Xray
The most powerful test management app for Jira. BDD native, automation-ready, and trusted by thousands of agile teams worldwide.
Overview
Xray is a test management app for Jira that provides comprehensive test case management, test execution, and reporting within the Jira interface. Unlike Zephyr Scale which focuses on simplicity, Xray is designed for teams that need advanced test management capabilities — BDD support, automation integration, requirements traceability, and detailed analytics.
Xray is the most popular Jira test management app, with over 5,000 customers worldwide. It supports manual testing, automated testing (via CI integration), and BDD workflows with Cucumber and Behave.
What it's used for
Xray is ideal when:
- Advanced Jira test management needed: More powerful than Zephyr Scale with better reporting and traceability.
- BDD workflows: Native Cucumber support with automatic step definition linking.
- Automation integration: Import results from Playwright, Selenium, JUnit, TestNG, and more.
- Requirements traceability: Full coverage matrix from requirements to test cases to defects.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Most powerful Jira test management app
- Excellent BDD support with Cucumber/Behave
- Strong automation integration with CI tools
- Detailed traceability and coverage reporting
- Active community and regular updates
Cons
- More expensive than Zephyr Scale
- Can be complex to configure for simple use cases
- Jira-only — no standalone option
- Can impact Jira performance with large test repositories
- Steeper learning curve than Zephyr Scale
Platforms & Integrations
Xray is a Jira app available for Jira Cloud and Jira Data Center. It requires an active Jira subscription.
Pricing
| Tier | Cost | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Jira Cloud | From $5/user/mo | Full features, cloud hosting, Xray support |
| Jira Data Center | Custom | Self-hosted, perpetual licence, annual maintenance |
NZ Context
Xray is the most popular Jira test management app among NZ agile teams with mature QA processes. It is frequently mentioned in NZ testing meetups and training courses. For NZ teams using BDD (Cucumber/Behave), Xray is the natural choice. Job postings for senior QA roles in NZ increasingly list Xray as a preferred skill.
Alternatives
- Zephyr Scale — Simpler and cheaper Jira test management.
- TestRail — Standalone tool with richer reporting.
- qTest — Enterprise alternative with Tricentis integration.