This Tuskr vs Zephyr comparison walks through licensing, data location, automation, test design, reporting, pricing and migration so you can decide whether testing should live inside Jira or in a standalone tool beside it. Zephyr is a Jira Marketplace app billed on your entire Jira user count; Tuskr is a separate cloud application with named-tester licensing and a Jira integration for defects. By the end you will know which side fits a small all-testing Jira site, a large Jira instance with a minority of testers, or teams that need self-hosting and BDD.
Most Tuskr vs Zephyr advice treats the choice as a culture question and skips the licence math. That is expensive: ten testers on a 250-user Jira Cloud site list at $900 a year on Tuskr Team and $14,355 on Zephyr Standard, while the same ten people on a ten-user Jira site flip to $100 for Zephyr against Tuskr’s $450 minimum. The sections below use published list prices and documented features so the decision follows what you will actually pay and use.
Tuskr vs Zephyr: Which Test Management Tool Should You Choose?
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Jira app versus standalone cloud. Zephyr lives inside Jira and bills on Jira user count. Tuskr is a separate app with a Jira integration and named-tester licensing.
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Tester share of Jira users. Above roughly three-quarters of Jira users testing, Zephyr Standard is often cheaper; below that, Tuskr usually wins on list price.
Which Zephyr this page compares
SmartBear’s documentation says it has consolidated Zephyr Squad and Zephyr Scale into a single product family with three Jira editions: Zephyr Essential (previously Zephyr Squad), Zephyr Standard (previously Zephyr Scale; the docs call it simply “Zephyr”) and Zephyr Advanced. This page compares Tuskr mainly with Zephyr Standard and Advanced on Jira Cloud. Zephyr Essential, the Data Center app and the standalone Zephyr Enterprise appear where they change the answer.
Tuskr vs Zephyr Side-by-Side Comparison
| Tuskr | Zephyr (Standard / Advanced, Jira Cloud) | |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | A QA team that is a minority of a larger Jira instance, or a team not on Jira at all | Teams where most Jira users test, and teams that want testing inside Jira |
| Architecture | Standalone cloud application with a Jira integration | Jira app installed from the Atlassian Marketplace |
| Starting Price | Team: $90 per user per year, or $9 per user per month on monthly billing; 5-user minimum | $10/month flat (Standard) or $15/month (Advanced) for up to 10 Jira users; $6.81 / $8.73 per Jira user per month from 11 to 100 users |
| Licence Counts | Named testers | Every user in the Jira instance |
| Single Sign-On | Enterprise plan only ($290 per user per year); SAML 2.0 | No SSO feature or surcharge listed; users are Jira users, identified by Atlassian account ID |
| Free Plan / Trial | Free plan for up to 5 users; 15-day trial, no credit card | No free plan published; evaluation period of at least 30 days |
| Deployment | Cloud only, hosted in the United States | Jira Cloud and Jira Data Center apps; Zephyr Enterprise is sold separately as SaaS or on-premise |
| Where Test Data Is Stored | Tuskr’s Google Cloud infrastructure (US) | SmartBear-hosted storage outside Atlassian, in the US, Ireland, Germany or Australia |
| Jira Integration | Creates Jira issues from failed tests; marks the test for retest when the bug is fixed | Native: tests are created, run and reported inside Jira and linked to Jira work items |
| API | REST; paid plans and trial only; 1,200 to 4,800 calls/hour by plan | REST with JWT tokens on all three editions; no rate limit documented |
| Automation Support | JUnit XML via the Tuskr CLI | JUnit, Cucumber and a custom format via API; Jenkins and Bamboo plugins; built-in no-code automation |
| Key Differentiator | Cost follows QA headcount, not Jira headcount; works with 11 issue trackers | Runs no-code web and API tests itself; BDD, call to test and parameters documented |
| Main Limitation | Plan caps on projects, test cases and requirements; JUnit XML is the only documented result format | Price rises with every Jira user, tester or not; reports “cannot be customized” |
Quick verdict
The decision turns on one number: the share of your Jira users who test. Above roughly three-quarters, Zephyr Standard is cheaper; it is also the answer for Jira sites of ten users or fewer and for teams needing BDD, no-code automation or self-hosting. Below that share Tuskr costs less, unless you need single sign-on, which moves the line to about a quarter.
Key Differences Between Tuskr and Zephyr
- A 100-user Jira site pays for 100 Zephyr users, however few of them test. Atlassian’s Marketplace states that apps for Jira Cloud are priced based on the maximum users of the Jira app on your instance. Zephyr Standard costs $6.81 per Jira user per month between 11 and 100 users, so a 100-user Jira site pays $681 a month whether 5 or 95 of those people test. Tuskr sells named licences at $90 per user per year on its Team plan with a five-user minimum, so ten testers cost $900 a year whatever Jira’s size.
- Zephyr’s screens are in Jira, but its data is not. Zephyr describes itself as a dedicated testing system of record, not an extension of Jira work items. Its Marketplace privacy declaration says test cases, cycles, executions and attachments are stored outside of Atlassian apps and services, in SmartBear-hosted regions. Tuskr users sign in to a second application, and putting that login behind SAML single sign-on requires Tuskr’s Enterprise plan at $290 per user per year.
- Zephyr executes tests; Tuskr records their results. Zephyr Standard and Advanced include no-code automation for web apps and APIs with monthly execution caps by Jira tier. When the allowance runs out, runs fail until the monthly reset. Tuskr does not document a test execution engine; results arrive from your own framework as JUnit XML.
- Only Zephyr has a self-hosted route. Tuskr is cloud-only. Zephyr’s Marketplace app is also sold for Jira Data Center, listed at $4,760 a year for up to 50 users and $7,934 for up to 100. Separately, SmartBear sells Zephyr Enterprise as a standalone SaaS or on-premise solution that starts at 20 users with custom pricing.
What Are Tuskr and Zephyr?
Tuskr Cloud Test Management
Tuskr is a cloud test management application hosted on Google Cloud in the United States. It organises work as projects, test suites, sections and test cases, with test plans, a requirements module, built-in issue tracking, dashboards and an AI assistant. It is sold per named user per year on Free, Team, Business and Enterprise plans, each with caps on projects, test cases and API calls. Tuskr is not a Jira app. It integrates with Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Linear and six other trackers.
Zephyr for Jira
Zephyr is SmartBear’s test management product for Jira, which its documentation calls a native test management solution for Jira. Teams create test cases, group them into test cycles and test plans, and link them to Jira work items for traceability. Standard and Advanced add no-code automation, Zephyr skills for Atlassian Rovo and the SmartBear MCP server for AI clients. It is built for organisations standardised on Jira that want testers and developers in one interface.
Tuskr vs Zephyr: Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Test Case Design and Reuse
Zephyr wins this dimension. Its test case guide covers parameters, data-driven design, version control with highlighted differences between versions, and Call to Test, a step type that links to another test case’s steps. BDD test cases are written in Gherkin and exported as feature files. Tuskr documents a rich-text editor, custom fields, version history and test plans. Its roadmap lists test case approval as in progress and .feature file import as backlog, and it does not document shared steps or parameterised tests.
Automation Results and CI/CD
Zephyr accepts more formats. Its API has automation endpoints for JUnit XML, Cucumber results and a custom Zephyr format, and its docs carry guides for NUnit, pytest, Robot Framework and TestNG. It publishes Jenkins and Bamboo plugins. Tuskr documents one format: JUnit XML, imported by an npm-installed CLI. It names no CI plugins, but the Tuskr CLI runs in any pipeline that can run npm.
Requirements, Defects and Other Trackers
In Zephyr, requirements and defects are Jira issues linked to test cases, and traceability reports draw on those links. Tuskr keeps its own requirements module, capped by paid plan. It also has built-in issue tracking and integrations with 11 issue trackers. Mixed-tracker organisations fit Tuskr; Jira-only ones get tighter traceability from Zephyr.
Reporting
Zephyr’s documentation counts 31 out-of-the-box reports, exportable to Excel, and adds that currently reports cannot be customized. Tuskr lists customizable reports and dashboards, burndown charts, cross-project reports and PDF status reports.
Access Control and Outside Users
Zephyr permissions are granted to a Jira user, role or group, and Jira users are what the licence counts. Tuskr has custom roles assigned per project and client access with its own permissions, but audit trail and two-factor authentication start at Business ($150 per user per year), and SAML single sign-on is Enterprise-only at $290.
Documented Limits and Data Location
Tuskr caps each plan: Team allows 50 projects and 50,000 test cases, and Enterprise tops out at 250 projects and 250,000. Zephyr Standard lists unlimited storage for test cases and attachments and documents no API rate limit. Zephyr Standard and Advanced also offer data residency in the US, Ireland, Germany and Australia. Tuskr states US hosting only.
Tuskr vs Zephyr Pricing Comparison
Prices below were read on 17 September 2026 from Tuskr’s pricing page and the Atlassian Marketplace pricing calculator, in USD, excluding tax.
| Tuskr | Zephyr (Jira Cloud) | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | Up to 5 users, 5 projects, 1,000 test cases; no API, webhooks or custom run statuses | None published |
| Trial | 15 days, no credit card | At least 30 days |
| Entry Tier | Team: $90 per user per year, or $9 per user per month | Essential: $10/month flat to 10 users, then $5.99 per Jira user per month (11–100) |
| Mid Tier | Business: $150 per user per year, or $15 per month; adds audit trail and 2FA | Standard: $10/month flat to 10 users, then $6.81 per Jira user per month (11–100), $4.33 (101–250) |
| Top Tier | Enterprise: $290 per user per year, or $29 per month; adds SSO | Advanced: $15/month flat to 10 users, then $8.73 per Jira user per month (11–100), $5.54 (101–250) |
| Minimum | 5 users on paid plans | No seat minimum published; billed on Jira’s user count |
| Self-Hosted | Not offered | Data Center app from $4,760/year (up to 50 users); Zephyr Enterprise custom-priced from 20 users |
Compare yearly totals by scenario:
| Scenario (yearly list price) | Tuskr | Zephyr Standard | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 testers, 10 Jira users | $720 (Team) | $100 | Zephyr |
| 40 testers, 50 Jira users | $3,600 (Team) | $3,405 | Zephyr |
| 10 testers, 50 Jira users | $900 (Team) | $3,405 | Tuskr |
| 10 testers, 250 Jira users | $900 (Team) | $14,355 | Tuskr |
| 10 testers needing SSO, 25 Jira users | $2,900 (Enterprise) | $1,702.50 | Zephyr |
| 10 testers needing SSO, 50 Jira users | $2,900 (Enterprise) | $3,405 | Tuskr |
List-price arithmetic, not a quote
In the 11-to-100-user band, Zephyr Standard becomes cheaper once roughly three-quarters of your Jira users would need a Tuskr Team seat. Single sign-on moves that line: Tuskr includes SSO only in Enterprise at $290, so for a team that must have it, Zephyr Standard is cheaper once about a quarter of Jira users need a seat. Zephyr Enterprise pricing is not publicly published.
Pros and Cons of Tuskr vs Zephyr
Tuskr
Pros
- Ten testers pay $900 a year on Team, whatever the size of the Jira instance
- Free plan for up to 5 users, and a 15-day trial without a credit card
- Works with 11 issue trackers, including GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps and Linear
- Customizable reports and dashboards, with PDF status reports
Cons
- Five-user minimum on paid plans, and every plan caps projects, test cases and requirements
- SSO requires Enterprise at $290 per user per year; audit trail and 2FA start at Business
- JUnit XML is the only documented result format, and no CI plugins are named
- Cloud-only with US hosting; no self-hosted option is published
Zephyr
Pros
- $10 a month covers a Jira site of up to 10 users on Standard, API included
- Tests are created, executed and reported inside Jira, linked to Jira work items
- Built-in no-code automation, three result formats, Jenkins and Bamboo plugins
- Call to test, parameters, data-driven design and Gherkin BDD are documented
Cons
- The licence counts every Jira user: a 250-user instance pays $14,355 a year on Standard
- The Marketplace apps run only on Jira
- Documentation says reports cannot be customized beyond filtering
- No-code automation executions are capped monthly and fail once the cap is reached
Who Should Use Tuskr vs Zephyr?
Choose Tuskr If…
- Your testers are well under three-quarters of your Jira user count, or under a quarter if you need SSO
- Some teams file bugs in GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps or Linear rather than Jira
- Clients or contractors need to see results without being added to your Jira site
- You need to customise reports or hand stakeholders PDF status reports
Choose Zephyr If…
- Most people in your Jira instance write or run tests, or the instance has ten users or fewer
- You must have single sign-on and more than about a quarter of your Jira users test
- You practise BDD, or need call to test, parameters and data-driven test cases
- You want no-code automation without hiring automation engineers
- You need EU, German or Australian data residency, Jira Data Center or an on-premise product
Look elsewhere if…
You need test cases to be Jira issues themselves, governed by Jira workflows. Neither product works that way. For a Jira-native architecture with tests as issues, see the TestRail vs Xray comparison.
Migration and Switching Considerations
Neither vendor documents a migration path to the other, so a move goes through spreadsheets. Zephyr exports test cases to Excel or XML and imports from CSV and XML. Tuskr imports UTF-8 CSV only, a maximum of 1,000 test cases at a time, and exports CSV. Moving from Zephyr to Tuskr means exporting to Excel, saving as CSV and importing in batches of 1,000. Tuskr’s import does not mention attachments, versions, issue links or execution history. The other direction uses Tuskr’s CSV export and Zephyr’s CSV importer.
Is Tuskr the Right Fit for Your Team?
Teams that want testing inside Jira’s interface, self-hosting, non-US data residency, BDD feature files or a built-in automation engine are better served by Zephyr. So are small Jira sites where nearly everyone tests, and teams that need single sign-on without paying for Tuskr’s top plan.
Tuskr fits the opposite shape: a QA group of five or more people working beside a Jira instance several times that size. You pay $90, $150 or $290 per named tester per year, and the bill does not move when the company adds Jira users who never touch a test. Check plan caps on the pricing page before you buy.
Free plan for up to 5 users and a 15-day trial
No credit card required on the trial.
Tuskr gives us a well-structured test case database that makes quality coverage visible and measurable. When our Azure pipeline completes a run, the results are automatically sent through the Playwright integration and uploaded to Tuskr as a Test Run, giving our team a clear and centralized view of test execution and product quality.
Tuskr or Zephyr: Which Is Better?
Minority QA on a Large Jira Site: Tuskr
Ten testers cost $900 a year on Team against $3,405 for Zephyr Standard on a 50-user Jira site and $14,355 on a 250-user one.
Most Jira Users Test: Zephyr
$100 a year at ten Jira users or fewer, with call to test, parameters and BDD documented.
Self-Host, Regions, No-Code: Zephyr
Data Center, residency options and built-in automation; Tuskr publishes none of the three.
Defects Outside Jira: Tuskr
Eleven tracker integrations; Zephyr’s Marketplace apps require Jira.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Zephyr store test cases as Jira issues?
No. Zephyr’s Marketplace listing says it is designed as a dedicated testing system of record, not an extension of Jira work items, and its privacy declaration says test cases, cycles, executions and attachments are stored outside Atlassian’s apps and services. Tests link to Jira issues for traceability but are not Jira issues themselves.
Which is cheaper for a 10-person QA team, Tuskr or Zephyr?
It depends on how many people use your Jira instance. Tuskr Team costs $900 a year for ten testers. Zephyr Standard on annual billing costs $100 a year if Jira has up to 10 users, $1,702.50 at 25 users, $3,405 at 50 and $6,810 at 100, because Marketplace apps are priced on Jira’s user count.
Are Zephyr Scale and Zephyr Squad still sold?
Yes, under new names. SmartBear’s documentation labels Zephyr Essential as previously Zephyr Squad and Zephyr as previously Zephyr Scale, within one product family of three editions. All three are Jira apps and cannot run without Jira. Zephyr Enterprise remains a separate standalone product, quote-only from 20 users.
Which plan do I need for single sign-on?
On Tuskr, SAML 2.0 single sign-on is included only in the Enterprise plan at $290 per user per year; audit trail and two-factor authentication start at Business. Zephyr’s editions list no SSO feature or surcharge, because its users are Jira users identified by Atlassian account ID.
Does Tuskr have a Jira app?
No. Tuskr is a standalone application with a Jira integration, not an Atlassian Marketplace app. It creates Jira issues when tests fail and marks the test for retest when the bug is fixed, so testers work in a second tool. For another standalone-versus-Jira-app pairing, see the TestRail vs Zephyr comparison.
