Zephyr Pricing in 2026: What Zephyr Scale Really Costs per Jira User
Zephyr is one of the most common ways to manage tests inside Jira, but its price is easy to misread. You do not pay for the people who write and run tests. You pay for every user on your Jira site. This guide explains the current Zephyr editions, what each one costs at each Jira user tier, what happens to Data Center, and how the numbers compare with a tool that charges per tester.
Prices in this article were taken from the Atlassian Marketplace and SmartBear pages on 21 October 2026, in USD, excluding tax. Marketplace prices can change at any time, so check the official Zephyr pricing tab before you buy.
The quick answer
Zephyr for Jira Cloud is sold on the Atlassian Marketplace in three editions:
- Zephyr Essential, a separate Marketplace listing (formerly Zephyr Squad).
- Zephyr Standard, the default edition of the "Zephyr - Test Management and Automation for Jira" listing (formerly Zephyr Scale).
- Zephyr Advanced, the second edition of that same listing.
Zephyr Enterprise is a separate, standalone SmartBear product with custom pricing.
For a Jira site with up to 10 users, Zephyr Essential and Zephyr Standard cost a flat $10 per month, and Zephyr Advanced costs a flat $15 per month. Above 10 users, you pay per Jira user. For the first 100 users, the monthly rates are:
- Zephyr Essential: $5.99 per Jira user
- Zephyr Standard: $6.81 per Jira user
- Zephyr Advanced: $8.73 per Jira user
The tier is set by the total number of users on your Jira Cloud site, not by the number of people who use Zephyr. Atlassian's Marketplace licensing page says that "Cloud marketplace applications naturally match the tier of the host product" and "are unable to exceed the host product tier". If your company has 250 Jira users and five testers, you pay Zephyr for 250 users. Larger sites get lower rates for the users above 100, as the table below shows.
Which Zephyr is which (names changed in 2025)
SmartBear renamed its Zephyr lineup in 2025, so older articles and community posts use different names:
| Old name | Current name | Where it is sold |
|---|---|---|
| Zephyr Squad | Zephyr Essential | Atlassian Marketplace (Jira Cloud and Data Center) |
| Zephyr Scale | Zephyr Standard | Atlassian Marketplace (Jira Cloud and Data Center) |
| (new) | Zephyr Advanced | Atlassian Marketplace (Jira Cloud) |
| Zephyr Enterprise | Zephyr Enterprise | SmartBear directly (SaaS or on-premise) |
So when people search for "Zephyr Scale pricing", the answer today is the price of Zephyr Standard. The old name is still visible in places: SmartBear's API documentation still lives under support.smartbear.com/zephyr-scale-cloud/, and SmartBear's own editions comparison calls the middle edition just "Zephyr".
If you are on Zephyr Squad and want to move to the Standard edition, note two points from SmartBear's upgrade guide: the Squad-to-Zephyr migration "is currently in beta", and "Upgrade to Zephyr requires a new license". You buy the new app, you do not switch editions in place.
Zephyr Cloud pricing by Jira user tier
Monthly billing, USD, monthly price per user within each band unless marked flat:
| Jira users on the site | Zephyr Essential | Zephyr Standard | Zephyr Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-10 | $10/month flat | $10/month flat | $15/month flat |
| 11-100 | $5.99 | $6.81 | $8.73 |
| 101-250 | $3.14 | $4.33 | $5.54 |
| 251-1,000 | $1.58 | $2.10 | $2.67 |
| 1,001-5,000 | $0.51 | $0.81 | $0.99 |
| 5,001-10,000 | $0.25 | $0.51 | $0.64 |
Above 10 users, the price is "calculated progressively using user tier prices", as the Marketplace calculator puts it. The 11-100 rate applies to the first 100 users, and each higher rate applies only to the users inside that band. An 11-user Jira site pays 11 x $6.81 = $74.91 per month for Zephyr Standard. That is a jump from $10 to almost $75 when the eleventh person joins Jira, even if that person never opens a test case. A 250-user site pays 100 x $6.81 + 150 x $4.33 = $1,330.50 per month.
Annual pricing
Annual subscriptions are priced per site, per year:
| Jira users on the site | Zephyr Essential | Zephyr Standard | Zephyr Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-10 | $100 | $100 | $150 |
| 26-50 | $2,995 | $3,405 | $4,365 |
| 51-100 | $5,990 | $6,810 | $8,730 |
| 801-1,000 | $22,550 | $29,055 | $37,065 |
Annual pricing is 10 times the monthly price at the top of each annual band, which is roughly two months free. Annual bands are wider (for example 11-15, 16-25, 26-50, 51-100 and 101-200 users), so you pay for the top of your band. A 50-user site pays $3,405 per year for Zephyr Standard on annual billing, but 50 x $6.81 x 12 = $4,086 on monthly billing. For an exact quote for your team size, use the calculator on the Zephyr Marketplace listing or the Zephyr Essential listing.
What each edition includes
According to the Marketplace listing and SmartBear's editions comparison, all three editions include:
- Manual test case management and execution
- Cross-project reporting and traceability
- BDD support
- REST API
- Integration with test automation and CI/CD
- Unlimited storage
Zephyr Standard adds data residency, limited no-code test automation, Zephyr Skills for Rovo (AI test case generation from a Jira issue or a prompt) and the SmartBear MCP server.
Zephyr Advanced adds expanded no-code test automation ("4x more test runs"), parallel testing (3 parallels), cross-browser testing (Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari), and email and SMS testing.
Zephyr Essential has no Rovo agent, no MCP server and no data residency.
Rovo AI: included, but it is a Jira cost too
Zephyr's AI features run through Atlassian Rovo. SmartBear's Zephyr Agent for Rovo documentation says the agent supports only Zephyr Standard and Zephyr Advanced.
Rovo itself comes from your Jira plan. Atlassian's Rovo pricing page says Rovo is available to customers with a Standard, Premium or Enterprise Cloud plan of Jira, with 25, 70 or 150 credits per user per month respectively, and $0.01 per extra credit. So the AI is "included" in Zephyr Standard, but only if your Jira plan includes Rovo, and heavy use can add credit charges on the Jira bill.
Zephyr Data Center pricing and the 2029 cut-off
Data Center versions of both Zephyr Jira apps are still published and compatible. The latest Data Center releases on the Marketplace are Zephyr 12.12.0-jira11 (13 October 2026) and Zephyr Essential 11.0.1 (11 August 2026).
Annual Data Center prices (USD, per year):
| Users | Zephyr Standard DC | Zephyr Essential DC |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | $4,760 | $4,457 |
| 100 | $7,934 | $7,429 |
| 250 | $14,281 | $13,373 |
| 500 | $21,413 | $19,153 |
| 1,000 | $31,146 | $27,859 |
Atlassian licenses Jira Software Data Center "starting at 500 users", and Data Center app licenses must "match or exceed the number of users" on the host product, so a Jira Software Data Center site on a current licence needs at least the 500-user app tier. The smaller tiers apply to older, smaller licences.
The bigger question is whether you can buy Data Center at all. Atlassian's Data Center end-of-life page sets these dates:
- Since 30 March 2026, "new customers will no longer be able to purchase new Data Center subscriptions or new Marketplace Data Center apps".
- "Data Center Marketplace app sales for existing customers will end on March 30, 2028 at 23:59 PST".
- End of life is 28 March 2029 at 23:59 PST, when "Data Center subscriptions and any associated Marketplace apps will expire" and the products become read-only.
In short, Zephyr Data Center is now only a renewal path for existing customers. New buyers choose between Zephyr Cloud and Zephyr Enterprise. If you must keep test data on your own infrastructure after 2029, plan the move now. QA Sphere offers an on-premises edition for that case.
Zephyr Enterprise
Zephyr Enterprise is a standalone test management product, not a Jira app. SmartBear's Zephyr Enterprise pricing page lists "Custom Pricing", starting at 20 users, as SaaS (hosted by SmartBear on AWS) or on-premise, through Contact Sales. There is no public price, so you need a sales quote to compare it.
Worked examples
The examples below use monthly billing. QA Sphere Standard costs $12 per paid user per month, and Viewer accounts are free on paid plans.
| Team | Zephyr Standard | Zephyr Advanced | QA Sphere Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 testers, 8-user Jira site | $10/month flat | $15/month flat | $0 (Free plan, up to 3 users) |
| 5 testers, 50-user Jira site | 50 x $6.81 = $340.50 | 50 x $8.73 = $436.50 | 5 x $12 = $60 |
| 10 testers, 100-user Jira site | 100 x $6.81 = $681 | 100 x $8.73 = $873 | 10 x $12 = $120 |
| 25 testers, 250-user Jira site | 100 x $6.81 + 150 x $4.33 = $1,330.50 | 100 x $8.73 + 150 x $5.54 = $1,704 | 25 x $12 = $300 |
| 40 testers, 1,000-user Jira site | $1,330.50 + 750 x $2.10 = $2,905.50 | $1,704 + 750 x $2.67 = $3,706.50 | 40 x $12 = $480 |
To be fair to Zephyr: if your whole Jira site has 10 users or fewer, Zephyr's $10 flat fee is cheaper than QA Sphere Standard for a team of 4 to 10 testers (10 testers cost $120 per month on QA Sphere). The gap opens when the Jira site is much larger than the QA team, which is the normal case in a company where developers, product managers and support staff all use Jira.
Teams that need SAML SSO, SCIM provisioning and an audit log can use QA Sphere Business at $24 per paid user per month. See the pricing page for all plans.
Zephyr vs QA Sphere pricing model
| Zephyr (Cloud) | QA Sphere | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Every user on the Jira site | Paid QA Sphere users only |
| Viewers | No viewer license; the app tier must cover all Jira users | Unlimited free Viewers on paid plans |
| Entry price | $10/month flat up to 10 Jira users | Free plan for up to 3 users |
| Mid-size price | $6.81 per Jira user (Standard, first 100 users) | $12 per tester (Standard) |
| Storage | Unlimited | 200 GB on Standard, 1 TB+ on Business |
| AI | Rovo skills on Standard and Advanced; needs a Jira Standard plan or higher | AI test case generation built in, with AI credits on every plan |
| Runs outside Jira | No | Yes, with a Jira integration |
FAQ
How much does Zephyr Scale cost?
Zephyr Scale is now called Zephyr Standard. On Jira Cloud it costs $10 per month flat for a site with up to 10 Jira users, then $6.81 per user per month for the first 100 users, $4.33 per user for users 101-250 and $2.10 per user for users 251-1,000. The price is calculated progressively, so a 250-user site pays $1,330.50 per month (monthly billing, October 2026).
Does Zephyr pricing depend on how many testers I have?
No. Zephyr Cloud is priced by the total number of users on your Jira Cloud site. Atlassian Marketplace apps must match the user tier of the host product, so every Jira user counts, whether or not they use Zephyr.
Is there a free Zephyr plan?
Not on the Marketplace today. The lowest price is $10 per month flat for a Jira site with up to 10 users. Older community posts mention a free 10-user tier, but it is not in the current listing.
What is the difference between Zephyr Essential, Standard and Advanced?
Essential (formerly Zephyr Squad) covers core test management. Standard (formerly Zephyr Scale) adds data residency, limited no-code automation, Zephyr Skills for Rovo and the SmartBear MCP server. Advanced adds expanded no-code automation, parallel testing, cross-browser testing, and email and SMS testing.
Can I still buy Zephyr for Jira Data Center?
Only if you are an existing Data Center customer. Atlassian stopped new Data Center sales to new customers on 30 March 2026. Existing customers can buy Data Center apps until 30 March 2028, and Data Center reaches end of life on 28 March 2029.
Does Zephyr's AI cost extra?
Zephyr Skills for Rovo are included in Zephyr Standard and Advanced, but Rovo comes with Jira Cloud Standard, Premium and Enterprise plans and has monthly credit limits per user. Credits above the limit cost $0.01 each.
How does QA Sphere pricing compare?
QA Sphere charges per tester, not per Jira user: Standard is $12 per user per month, Business is $24, and Viewers are free on paid plans. The Free plan covers up to 3 users. See the QA Sphere pricing page and the QA Sphere vs Zephyr comparison.
Conclusion
Zephyr is priced fairly for small Jira sites: $10 per month covers up to 10 users. As soon as your Jira site grows past the size of your QA team, you pay for developers, product managers and everyone else on Jira, and the cost per actual tester rises quickly. Data Center is also closing to new buyers, which narrows the choice to Zephyr Cloud or a custom Zephyr Enterprise quote.
If you want to pay only for the people who test, compare the models side by side before your next renewal. For more options, see our list of Zephyr Scale alternatives, the guide to Jira test management and the best test management tools. Teams that use Xray can read the QA Sphere vs Xray comparison.
Pay for testers, not for every Jira user. QA Sphere costs $12 per tester per month, with free Viewers for developers and stakeholders and a Jira integration included.
Written by
QA Sphere TeamThe QA Sphere team shares insights on software testing, quality assurance best practices, and test management strategies drawn from years of industry experience.
