."
"TestRail is absolutely awful and you should not switch to it."
#5. QMetry for Jira
QMetry is a test management tool that integrates with Jira to provide end-to-end test management capabilities. Itās intended for Agile teams looking for a comprehensive solution.
Key Features:
- Test case management and execution.
- Integration with automation tools.
- Real-time dashboards and reports.
- Requirement traceability.
- Support for manual and automated testing.
Strengths:
ā Comprehensive features for Agile teams.
ā Strong integration with Jira.
ā Excellent reporting and analytics.
Weaknesses:
ā Steep learning curve.
ā Filtering issues which become a headache in complex test scenarios.
ā Bulk update limitations.
ā Component duplication – you get duplicates of whatās already in Jira.
ā Not-so-customisable reporting.
ā Data sync issues between QMetry and Jira.
ā Tricky admin screens that are harder to understand.
ā Expensive for small teams.
User Ratings:
ā Capterra: 4.2/5
ā G2: 4.1/5
What Users Say:
"Qmetry (Don't recommend it. Extremely buggy and the UI is not so friendly.)"
After all these bad reviews and complaints about other Jira test management tools, it is time for a breath of fresh air called aqua cloud. Itās not another add-onāitās a fully equipped test management solution built for speed, AI-driven insights, and seamless traceability. Unlike plugins that struggle to keep up, aqua natively connects your test cases, defects, and automation, giving you full control without the usual headaches. Perfect sync with Jira, Azure DevOps, super-fast generative AI, fast support responses, one-click bug-tracking, automation and CI/CD integrations, central repository, workflows, and much more – everything in all-in-one, AI-powered test management solution.
Enough with TestRail, Zephyr, Xray, or others - go with a strong test management tool for Jira
Conclusion
Test management with Jira shouldnāt feel like a constant struggle. You donāt have to lose your head between tools that are not worth it and manual workarounds. While plugins and basic integrations can only go so far, aqua cloud offers a complete, AI-powered solution that turns your Jira test management into a masterpiece. Instead of forcing testers to work around limitations, aqua removes your bottlenecks and accelerates QA process. If youāre ready for a smarter, more efficient way to manage testing, itās time to see what aqua can do.
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