Azure DevOps is the best hpe alm alternatives pick for most teams that want boards, repos, pipelines, and test plans in one subscription, with the first 5 Basic users free and then $6 per user per month. Jira is the closest match for teams that already live in Atlassian tools, while TestRail is the clearest pick for teams that mainly need test case management, starting at $22 per user per month on annual billing. HPE ALM did not stay with HPE: the product line moved to Micro Focus and then to OpenText, and ALM Octane is now sold as OpenText Software Delivery Management in Premium and Ultimate tiers with a Developer add-on.
HPE ALM, formerly HP ALM and later Micro Focus ALM, covered requirements, test planning, test execution, defect tracking, and release reporting in one system. A good replacement does not need to copy every screen. It needs to cover the parts your team actually uses and keep requirements linked to tests and defects.
On this page
Hpe alm alternatives: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jira | Atlassian teams that need flexible issue tracking | $9.70 per user/month | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | Azure DevOps | Microsoft teams that need boards, repos, and pipelines | $6 per user/month | Yes | Visit |
| 3 | TestRail | QA teams that need dedicated test case management | $22 per user/month | Free trial (30 days) | Visit |
| 4 | SpiraTest | Regulated teams that need concurrent user licensing | $134.26 per month for 3 concurrent users | Free trial (30 days) | Visit |
| 5 | Zephyr | Jira teams that want testing inside Jira | $10 per month for up to 10 Jira users | Free trial (30 days) | Visit |
| 6 | Jama Connect | Engineering teams that need formal requirements traceability | quote only | No | Visit |
| 7 | Tricentis qTest | Large enterprises that need test management at scale | quote only | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 8 | OpenText ALM Octane | Current HPE ALM users who want the direct successor | quote only | No | Visit |
The 8 best hpe alm alternatives, in detail
Jira
Best for: Atlassian teams that need flexible issue tracking
Jira Cloud has four plans. The Free plan covers up to 10 users with 2 GB storage. Standard costs $9.70 per user per month on monthly billing for users 1 to 100, and Premium costs $19.60 per user per month on the same basis.
- Atlassian uses graduated monthly pricing, so users 101 to 250 cost $8.20 each on Standard.
- Jira fits teams that already use Confluence, Bitbucket, or other Atlassian tools, and teams that want custom workflows, boards, and backlogs.
- Standard includes 400 automation steps per user per month, while Premium raises that limit to 750 steps.
- It is a weaker fit when you need built in test case management, because that scope comes from an added app.
Pros
- Free plan for up to 10 users
- Standard includes 250 GB storage and roles and permissions
- Premium adds advanced planning, sandbox, and 99.9% uptime SLA
Cons
- Standard monthly price falls only as user bands grow, so small teams pay the highest per user rate
- Enterprise is annual only and priced by quote
- test management needs a Marketplace app such as Zephyr or Xray
Azure DevOps
Best for: Microsoft teams that need boards, repos, and pipelines
Azure DevOps is one of the lowest cost full suites in this list. Basic costs $6 per user per month after the first 5 Basic users are free, and Stakeholders are free with no stated user cap. One Microsoft-hosted pipeline job with 1,800 minutes per month is included.
- Basic plus Test Plans costs $52 per user per month and adds test planning, manual testing, exploratory testing, and user acceptance testing.
- Choose Azure DevOps when your team works in Microsoft tools and wants a single subscription for planning and delivery.
- A 10 person team on Basic would pay for 5 users only, which is $30 per month, because the first 5 are free.
- Skip it when your main need is formal requirements management for regulated products.
Pros
- First 5 Basic users free and Stakeholders free with no user cap
- Basic includes Boards, Repos, Pipelines, and 2 GiB of Artifacts
- Basic plus Test Plans adds test planning at $52 per user per month
Cons
- Test planning is not in Basic, so QA staff who build test plans need the $52 per user per month tier
- extra Microsoft-hosted parallel jobs cost $40 per month each
- Artifacts storage above 2 GiB costs from $2 per GiB
TestRail
Best for: QA teams that need dedicated test case management
TestRail sells three plans. Essentials costs $22 per user per month on annual billing, or $25 on monthly billing, and is limited to 5 users on cloud only. Professional costs $39 per user per month on annual billing, or $41 on monthly billing for up to 20 users.
- Enterprise costs $78 per user per month on annual billing and adds single sign on, audit logs, test case versioning and approvals, and priority suppor
- TestRail fits QA teams that want test cases, test runs, test plans, and milestones in one place, with traceability from requirements to test results.
- Professional includes defect and requirements integrations, coverage reporting, and the REST API.
Pros
- Essentials starts at $22 per user per month on annual billing
- Professional adds traceability, coverage reporting, and on premise deployment
- every plan includes a 30-day trial with no credit card
Cons
- Essentials is capped at 5 users and is cloud only
- Enterprise features such as SSO, audit logs, and test case versioning cost $78 per user per month on annual billing
- there is no permanent free plan
SpiraTest
Best for: Regulated teams that need concurrent user licensing
SpiraTest from Inflectra uses concurrent user licensing, which is the detail most roundups skip. You pay for the number of people using the tool at the same time, while named users are unlimited. The published cloud price list gives $134.26 per month for 3 concurrent users, $215.24 per month for 5, $389.49 per month for 10, and $751.31 per month for 20.
- SpiraTest fits teams that need end to end traceability from requirements through tests to defects, with release management in the same system.
- It suits regulated work where coverage and audit evidence matter.
Pros
- Concurrent licensing includes unlimited named users and projects
- cloud price list is published in full
- requirements, tests, defects, and releases sit in one application
Cons
- Cloud pricing starts at $134.26 per month for 3 concurrent users, so a small team pays for a block rather than a single seat
- on premise pricing is separate
- the 100 concurrent user tier costs $1,875.74 per month
Zephyr
Best for: Jira teams that want testing inside Jira
Zephyr is a Jira app from SmartBear, sold through the Atlassian Marketplace. Above 10 users, the price is per Jira user, with Standard at $6.81 per Jira user per month at the 100 user tier. The tier is set by the total number of users on your Jira Cloud site, not by the number of people who use Zephyr.
- Zephyr fits teams that already run Jira and want test management without a second system or a separate test database.
- Test cases, test cycles, and execution results sit beside the Jira issues they cover.
- It is the wrong pick when your team does not use Jira.
Pros
- Zephyr Standard costs a flat $10 per month for up to 10 Jira users
- test cases, cycles, and execution stay inside Jira
- Essential, Standard, and Advanced editions share the same Jira app model
Cons
- Zephyr is priced per Jira user, not per tester, so a large Jira site raises the bill even when few people test
- Zephyr needs a Jira subscription underneath
- Zephyr Enterprise is a separate product with quote only pricing
Jama Connect
Best for: Engineering teams that need formal requirements traceability
Jama Connect is a requirements management platform for complex product development, and it is the strongest fit in this list when requirements are the centre of the work. Teams can capture structured requirements and trace each requirement through implementation and verification. Jama Connect publishes no standard self service price.
- The pricing page directs buyers to contact sales for a custom quote based on team size, deployment, and required capabilities.
- Ask for a scoped quote that covers deployment, user count, integrations, migration, training, and support.
Pros
- Structured requirements authoring with review workflows and baselines
- traceability links requirements to tests, risks, and verification
- change impact analysis shows what a requirement change affects
Cons
- No public price is published, so budgeting needs a sales quote
- no free plan is listed
- the formal review model adds setup and admin work for small teams
Tricentis qTest
Best for: Large enterprises that need test management at scale
Tricentis qTest is an enterprise test management platform that grew from QASymphony and was acquired by Tricentis in 2018. It covers test case management, test planning, exploratory testing, automation management, and reporting. The product page offers a trial and a demo rather than a published price, and Tricentis documentation directs buyers to contact the vendor for pricing information.
- qTest fits large programs with large test portfolios, multiple teams, and a need to link testing with wider Tricentis automation.
- It is a strong fit when procurement runs through sales, when test volume is high.
Pros
- qTest Manager, Launch, Insights, Pulse, Scenario, and Explorer cover test planning, automation, and analytics in one suite
- integrates with the wider Tricentis automation suite
- a 14 day trial is documented for qTest Manager
Cons
- No public price is published, so every quote needs a sales consultation
- the suite is split across six modules, which adds scoping work
- the enterprise scope is heavier than small teams need
OpenText ALM Octane
Best for: Current HPE ALM users who want the direct successor
OpenText ALM Octane is the closest like for like replacement for HPE ALM, because it is the same product line under a new owner and a new name. OpenText now documents it as OpenText Software Delivery Management, at version 26.3, sold in Premium and Ultimate tiers with a Developer add-on. Both products are commercial and quote only, with product pages that lead to contact and demo requests rather than a price list.
- Choose OpenText ALM Octane when you want to stay in the same family, keep existing ALM processes, and move to a web based agile tool rather than rebui
- It covers planning, continuous integration, test management, and release management.
Pros
- Direct successor to HPE ALM and Micro Focus ALM Octane, so migration keeps the same product family
- covers agile planning, continuous integration, test management, and release management
- Premium and Ultimate tiers with a Developer add-on cover different team sizes
Cons
- No public price is published and no free tier is listed
- on premise installs need database and upgrade administration
- the enterprise scope is heavier than a small team needs
How we chose
We chose tools that cover at least one part of the HPE ALM scope: requirements, test planning, test execution, defect tracking, or release reporting. We kept only real products with an official homepage and an official pricing page or a clear quote only model, and we checked prices on official vendor pages opened on 2026-11-12. Prices and plan limits in this article come from those official pages and docs. We did not test any tool hands-on. Where a vendor hid the price, we wrote quote only.
Pick by team size and budget
| Team pattern | First pick | Entry cost to check | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 10 users, low budget | Jira Free or Azure DevOps | $0 for up to 10 Jira users; $0 for first 5 Azure DevOps Basic users | Both give a real free start before any subscription |
| 5 to 20 testers, test focus only | TestRail Professional | $39 per user per month on annual billing | Dedicated test management with traceability and no user cap on Professional |
| Many named users, few at once | SpiraTest | $134.26 per month for 3 concurrent users | Concurrent licensing with unlimited named users |
| Jira site under 100 users, testing inside Jira | Zephyr Standard | $10 per month for up to 10 Jira users; $6.81 per Jira user per month at the 100 user tier | Low app fee, but priced per Jira user |
| Regulated requirements work | Jama Connect | quote only | Formal reviews, baselines, and change impact analysis |
| Large enterprise test program | Tricentis qTest or OpenText ALM Octane | quote only | Enterprise scale, governance, and migration from HPE ALM |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best HPE ALM alternative for most teams?
Azure DevOps is the best pick for most teams that want one subscription for boards, repos, pipelines, and test plans, with the first 5 Basic users free and then $6 per user per month. Jira is the best pick for Atlassian teams, and TestRail is the best pick for teams that mainly need test case management.
How much does an HPE ALM alternative cost?
Entry prices range from $0 on the Jira Free plan for up to 10 users and $0 for the first 5 Azure DevOps Basic users, through $6 per user per month for Azure DevOps Basic, $9.70 per user per month for Jira Standard, and $22 per user per month for TestRail Essentials on annual billing.
Which HPE ALM alternative is the direct successor?
OpenText ALM Octane is the direct successor, because it is the same product line that moved from HPE to Micro Focus and then to OpenText. OpenText now documents it as OpenText Software Delivery Management, sold in Premium and Ultimate tiers with a Developer add-on. It is the closest like for like replacement for teams that want to stay in the same product family.
Can I manage tests inside Jira instead of buying a separate tool?
Yes, Zephyr adds test case management, test cycles, and execution inside Jira, with a flat $10 per month for up to 10 Jira users on Standard. The cost rule to check is that Zephyr is priced per Jira user on the whole site, not per tester, so a large Jira site raises the bill. Jira alone does not include built in test case management.
Do any HPE ALM alternatives offer a free plan?
Yes, Jira has a free plan for up to 10 users, and Azure DevOps gives the first 5 Basic users free with Stakeholders free and unlimited. TestRail, SpiraTest, and Zephyr offer trials of 30 days, and Tricentis qTest documents a 14 day trial for qTest Manager.
Which tool fits regulated requirements work best?
Jama Connect fits regulated requirements work best, because it offers structured requirements, review workflows, baselines, and traceability from requirements through tests to verification. SpiraTest is the next best fit when you also need test and defect management in the same system with concurrent licensing.
Sources
- https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira
- https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira/pricing
- https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1213259/zephyr-test-management-and-automation-for-jira?tab=pricing
- https://azure.microsoft.com/products/devops
- https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/details/visual-studio-team-services/
- https://www.testrail.com/
- https://www.testrail.com/pricing/
- https://www.inflectra.com/Products/SpiraTest/
- https://www.inflectra.com/Purchase/Price-List.aspx?soure=IITC
- https://smartbear.com/test-management/zephyr/
- https://www.jamasoftware.com/
- https://www.jamasoftware.com/platform/pricing/
- https://www.tricentis.com/products/unified-test-management-qtest/
- https://www.opentext.com/
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.